Wess and the Airedales - Senza Luce (A Whiter Shade of Pale)

Hello people. I know I aint been around much of late but it looks like that is going to change, at least a little bit. My lady friend JJB just got a new computer. So with any luck i will be able to start uploading and "blogging" more frequently. I personally have been computer free for a few months now hence the sparse posting of late. Of course she got the fancy ass imac thingy and its a little bit like learning Chinese to an old codger like me who could barely handle a regular PC. But i will get there slowly but surely. I still have a bunch of record rips ready to go in my "draft" que from when we had a computer and those are all MP3's but this new iMac rips everything to MP4. Hell if i know what the difference is? I hope that won't be a problem with some folks. So that is why you will start to see mp4's as well as the old mp3's....

Anyway, enough chatter... Here is my 1st post on the new Comp. and something i am a big fan of. And that is cover songs of classics that veer of the path a bit. And while musically this is pretty true to the original the singing in Italian makes this a pretty odd cover. I don’t know any of the Italian language other than Pizza (is that even real Italian?) but having been lucky enough to be in Italy on more than one occasion they do have some of the finest looking ladies in all the land…. You can bet they don’t look like Snookie from MTV’s Jersey Shore….
Anyway I hope you dig the tune and i hope to see you around a little more often.

As for Wess here is his deal: Wesley Johnson, or simply Wess (Winston, North Carolina, August 13 1945 - Winston, September 21 2009) was an American born naturalized Italian.

Born in North Carolina, as a boy he lived in New York, where he was trained musically.
In the early sixties he was bassist in the orchestra of Rocky Roberts And The Airedales in which he was also an arranger and later lead singer, discovered in 1966 by Boncompagni Arbore and arrived in Italy they were the first to bring R & B to Italy and sung in Italian (Tonight I throw 1967).
In 1967, due to a disagreement with the leader, the group broke away from Rocky Roberts, and Wess became the lead singer, debuting with his own version of Without a light cover of A Whiter Shade Of Pale Procol Harum brought to success.

Cheers,
dd

Wess and the Airedales - Senza Luce (A Whiter Shade of Pale)


edit: ok i figured out how to convert to mp3! for those that need that format here you go!!!


Wess and the Airedales - Senza Luce (A Whiter Shade of Pale)

Zig Dillon - On Down The Line

Here is a great little rockabilly number by Allen (Zig) Dillon (Born January 1, 1923) Dig the uptempo beat and that crazy high vocal in the background that sort of doubles as a horn section! Crazy man! Crazy! Looks like this has been comped a bunch of times after doing a quick search of the interweb but couldn't find much about Mr. Dillon.

Zig Dillon - On Down The Line

Joe Turner and the Blues Kings - Flip Flop and Fly - Ti-Ri-Lee

Anybody out there…???

OK, so I aint been around much and I really don’t have much to say these days so I’ll just cut to the chase. Here is a great 45 from 1955 by a great artist; Big Joe Turner. I wish I had more records by him but then again I wish I had a lot of records I don’t have…

there is no need for me and my poor writing skills to try and do justice to the man just read the following lifted from the R&R hall of f(sh)ame...

Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”

But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?

“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.

Turner was a huge man with a husky, booming voice who could out-shout a big band without amplification while projecting clarity and control. He was born in Kansas City, and it was in that freewheeling city’s jumping nightspots that he began his career as a bartender and singer. Kansas City was, in those days, a hotbed of jazz and blues whose many clubs rocked around the proverbial clock. As a young man, Turner worked at various of these joints - including the Backbiter’s Club and the Sunset Café - as a bouncer, bartender and singer. It was here that he hooked up with pianist Pete Johnson (nominally referred to in the songs “Roll ‘Em Pete” and “Johnson & Turner Blues"). Turner also sang with the big bands of Count Basie and Benny Moten when they came through town.

