The sun is out over Music City and her neighbors, and The Streets of Indian Lake’s 2021 Summer Concert Series is in full swing. Last Thursday, July 22nd, the Center Stage Plaza welcomed Good Rockin’ Tonight, Nashville’s only 1950s rock and roll tribute band. The gentlemen were received by a large local turnout, filling the quad with lawn chairs and picnic blankets. They kicked off their set with Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” and the crowd was all too eager to get on their feet and clap along. From “Lucille” to “Johnny B. Goode” to some of the King’s best hits, Good Rockin’ Tonight took The Streets on a nostalgic tour through summertime rock’s greatest era.
The tribute band is made up of four members. Corn Pop on drums, Hot Sauce on the keys, Big Ernie on the bass, and Corey Woodlawn as the lead singer and guitar player. From their stage clothes to their equipment, Good Rockin’ Tonight puts diligent effort into maintaining a vintage stage presence. Even Corey’s retro microphone is in the style of a 1950’s Cardioid. “We try to be as authentic as we can,” Woodlawn said. “We try to use the lingo of the time. We don’t use any modern slang. We want people to feel like it’s 1959. When Buddy Holly just passed away and Elvis is still in the army.”
Good Rockin’ Tonight has been together for about four to five years. Corn Pop and Corey Woodlawn were originally in a different group, but they decided to strike out on their own. They started out with Hot Sauce and Big Ernie as Zippie’s Clutch, the name under which they performed original songs as well as tributes. The band evolved into Good Rockin’ Tonight when the gentlemen decided to preform tributes exclusively. “It just felt more fun,” said Woodlawn. “Older people like it because it helps them remember. Kids like it because it’s fun. Everyone likes it because they can dance to it.”
Woodlawn was certainly right about that. Hendersonville stayed on their feet for Good Rockin’ Tonight. Children drummed on the seats by the fountain, couples danced in pairs to the sides of the stage, and a group of line dancers picked up more participants with every song. As Nashville is still adjusting to being open again after the pandemic, the crowd’s energy was exciting and refreshing for the performers. Woodlawn said from the stage, “You could have stayed home and rewatched The Office or Seinfeld, but you chose to be out here doing something. These kids are out running amok, and I love it. It’s so nice to be out in the air doing something.”
Woodlawn has been inspired by music ever since he was a child. “Once I got a guitar in my hands, it was all over,” he said. He had taken an extended break from music for several years, but he found way back to his passion thanks to his wife. “She told me, ‘You’re not the same human without music,’ and she even bought me that guitar,” Woodlawn said, pointing to the silver guitar on the stage.
Thursday’s sun wasn’t kind to Hendersonville, but Good Rockin’ Tonight carried the same energy and excitement of their opening number through both sets. The band’s enthusiasm was infectious, and the number of people dancing despite the afternoon’s sweltering heat was surprising. Even the listeners sitting in lawn chairs and picnic blankets were clapping and singing along. The band seemed to have perfected their set list, having assorted the era’s hits in such a way that kept the crowd eager to guess the next number. Hot Sauce led a rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” followed by The Coaster’s “Charlie Brown,” with Big Ernie’s solo line “Why is everybody always picking on me?” getting a giggle from the kids every time.
“Nostalgia is so cool,” said Woodland, “because it brings forth memories. Certain songs can dictate parts of people’s lives, like a song that played at their wedding. If we can help them stroll down memory lane on a Thursday afternoon, I think that’s something to be proud of.”
Nashvillians and Rutherford County locals can look forward to Good Rockin’ Tonight’s September 3rd performance at Main Street Murfreesboro’s Friday Night Live Concert Series for 2021. The courthouse square’s musical party is free and runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Find out more about Good Rockin’ Tonight at their website: www.GoodRockinTonightLive.com
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