Chris’ Story…

Chris has loved Rock & Roll since she was a youngster. Never in her wildest dreams would she ever have believed that, one day, shed end up on stage playing with the very same people that she listened to as a kid on her vinyl 45’s!

At 14, she took up the guitar, just wanting to play the music. At 15, she went to her first live concert, which was to see the now legendary Stray Cats; she just loved the energy of it all! Fast forward a couple of years later, when she was 17, she went to a Rock & Roll dance to see a live band, and that’s where she met Howie and they’ve been together ever since.

With Howie always being in bands and on tour, Chris would always be there with him and would get up occasionally, to sing the odd song or two. This is where she developed her love for singing. Before she started playing the double bass in The Class of ’58, she would get up as a featured singer and also sing backing vocals on some songs, when required. One of her fondest memories was “standing in” at rehearsals for RCA Victor recording artist Janis Martin, who Howie was doing an upcoming European tour with. Janis really appreciated this and invited Chris on stage to sing with her at one of the shows, which was an absolute thrill!

In 1990, Chris became the permanent double bass player with the band, as the original bass player left. Howie and Chris had moved back up the Valleys, from the city and it was a simple case of not knowing anybody who could play the double bass. In three months she had to get to grips with the instrument, for a start, and then learn three sets as there was already a European tour with a few visiting American’s booked in; baptism of fire! Chris has said that taking up the double bass was the best decision she ever made, as in hindsight, the band wouldn’t have turned out as it has otherwise. Talk about luck!

She has many fond memories of her early tours, with one particularly special one being playing the bass with Elvis’ drummer, DJ Fontana, playing behind her. Also, the down time in between shows when they’d just sit around, share a few beers and a laugh and listen to the early pioneers’ stories. Her one stand out memory, however, is a funny one. After completing a show with Jack Scott, Johnny Preston and Frankie Ford, at the iconic Liverpool Empire Theatre, everyone went their seperate ways. A while later, when needing to pull into a petrol station, who would come pulling in a few minutes later? None other than Frankie Ford. “We all started whooping it up and Frankie grabbed me and we started waltzing around the garage forecourt at 4am! Brilliant fun”. It may not seem that funny but, as they say, you just had to be there, especially with the lorry drivers wondering what planet they were on!

Chris has said many times that she’s grown up with The Class of ’58. From being a young girl, to where she is now. She married the guitarist, brought up two children while being in a Rock & Roll band and still trains for boxing three times a week (after retiring from rugby); so just pretty normal stuff, really. And that’s why Howie says she’s his hero!

Chris is an Innovation Bass Strings endorsed artist, linked below.