Turner and Johnson helped popularize boogie-woogie and jump blues in the late Thirties and early Forties. “Everybody was singing slow blues when I was young,” Turner told Rhino’s James Austin, “and I thought I’d put a beat to it and sing it uptempo.” Crowds would clamor for Johnson to play some boogie - “Roll ‘em, Pete!” Make ‘em jump!” - and he’d oblige. Thus did this duo help ignite a musical trend in the nightclubs of Kansas City and beyond. The songs Turner sang (and sometimes wrote) were often risqué, employing coy slang words and metaphors for sex in ways that would amuse a partying club crowd.

The duo brought their routine to New York in the late Thirties, and their appearance at the “Spirituals to Swing” concert in December 1938 proved to be a major turning point. Turner sang without a microphone, his forceful pipes carrying into the furthest reaches of the sold-out hall with ease. In New York, Turner and Johnson became regulars at the Cafe Society nightclub and signed to Vocalion Records, cutting some seminal versions of “Roll ‘Em Pete” and “Cherry Red” for the label.

Turner recorded prolifically in the Forties for various labels, including Decca, National and Aladdin. He worked with Johnson as well as a number of other pianists, including such giants as Albert Ammons, Willie “the Lion” Smith and Meade Lux Lewis. In 1946, Turner had his first R&B hit, “My Gal’s a Jockey,” released on Herb Abramson’s National label. Abramson would go on to co-found Atlantic Records with Ahmet Ertegun 1948. Meanwhile, Turner - who recorded for a bewildering variety of labels during this period - charted again in 1950 with “Still in the Dark,” issued on the Houston-based Freedom label.

In 1951, Ertegun brought Turner to Atlantic Records, where he cut a string of rhythm & blues and early rock & roll classics over the next decade. Among them were “Chains of Love,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “Honey Hush,” Shake, Rattle and Roll,” “Flip Flop and Fly,” and “Corrine Corinna.” Pianist Fats Domino accompanied Turner on the romping “TV Mama.” “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “Honey Hush” were particularly massive hits, topping the R&B charts for three and eight weeks, respectively. For a spell Turner was a bonafide rock and roll star, cutting such songs as “Teenage Letter” for the burgeoning youth market and appearing in the teen flick Shake, Rattle and Rock. No other figure straddled rock and roll and rhythm & blues with such authority as Turner. Capitalizing on his reputation as a pioneer, Turner shuttled easily between the two worlds, sharing stages with Fats Domino, the Clovers, Bo Diddley and a variety of other acts on Alan Freed’s package tours.

But Turner’s musical roots were too deep to limit him to the faddish teen market. Turner’s definitive work for Atlantic came in 1956, and the title said it all: The Boss of the Blues: Joe Turner Sings Kansas City Jazz. A sequel of sorts, Big Joe Rides Again, appeared in 1960. In the Sixties, after the first wave of rock and roll had died down, Turner returned to blues and boogie-woogie. He moved to Los Angeles, where he recorded with jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and Roy Eldridge for some well-received albums on the Pablo label. He also schooled a young backup band that eventually became the Blasters.


Joe Turner and the Blues Kings - Flip Flop and Fly
Joe Turner and the Blues Kings - Ti-Ri-Lee

Jerry Dallman and the Knightcaps - The Bug - Hony-Bee

I aint been around the interweb world much lately. You know how life is...?
The best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Anyway...
Here is a obscure rockabilly single from 1958 that got a huge shot in the arm when John Waters used it in the finale of his film Hairspray. However, Honey Bee is the better track with a good guitar break.
Don't know when or how often i will be back on here but until the next time enjoy!
Jerry Dallman and the Knightcaps - The Bug
Jerry Dallman and the Knightcaps - Honey Bee

Teddy Cris and the Cristones - I'm A Hero In My Home Town

I found this record in a pile of junk many years ago right here in Jersey and seeing as it is from Hazlet (New Start Records Hazlet N.J.)this makes sense. But i know nothing about this little gem here even though it and myself are from the same area. I would imagine this was self released w/ Mr. Cris leading the way right out of Hazlet. I would also imagine this is a pretty rare little fucker. i googled this in multiple ways and found NOTHING! Either way this is a real great rockabilly type number about being a big fish in small pond only to make a move and then being the little fish in a big pond. There is some really great guitar work on this cut and i dig the sort of laid back vocal delivery. This has a real late 50's (58) rockabilly vibe but for some reason, being as its coming out of Jersey i would suspect this may very well be early 60's...?

