The Alligators

The Alligators
Origin	Denmark
Genres	Rock'n'roll, Rockabilly
Years active	1990 - present
Labels	Rekord Records
Website	Official
Members	Morten Kjeldsen Ole Ballund Jens Dan Niels Mathiasen

The Alligators are a Danish rock'n'roll and rockabilly music group.

The Alligators were founded in the later summer of 1990 in Copenhagen by drummer Ole Ballund, bassist Jens Dan and guitarist Morten Kjeldsen ("rockM"), all seasoned musicians with a common passion for the 1950s rock'n'roll and rockabilly. Saxophonist Niels Mathiasen initially joined the group in 1994; however, he did not become a full-time member of the group until 1997.

During their first six months, The Alligators became familiar in the Copenhagen area as performers on the street and in undistinguished bars. Then, in the spring of 1991, a demonstration recording of theirs reached the mainland, with the outcome that they signed an exclusive booking and management contract with the well established CBA agency. From that point, the band grew increasingly successful, and by the end of 1991 The Alligators were considered one of the hardest working rock'n'roll bands in Denmark.

In 1992 they played more than 200 shows, recorded their debut album Rock'n'roll ball, played engagements as the back-up band for The Jordanaires, and toured in the Greek islands. Also in that year, the band formed a productive association with singer and entertainer Mek Pek, following a performance in late February that developed into an all night jam session. By late 1992, they had together formed the band Mek & The Pekabillies.

Much studio work occupied the band in 1993: the recording of Mek & The Pek'a'billies, and of children's songs for the Aah Abe project. Also that year, they made several television appearances, played many concerts, and in November journeyed to the United States, for inspiration. In early 1994, Mek & The Pekabillies, on behalf of all artists involved, accepted the Danish Grammy Award for best album in the category "Songs for children", for the "Aah Abe" project, which to date has sold more than 400,000 copies in Denmark, whose population is 5.5 million.

In the summer of 1994 The Alligators were introduced to American singer Wanda Jackson. During the recording of her album Let's have a party, Jackson was so impressed with the band that she demanded that, when recording and touring Scandinavia, it must be with The Alligators. This resulted in two albums and one annual tour. About the same time, The Alligators met Danish-based, Scottish piano player and singer Stan Urban, which led to several live performances and some recording sessions.

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Wikipedia