Eagerly awaited follow-up to Ian's first book, American Rock'n'Roll – The UK Tours 1956-1973 (published in 2003), this second volume lists all tour dates and appearances on-stage and television in the UK by visiting US stars within the stated time span. Each year is previewed with an overview of the various happenings, with details behind all the artists and their appearances – as well as some that were proposed but fell through, with details of what went wrong. Also included are backing musicians and support acts.

My own heroes, The Crickets, are recorded via five different entries from 1973 when they became almost an Anglo-American group through to 1979, by which time they'd reverted to an almost original line-up.

Ian Wallis has amassed so much info, including many little-known dates and tours by many that were unknown to me. These include Johnny Rivers, The Platters' great one time vocalist Tony Williams and his version of the group, R&B performers Doctor Ross and Young Jessie, cousin of The Killer Mickey Gilley, classic vocal groups The Flamingos, Danny & The Juniors and The Diamonds. It's interesting to see that the fantastic Jackie Wilson actually appeared – would you believe – as support act for Showaddywaddy at Batley Variety Club!

The Rockabilly revival of the 70s brought many new names to the UK with Warren Smith, Charlie Feathers, Billy Lee Riley, Sleepy LaBeef, Ray Campi and Mac Curtis all making lasting impressions. The same could be said about Chuck Berry, but unfortunately for different reasons, as he could be notoriously erratic onstage.

Crammed with info plus many great photos of the stars plus tickets, programmes and posters. Like the first volume, this superb book will be of interest to all rock'n'roll fans and continue to be a great source of reference. Complimenting this are separate indexes for people's names, venues, song and album titles, film and show titles, and a summary of visits by artists. My copy of the first volume is now well dog-eared through the many times I've used it to check up on various people and dates, I suspect this second volume is destined to end up in the same condition.

John Firminger, Crickets File (May 2012)

Follow-up to the well-received UK Tours 1956-1972 issue. Here we have a bulging, near-400 page work listing all the US artists to have toured during the eleven-year hiatus period of rock and roll in the UK with each tour getting interesting comments and feedback alongside all dates undertaken. It is full of memories and nostalgia – recalling established package tour venues now long gone as well as tours that were so low key that we didn't know about them till this book! (I well recall Sandy Nelson's London visit for recording and radio in 1972 being such a case!) The sixties' vocal stars fighting to keep the careers alive is both heartwarming and sad at the same time. They all shared a frustration that no-one was interested in their new efforts preferring to insist on the old, hits forcibly churned out at mainly cabaret shows.

There were many disastrous tours and they are all here in Ian's well written notes. From our instrumental angle did YOU catch all the visits? Johnny & The Hurricanes had a European tour quashed in 1974 but did do 16 dates with Del Shannon in mid-1979; one date in December 1979; 13 dates in August 1980; one date in October 1980; 5 dates in November 1981 and 12 dates in February 1982. Johnny Paris was cheap to import as he was a solo artist and 'The Hurricanes' were always a locally selected pick-up band. Jon & The Nightriders surfed in for one gig in October 1981 and sax king Lee Allen arrived for two dates in May 1982. Big Jay McNeeley gave us "Night Train" and more in four shows in 1982, and Link Wray before his regular UK appearances in the '90s popped into town for cameo appearances from 1979 to 1984. The ever-popular Duane Eddy enjoyed a 16-date tour in 1974 and other single shows, while the R&R legends Bill Haley & The Comets played regularly despite Bill's hopes for retirement. At these shows, legends like Rudy Pompilli gave us his instrumental opus, "Rudy's Rock", guitarist Nick Nastos impressed with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" and drummer Freddy Moore pushed "Caravan". Oh, and I recall seeing Gerry McGee before he re¬joined The Ventures as sideman for Kris Kristofferson at the Apollo Birmingham in April 1978. This is a thoroughly entertaining read. Excellent!

Davy Peckett, New Gandy Dancer (June 2012)

What struck me immediately was the author's candidness, describing the year [1973] as being 'very far from vintage for rock 'n' roll'. His objectivity right from the get-go in reviewing the fluctuating health of rock 'n' roll in general, and the successes and failures of acts, tours and events, sets this book apart from the many mere fan books around... This book will entertain and fascinate the reader and should prove, as it did for me, something that is very difficult to put down once started... I suggest you treat yourself to this book as a matter of priority.

UK Rock'n'Roll Magazine (June 2012)

It's been nine long years since the first volume of Ian Wallis' informed history of the UK tours of American rock 'n' roll stars (see NDT 251). During that period it's become one of the most referenced books in the NDT library; a constant source of information and inspiration. So I'm over the moon to be able to report that this second volume is presented in exactly the same way – same layout, style, everything.

