Hope this sheds some light on the history of the ROCKATS . . .
IN 1977 Levi and the ROCKATS form when Levi Dexter met the manager of The Heartbreakers Lee Black Childers who was fasinated with the British Rockabilly scene. Levi Dexter (vocals), Smutty Smith (bass), Mick Barry (guitar), Dibbs Preston (Guitar) and Don Devourex (Drums) . .
In 1978 Levi, Dibbs and Smutty move to the USA with Lee and add Americans Guy Hammer (guitar) and Dean Thomas (Drums). This line-up is the Levi and the Rockats that all the Americans remember and who appeared on Wolfman Jack’s and Merv Griffith’s TV shows.
IN 1979 Dean Thomas left to start a blues band and Jerry Nolan (from the New York Dolls and Heartbreakers) takes over on Drums.
Xmas Day 1979 Levi and the Rockats split paths and do a farewell show.
1980 The Rockats replace Guy Hammer with Tim Scott on guitar and add Barry Ryan as lead guitarist and have Dibbs move over to vocals and relocate to NYC.
1980 Levi starts a rockaibilly band called Levi and the Ripchords with Danny B Harvey and Bruan Setzer on guitars, Gary Setzer on Drums and Adam Stein on bass. Levi wants to move his band back to London and a few weeks before embarking Brian and Gary quit to release a single with their band The Bloodless Pharaohs and return to NYC. Levi and Danny B get Dave Curry on Bass, Pat Brown on Drums and Jim Reed on guitar and move to England.
1980 Jerry Nolan leaves the rockats shortly after they get signed to Island Records and record a studio LP in London that is never released by the label. Tommy Darrnell replaces him on drums.
In 1981 Lewis King replaces Tommy Darrnell and Island RECORDS capture the Rockats live at a local club called the RITZ and their debut LP LIVE AT THE RITZ is released.
1981 Island Records drops the Rockats because of disappointing record sales and Tim Scott decides to leave the band to pursue a solo career. Danny B. Harvey also leaves Levi about that time and moves from London to NYC to join the Rockats.
1982 Shortly after Danny joining the band they recorded two demos, one being their breakthrough hit MAKE THAT MOVE, and get signed to RCA and acquire Tommy Mottola as their manager. Although Lewis King played drums on hte demos he leaves the Band and joins Tim Scott as his drummer and is replaced by MIKE OSBOURNE. During this time they appear on American Bandstand, on camera in the film WHERE THE Boys ARE and do very large tours opening for THe Go-Go;s, Flock of Seagulls, Hall and Oats, David Bowie and The Clash. They become a very big draw on their own right but Tommy Mottalo decides they should be more commerical and less retro like his other acts Hall and Oates and John Cougar Mellencamp and convince them to change their names and sign a very large deal with MCA RECORDS
1983 they record a LP under their new name THE SECRET HEARTS and in early 1984 it’s released on MCA. The new approach tanks so the band disbands until the mid 90’s when they sporadically reform and have recorded a couple CDs and done a few tours of Japan always with Dibbs and Barry and sometimes with Smutty, Danny B, Mike and Lewis.
The lineup at the TEXAS ROCKAIBILLy REVIVAL on Friday was DIBBS PRESTON, BARRY RYAN, DANNY B HARVEY, SMUTTY SMITH and LEWIS KING which was the line-up that recorded their hit MAKE THAT MOVE. although Lewis was replaced before the rest of their debut RCA record was finished it was his drum playing on the LP that everyone heard.
Hope that clears up the mystery . . . hahaha
