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On December 9, Jason D. Williams will perform Rockabilly Christmas at Suffolk Theater. COURTESY SUFFOLK THEATER
On December 9, Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks will perform Rockabilly Christmas at Suffolk Theater. COURTESY SUFFOLK THEATER
“Rockabilly Christmas,” Suffolk Theater’s annual holiday tradition, returns on Friday, December 9, at 8 p.m.
Always the show of the year, “Rockabilly Christmas” welcomes back Jason D. Williams with Gene Casey & The Lone Sharks and The Vendettas for a night of jam-packed music with all the best in rockabilly along with holiday favorites.
Jason D. Williams is a pianist, singer and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. He has spent a lifetime behind the piano connecting with country and rock ’n’ roll greats while creating a persona that’s 100 percent original. The rock ’n’ roll history of Memphis looms large in Williams’s world having recorded for RCA and Sun Records in the 1980s and 1990s before returning to the recording fold in 2010. Williams is also no stranger to large motion pictures — he was the hands playing along to Jerry Lee Lewis’s music in Jim McBride and Jack Baran’s film “Great Balls of Fire.” A wild man on stage, Jason accredits influences like Jerry Lee Lewis, Moon Mullican, Memphis Slim and Al Jolson for helping to develop his vast repertoire and seemingly endless energy.
“I’ve always welcomed the comparisons,” he said, “My influences were some of the greatest entertainers ever to be seen.”
Gene Casey, the prodigal rockabilly king of the East End, returns to The Suffolk with his band, The Lone Sharks, and 20-plus years of experience in the beloved genre. Casey’s original music has been met with great acclaim, being used on the soundtracks to television shows and feature films as well as playing on both local and international radio stations.
Opening for the party once again this year will be The Vendettas. For the last six years, the group has been performing the great 1950s jukebox hits whose rebellious energy defined that era, rockabilly rarities, and modern songs from the likes of Bruce Springsteen. The band’s members feel that although these songs are separated by decades, they share a common ancestry and merge perfectly to offer a sense of the familiar even while displaying something brand new.
Tickets for “Rockabilly Christmas” are $49 to $55 at suffolktheater.com. Suffolk Theater is at 118 East Main Street, Riverhead.
Staff Writer on Dec 2, 2022