Not having been old enough to attend any of the gigs documented in the initial book, the first thing I did was to check out some of the many shows I saw during the period covered in this new volume. Chuck Berry at Newcastle City Hall (June '76), Jerry Lee Lewis at London Rainbow (Feb '77), Carl Perkins and Bo Diddley at Newcastle City Hall (April '78), Bill Haley & The Comets at London Rainbow (March '79), Johnny Cash at Manchester Apollo (March '79)... the list goes on. Great memories and all brought to life again within these 374 pages.

Picking up where the previous book left off, it begins in 1973 – considered by many to be a lean year for rock n roll, but there were UK tours from Buck Ram's Platters (no original members), Chuck Berry (three times!), The Coasters, Neil Sedaka, Chris Montez, Marvin Rainwater, Fats Domino, The Crickets, the highly dubious Sha Na Na, Del Shannon, The Drifters, Freddy Cannon, Johnny Cash & Carl Perkins, Bobby Vee and Brenda Lee. As with Ian's first book, the dates and venues of all known shows played are listed, along with narrative text offering additional information and, in most cases, details of group/band personnel, TV shows and reviews of certain gigs. There are also snippets of background information as well as mentions for those artsts who came here not to tour but to record or undertake promotional work. On top of all that we're also given details of visits that were planned/rumoured but were ultimately cancelled. A 1973 trip by Bo Diddley, for example, was scrapped after the Inland Revenue demanded £775 unpaid tax from his appearance at Wembley the previous year.

The venues covered in the first years of the book are divided between larger theatre dates, where you'd find the likes of Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, etc., and the chicken-in-a-basket cabaret clubs – mainly north of London and home to Del Shannon, The Drifters and so forth. The likes of Roy Orbison managed to play both. It's at one of the most famous northern venues – Batley Variety Club in Yorkshire – that surely one of the blackest days in rock n roll history occured when, on June 11th 1975, the great Jackie Wilson had the misfortune to play support act to the dreadful Showaddywaddy, the plastic Teddy Boy band who were enjoying a string of putrid chart hits at the time. Holy sheeit.

Also enjoying huge chart success during the mid-70s were the Johnny Moore-led Drifters, yet despite their many trips into the Top 10 they surprisingly never undertook a theatre tour. Although they did play occasional venues such as Sheffield City Hall and the Glasgow Apollo, the bulk of their work was in clubs – places like Southend's Talk Of The South, Spennymoor's Top Hat and the popular Bailey's circuit.

Another place to catch sight of one-time rockers in the early-to-mid-'70s was, of course, the annual Wembley Festival of Country Music which served as a platform for, among many others, Wanda Jackson, Narvel Felts, and Freddy Fender.

Before 1977, it was mainly just the bigger names who toured the UK, though there were lesser-reported visits from the likes of bluesman Doctor Ross, the mighty Link Wray and girl groups such as The Crystals and Ronettes. But how many people knew that the great Tony Williams, original lead with The Platters, played a bunch of dates here with his own line-up of the group in September/October 1974? It's detail like this that makes this book so unique.

Come 1977, however, everything changed. That was the year of the Sun Sound Show in London, with Jack Scott, Warren Smith, Charlie Feathers and Buddy Knox, plus the Rollin' Rock Roadshow with Ray Campi and Mac Curtis. This was when the fans started to become promoters and, as Ian describes it, "rock 'n' roll started looking after itself". The so-called 'rockabilly revival' resulted in a whole string of performers making it over to these shores; artists who at one time could never ever have dreamed about playing shows in England. All of a sudden the floodgates were open, and those making their debuts during 1978 and 1979 included Carl Mann, Ray Smith, Sleepy LaBeef, Billy Lee Riley and Hank Mizell. Many of the bigger names continued to make it over too, with tours by Jerry Lee Lewis, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley & The Comets and Bo Diddley. One-time hitmaker Charlie Gracie returned to the UK for the first time since 1958, and has continued to tour here virtually every year since.

The lesser-known names were able to work in the UK thanks to a growing rock n roll club circuit and the emerging Weekender scene, which started in earnest with the first Caister shindig in March 1979 – headlined by Ray Campi & The Rockabilly Rebels. All of a sudden it was possible to see all kinds of rock 'n' roll stars at venues all over the UK, from the original giants to more obscure names known only to collectors. There were well-known venues up and down the land, from Carshalton's Chick A Boom and Rotherham's Clifton Hall, to the Fforde Green Hotel in Leeds and the Boilermakers in Sunderland. In the country's capital, the most prolific venue was The Royalty at Southgate. In its glory years of 1979 and 1980 it played host to the following amazing line-up of Big Beat talent. Deep breath: Danny & The Juniors, Johnny & The Hurricanes, Ray Campi & The Rockabilly Rebels, Bill Haley & The Comets, Sleepy LaBeef, Tony Conn, Billy Lee Riley, Hank Mizell, Charlie Gracie, Ray Smith, Marvin Rainwater, Gene Simmons, Charlie Feathers, Johnny Carroll, Sonny Fisher, Don Everly, Carl Perkins, Jack Scott and Groovey Joe Poovey. Pheeewww!

