Johnny Kidd: The tragic death of the British rock ‘n’ roll icon remembered

17 November 2022, 12:44

The life and untimely death of British rock ‘n’ roll icon Johnny Kidd, who conquered the world with ‘Shakin’ All Over’.

After the initial wave of American rock ‘n’ roll, us Brits swiftly picked up the baton and ran with it.

First was Tommy Steele, then Cliff Richard, then Larry Parne’s stable of Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, Vince Eager, Adam Faith and Duffy Power.

Then came the likes of Tony Sheridan, Vince Taylor and Billy Fury, but one of the few British rock ‘n’ rollers who enjoyed a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic was Johnny Kidd.

Released by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, no rock ‘n’ roll compilation is complete without the classic ‘Shakin’ All Over’.

Kidd never quite matched the success of that mega…