Dickie "Be-Bop" Harrell was the original drummer for Gene Vincent's Blue Caps. His restrained brush playing and background screams on Vincent's first and most famous hit, "Be-Bop-A-Lula," gave that record -- one of the signature records of early rock 'n' roll -- much of its tension and feel. Like Vincent a native of Norfolk, Va., Harrell began playing with Vincent when he was only 15 years old. Vincent, then in the Navy, had badly injured his leg in a motorcycle accident, and was recuperating at a Navy hospital.

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