by Mary GradyIn the late '60s, Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids hit the club scene and shook up the psychedelic status quo with a dose of old-style rock & roll. Clad in black leather jackets and with their hair greased back in ducktails, they performed punchy '50s rock classics at a time when ten-minute guitar solos were de rigueur. Flash Cadillac (which dropped the "Continental Kids" part in 1980) was formed at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1968. The group got their big break when they were cast as the prom band in the 1973 film American Grafitti. A major label record contract followed, and the band issued a series of pleasant '50s and '60s revival music that encompassed both cover versions and original compositions. The best of these is the surf-themed Sons of the Beach, issued in 1976. The band toured extensively as an opening act for many of the top bands of the '70s, including Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. They also appeared on an episode of Happy Days and were featured in the film Apocalypse Now. After their career cooled, they continued to appear on the summer fair circuit and managed to secure gigs doing classic rock with symphony pops orchestras. The band also maintains an ongoing job of producing and performing music for the syndicated oldies radio show Supergold.