Alligator Records Signs Lee Rocker

NEW CD DUE IN JANUARY, 2006

Alligator Records has signed bassist/vocalist/songwriter (and ex-Stray Cat) Lee Rocker. His roots-rocking Alligator debut, Racin’ The Devil, will be released on January 31, 2006, followed by a major national tour.

Rocker, with The Stray Cats, helped reintroduce rockabilly to a mass audience. Now he’s igniting the roots music fire. The new CD is a solid slice of Americana, filled with powerful, original songs and amazing musicianship. And when the band performs live, they leave audiences begging for more.

According to Alligator Records president, Bruce Iglauer, the signing is a perfect fit and an excellent direction for the label.

“Alligator has devoted itself to deeply rooted, unpretentious American music that tells down to earth, emotional stories of real life. “Racin’ The Devil” is full of terrific songwriting, great playing and super-energized performances. Anyone who loves raw, rocking music, be it blues, rockabilly, or straight ahead rock 'n' roll has got to love this album.”

And Rocker couldn’t agree more. “For me, getting to work with Alligator Records is just fantastic. Alligator has always been THE label for honest, real, American music. It’s a natural fit. I’ve always been a renegade with my music, from The Stray Cats to my solo records, I’ve always done my own thing, and so has Alligator.”

Rocker's band includes guitarists Brophy Dale and Buzz Campbell, and drummer Jimmy Sage. The CD features twelve songs of scorching rockabilly, roadhouse romps and straight-ahead, old-school rock ‘n’ roll, highlighted by nine originals that are by far the strongest of his career. And his reinventions of The Stray Cats mega-hit “Rock This Town” and his first post-Cats band Phantom, Rocker & Slick’s “Running From The Hounds” are foot-stomping and ecstatic statements of pure joy.

“This is the best record I’ve ever made,” says Rocker. “I worked harder on this record than any other I have done. I took my time with it and squeezed and twisted all I could out of the band and myself. There were days of wanting to give up and quit and other days I left the studio as happy as a kid. Now that I can sit back and just listen, I can say this is the record I’ve always wanted to make.”

Rocker’s solo career took off in 1994 with the release of Big Blue, and in 1995 with Atomic Boogie Hour, both on Black Top Records. Four more releases followed, including 2003's Bulletproof.

Rocker spent over a year making this record, more time than he’s ever devoted to any other album, and he couldn’t be prouder. “I like to do something different on each album I do,” he says, “and this is by far the most diverse CD I’ve ever done.”

A full tour calendar will bring Rocker’s high-energy live shows to fans across the country.

Lee Rocker's website: www.leerocker.com
Alligator Records