It's been over 50 years since Rock & Roll first shook the world with it's new sound that kids loved and parents hated. This new music was sexy, fun, and some said, dangerous. The Devil's music. Everyone from Frank Sinatra to any critic at the time said it wouldn't last.

Boy, they couldn't have been more wrong.

Rock & Roll from the 50's lasted well beyond that decade. The recordings of all of the great artists from that time still sell millions a year and sound as good as ever. However, nearly all of the artists who created the music are gone. Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Ricky Nelson.

Anyone from that era will tell you that Rock & Roll was at its best and most explosive when played LIVE in front of a LIVE audience. A band rocking & rolling, sweating, giving it all, whipping the audience into a frenzy that would scare parents, politicians, and PTA groups from every small town.

Someone has to pick up where those before left off. Freddy Vette & the Flames having been doing their part since 2002. A band seemingly plucked from fifties and transported 50 years into the future. Seven musicians and singers playing the hits of Elvis, Jerry Lee, Buddy, Fats, Chuck Berry and more. Their attention to not only the musical details but the visual presentation of this music is second to none. 

Freddy Vette prides himself on the authenticity of the show. "We try to give this music and the artists the respect they deserve. When people see our show that witnessed the original rock & roll explosion, they say "You guys got it, that's the way it REALLY was." That's very gratifying."

That authenticity comes from letter-perfect musical arrangements of the biggest hits from the biggest artists like Bill Haley & his Comets, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, to name a few. Also, Betty Vette (Freddy's beloved) leads the band's own "girl group" covering those fantastic hits like "He's a Rebel", "It's My Party (and I'll cry if I want to)", "Chapel of Love" and other anthems from the likes of Brenda Lee, and even Patsy Cline.

What??!!! No poodleskirts, leather jackets, Blue jeans, white t-shirts with the sleeves rolled-up????

Well, the teenagers may have dressed like that in the 50's, but the performers didn't. The stars dressed to kill, just ask Elvis or Little Richard. Freddy Vette & the Flames not only try to SOUND the part, but LOOK the part too with threads pulled from the Comet's suitcases, the Chiffon's walk-in closet, and Jerry Lee Lewis' yard sale!

Jukebox Hits Live with Freddy Vette & The Flames captures the excitement, the electricity, and the sheer FUN of ground-zero for Rock & Roll, the 1950's. Wailing sax, thumping stand-up bass, every song an instant sing-along for the audience. At more than 50 years old, Freddy Vette & the Flames help keep rock & roll looking eighteen and fabulous! Welcome to The Ultimate 50's Rock & Roll Show!

So how does a guy born in 1972 end up as the real-deal front man for a 50's Rock & Roll show? That seems to be the most asked question when it comes to Freddy Vette. Here his answer:

"Good music is good music no matter what kind it is or when it was made. You don't have to be from the 1700's to play Mozart, you don't have to be from the 1930's or 40's to play jazz, and you sure don't have to be from the 50's to play Rock & Roll."

Like most kids, you grow up listening to not only your own musical collection, but you also end up listening to your parent's musical collection too. Such was the case for Freddy Vette. His folks had the Rock & Roll records. Coupled with the resurgence of 50's music in the 70's thanks to "Happy Days", "Sha-na-na" and "American Graffiti", there was plenty of Rock & Roll in the air.

It also didn't hurt that he came from a musical family. His mother and father had a country music band, so there were instruments around the house. The first thing Freddy tackled was the drums.....then guitar....and piano along the way.

At 14 years old, Freddy Vette first played with his parents on the road and that was the beginning of his performing career. Various bands, various kinds of music, until the music of his childhood came back to him. Rock & Roll.

"I remember getting a new guitar amplifier when I was 25 or 26 and I was alone trying it out at home. I played an A chord and started played the riff to "Matchbox" by Carl Perkins. I don't know why, but it was like electricity shot through my body. I just kept playing that same riff over and over. It's a feeling I'll never forget. Something just clicked in my brain and I knew I wanted to play this music. Rock & Roll."

