Rock with the Caveman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Rock with the Caveman"
Tommy Steele Rock with the Cavemen.jpg
Single by Tommy Steele and the Steelmen
from the album Tommy Steele Stage Show
B-side"Rock Around the Town"
Released12 October 1956 (1956-10-12)[1]
Recorded24 September 1956[2]
StudioDecca Studios, London
GenreRock and roll
Length1:53
LabelDecca
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Hugh Mendl
Tommy Steele and the Steelmen singles chronology
"Rock with the Caveman"
(1956) 		"Doomsday Rock"
(1956)

"Rock with the Caveman" is a song by Tommy Steele and the Steelmen, released as their debut single in October 1956. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the first British rock and roll record to enter the chart.[3]

Background and recording[]

Steele was discovered by Lionel Bart and along with Mike Pratt the three formed a group known as the Cavemen. After being seen by Decca Records' A&R representative Hugh Mendl, Steele was signed to Decca. "Rock with the Caveman" was originally a comedy number, described by Steele as "a joke, a spoof, the sort of thing Monty Python might have done".[4] It was Steele's first recording, recorded at Decca Studios on 24 September 1956, produced by Mendl with engineer Arthur Lilley. Steele was backed by a number of well-known jazz session musicians, including pianist Dave Lee from Johnny Dankworth's band and tenor saxophonist Ronnie Scott.[2]

After the success of "Rock with the Caveman", Steele was dubbed "Britain's Elvis" and only a month later was voted one of the top-ten British singers in a New Musical Express poll.[5] However, his follow-up single "Doomsday Rock" failed to chart, but he topped the chart after that with "Singing the Blues".[3]

Track listing[]

7": Decca / F 10795

  1. "Rock with the Caveman" – 1:53
  2. "Rock Around the Town" – 1:52

Personnel[]

Charts[]

Chart (1956) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[3] 13
UK Record Mirror Top 20[6] 11

References[]

  1. ^ Bragg, Billy (30 May 2017). Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World. Faber & Faber. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-571-32776-8.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Rock with the Caveman". www.skidmore.edu. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Tommy Steele: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  4. ^ Napier-Bell, Simon (2002). Black Vinyl, White Powder. Ebury. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-09-188092-7.
  5. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Tommy Steele Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  6. ^ "The Second Ten". Record Mirror. 3 November 1956.
Retrieved from ""