JIMMY AKIN

1999 Hall of Fame Inductee, Jimmy Akin is considered to be one of the finest rock musicians ever to come out of Nebraska – and he is one of the first. Jimmy’s career began in the mid-1950’s when, at a very young age – he played lead guitar with the legendary Bobby Lowell & The Rock-A-Boogie Boys – on their ROTO Record release – “Umm Baby Baby” – “What You Do To Me”. This is considered to be Nebraska’s first Rock & Roll record. Released in 1956 – this recording was a regional hit and climbed to #11 on the Top-40 Charts in Lincoln, NE. Shortly after
leaving “The Rock-A-Boogie Boys”, Jimmy performed with The Invaders. They were a very popular Lincoln, NE band. In the early 1970’s – Jimmy played in “The Spinning Wheel” with the great Nebraska guitarist – Rick Cowling. They recorded “Picture In My Mind B/W Funky Alien” in 1974.

Akin then joined Cowling in Seattle to play in The Orchard Motor Company. He recorded an Iranian folk song called “Gariba Ashana (Familiar Stranger) – calling it “an interesting event in his life”.

Akin returned to Lincoln to first form “Stormy” and later “Brandy” with fellow 1999 Hall of Fame Inductee, Joe Gray. (Joe Gray and Rick Cowling had previously played in “The Knights of Day”).

An album “Live at The Speakeasy Lounge” was recorded, where Brandy held court as the house band for many years. Akin was reunited with Bobby Lowell and a reformed version of “The Rock-A-Boogie Boys” in the fall of 1998 to record several 45-RPM singles to be released on Belgium’s MAC Records in 1999. The first release will be “Cadillac Man B/W I Miss You”. Akin was also recently inducted into The National Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame (www.rockabillyhall.com).

As lead guitarist on Nebraska’s First Rock & Roll Record (“Umm Baby Baby”), Akin joins Bobby Lowell (Nebraska’s First Rock Singer) inThe Nebraska Music Hall of Fame.