The early '80s saw another raft of rockin' heroes arrive on our shores for the first time, among them Eddie Fontaine, Frankie Ford, Eddie Bond, Janis Martin, Ronne Hawkins, Sid & Billy King, Young Jessie, Big Jay McNeely, Sonny Burgess and Hayden Thompson. It really was a vibrant, busy time for rock 'n' roll fans, and it's a Godsend to have the details of all these visits listed in such a labour of love as this. It's illustrated by period photos, is fully indexed, and comes with a list of over 30 additions/ corrections to the first volume.

Those into trivia and lesser-known facts are in for a treat. I'm sure not too many readers will be aware that The Flamingos were here to play the Bailey's circuit in early 1977 (with original members Jake and Zeke Carey), or that Clarence 'Frogman' Henry was resident at Scarborough's Futurist Theatre for a nine-week variety show during July-September 1983. How about Link Wray joining Bruce Springsteen on stage at Wembley in May 1981? Or the great Bob Luman playing military bases here in May 1973?

Ian has pulled out all the stops to make everything as complete and correct as possible, scouring the music press of the day, personal notes and various other sources in his quest for perfection. With a project of this size and complexity, however, it's inevitable that some things would slip through the net... They are minor faults and as it stands it's still one heck of a piece of work. Nobody else has ever thought to undertake such a task before, so much thanks must go to to Ian Wallis for his hard work and dilligence in pulling it all together. I only hope it's not another nine years before the next volume is published!

Trevor Cajiao, Now Dig This (July 2012)

Picking up from where his first volume (covering 1956-72) left off, Wallis goes in search of the US and Canadian rock'n'roll acts that performed in the UK before an arguably more appreciative audience than they would have found at home. The mid-to-late 70s and early 80s saw some seismic shifts in live music. as stadium rock elevated the importance of pyrotechnics to a level that the first generation rockers could never match.

So, while Led Zeppelin were preparing to headline two nights at Knebworth in 1979, Bo Diddley was performing in Camden Town's far more modest Dingwalls venue, under-promoted and, presumably, under-appreciated by anyone outside of the district. Odeons, Playhouses and Apollos fill these pages, offering stark contrast to the stadiums and hippodromes that even the Stones remained capable of filling in 1982. But while this may appear grim reading, the likes of Chuck Berry, Link Wray and Jerry Lee Lewis were actually enjoying something akin to revivals on the UK live circuit; the 60s generation gave way to a new breed, and original rock'n'roll could again be embraced.

Wallis' impressive chronology is chock-full of dates and précis of what went down in the mini US invasion. No name or, indeed, town is too small; there's even an appendix of since-discovered dates to be added to the first volume. His dedication to the cause is unparalleled.

Inky Tuscadero, Record Collector (August 2012)

Where were you on the evening of the 21st April 1978? I was seated in the Lewisham Odeon watching the mighty Bo Diddley and the equally mighty Carl Perkins strut their stuff supported by rockabilly band Matchbox. I don't now recall any of the music played that evening (except, rather strangely, I remember Matchbox singing 'Settin' The Woods On Fire'), but I bet 'Bo Diddley' and 'Blue Suede Shoes' figured in there somewhere.

I now know this thanks to Ian Wallis's 'More American Rock 'n' Roll – The UK Tours 1973-84', which is a sequel to his equally niftily titled 'American Rock 'n' Roll – The UK Tours 1956-72'. Here, Ian details every known gig played in the twelve-year period, listing the artists, the dates, the venues, the tour organiser, the personnel, television appearances and a review of each tour. This last item is taken from contemporary reviews, Ian's own reminiscences and his well-rounded knowledge of the artists. It is all written in an easy-going, relaxed and witty style and I found myself reading about artists who wouldn't normally interest me. You are probably thinking, rock'n'rolI in the seventies, what has this got to do with the blues? Well, Ian casts his rock'n'rolI net pretty widely and you'll find details of the tours of Dr. Ross, Johnnie Allan, Eddy Clearwater and Jimmy McCracklin together with The Drifters, The Coasters (in their various guises) and The Platters, not to mention Fats, Bo and Chuck (including a 'lost tour' in 1980!). The seventies was also the time of the big rockabilly revival and those interested can read about Mac Curtis, Ray Campi, Sonny Burgess and others of this ilk.