This is the reason i collect records and why i do what i do and get my ass up at 6AM on my weekends and go dig for vinyl, almost always coming away with nothing spacial but once in a while digging up a real winner.

I don't ask for much while i do this shitty little blog but if you do in fact know anything about this record or Mr. Cris please let me know. Until then, enjoy!

Teddy Cris and the Cristones - I'm A Hero In My Home Town

Kraut - Unemployed - Last Chance - Matinee

Old school NYHC from 1981.

Kraut was a New York band who started playing in 1981. Their very first performance was opening for the Clash at Bonds in NYC (Summer 1981). Members Include: Davey Gunner (vocals), Doug Holland (guitar/vocals) Don Cowan (bass/vocals), and Johnny Feedback (drums/vocals), and Ryk Oakley, producer. While recording their 1st album, they opened up for The Professionals (band) at the Channel Nightclub in Boston. Steve Jones (ex-Sex Pistols) and Kraut became good friends and recorded extra guitar tracks on "An Adjustment to Society" album. Steve was included on Kill for Cash, Sell Out and Onward. The video for "All Twisted" from that album appeared in rotation on MTV, the first independent band to be played on MTV. The band went on to release "Whetting the Scythe" and toured the USA.

Their early sound was New York Hardcore / Thrash. By the mid-'80s, Kraut had become a Hard rock/Metal band (à la later period SSD or similar Boston bands). Christopher Smith from Battalion of Saints joined and recorded with the band. He appears on some tracks with Doug Holland on later releases.

They appeared on several compilations and also put out some of their own releases. They were also the first New York Hardcore band to appear on television. Guitarist Doug Holland went on to play for New York Hardcore band the Cro-Mags.

Kraut - Unemployed
Kraut - Last Chance
Kraut - Matinee

Ink Spots - If I Didn't Care

The Ink Spots were a popular vocal group that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm & blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop. They and the Mills Brothers, another black vocal group of the 1930s and 1940s, gained much acceptance in the white community.

Their songs usually began with a guitar riff, followed by the tenor, who sang the whole song through. After the tenor finished singing, the bass would either recite the first half, or the bridge of the song, or would speak the words, almost in a free form, that were not part of the song, commonly using the words "Honey Child", or "Honey Babe", expressing his love for the opposite sex in the song. This was followed by the tenor, who finished up singing the last refrain or the last half of the song.

The Ink Spots formed in the early 1930s in Indianapolis. The original members were :-

Orville "Hoppy" Jones (b. 17 February 1902, Chicago, Illinois - d. 18 October 1944, New York City) (bass) (Played cello in the manner of a stand up bass)[1]
Ivory "Deek" Watson (b. 18 July 1909, Mounds, Illinois - d. 4 November 1969, Washington, DC) (tenor) (Played guitar and trumpet)
Jerry Daniels (b. 14 December 1915 - 7 November 1995, Indianapolis, Indiana) (tenor) (Played guitar and ukulele)
Charlie Fuqua (b. 20 October 1910 - 21 December 1971, New Haven, Connecticut) (baritone) (Played guitar)
”
They first recorded for Victor Records in 1935, but although the group was growing rapidly in popularity their early record releases were not commercially successful. The following year Daniels left, and was replaced by Bill Kenny (b. 12 June 1914, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - d. 23 March 1978, Vancouver, British Columbia). Also in 1936, they appeared on the first NBC demonstration television programmes.

