HIt show Be Bop a Lula brings the songs of rock 'n' roll stars Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and Billy Fury to Chesterfield

The show, which will be presented at the Winding Wheel Theatre on January 27, 2022, relives the glory days of musical giants Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Billy Fury and Buddy Holly.

In 1960 American rockers Eddie and Gene flew in from the States and were joined by British heartthrob Billy Fury for the UK’s very first multi-artist rock ‘n’ roll tour. Be Bop a Lula’s show producer Pete Tobit said: “Reviewers were appalled by the on-stage antics. Audiences screamed their approval. British youth culture was born!"

Theatregoers are invited to relive these seminal concerts in the company of talented singers and a band said to be ‘tighter than a pair of your tightest drainpipe trousers’.

Pete said: “Be Bop a Lula is a real doozer of a stage show." The production recreates Cochran’s legendary guitar riffs, Vincent’s menacingly moody stage presence, Fury’s soaring vocals, and Holly’s good-time rock’n’ roll.

Cochran, whose hits included Summertime Blues and Cmon Everybody, and Vincent, the singer of Be Bop A Lula, were en route to the airport in London from Bristol after a triumphant tour in 1960 when their taxi crashed. Cochran died at the age of just 21 and Vincent was injured. Vincent survived for another 11 years after the crash and passed away at the age of 36 from a ruptured ulcer and heart failure.

Holly achieved huge success with songs such as Peggy Sue, Rave On and Heartbeat. He was 22 when he died in a plane crash, along with fellow musicians Richie Vlaens and The Big Bopper, in 1959 near Clear Lake, Iowa.

Fury is best known for the hits Halfway to Paradise and It’s Only Make Believe. He equalled The Beatles’ chart success in the Sixties with 24 hits but never had a number one single or album. Fury suffered heart problems for a number of years and died in 1983, aged 42.

Tickets for Be Bop A Lula cost £28 and are available from www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk or via the box office on 01246 345 222.