
Tommy Steele OBE was going to be our answer to Elvis Presley - at least that was the hope for him when discovered by photographer John Kennedy. After hearing Buddy Holly whilst on shore leave in the USA, Steele forgot his UK Skiffle roots and tuned in to Rock 'n' Roll. Tommy Steele and The Cavemen quickly produced success in the UK Charts, their debut single 'Rock With The Caveman' reaching number 13 in 1956 and later scoring number 1 with 'Singing The Blues' in 1957. Taking the lead from the US charts, Steele and other singers of the era would cover the American chart hits and release them before the original versions were officially available in the UK. During the 60's Tommy Steele moved in to acting - both in theatre and films - appearing on the West End and starring alongside Petula Clark and Fred Astaire in Finian's Rainbow. This release includes an ultra rare track 'The Truth About Me.' Originally only given away free with the magazine 'Weekend' as a 6 inch 78 rpm, to this date it has never been commercially released. Also included are the rare tracks 'Thanks a Lot' and 'Family Tree,' both of which originally featured on the soundtrack to the film 'The Duke Wore Jeans' and until now previously unreleased on CD. We had access to a very rare b-side during the produciton of this compilation. 'Teenage Party' was originally issued on the flip side of 'Knee Deep In The Blues' and the first pressing contained a mix where Tommy intoduced the band during the song. Very quickly the record company recalled and re-issued the record with another version - supposedly more suited to his rock 'n' roll image. Our 'Teenage Party' is the first version, an incredibly rare find on vinyl.