Gene Vincent Birthplace — Norfolk, Virginia

Gene Vincent — born Vincent Eugene Craddock on February 11, 1935 — was a Norfolk, Virginia native who became one of rockabilly's most feral and influential voices. His 1956 Capitol Records debut "Be-Bop-A-Lula" remains one of the defining recordings of the era: a coiled, menacing performance so convincing that Elvis Presley's mother reportedly called Sun Records to ask if it was her son. Vincent cut the track at a Nashville session and within months was an international star.

Vincent's wild stage presence — black leather, a leg brace from a serious motorcycle injury, and a barely controlled intensity — influenced generations of performers including Sid Vicious, Ian Dury, and Jeff Beck. He was among the first American rock and roll acts to crack Britain, where the Beatles saw him perform and where he remained a cult hero long after his American fame faded. He was in the car with Eddie Cochran when Cochran was fatally injured in Chippenham, England in April 1960, an event from which Vincent never fully recovered.

Gene Vincent died on October 12, 1971, in Newhall, California, from a ruptured stomach ulcer. He was 36 years old and had spent his final years in poverty and ill health. Norfolk has since recognised him as one of its most significant cultural exports, and his place in the rockabilly pantheon — alongside Cochran, Carl Perkins, and Elvis — is secure.