BILLY VERA
Billy Vera (born William Patrick McCord; May 28, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author and music historian. He was a singer and songwriter since the 1960s, his most successful record coming with “At This Moment”, a US number 1 hit in 1987. He continues to perform with his group Billy Vera & The Beaters. (More from Wikipedia)
Ritchie Valens released just two 45’s but still showed incredible versatility. His first, “Come On, Let’s Go” is now regarded as a straight-up rock and roll classic, but it failed to chart. Writing in 1998, Billy Vera recalls “first hearing [“Come On, Let’s Go”] on Alan Freed’s TV Dance Party, a local New York equivalent of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. It was a record which really grabbed my teenaged ears. I had never heard anything quite like it. It had a much ‘thicker’ sound than anything by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, or even Eddie Cochran. For thickness, the only thing that came close was Bo Diddley.”
(June 2013/1)
