Biography
Throughout the punk movement and beyond, Colin Winski stayed devoted to classic rock and roll sounds as a retro-rockabilly performer who ignored every shift in pop fashions. Born in Hollywood in 1957 and raised in Venice, CA, his early devotion to Elvis Presley drew him toward the work of Gene Vincent, Roy Orbison, and similar artists. In 1970 Winski became the protégé of Ronny Weiser, a fellow rockabilly enthusiast who ran the Rollin' Rock magazine; the pair tracked down Ray Campi, an obscure rockabilly performer prized by collectors for singles such as "Caterpillar" and "Scrumptuous Baby." Campi consented to record for Weiser's new Rollin' Rock label, and the session went so well that the singer assembled the Rockabilly Rebels, recruiting the fifteen-year-old Winski on guitar while the group's other guitarist was the young Billy Zoom, who later joined the legendary L.A. punk band X.
The Rockabilly Rebels also supported Winski on his first single, which included the track "Dig Those Squeaky Shoes"; to create the squeaking sounds heard in the background, Winski rubbed the sleeves of Gene Vincent's leather jacket, a gift passed to fan Weiser at the singer's deathbed. Following an appearance in the 1977 rockabilly film Teenage Cruisers, Campi and the Rockabilly Rebels cut the LP Born to Rock, then released Wildcat Shakeout in 1979 on the Radar label. Although Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe were slated to produce the band's third album, Campi rejected the proposal; at that stage Winski and guitarist Jerry Sikorski departed to launch their own outfit, simply named the Rebels, and opened shows for the Clash and Tom Petty. Winski delivered his first full-length solo album, Rock Therapy, in 1980, yet the record failed to connect, so he spent the ensuing decade holding an assortment of jobs that ranged from ditch-digger to security guard. He finally resumed his music career in the early '90s and issued Helldorado in 1993.
The Rockabilly Rebels also supported Winski on his first single, which included the track "Dig Those Squeaky Shoes"; to create the squeaking sounds heard in the background, Winski rubbed the sleeves of Gene Vincent's leather jacket, a gift passed to fan Weiser at the singer's deathbed. Following an appearance in the 1977 rockabilly film Teenage Cruisers, Campi and the Rockabilly Rebels cut the LP Born to Rock, then released Wildcat Shakeout in 1979 on the Radar label. Although Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe were slated to produce the band's third album, Campi rejected the proposal; at that stage Winski and guitarist Jerry Sikorski departed to launch their own outfit, simply named the Rebels, and opened shows for the Clash and Tom Petty. Winski delivered his first full-length solo album, Rock Therapy, in 1980, yet the record failed to connect, so he spent the ensuing decade holding an assortment of jobs that ranged from ditch-digger to security guard. He finally resumed his music career in the early '90s and issued Helldorado in 1993.