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December 11, 2012
<br />Financial Impact:
<br />• No material financial impact.
<br />Recommended Action:
<br />• I recommend that City Council adopt the attached resolution. Vision Principle:
<br />Pride of Past.
<br />Next Steps Following Council Action:
<br />• PRHA to be requested to rename park-like area.
<br />• Honorary street name signs to be erected.
<br />1. Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky, P. O. Box 50141, spoke in support of this item.
<br />Motion by Mr. Heretick, and seconded by Mr. Whitehurst, to adopt the following
<br />resolution, and was adopted by the following vote:
<br />"RESOLUTION DESIGNATING HONORARY STREET NAMES FOR THE BLUE
<br />CAPS, TOMMY FACENDA, AND PEPPY OWENS AND THE LIGHTHOUSE AND
<br />REQUESTING THE PORTSMOUTH REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING
<br />AUTHORITY TO RENAME A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND "GENE VINCENT
<br />PARK."
<br />WHEREAS, one of the greatest bands in the formative years of rock `n roll was
<br />Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps; and
<br />WHEREAS, Gene Vincent, who was born Eugene Vincent Craddock, was
<br />inducted into the Rock `n Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, presented by John Fogerty, and the
<br />Blue Caps were inducted in 2012, presented by Smoky Robinson, and
<br />WHEREAS, the Rock `n Roll Hall of Fame website states, "In Britain, Gene
<br />Vincent and the Blue Caps were stars to a budding generation of musicians who would
<br />go on to form such bands as the Beatles and the Yardbirds," and
<br />WHEREAS, the band's greatest hit, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" has been covered by
<br />numerous major rock artists, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Carl Perkins, the
<br />Everly Brothers, the Stray Cats, and Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as the title of the song
<br />being included in the lyrics of Dire Straits' song "Walk of Life," and the legendary
<br />guitarist Jeff Beck has recorded an entire album of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps
<br />songs, and
<br />WHEREAS, Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps were a Portsmouth band, initially
<br />formed at Vincent's house on Leckie Street, where they rehearsed and wrote songs,
<br />and
<br />WHEREAS, the Blue Caps included Portsmouth resident Tommy "Bubba"
<br />Facenda as a backup singer, choreographer, and arranger, and
<br />WHEREAS, Facenda, a graduate of St. Paul's High School (now Portsmouth
<br />Catholic High School), still resides in Portsmouth in Park Manor, and
<br />WHEREAS, Facenda also had success in his own name with the song "High
<br />School USA," which became a #1 National hit, and he recorded on the Atlantic record
<br />label at the same time as his friend Portsmouth musical legend Ruth Brown, and after
<br />various other life adventures he returned to Portsmouth and had an honorable career as
<br />a member of the Portsmouth Fire Department under Chief Odell Benton, and
<br />WHEREAS, the Blue Caps were inducted into the Rock `n Roll Hall of Fame
<br />largely because of strong support and lobbying efforts by numerous prominent British
<br />musicians, including Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy
<br />Page, and Ron Wood, and also actor Richard Gere, and
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