Back In the Day, 1982

Johnny Seaton

Uptown

(Renegade Records)

Uptown was a remarkably feral production of the early 1980s Rockabilly resurgence. Producer Billy Poore wisely united Johnny, an Elvis impersonator of prodigious facility, with a band that featured Maryland fireballs Danny Gatton and Evan Johns. Given that combustible combination, and the selection of superior genre material, the LP busted wide with torridness (including on occasional slow-burners). 

An impressed Washington Post reviewer pronounced that Johnny sang Rockabilly with "unconstrained lowbrow enthusiasm," possessed a "bright, unafraid voice," and seemed "less concerned with being historically hip than with someday owning his own pink Cadillac." 

A somewhat more contemporary sound was pursued on 1986 follow-up Reaction (Rounder), which also spotlighted Gatton. In ensuing years, the tempestuous singer returned to impersonating the King, including at MGM's Las Vegas hotel and in his own touring company. He also appeared with Donny Osmond in the stage show Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Today, Johnny leads Bad Behavior in maintaining the flame that consumed the planet.

Recommended: "Uptown," "I'm Gonna set My Foot Right Down," "Come On Little Mama," "Don't Play With Me," "Get With It," "All Messed Up With a Raw Deal"

Video: "Get With It"

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