One of a string of successful
Welsh rock stars over the years (is this
sarcasm? you decide!), Shakin' "Shaky" Stevens emerged into the British
charts in the very early
1980s. Some called him the new
Cliff Richard, others announced that here was the British
Elvis Presley. Most of us just saw a
rock 'n' roll singer in
tight blue denim.
Amazingly enough, he managed to notch up more British top 20 singles during the 80s than any other solo artist: that's more than Michael Jackson, more than Madonna. In fact his tally includes four number ones, three number twos and five other top ten singles.
His most famous recordings are probably This Ole House, Green Door and Blues Christmas. They're the ones that I remember anyway. Apparently he's still around and still involved in the music business and every so often still releasing music that fails to achieve the dizzying heights of his glory years, 1981-1983.