@Ragman,
That song was actually on the top 40 many years back.. My husband and I danced to it at our wedding. (ok, thats a joke, but I remember my mother knew the lyrics and would sing along, it was funny.)
Back to Eddie Cochran, he may have had a bigger impact if only he hadn't died so young. In the late 50's-early 60's, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Little Richard (in 1956 he had 9 hits in the US and 5 in Britain) and many many early Rock and Roll artists toured Great Britain and other Western European countries. Europe and Canada have always been big fans of Jazz, Blues and all the iterations of Rock and Roll and have been terrific supporters of this music. It should be no surprise that talented British groups became masters of the medium, hence the 'British Invasion'.
As much as American kids loved Rock & Roll and Motown or Soul, the artists had to perform in small venues and usually with several other acts. In 1967, my parents dropped me and 4 other girls off at the Civic Center to see a huge line-up of acts touring. It was a bonanza of performers, I don't remember all the acts, but I remember the 4 Tops, The Temptations, Jackie Wilson and Oh my God, James Brown. He did Night Train (a Balto fav) something I don't remember and finished with 'Please, please, please' with the cape and everything. It was years before I realized that if black artists were performing in white areas they needed multiple acts in order to make a profit, and more basically to find hotels and restaurants that would serve black people. James Brown performed as a solo that night, and was backed up by the band all the other acts used. I wish I could remember all the acts, but I was a kid and just pixilated by the music.
