Charlie Gracie, “Live at the Stockton Globe,” Schoolkids/Roller Coaster. (*1/2)
Gracie was a minor figure in ‘50s rock, influenced greatly by Elvis Presley and best known for the original version of “Butterfly,” a lite-rock tune that was a No. 1 single for both Gracie and Andy Williams.
The most noteworthy thing about Gracie is that he was the second U.S. rock star (after Bill Haley) to tour England. This album was recorded during his 1957 British tour and it’s tempting to think that maybe a young Paul McCartney or John Lennon was in the audience, dreaming about the day they would lead a band. But they were probably home listening to their Elvis, Chuck Berry or King records.
*
Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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