DIBBS PRESTON: A BRIEF HISTORY

Stephen "Dibbs" Preston was born and raised in London, England.
Having been brought up in a home that always had music playing, it was just a matter of time before
the young Dibbs embraced the notion of joining a band. Particularly knocked-out by a sound
known as "Rockabilly" Dibbs got together with his mates Levi Dexter and Smutty Smith to form the nucleus
of the highly influential U.K. neo-rockabilly band called "Levi & The Rockats". The band
created quite a stir on both sides of the Atlantic with their revved-up, but still pure, version
of the early rockabilly sound that they adored. Flashy in both sound and appearance, "Levi
and The Rockats" appeared on several U.S. TV programs including "The Merv Griffin Show"
(where they actually performed live and did not mime as most bands did) and "The Midnight Special" where they jammed  live with'' Wolfman'' Jack ! You can see most of these clips on YouTube.

 

                   Levi and the Rockats,Hollywood 1979. From left, Guy Hemmer,  Dibbs, Levi, Smutty and Dean Thomas

Although the band got on great with Levi Dexter, he left the band at the end of 1979 after a
show in Los Angeles and his departure left the band without a lead vocalist. Always a brilliant singer who sang a few of the songs that Levi and The Rockats played live, Dibbs stepped to the front
and grabbed the mic. and  the band carried on as "The Rockats".

The ''Rockats'' first gig was in San Fransisco on New years 'eve at the ''Jim Jones temple ''playing along with  70's punk  band the 'Mutants'.                                    

 New York Doll drummer Jerry Nolan was in the band at this time and when the band re-located to N.Y.C. they were joined by guitarist Barry Ryan and later Tim Scot. The group's following grew steadily
and included fans like Billy Idol ,Johnny Thunders and Brian Setzer. The band were also very close with
musical svengali and amazing photographer, Leee Black Childers.
Trivia: The Rockats appear as extras in the Blondie video for the massive hit "Dreaming".
Again, check out YouTube...look at Dibbs' shoes!

In 1981 while on Island Records, the band recorded a live gig at the Ritz in NYC.
The show was recorded/mixed and released on vinyl within 48 hours of the performance.
That feat has, to this day, never been achieved by any other band. The album
"Live at the Ritz" remains a stellar reminder of the brilliance of the band and it's
hold on it's audience during that very open-minded period in music history.
More Trivia: Billy Idol introduced the band at the beginning of "Live At The Ritz".

Signed to RCA in 1982, The Rockats took off like a bequiffed space shuttle. An EP called,
"Make That Move" was released in early 1982. The title track became a big hit and helped
the band land a roll (as themselves) in the film "Where The Boys Are '84". During this time
the band appeared 'live 'on many T.V. shows including American Bandstand where Dick held up a copy of the band's record  to the camera and declared to all America ''rockabilly is back !'' The band criss crossed the United States several times over touring as headliners and also as support
for the most successful 'rock'acts of the era including Kiss,the Pretenders,the Clash,Bowie and Hall and Oats.
 

By the mid/late 1980s, the fickle musical tastes in the U.K. and U.S.A. changed
to such a degree that The Rockats took a break from touring and recording.
 The band members, who by now were based in different parts of the world ,found it very 
difficult to stay together as a serious working unit and so each member began other musical projects.


The Rockats reformed in early 1990 and began touring the world
playing to the new rockin' lifestyle fans in the U.S. ,Europe and Japan.
These days they play the major events such as ''The Texas rockabilly revival'' and ''Onieda Rockin' Fest.''


Several CDs under The Rockats banner were released from 1992 - 2004



Keep checking out DibbsPreston.com for any updates and exclusive photos.