He was one of the first rock'n'roll heroes responsible for popularising the
genre in the 1950s, but Gene Vincent was a troubled character who led a
turbulent life until his premature death in 1971 at the age of 36. Vincent's
parents ran a store in Virginia and he grew up listening to country, blues and
gospel music and was given his first guitar at the age of 12. A career in the US
navy was ended by a motor bike accident which shattered his left leg and he
spent the rest of his life with a severe limp suffering chronic pain. Getting
involved in the local music scene in Norfolk, V...