For the next two years, their popularity grew through radio programs and tours. After a series of unsuccessful recordings for Victor Records and Decca Records, they had their first smash hit with "If I Didn't Care", a song written by Jack Lawrence, on Decca, in 1939

Ink Spots - If I Didn't Care

Happy Flowers - Call Me Pudge

Today something to get your weekend started, some Virginia based 80s-90's Noise, Punk, Metal or whatever you want to call it, consisting of Mr. Anus and Mr. Horribly Charred Infant (Or Mr. HCI for short). This shit is not for the squeamish but i love it!!!

Mr. HCI does an awesome blog called Mr. HCI's Song of the day. You'd be right smart to visit and have a good listen as the man throws down some eclectic, rare & oddest stuff you are likely to find on the web. Bookmark or follow that shit or whatever it is you do...

Now if i could only get Mr. HCI to get me those records he promised me about 10 years ago...

:)


Happy Flowers - Call Me Pudge

Blackrock - Yeah, Yeah - Bad Cloud Overhead

Gearing Up for the Asbury Park 45 sessions tonight @ the Asbury Lanes put on by the Fantastic Flea Market Funkhere is a killer funk rock 45. "Yeah, Yeah" was featured on the Black Chains and Exhaust comp, but in my opinion the flip Bad Clouds Overhead is equally as bad ass. You know the devil LOVES this shit, fuzzy rock fuel funk with stinging guitar work and Hendrix worship. Dig in!

If you are in or near central NJ get yo ass over the Asbury Park where it is much more than just The Boss...

Blackrock - Yeah, Yeah
Blackrock - Bad Cloud Overhead

Morgen - Of Dreams - She's The Night Time

Another small gift to myself for the Holidays and another psych kvlt classic...

ABC Record's valiant attempt at the 'hip/youth' market, Probe, released many memorable LP's by such groups as Saint Steven and The Litter along with debut offerings by Zephyr, Soft Machine and Rare Bird, but none generate the frenzy at this late date quite like the quartet led by guitarist/vocalist Steve Morgen, first unleashed in 1969. This is the rare 7" mono versions of 'She's The Nitetime' and 'Of Dreams'. Radio stations didn't bite on the single, Probe closed up shop, and the world became a decidedly sadder place."

Singer/guitarist Steve Morgen and company (bassist Rennie Genossa, drummer Bob Maiman and rhythm guitarist Barry Stock) originally hailed from (of all places) Long Island, New York. Signed by ABC's short-lived Probe subsidiary, their 1969 debut Morgen teamed them with producer Murray Shiffrin (Steve Morgen is given the co-production credit). After this superb debut, the entire band quite simply disappeared. If you're into heavy psych guitar, then this is for you. You're looking at a pseudo-classic slice of psychedelia that largely explains the huge asking price of an original copy.

Morgen - Of Dreams

Morgen - She's The Night Time

Colesseum - The Kettle

Going to stick with some amazing psych stuff here with something i bought myself for X-mas because i love me. This is one of those songs that just does it. I mean everything about it is just amazing IMHO. And also in my opinion the bands best song.
Just awesome in every aspect... Something i am now very proud to own!

Colesseum were one of the pivotal progressive bands that emerged in the second part of the Sixties. Unfortunately the progressive world was more impressed by The NICE and KING CRIMSON, making COLOSSEUM a bit under appreciated progrock band. In '68 the founding members were drummer Jon Hiseman, tenor sax-player Dick Heckstall-Smith and bass player Tony Reeves, later joined by Dave Greenslade (keyboards), Dave Clempson (guitar), Chris Farlowe (vocals) and Mark Clark, he replaced Tony Reeves. COLOSSEUM made three studio albums: "Those Who Are To Die We Salute You" and "Valentyne Suite" (both from '69) and "Daughter Of Time" ('70). The music is a progressive mix of several styles with lots of sensational solos and captivating interplay. In '71 the band released their highly acclaimed live album "Colosseum live". After COLOSSEUM was disbanded in '71, most of these members formed or joined known groups like HUMBLE PIE (Clem Clempson), ATOMIC ROOSTER (Chris Farlowe), GREENSLADE (Dave Greenslade re-united with Tony Reeves) and COLOSSEUM II (founded by Jon Hiseman).

