Royal Crowns

Hey, who’s that hepcat behind the drums — isn’t he the one that served me drinks a few weeks ago at Toronto’s venerable Horseshoe Tavern? Yes, that’s Teddy Fury, bartender at the ’Shoe, and a former member of the rockabilly outfit the Bopcats. Fury is joined in the Royal Crowns by Danny Bartley, a former member of Shotgun Shack and the Razor Backs, upright bassist Scott Gibson and pedal steel player Bob Taillefer. The Royal Crowns are Toronto’s purveyors of the rockabilly tradition. On After Dark, the band’s sophomore release, these regal rock’n’rollers put the swing, the swagger, and the "billy” back into this roots music form that has it origins with the early rock’n’rollers of the ’50s such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins. Highlights include the foot tappin’ "Workin’ Man,’” the Bill Haley & the Comets seasoned "Caveman Boogie” and the chug-a-lug swing sounds of "Misery Train.” Mixing equal blends of blues, rock and country like the rockabilly heroes of the past, the Royal Crowns offer 13 fun and well written songs that will make you want to boogie all night long.