Reverend Beat-Man

Last updated

Reverend Beat-Man
Reverend Beat-Man 2015.jpg
Reverend Beat-Man in 2015
Background information
Birth nameBeat Zeller
Also known asBeat-Man
Lightning Beat-Man
Born1967 (age 5455)
Switzerland
Genres Psychobilly, rockabilly, rock and roll, blues
Occupation(s)Musician, DJ, singer-songwriter, businessman
Instrument(s)Guitar, drums, vocals, harmonica
Years active1980–present
LabelsVoodoo Rhythm Records, various
Website http://www.voodoorhythm.com

Beat Zeller (born 1967), better known as Beat-Man or Reverend Beat-Man, is a Swiss musician, DJ and record company owner. He performs as a one-man band, as the leader of psychobilly band The Monsters, and with other bands, in a style described as primitive rock and roll and as "gospel blues trash". He is also the founder and head of Voodoo Rhythm Records, a company based in Bern, Switzerland.

Contents

Career

By his own account, he made his first recordings at age thirteen under the name Taeb Zerfall on his own Zerfall Tapes label. In 1984, he changed his name to Lightning Beat-Man, performing "a mix between Elvis Presley and die Einstürzende Neubauten". [1] He then presented a one-man wrestling show – "The idea was to fight on stage against myself, sometimes me versus my guitar...and always win!" – before it became a two-man show and then a wrestling circus. [1]

His group, The Monsters, were formed in Bern in 1986. He started performing as Reverend Beat-Man in 1999, apparently after a vision involving a mix of Robert Johnson, Marilyn Monroe, Tura Satana, Bettie Page, Iggy Pop and Elvis. [2] He plays guitar and drums, performing "a river of sound wholly unique to him, offering his many listeners a sacrament of primitive rock'n'roll, gospel trash, surreal folk, and wild blues", sometimes with a female dancer known as Panti-Christ. [1] [3] He has described his greatest influences as Howlin' Wolf and Hasil Adkins. [1] He also works as a DJ, presenting "mostly black R&B and blues stuff, garage, rockabilly, and.. jazz and weird shit from my record collection." [3]

His albums have included Get on Your Knees (2001), credited to Reverend Beat-Man and the Un-Believers; Your Favorite Position Is on Your Knees (2006), credited to Reverend Beat-Man and the Church of Herpes; and Surreal Folk Blues Gospel Trash Vols. 1 and 2 (2007). He has also released a number of singles, mostly on the Squooge record label based in Berlin. [4] [5]

He has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and toured around Europe, the UK, the USA, Argentina, Japan and elsewhere. [6]

Beat-Man founded Voodoo Rhythm Records in 1992 and continues to run it today. Described as "a haven for misfits", some of the other artists on the label include Delaney Davidson, the Dead Brothers, King Khan and the Shrines, Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers, the Pussywarmers, and the "mysterious fifties rocker", Jerry J. Nixon. [2]

His single "If I Knew"', featuring Nicole Izobel García, was one of the first four VinylVideo singles ever made. It was released in 2018. [7]

Related Research Articles

Carl Perkins American rockabilly musician (1932–1998)

Carl Lee Perkins was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who recorded at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 1954. Among his best-known songs are "Blue Suede Shoes", "Honey Don't", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby".

Rockabilly Early style of rock and roll music

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blues, leading to what is considered "classic" rock and roll. Some have also described it as a blend of bluegrass with rock and roll. The term "rockabilly" itself is a portmanteau of "rock" and "hillbilly", the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and electric blues.

Dread Zeppelin American rock band

Dread Zeppelin is an American reggae rock band. Formed in 1989 in Sierra Madre, California, the band combines hard rock and reggae styles with humor. They are best known for performing the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style as sung by a Las Vegas Elvis impersonator. Over the years they have also performed songs originally by Elvis Presley, Bob Marley and The Yardbirds. The group toured extensively around the world during their tenure with I.R.S. Records.

Big Mama Thornton American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter

Willie Mae Thornton, better known as Big Mama Thornton, was an American R&B singer and songwriter. She was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog", in 1952, which became her biggest hit, staying seven weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B chart in 1953 and selling almost two million copies. Thornton's other recordings included the original version of "Ball and Chain", which she wrote.

Legendary Shack Shakers American rock band

The Legendary Shack Shakers are an American rock band from Murray, Kentucky. Formed in 1995 by J.D. Wilkes, the band is best known for their rockabilly sound. The band's style also draws from country, blues, punk rock, Southern rock, gothic rock and klezmer.