While Colosseum lasted only a little more than three years, they made a great impression on the blooming subgenre of progressive rock, first with the energetic jazz- and blues-influenced Those Who Are About to Die Salute You, with its unusual chord progressions and variant song structures, and then with the epic Valentyne Suite. The title track of Valentyne Suite, a 17-minute composition, pushed keyboardist Dave Greenslade to the forefront of the band and into the spotlight of progressive music, a position he was increasingly uneasy with over the years. Drummer Jon Hiseman, on the other hand, gradually moved towards the jazz fusion area. Colosseum began to undergo personnel shifts with their third album, Grass Is Greener, with everyone calling it quits upon the departure of Greenslade in 1971. In 1975, Hiseman formed Colosseum II, but this time the mandate was firmly jazz fusion.

This is not jazz fusion but straight ahead heavy guitar psych rock...

Colesseum - The Kettle

Spontaneous Combustion - Brainstorm - Spaceship - Monlith (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Today we get some hard driving rock and roll with some psych and jazz tinges and some really kick ass guitar work. This band is way under rated IMHO. The songs are well written and performed to perfection. The band is tight as shit and the playing and production is crisp and clear. Why more people don't get on board with this group is beyond me...

Spontaneous Combustion were an English progressive rock power trio active in the 1970s. The band consisted of Gary Margetts on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Tristiam "Tris" Margetts on bass guitar, and drummer Tony Brock. Spontaneous Combustion released two albums, Spontaneous Combustion (1972) and Triad (1973), both produced by Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. They disbanded after their second album and the Margetts brothers have gone almost unheard of since. However, Tony Brock has worked with Rod Stewart and been a member of the bands Strider and the Babys.

It's a shame Gary Margetts never resurfaced as his guitar playing and vocals are really excellent and as i said before way under rated. Anyone know if he has ever done anything else? Either way enjoy these 3 cuts from the 2nd album and 3 of my faves from Triad.

Spontaneous Combustion - Brainstorm
Spontaneous Combustion - Spaceship
Spontaneous Combustion - Monlith (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

The Wizard, The Prophet & The Little Space Girl

Jimmie Rodgers - The Wizard



Chuck Jackson - The Prophet



Jesse Lee Turner - The Little Space Girl

Sticking with my previous post about posts not having anything to do with anything, Here are 3 songs that have really no common thread whatsoever, a 50's rocker, a soul cut & a space novelty song, but man, i really like the way "The Wizard, The Prophet & The Little Space Girl" rolls off the tongue...

Enjoy!

Bobby Charles - Why Can't You

I don't have much to say these days, but i am hoping for a better twenty ten...

fuck 2009!!!

There is no connection whatsoever with this song & new years... I just really really dig this cut from 1956 and it is a 45 i've been waiting for the right moment to drop. I guess none better than wishing for a happier new year huh? I hope all of you have a great new year and if you 2009 was awesome i hope 2010 equals or surpasses for you...

As for Mr. Bobby Charles:

Bobby Charles (born Robert Charles Guidry, February 21, 1938, Abbeville, Louisiana) is an American singer and songwriter.

An ethnic Cajun, Charles grew up listening to Cajun music and the country and western music of Hank Williams. At the age of 15, he heard a performance by Fats Domino, an event that "changed my life forever," he recalled.

Charles helped to pioneer the south Louisiana musical genre known as swamp pop. His compositions include the hits "See You Later, Alligator," which he initially recorded himself as "Later Alligator", but which is best known from the cover version by Bill Haley & His Comets; and "Walking to New Orleans", written for Fats Domino.