This isn't a book to read from cover to cover but a great one to dip into as the mood takes you. The first thing I did was to search for the gigs I'd seen and relive some great memories: Chuck at the Capital Jazz Festival (Muddy played also); Fats bumping the piano across the Hammersmith Odeon stage with the band 'second lining' through the stalls; Eddy Clearwater backward rolling across the same stage. Then there's the fabulous night at the Electric Ballroom when Willie Egans, Chuck Higgins, Young Jesse and Big Jay McNeely rocked London. Ian pulls no punches when needs be, and reports Berry's lacklustre nights as well as his triumphs. There is also a detailed (and amusing) description of Little Richard's one and only disastrous tour during the period covered. As Ian puts it, 'How could a man with so much talent make such a mess of it?'

Ian Wallis has put in a tremendous amount of research into this book and I wonder if there is anyone out there with the time and patience to produce the same type of book about visiting blues and r&b acts.

Fred Rothwell, Blues & Rhythm (September 2012)

The UK tours of American rock 'n' rollers between 1973 and 1984 may sound like an irrelevance. Surely rock'n'roll died when the Beatles came along in the '60s. The '70s were the era of punk and disco, which gave way to the electronic music of the early '80s.

A conventional history of musical trends would put it that way. In fact, the years covered by the second book in Ian Wallis hopefully ongoing series saw a huge resurgence of 1950s-style rock 'n' roll in the UK. British acts like Showaddywaddy. Mud, Darts and Alvin Stardust kept the music in the charts in the era of glam rock, while the popularity of Happy Days on TV and Grease on the big screen ensured that the look of '50s America was more prevalent among young Brits in the '70s than it had been 20 years before.

At the gritty end of fashion, the Teddy Boy look was a huge influence on punk. Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols, originally sold Teddy Boy suits from a Chelsea shop called Let It Rock. When he changed the store's name to SEX, he continued to stock '50s fashions alongside the fetish-wear, and Teddy Boy drape jackets and drainpipe trousers became a major element in the look of punk bands like the Clash. (The early work of McLaren's fashion designer partner Vivienne Westwood. incidentally, included Jerry Lee Lewis knickers, with a picture of the Ferriday Fireball and the slogan 'The Killer rocks on!' emblazoned on the seat.)

Even at the height of punk, plenty of teens donned Teds' threads in their original context. In December 1976, when the Sex Pistols were making headlines for swearing at Bill Grundy on teatime TV, hundreds of rock'n'roll revivalists used a Bill Haley concert as an excuse to tear apart London's New Victoria Theatre. An eyewitness report in the Evening Standard said the bloody scenes "Made that punk rock lark look like a kids nursery."

Also in '76, five thousand Teds marched on the BBC to deliver a petition with 50,000 names on it calling for a regular programme devoted to '50s rock 'n' roll. That level of grassroots support led to renewed chart hits for literal blasts from the past like Leader Of The Pack by the Shangri-Las, Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals and Jungle Rock by Hank Mizell.

Rock's founding fathers Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry played to packed theatres and were still of an age when they could deliver thrilling performances, such as Jerry Lee and Carl Perkins jamming together at one of the Wembley country festivals. But, as this book relates, there were also tours by smaller names such as Charlie Feathers, Carl Mann, Hayden Thompson and Marvin Rainwater – artists long forgotten in their homeland who were belatedly discovered by British rockers thanks to an emerging rock 'n' roll weekender scene and the reissue work of the Charly label.

At the dawn of the '80s, interest in rockabilly went mainstream with the arrival of the ultra-cool Stray Cats from New York. The emergence of neo-rockabilly divided the scene between old-style Teds and teenage rebels and there was some friction between the factions. But, as Wallis points out, the Stray Cats were "highly influential to a new generation of teenagers for many of whom rockabilly would become a lifetime obsession.'

Reader, I was one of those teenagers. If you were, too, or if you were an old-school Ted, you'll enjoy this book. With great pictures, posters, ticket stubs and, above all, lively descriptions of the shows, this chronological account of every visit to our shores by an American rock 'n' roller truly brings to life an era when rock'n'roll proved it really was here to stay.

Douglas McPherson, Country Music People (September 2012)

Ian – we give you both thumbs up!

Bo Berglind, American Music Magazine (September 2012)

Packed with tons of info and photos. Hours and hours of wonderful reading.

Fireball Mail (September 2012)