Randy "Rockem" Stockum is FEVER's Lead Guitarist and is the oldest member both in terms of Age and Longevity in the band. He has played the music of Elvis Presley since 1982 when he got his start with ALAN-The Tribute To Elvis who many have called The ORIGINAL Elvis Tribute Artist. Alan's show was managed by none other than Mister American Bandstand himself, DICK CLARK. While this wasn't Randy's first band, it was his first taste of any success in the music business and his first indication of just how Big the Elvis industry was. This was in 1982 making it around 28 years that Randy has been involved with Elvis Tribute Artists.
Randy however never had any plans to back ETA's in his earliest days. His roots were in Blues and Rock and his influences were even more diverse as time went on. His first guitar purchase came after seeing a GRAND FUNK RAILROAD Concert and he says, "I realized right then and there,..that is what I want to do,..looks like a good job to me! " He bought his first guitar for $46.00 and some change and was "On his way!"
Along the way were several bands with such odd names as PHRANK , ONE SHOT DEAL, and The TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRDS. But mostly these were just bands that got together when a gig came about, usually playing at some little Private Party or at the Local skating rink. I usually was the rhythym guitarist in those bands and it wasn't until probably 1980 that I stepped into the position of being the Only guitarist in a band that forced me into being the Lead guitarist.
Randy is a completely Self Taught musician and basically learned to "play by Ear". He also plays Keyboard, Bass Guitar, and drums and has learned them all the same way. "That's not to say I'm great at any of those, but I can find my way around those instruments well enough to play them if I practice on them. "
During his time with ALAN's Elvis Tribute, Randy joined another band, GIDGET'S BAD HABIT that was just a Classic Rock Cover band, but was a Band that elevated his status as a Guitarist , and put him out in front more than ever before. "That band was just a real "Garage Band" when I joined, and at the time I was the Best Musician in the band. I liked their direction though and the front man was such a charismatic guy, I knew I had to be a part of it and help them all get better. We worked together for quite a few years and played around the bar scene in the Dallas -Ft. Worth area and played several times at The Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas."
"After
several years we kind of went our separate ways .Then me and two of the
original members went in together on opening a recording studio that we
affectionately called KIT KAT Recording Studio. " Prior to this,
Randy had started writing his own music and recording it on an old
Fostex 4 track cassette recorder. When they started the studio, it
further advanced his songwriting skills. He wrote soundtrack music for a
movie Trailer called "DEPRAVED" that never saw the light of day, and
recorded a CD of some of his original songs titled "JOURNEY TO A DREAM"
that was mostly self recorded, self published and distributed mainly by
word of mouth. It was in the studio where Randy learned to play all the
instruments himself. "Most of the time I was the only one there and I
had an idea for a song and I just HAD to get it recorded, but with no
one else there, I just picked up the bass , or played the drums
myself
so I could get the tracks finished." Unfortunately, because Randy
and his partners spent most of their time working on their own music,
KIT KAT was not a profitable venture and it met it's demise due to very
little money coming in to support it. Still Randy has ended up with a
wealth of songs (probably around 100 songs and pieces of songs), that "I
hope will still see the light of day sometime."
Now Randy's main interest and pursuit is FEVER! "The lineup of musicians this band has now is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS!" Randy has been around the Elvis Tributes and around the Tribute world probably longer than Any of the other bands working today. There are many that say they've been around for 20 years or more, but in Randy's case it is ABSOLUTELY the Truth.
Randy has also had the Honor of working with many of Elvis' own band members including, D.J. FONTANA, The SWEET INSPIRATIONS and ED ENOCH and The STAMPS Quartet. He also had one of Texas' Greatest Guitar Legends , BUGS HENDERSON (a Major SCOTTY MOORE Fan {Elvis' Original Guitarist}, tell Randy "You hit the nail on the Head when it comes to playing Scotty Moore's licks and Elvis' music"). Randy says "Having Bugs tell me that was one of my Greatest Honors, because I had grown up watching Bugs play and was incredibly awed by him every time I saw him perform.
Around
2007, Randy had the idea to make FEVER start working with other Tribute
Artists besides just Elvis Tribute Artists, such as a JOHNNY CASH
Tribute, PATSY CLINE, NEIL DIAMOND and ROY ORBISON Tributes. Once
they started doing this, FEVER noticed all the other Elvis bands within
two or three months were doing the same thing. It is a testament to just
how good FEVER is and how good Randy is because they have become the
model in a very Niche' business that all the other bands copy. Randy
says though,." Well they say imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery,..so I guess I'm flattered that they all steal OUR ideas, and
that we're not the ones doing the stealing! "
And Keep up with Randy by Clicking his Badge Below to go to his FaceBook Page!
Randy Stockum
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