It was either "Back From The Grave 4"or "Talkin' Trash" compilation that I've crashed for the first time this manic piece of rock'n'roll at a certainly young age. In any case it was Tim Warren's fault. I can still clearly remember my reaction to this Little Richard loaded on speed drugs type of recording. Perhaps the first time ever punk rock was documented. The echo, the sloppy fierce band playing (at the time I wasn't aware that Link and his gang was behind), everything came and gone in less than two minutes leaving my mind, my stereo speakers and my place burnt down.
Then times moved nearer the internet age and Norton Records' "Missing Links" series. I was already a huge fan of Linkster but I knew nothing about Bunker Hill. I was still in the process to discover who this cat was. To make a long story short and not boring you with my personal memories after MANY hours of google searching and fanzines reading (Kicks of course included) I found out that Bunker Hill was a professional boxer and a gospel singer with The Mighty Clouds of Joy, under the name of David Walker.
When the other DC cat of our story heard him for the first time he nearly lost his mind. The Wray brothers (Link on guitar, Doug on drums and Vernon as a producer along with Shorty Horton on bass) rushed him into their home studio and set up two sessions. David as a singer of a very prestigious gospel group like The Mighty Clouds was afraid to record with his real name for the devil's music, so the gang decided to baptize him again as Bunker Hill.
In 1962 Vernon took the master tapes to Arthur Yale and Jack Fine, who ran Mala Records, and the company released all three Bunker Hill singles within the next two years. All three records sold amazingly well. Hell, "Hide & Go Seek Parts 1&2" even climbed into Billboard's Hot 100!
Mala Records had still some inaugural Bunker Hill material in their vault (including nowadays lost track "Jungle Dan"), and they were planning to produce a whole album. For reasons unknown to me this sadly never happened. The last Bunker & Raymen single came out in September 1963 and it originated from the same '62 session as the previous recordings, this time with "The Girl Can't Dance" included. The flip was "You Can't Make Me Doubt My Baby", as adjusted from "You Can't Make Me Doubt" by The Gospelaires.
I have never really recovered from that first time I told/wrote you in the first lines. Everybody knows that I'm a faithful pilgrim to the Little Richard's chapel but I've never witnessed the King and Queen of Rock'n'Roll screams his lungs out like a sermon preacher in a fire & brimstone black church nor any other ever since!
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