Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets

Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets
Background information
Origin	Wales
Genres	Rock and roll
Years active	1969–1977 1977 - date (as The Sunsets)
Labels	Parlophone, CBS, Polydor, Contour, Emerald, Pink Elephant, Decca, Skydog, Dynamite, Mooncrest
Associated acts	Shakin' Stevens Dave Edmunds Mickey Gee The Sunsets
Past members	Shakin' Stevens Paul Barrett Robert "Rockin' Louie" Llewellyn Ace Skudder Mike Bibby Willie Blackmore Tony Britnell Anglin Buttermore George Chick Johnny Chop Paul Dolan Mickey Gee Dave Goddard Trevor Hawkins Mike Lloyd Jones Alan Langford Ian Lawrence Steve Percy Carl Petersen Sid Petherick Malcolm Preest Stephen Pryor Danny Wild Brian Williams

Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets were a rock and roll group formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1969. Although most notable now for their lead singer Shakin' Stevens, who went on to become one of the UK's most popular artists of the 1980s, the band released several records and toured extensively throughout the 1970s. A version of the Sunsets, containing original members, still tours annually in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets evolved from the rock and roll scene in and around the Penarth and Ely areas just outside Cardiff. One of its leading lights since the late 1950s was the Backbeats, a band fronted by Robert Llewellyn (who performed under the name of Rockin' Louie) and managed by Paul 'Legs' Barrett, a local entrepreneur and "card-carrying Communist".

A keen fan of the group was a youngster named Michael Barratt who frequently used to approach Louie for singing and dancing tips and, soon enough, Michael was being referred to as 'Rockin' Louie II'. By the mid 1960s however, Michael had formed his own band. Originally named the Olympics, then the Cossacks, they finally decided to call themselves the Denims, by which point they found themselves as a support act to Michael's heroes, the Backbeats. Eventually, when the Denims fell apart, Michael wasted no time in forming a new group named the Rebels. It was this outfit that Paul Barrett reluctantly came to see after a recommendation early in 1969. Although distinctly unimpressed with the band itself, Barrett saw something in their young singer who, only a few years earlier, had been hanging around looking for ideas from the Backbeats. He offered to manage Michael on two conditions: firstly, he would have to ditch his group and, secondly, he must find himself an exciting new stage name. Agreeing to both suggestions, the ambitious young Welshman promptly left the Rebels and then, inspired either by the memory of an old school friend playing bat and ball or maybe even an eccentric local roadsweeper, Michael Barratt became Shakin' Stevens.

Deciding that the group would be named Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets, Paul Barrett set about assembling a backing band for his new protege. Several musicians passed through the ranks of the Sunsets during these early days. There was a transitional period as the Backbeats evolved into the Sunsets which saw Dave Goddard and Sid Petherick briefly retained from the old band on bass and lead guitar respectively. Then, after two short lived guitarists by the names of Alan Langford and Mike Bibby, the band finally settled upon Carl Petersen. Early bass player Stephen Prior was soon replaced by Steve Percy, while the original drummer Brian Williams was replaced after Paul Barrett had managed to persuade former Backbeats frontman Rockin' Louie to hammer out a rhythm for the Sunsets. On saxophone was Paul Dolan (actually a guitarist who was a veteran of the Cardiff music scene for many years) and this early line up was completed by London born Trevor Hawkins on piano, who had offered his services when the formative band played a gig at the Northcote Arms in Southall.

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