The first Big Jive All Dayer in Worthing, presented by the jive/swing band The Jive Aces, was held in February 2013 and has become an annual event in my home town. Having attended most of these, except for those that were cancelled during the Covid pandemic, I was pleased to be invited back to the latest event to cover it for my Instagram profile and here on my blog.
Past guests at the Big Jive All Dayer have included Si Cranstoun, The Swing Commanders, The Three Belles, Earl Jackson Band, Laura B & Her Band, Miss Annie & The Midnight Shift, Bamboozle, Mike Sanchez & The Portions, Dylan Kirk & The Killers, Gina Haley and King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys.
This years guests were Lynette Morgan & Her Blackwater Valley Boys, The Velvet Candles and Phil Haley & His Comments. Joining The Jive Aces on stage were Noelle Vaughn, Laura B., Pat Reyford, DiMarco and a very special guest, more on which later.
As always a great selection of music was provided by the DJs which this year were, The Duke, Swinging Rockin' Daddy and Eight-Beat Mac.
Doors opened at 1pm and the venue was soon packed with couples, dressed in their best vintage outfits, already on the dance floor while others settled down at the tables spread alongside the dance floor.
Following a few classic tracks from the DJ it was time for the first act. Jive Aces frontman, Ian Clarkson, strolled on stage and welcomed the packed venue to a day and evening of great music and fun. Mentioning that it was seventy years since the release of Rock Around The Clock he invited onto the stage Phil Haley & His Comments.
This four-piece band, with guitar, bass, saxophone and drums are one of the top rock 'n' roll tribute bands in the UK and as well as covering some of the greatest records from the 1950s they also perform many of their own songs. They have built up a following that has seen them play in countries including France, Finland, Germany, Holland and as far afield as Australia.
Opening with Shake, Rattle And Roll they soon had the crowd dancing and singing along. Their set included many of Bill Haley's greatest hits... Don't Knock The Rock, R.O.C.K., Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie, Rockin' Through The Rye and See You Later Alligator.
All four are excellent musicians and were each given the chance to show of their skills with guitar, saxophone, bass and drum solos.
They avoid being tagged as just another tribute band performing many of their own songs which fitted well in their set alongside the 1950s classics.
More music from the DJs gave the audience a chance to take a refreshment break at the bar and do some shopping.
For those looking for a new outfit there were a number of stalls selling vintage dresses, shirts and shoes and if you needed to add any music to your collection there was a great selection of Jive Aces CDs/vinyl along with music from some of the featured bands. I even managed to add a few more CDs to my ever growing collection.
My taste in music covers most styles and I was looking forward to the western swing and country music of the next act on stage, Lynette Morgan & Her Blackwater Boys.
With Lynette on guitar and vocals she is supported by a four-piece band of guitar, bass, fiddle and pedal steel guitar creating the authentic western-swing style.
Opening with Roadside Diner, one of the many original songs they performed, the dance floor soon filled up again. They continued with a mix of originals, classic country and western swing including All Night Boogie, Patsy Cline's Let The Teardrops Fall, Walk Right In, Tennessee Saturday Night and one of their final songs was Teenage Boogie, originally written and recorded by Webb Pierce back in 1956.
With another break and more records spun by the DJs I took the opportunity to get some fresh air and a bite to eat in town.
Back to the live music and fans of doo-wop and the vocal groups of the 1950s were in for a treat when the Velvet Candles hit the stage. This four piece group comprising three guys and one gal are from Barcelona and the three guys looked the part in their sharp white suits.
Formed in 2008 when they used to sing acapella on the streets of Barcelona they have gained a following which has seen them perform at clubs and festivals in Spain, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Their music bought back memories of some of the greatest doo-wop and vocal groups of the past including The Platters, The Penguins, The Crew-Cuts and The Clovers.
Opening with Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) they took the audience back to the 1950s with Ding Dong Daddy, Sixteen Tons, Besame Mucho and The Way You Look Tonight. Of course no doo-wop act would be complete without Sh-Boom, originally recorded by The Chords, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers hit Why Do Fools Fall In Love and The Diamonds Little Darlin, and the Velvet Candles did not disappoint with their versions of the songs.
For an encore they treated the audience to the upbeat Jump Children, originally recorded by The Flamingos.
Following yet more great music it was time for The Jive Aces, dressed in their trademark yellow suits, to take the stage.
Opening with Good Rockin' Tonight, one of Elvis Presley's earliest releases on the Sun Records label, they followed with one of their own compositions, La Dolce Vita, Smile, written by Charlie Chaplin and recorded by Nat King Cole in 1954, Jackie Wilson's Reet Petite and their current single, La Vie en Rose, originally a hit for French songstress Edith Piaf. The song, which also featured Grazia Bevilacqua on vocals and accordion, has given The Jive Aces a number one on The Heritage Chart.
Ian then introduced Noelle Vaughn, an English jazz singer with a rich, sultry voice and great stage presence, who joined them on stage for Got What It Takes and Razzle Dazzle before taking the solo spot for a fantastic rendition of I Need A Man.
More well-known songs followed... Hound Dog, with Ian giving his best Elvis impression, Singing In The Rain, Bring Me Sunshine and for me the highlight, a fun performance of the Dean Martin hit That's Amore, another song to feature the lovely, and talented, Grazia Bevilacqua on vocals and accordion. The chemistry between her and Ian is amazing and the look on his face, and the way both he and Alex looked at their watches, when she stole the moment playing an extended solo on the accordion was priceless and had to be seen to be appreciated.
It was at this stage in the proceedings that a special guest was announced and to great applause out walked 1950s singer Laurie London who is best known for his gospel and novelty songs.
Following a rockin' version of Eddie Cochran's Twenty Flight Rock he sang his only hit record, He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, the most successful record by a British artist in the 1950s in the United States, where it reached number one, sold over one-million and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) in 1958. The whole audience sang along and you could tell how much he was enjoying being on stage again.
The Jive Aces set closed with Tiger Man and an instrumental version of the Hank Williams classic Jambalaya, during which both John Fordham and Alex Douglas left the stage and moved onto the dancefloor to delight the crowd with their musicianship and antics.
More music, more dancing. more drinking and more shopping then it was time for the final act of the day... The Jive Aces Revue.
The Jive Aces invited many of the acts back on stage, including The Velvet Candles and Noelle Vaughn, along with Pat Reyford, DiMarco and Laura B, all making their first appearance of the day, for a final selection of songs which gave each artist the chance to shine individually and as part of the group.
With little room to move the whole ensemble performed the song that closes many of The Jive Aces shows, Louis Prima's 1956 jazz swing classic, Jump, Jive And Wail. With each artist taking a lead and managing to jump at the appropriate times, especially piano player Vince Hurley whose antics always bring a smile to my face, it looked chaotic but was a fun and amazing way to bring the show to a close.
As the evening drew to a close, and people started to head home, the DJ continued spinning some great music, a few couples remained on the dance floor while the band members and stage-hands started dismantling the stage and packing their gear away.
I said my goodbyes to everyone and made my way home for a well-deserved rest as I had been on my feet for most of the day, only sitting down a couple of times in the bar and when I went into town to grab a bite to eat. The next few days were busy going through more than 600 photos I took, a few of which are featured here and I will be posting more on my Instagram page (@peterlewry) over the next week or two. I had a fantastic time and look forward to next year.
All that is left for me to say is a big thank you to everybody involved in yet another great event. I have to say a big thank you to Grazia for organising my ticket, to all the members of The Jive Aces and those from the other bands that I had the opportunity to talk to, and in a few cases have a photo taken together, during the day.
