Gerald Clark

Jackson's International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame is continuing to bring an international array of rockabilly bands to town, including a talented South African blues trio, Tony and the Trailer Cats, on Monday night. "We're pleased to have the people who are now coming from international countries," said Henry Harrison, president of the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame. "This is also the first time a band from Africa has come to play here." Tony and the Trailer Cats of Johannesburg, South Africa, came to play at the Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame Monday night, performing original songs such as "Sweetheart" and "I Can't Stop the Rain From Falling." The band and manager Gideon Volchenk, president of the South Africa Blues Society, were presented with cuff links with the city seal by Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist. "It was exciting to listen to them," Harrison said. "They are good musicians with a unique sound." Harrison said the band will go to Memphis next week to perform at the International Blues Conference. Members of Tony and the Trailer Cats include Gerald Clark, Peter Hoven and Henry Steel Jr. Hoven said he has known Clark and Steel for 13 years. He said the band has been playing together for about three months. "It's amazing being here," he said. "Music is not as much of a tradition in South Africa as it is here. It's nice to be in a place that you are accepted and everyone is so friendly. It's brilliant." Hoven said the band performs original compositions as well as rockabilly standards. He said all members of the band contribute to the writing and vocals. "If you cover a song, you should try to make it your own," he said. "When you are writing your own songs and performing them, you teach yourself and the audience something new." Hoven said the band performed in Nashville at B.B. King's and the National Underground. He said they will be competing against approximately 280 bands and 1,000 musicians at the International Blues Conference. "(The United States) has been a revelation of what music can be," Clark said. "I gained a lot of respect for music from being here. Appreciation is definitely a big thing. People here sit and listen to you play." "We're glad to be here in the States," Steel said. "People here are so friendly. We'd love to come every year, if we could." Harrison said more international groups will visit the Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in the coming months. "We're concentrating on the international market," he said. "We booked two tour groups from Norway. We have a third group from Sweden." Harrison said the two Norwegian rockabilly groups will arrive in Jackson in April. He said the Swedish group will arrive in August. For more information about the bands featured at the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame, visit www.rockabillyhall.org.