He varied the pace a little with the
ballad Rose Of Love, fi rst cut by Tom Jones,
and revived by Gene Vincent in 1971, on
which Rip played. Probably Rip’s best
known composition, and much covered, is
Rockabilly Man, and it got a fi ne cheer. And
talking of rockabilly, Rip’s re-imagining
of The Bell Notes’ doo-wop I’ve Had It is
always a stand-out, both live and on record.
By the time of Crazy Cavan’s late Saturday
slot the dancefl oor in the ballroom was so
full of fans that dancing was impossible.
That’s the level of excitement these Welsh
veterans generate, and no one felt let down.
Their own originals like Teddy Boy Boogie
and Teddy Boy Rock’n’Roll meant they were
speaking directly to their audience, and the
crowd responded.
The event itself takes its name from the
Cavan cut Wildest Cat In Town, and this
was the 19th time they played it in as many
appearances – again it went down a storm.Cavan and the always reliable Rhythm
Rockers dug into their back catalogue to
include some standards among the originals,
including The Delmore Brothers’ Blues Stay
Away From Me, Stick McGhee’s Drinkin’
Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee and Joe Turner’s
Boogie Woogie Country Girl.THEY ALSO FEATURED not only
what Cavan said was their fi rst recording,
Bop Little Baby, but also the fi rst recording
by The Beatles, My Bonnie. I bet The Beatles
wished they could growl as authentically as
Mr Grogan.
Old Black Joe was played by request, at
which point seven young ladies, who might
be dubbed The Cavanettes, leapt onto the
stage waving a Confederate fl ag to cheers
from the crowd. My Little Sister’s Got A
Motorbike was another highlight.
There were two 25th-year reunions by a
couple of much-loved and well-remembered
groups. First up was Bob And The Bearcats
which featured, back in the day, two future
solo stars, singer Bob Butfoy and guitarist
Darrel Higham.
Bob went on to front Jack Rabbit Slim for
a decade, while Darrel, with his Enforcers,
played everywhere from your television to
a Paul McCartney wedding, appearing on
100-plus CDs and LPs.Wildest Cats In TownAttendees Ryoko and Genki Takano won
fi rst prize in the jive competitionCrazy Cavan have been rocking it
up at the Wildest Cats weekenders
since the very fi rst eventEmma GrantEmma Grant