The Shakin' Pyramids (also known as Shakin' Pyramids) were a Scottish

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

band formed in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

in 1980. The band consisted of Dave Duncan (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

) James G. Creighton (acoustic and electric

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, vocals) and "Railroad" Ken McLellan (acoustic guitar, vocals). During the band's recording career from 1980–1983, they released two studio albums, four singles, and three extended plays—the last of which was recorded with the British musician

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Sco ...

. Although the Shakin' Pyramids did not enjoy any major chart successes, their output was well-received by critics and has been described as having helped define the rockabilly revival of the early 1980s.

History

Busking

The Shakin' Pyramids formed in Glasgow in 1980, and began busking around the city. The band travelled internationally and were ultimately spotted playing outside a

Virgin Megastore Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded in early 1976 by Richard Branson as a record shop on London's Oxford Street. In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenha ...

in London, which led to a deal with Cuba Libre, a subsidiary of

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldw ...

Cuba Libre years

The Shakin' Pyramids' first song for Cuba Libre, "Reeferbilly Boogie", was recorded in 1980 on a four-track recorder at the Hellfire club in Glasgow, and was named "Single of the Week" by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''.Liner notes for ''

Reeferbilly Blowout ''Reeferbilly Blowout'' is a live album from the Scottish neo-rockabilly group The Shakin' Pyramids. It was recorded on 24 May 1981 at the Kelvingrove Free Music Festival in Glasgow.Raucous Records Raucous Records is a British record label focusing on rockabilly, psychobilly, rock and roll, and surf music. The label has released albums such as "Between The Polecats" by The Polecats, "Rock 'n' Roll Fever" by Jay Chance, "Rockabilly Expre ...

. 2001. Also that year the band played the Loch Lomond Festival, alongside

the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December ...

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the D ...

and

the Tourists ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

. The group's first EP, entitled ''Take a Trip'', was released the following year. The title track appeared on their debut album, entitled ''

Skin 'Em Up ''Skin 'Em Up'' is the debut album from the Scottish neo-rockabilly group the Shakin' Pyramids, released in 1981 by Cuba Libre, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. It reached no. 48 on the UK Albums Chart, and yielded a single in "Tennessee Rock ' ...

'' (1981), which received 5/5 stars from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

''.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, who also praised the record, described it as having "helped define the short-lived rockabilly revival of the early '80s."Skin 'Em Up review
at

The album was promoted by a single, "Tennessee Rock 'n 'Roll", which was also the title of an EP featuring single

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

"Alright Alnight" and two new tracks. Later in 1981, the band released a third and final EP in collaboration with musician

, who is described by the ''

Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (originally known as ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' and ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') was a music reference book originally published in the United Kingdom by the publishing arm of t ...

'' as "Britain's most successful and influential recording artist before

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

." The band's second and final studio album, ''

Celts and Cobras ''Celts and Cobras'' is the second and final studio album from the Scottish neo-rockabilly group the Shakin' Pyramids (billed on the album cover as "Shakin' Pyramids"), released in 1982 by Cuba Libre, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. "Just a Mem ...

'' (1982) – on the cover of which they were billed as "Shakin' Pyramids" – was more diverse in its style but was seen as a departure from the group's original, immediate sound. ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' declared that "The band still rocks, but they'd better figure out where they're going."Shakin' Pyramids
at ''

'' "Pharaoh's Chant" was released as the album's first single, followed by "Just A Memory". The group ultimately disbanded in 1983, midway through a Canadian tour. The Shakin' Pyramids played to audiences worldwide and made a number of television appearances during their short career. Ken Smith of '' The Herald'' described the band's oeuvre as being composed of "critically-acclaimed but modestly-selling records".

Subsequent releases

'' The Shakin' Pyramids'' (1983), a compilation album, was released shortly after the group's disbandment by Rock 'n Roll Records, a

Scotti Brothers Records Scotti Brothers Records (typically spelled Scotti Bros. Records) was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing singles and albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helped ...

subsidiary. A live set recorded at the Kelvingrove Free Music Festival in Glasgow in May 1981 was released as ''

in 2001.The Shakin' Pyramids: Reeferbilly Blowout
at

Raucous Records Raucous Records is a British record label focusing on rockabilly, psychobilly, rock and roll, and surf music. The label has released albums such as "Between The Polecats" by The Polecats, "Rock 'n' Roll Fever" by Jay Chance, "Rockabilly Expre ...

Post-Shakin' Pyramids endeavours

In the mid 1980s Creighton played with the Fighting Fifty-First. In the 1990s he provided musicianship for the River Detectives and served as frontman of the Buicks. Creighton released two solo albums on Raucous during the 2010s; his third and final album was released via his own website in 2018. Creighton died from a stroke on 17 February 2021, aged 62. Duncan and McLellan perform as the Véloniños with guitarist Laurie Cuffe and bassist Hugh Jamieson.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1981) * ''

'' (1982)

Extended plays

* ''Take a Trip'' (1981) * ''Tennessee Rock 'n 'Roll'' (1981) * ''The Shakin' Pyramids and Lonnie Donegan EP'' (1981)

Singles

* "Reeferbilly Boogie" (1980) * "Tennessee Rock 'n 'Roll" (1981) * "Just a Memory" (1982) * "Pharaoh's Chant" (1982)

Compilation album

* '' The Shakin' Pyramids'' (1983)

Live album

* ''