Dan's Papers - September 5, 2008 - Where's LaBeef? This Weekend, at SI Beach Blast

For more than 50 years, Sleepy LaBeef has been on the road, bringing his brand of rockabilly and American roots music to every corner of the world.

Known as "The Human Jukebox" and armed with a repertoire of what's estimated to be more than 2,000 songs, both originals and covers (LaBeef doesn't have an exact number, but says it's "enough to play two or three months of shows and not be short on songs"), he's one of the last great figures of the early rock 'n' roll era that spawned other classic artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry. "We've been in the business of American roots music, gospel, swing - the whole bit - for a very long time," he said.

LaBeef will be coming to the East End September 6, playing the annual Beach Blast on Shelter Island, where he'll be backed up by the North Fork's Gene Casey and The Lone Sharks. "We always have a great time when we're out there," he said. And at 6'7" tall, with infectious energy and a reputation for putting on a great live show, the Beach Blast, which benefits The Island Gift of Life Foundation and Camp Quinipet, is not a show to be missed. LaBeef knows how to play to the audience, getting them on their feet. "You have to know how to move them. They love the boogie woogie. So I just play the down home blues, some Hank Williams, western swing, some Rosetta Thorpe, some foot stomping, hand clapping gospel."

"The guys from The Lone Sharks are honored," said Joe Lauro, part-time bassist for The Lone Sharks and founder of the Beach Blast. "He's the real thing. He's one of the last guys standing of the original honky-tonk era. It's an honor to have one of our forefathers on stage with us."

Born in Arkansas, LaBeef moved to Texas to pursue a career in music, releasing a dozen rockabilly singles in the '50s. He shared the stage with many classic artists from the roots of American rock and roll and country, such as Roy Orbison, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Waylon Jennings and Wanda Jackson, in addition to Presley, Cash and Berry - the list reads as a Who's Who roster of American music. Releasing singles and albums on a variety of different labels, LaBeef at a point was putting out records on the famed Sun Records. His albums have always been critically successful, with some achieving chart success, such as his singles "Every Day" and "Blackland Farmer," a top 20 hit. In 2000, he charted again with the song "Detour."

LaBeef is set to release a new album, Sleepy LaBeef Roots, on Ponk Records, with a DVD, and for avid record collectors, a limited release on vinyl. "I hope to have it out by the time we're in New York," he said. "And I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm very excited about it."

At the height of his touring, LaBeef would do as many as 300 shows a year, making the road his home and also. "Now we do about 125. That's enough," he said, adding that he spends more time at home with his family now. "But we love to do it. We've never grown tired of doing shows."

LaBeef has and, to this day, will play anywhere - from large venues to casinos to small, roadside bars. And not only does he traverse America on a regular basis, he also has a legion of fans in Europe, who, perhaps, appreciate American roots more than Americans do. "They still listen to Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, all that stuff, over there," he said. "They still play as though it's still current and support it. They don't take it for granted."

The Beach Blast, an annual event on Shelter Island for more than 20 years, will be held at Wades Beach from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. The cover charge is $10. Other bands performing are Matty Liot and the Big Up, The Blaggards, The Dixons and The Moonlighters. The Lone Sharks, with LaBeef, will also perform at an after party at The Dory at midnight.