Hound Dog (song) 1952 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Big Mama Thornton on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.

The origins of rock and roll are complex. Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States in the early to mid-1950s. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlier blues, the beat-heavy jump blues, boogie woogie, up-tempo jazz, and swing music. It was also influenced by gospel, country and western, and traditional folk music. Rock and roll in turn provided the main basis for the music that, since the mid-1960s, has been generally known simply as rock music.

Voodoo Doughnut American doughnut company

Voodoo Doughnut is an American doughnut company based in Portland, Oregon with a current total of 15 locations in California, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Washington, and Texas. Donut eating contests were a long-held tradition, but they were suspended following a choking death at the Denver location in 2017.

Mylon R. LeFevre is an American Christian rock singer best known for his work with his band Mylon and Broken Heart. He is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He travels around the United States, ministering, teaching and singing. He sometimes can be seen on television networks, such as TBN, Daystar and Victory Channel.

In the Ghetto 1969 single by Elvis Presley

"In the Ghetto" is a 1969 song recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Mac Davis. It was a major hit released in 1969 as a part of Presley's comeback album, and also on the single release of "Any Day Now" as the flip side.

Shorty Rogers American trumpeter

Milton "Shorty" Rogers was an American jazz musician, one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in demand for his skills as an arranger.

Soledad Brothers (band) American garage rock band

The Soledad Brothers were an American garage rock trio from Maumee, Ohio. Taking strong influence from blues rock, the band consisted of Ben Swank on drums, Johnny Walker on guitar and vocals, and Oliver Henry on sax and guitar. The band produced four albums: Soledad Brothers (2000), Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move (2002), Voice of Treason (2003), and The Hardest Walk (2006).

Garnet Mimms is an American singer, influential in soul music and rhythm and blues. He first achieved success as the lead singer of Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, and is best known for the 1963 hit "Cry Baby", later recorded by Janis Joplin. According to Steve Huey at AllMusic, his "pleading, gospel-derived intensity made him one of the earliest true soul singers [and] his legacy remains criminally underappreciated."

The Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a three-piece American country blues band from Brown County, Indiana. They have played up to 250 dates per year at venues ranging from bars to festivals since 2006. To date, they have released ten albums and one EP, most of which have charted on the Billboard and iTunes Charts.

Otis Clay American R&B and soul singer (1942–2016)

Otis Lee Clay was an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.

Jah Paul Jo American singer-songwriter

Joseph Jack "Severs" Ramsey, better known by his stage name Jah Paul Jo was an American musician, singer and producer best known for creating the novelty band Dread Zeppelin. From 1983 to 1988, Ramsey was the singer/bass player in The Prime Movers. Ramsey was also the owner of independent record label Birdcage Records, which has released albums by Dread Zeppelin, The Prime Movers, Stan Ridgway, Ron Asheton, In Vivo, The Mystery Band and others.

Scott H. Biram American blues, punk and country musician

Scott H. Biram aka The Dirty Old One Man Band is an American blues, punk blues, punk, country, heavy metal musician, record producer, and ordained minister. He is primarily known as one of the prominent musicians of the one-man band musical genre. He has appeared on national television shows such as NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed in prestigious and legendary venues such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, CBGB in New York City, Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California, The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, Roxy Theater in West Hollywood, California, The Roundhouse in London, United Kingdom, and Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His music has been featured in many American television shows and films. He has also appeared as himself in several films and documentaries. The Dirty Old One Man Band has continuously toured in the U.S., Canada, and Europe since 1998.

Delaney Davidson

Delaney Davidson is a New Zealand singer-songwriter from Lyttelton, New Zealand. He is also known for his guitar work, multi instrumentalism and musical production. His work extends into graphics, visual art, theatre and film. Davidson mainly performs solo with his Ghost Orchestra, but has often played and recorded with different projects. Davidson's musical style while incorporating elements of folk, noise, rock and country is firmly rooted in the blues.

Dylan Walshe Irish folk music singer-songwriter

Dylan Robert Walshe is an Irish folk music singer-songwriter. Born and raised in southeast Dublin, he is based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has toured with Flogging Molly, Avatar, The White Buffalo, The Mahones and recorded with James Fearnley of The Pogues.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Reverend Beat-Man & the Un-Believers - Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  5. "Reverend Beat-Man". Discogs.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  6. "Sounds Of Subterrania :: Label :: Reverend Beat-Man". Soundsofsubterrania.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  7. "VinylVideo". Vinylvideo.supersense.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.