Eddie and Gene (Somethin' Else)
Somethin’ Else is a deeply personal project that was undertaken by my father (Ray Lowry) in 2005 to compile a written record of the 1960 UK tour by Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran - a tour which ended with the death of Eddie Cochran.
In 2005, my dad sat down in his work room and started on the project. He called it Somethin’ Else.
Somethin’ Else was born from an obsession - My father's obsessive fascination with Rock 'n' roll and the 1960 UK tour undertaken by Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran.
The opening salvo of the Somethin’ Else campaign took the form of a letter fired off by my dad to the Manchester Evening News in June 2005, asking to hear from readers who had seen Gene and Eddie on stage in Manchester forty five years earlier, in 1960. As he explained it at the time:
“I am intending to visit all the towns they visited, with a view to compiling a printed record of the time, with photographs of the theatres, drawings and, importantly, the memories of anyone whose life was in any way touched by the visit of these inspired and endlessly inspiring musicians. I think Eddie and Gene deserve no less.”
Ultimately, an accident prevented my dad from travelling to all the tour venues, but a period of recovery at home enabled him to focus his attention more fully on the project. Across 102 pages of tightly worded, insightful and often hilarious text—handwritten and copiously illustrated by his original paintings and drawings—Somethin’ Else tells the story of that tour. His labour of love pulled together the fruits of his research into a compelling narrative, with cuttings, drawings and handwritten text, all fixed down with 3M CraftMount permanent adhesive—without which, as my father notes, it would have fallen apart.
To see more and get a chance to own the book visit:
https://www.snapgalleries.com/portfolio-items/ray-lowry-somethin-else/
To coincide with the release of the book I (Samuel Lowry) have chosen six of my father’s images from Somethin’ Else to offer as posthumous limited edition prints (only 25 of each edition and size).
Each image is available to order in a choice of two sizes.
Giclée prints using high quality Hahnemühle German Etching paper - 310gsm.
