Memphis '56 brings rockabilly to Fort Myers

COURTESY PHOTO Todd Fadely with his instrument at a performance at the now defunct Liquid Cafe. Todd Fadely has been a well-known figure in downtown Fort Myers for many years. Formerly playing stand-up bass with his band The Crestliners, he recently joined up with Raimond Aulin (singer) and Steve Turcotte (drummer) to form Memphis '56. The band will appear weekly at Aulin's club, The Indigo Room, and will feature rockabilly music.

Fadely is known for his in-depth knowledge rockabilly, his risky sense of humor and his evolving tattoos which reflect his interests and outrageous character.

Fadely invites you to come out to open mike, offering to play with other musicians who want to try out.

FW: Tell me about your earliest memory of wanting to be a musician.

TD: I started taking guitar lessons at 9 but even before that I always like entertaining and I always liked music. I've always had an attraction to old rock and roll and one time I was even supposed to take classical music lessons through Peabody Music Academy in Baltimore. At the same time, I bought a record player for $12. I found a record by a cat named Chuck Berry and that made me who I am. After I started listening to that rock and roll hammering out those three chords while I sat in my room. And I got an electric guitar when I was about 10 years old. My folks paid for guitar lessons - if I took lessons for a year, if I stick with it for a year - I'd get an electric guitar.

FW: So, it wasn't always a bass, it used to be more the electric guitar?

TD: It started on guitar. I didn't start playing bass until about 11 or 12 years old. My guitar teacher told me he had an electric bass for sale, $25 bucks. And even going back further, I used to go down in the basement, my parents are quite older, I'm adopted. They're from WWII; they're from the big band era. My mom played piano and entertained with the USO. They had a huge collection of old big band and swing records and this old record player that every time you would use it would shock you. I was always interested in listening to those records. I think I broke about half of them.

FW: How long have you been in Lee County?

TD: I moved down here after I graduated high school and I moved here in 1981. I moved here because my family was moving here. I was stagnant where I was at and I figured it was an opportunity, a different place.

FW: Why did you start Memphis '56?

TD: First off, it was finding a talented musician to work with who sees rock and roll exactly the way I do. Finding someone I've known for a long time. Also, every time I'd run into somebody, they'd say, "When are you going to play again?" or "Why aren't you?" I was almost embarrassed to say I'm not doing anything anymore.

FW: What is your definition of rockabilly?

TD: Rockabilly started in the south. A hillbilly guitar player trying to play rock and roll. We were from Baltimore so rockabilly maybe bled in a little bit but it mainly came out of some of your rural areas in the south. Some studios, and everybody knows the popular ones, and a lot of people that started out as real rural rockabilly musicians ending up becoming famous and mainstream and the songs we know them for aren't the real rural recordings. A lot of the early rockabilly didn't have a drummer. A lot of them are covered songs: bluegrass songs or old standard songs. Rockabilly could almost be called the first punk rock. It was never really a mainstream music.

FW: Can you talk about some of your day jobs or what else you've done for a living?

TD: Well, my nickname is "Hot Rod" Todd and that's from my affiliation with building hot rod cars, old school, of course. Wide white walls, choptops, channelled bodies

and black satin primer. Anybody who knows me well has seen my assortment. Currently, I'm building the interior of an old WWII landing craft. My dad said if you want to be a rock and roll star that's fine but always have a trade. So, I've always learned all the trades but I've really enjoyed rockand roll the best.

FW: Tell us about your tattoos?

TD: Well, I've only got one. I think you knew me when I was just getting started and I did it before it was cool. I was being managed by a guy that was the manager of Bobby Helms and had worked with Carl Perkins. I had a very bad car accident a few years ago and at that point in my career I was being photographed a lot. I always saw a bad scar. My manager said, "Why don't you get a couple of tattoos to cover it up?" Well, you know me, I don't do anything halfway. What started off as single tattoos ended up as full sleeves and full chest. And, I hate to say it, I'm not done yet.

If you go

2219 Main St., Fort Myers >>When: Every Wednesday 8 p.m. >>Cost: Free >>Info: 332-0014