Over the next few years, Freddy joined bands that played Rock & Roll from the 50's. During this time, he re-acquainted himself with the piano, an instrument he played as a child but gave up for guitar. "Piano rock & roll is such a big part of this music, I knew I had to learn that style of playing. It sounded like such fun to play and as I started learning from those old recordings, it gave me a new love for the piano. Now, it's my favourite instrument to play."

Finally in 2002, it was time for Freddy to form his own band. "I knew the kind of show I wanted, the kind of songs, the visual presentation. I just needed to find a band of like-minded people and I was very lucky to have found them."

The band was drums, upright bass, sax, guitar, 3 girl singers and Freddy on guitar and piano. The show was a musical journey through the beginnings of Rock & Roll, not only featuring the biggest hits from the biggest artists but telling the story of the music along the way. All done by a band that seemingly popped out of the 1950's, plunked themselves into the new millennium and played the music as though no time had passed between then and now.

"The audience has been the lifeblood of Freddy Vette & the Flames. There's such a huge audience out there that's hungry for this music and aren't able to see it performed live. We continue to discover them, and they continue to discover us. It's a great relationship that keeps rock & roll alive."

Rock on, Freddy!

Ken Globe on the upright bass provides one of the key ingredients in capturing that 50's rhythm. His slapping technique is torn directly from the likes of Bill Black from Elvis' band, Johnny Cash's bassist Marshall Grant, and Marshall Lytle from Bill Haley and his Comets. Not to mention the visual of the big upright bass on stage. "Globie" twirls it, and slaps it just as the forefathers of that big bass fiddle did 50 years ago. 

Gary Buffett on drums has made a study of the technique laid down on those early recordings. The Beat, The Beat, The Beat!!! That's what the kids said then. "It's got a good beat and I can dance to it." was the American Bandstand criteria heard over and over again. It's that beat put down by guys like Elvis' drummer D.J. Fontana, Buddy Holly's Jerry Allison, Sun studio's session drummer J.M. Van Eaton that set those tunes a movin'. Gary's beats are just as infectious. In fact, Globie and Gary together are the heart and soul and pacesetters for each song during the band's performances.

Kevin Crotty is an impeccable guitarist whose fingers seem to be direct descendants of Scotty Moore, or James Burton (from Ricky Nelson) or even Chet Atkins. His thumb and finger style of playing is what Rock-a-billy/Rock and Roll guitar was built on. He takes the original work of those great guitarists and then adds his own unique talent to create something familiar to the audience yet surprising them with a left turn when they thought they were heading right. And when someone else is in the spotlight, Kevin knows exactly how to compliment their playing, giving them a jumping off point while he holds everything steady with rhythm.

Wayne Mills....King Curtis. Curtis is the sax player heard on Yakety Yak by the Coasters. Wayne was told early on to listen to King Curtis and learn everything he did and that's all he would need to know. Wayne does model his playing after the saxophone great. Maybe it's because it's a wind instrument, but soul comes directly out of the saxophone and Wayne has plenty of it. And on stage, there's no mistaking his love and enthusiasm for Rock & Roll music. His performance changes nightly, never the same twice. The songs seem to take him to a different place each time he plays them. Saxophone and 50's music are synonymous and this band wouldn't have the sound without Wayne.

Betty Vette-The Queen of Shake leads the female faction of the band and also leads the audience through some of the greatest hits ever sung by the likes of Brenda Lee, Leslie Gore, The Shirelles, The Chiffons and more. She is a dynamo on-stage with her non-stop movement. Never content to just stand there and belt it out, Betty can't help but shake it, a la Wanda Jackson (often called the female Elvis back in the 50's). Betty and Freddy Vette were married  in 2006 at Graceland Mansion in Memphis. Now THAT'S a Rock & Roll wedding. 

Joining the group in 2010,  Sara Wright along with Betty Vette re-create the sights and sounds of the greatest "girl groups" of all time. The Shirelles, The Marvelettes, The Chiffons, The Angels, The Bobbettes. These groups brought a new sound to Rock and Roll. Unforgettable harmonies, choreography, class, and big, BIG hits. Freddy Vette & the Flames are one of the only rock and roll shows keeping the women of Rock and Roll front and centre where they belong.