"(I Don't Know Why I Love You) But I Do" was a 1950s classic that Charles composed which Clarence "Frogman" Henry had a major hit with and which was on the soundtrack to the 1994 blockbuster Forrest Gump. His composition "Why Are People Like That?" was on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie Home Fries.

Because of his south Louisiana-influenced rhythm and blues vocal style, Charles has often been referred to as black, when in fact he is white.


Bobby Charles - Why Can't You

Merry X-mas from the Devil...!

The records:



The devil aka the clown caught in his natural enviroment x-mas morning...



our little tree...




The lady:

So the lady bought me some new (used) vinyl for x-mas, made me eggs and beans with an english muffin and let me have a few hours to play with some of my new gifts...
some of them i bougt for myself and one or 2 were already laying about... she even caught a shot of the elusive devil himself mid action w/ the new camera i bought her for x-mas... the old one got smashed on the jetty at Barnegat light... long story, don't ask... anywho, just something i threw togther x-mas morn while enjoying a good english breaky... Merry X-mas from the devil... special thnx to some ass from north Pennsy soon to be Cana-DUH... and the lovely JJB! Enjoy!

Can - Mary, Mary, So Contrary
Syd Barrett - Rats
Captain Beefheart - Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Butthole Surfers - I Saw An X-Ray Of A Girl Passing Gas
Luv Machine - Witches Wand
Batus! A-Go! Go!
Big Black - Kerosene
Johnny Rivers - Poor Side Of Town
The Hypnotics - Rock Me Baby
Warhorse - St. Louis
German Oak - The Third Reich

Merry X-mas from the Devil...! Mix

Bobby Blue - Ride With Me Baby

“Ride With Me" was song by rock band Steppenwolf featured on their album For Ladies Only. It was originally performed by Mars Bonfire on his self-titled album with a length over six minutes and under the title "Ride With Me, Baby". The song peaked at 52 on The Billboard Hot 100. The tune was covered by The Alice Cooper Band in the film, Diary of a Mad Housewife and obviously covered here by Bobby Blue.

Who is Bobby Blue? Hell if I know… Do you…???

Bobby Blue - Ride With Me Baby

Procession - One Day In Every Week

If you have to pick one day in every week it might as well be Friday...

I know nothing about this band, but i do know that this has a very David Bowie vibe, at least to my ears. And that is good enough for me.

Here is what i found out via the web:

Procession was a jazz-tinged rock band formed in Melbourne in October 1967. The group is most notable for including English guitarist Mick Rogers who later joined Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Drummer Craig Collinge was a member of British proto-punk band Third World War.

Happy Friday & enjoy the weekend!

Procession - One Day In Every Week

Bobby Scott - Chain Gang

Bobby Scott (1937, Mt. Pleasant, New York – 1990) was an American musician, record producer, and songwriter.

Scott was a pianist, vibraphonist, and singer, and could also play the accordion, cello, clarinet, and double bass. He studied under Edvard Moritz at the La Follette School of Music at the age of eight, and was working professionally at 11. In 1952 he began touring with Louis Prima, and also performed with Gene Krupa and Tony Scott in the 1950s. In 1956 he hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with the song "Chain Gang", peaking at #13. (This is not the same song as Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang".) As a bandleader, he did sessions for Verve, ABC-Paramount, Bethlehem, and Musicmasters. As a songwriter, he won a Grammy award for Best Instrumental Composition for the song "A Taste of Honey". In addition to "A Taste of Honey", Scott also co-wrote the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". In the 1960s he became a music teacher and studied again under Moritz, but occasionally recorded as well, including a Nat King Cole tribute album released in the 1980s. He also arranged for jazz and easy listening musicians such as Les and Larry Elgart.

Don't know what it is about this song but i realy dig it...


Bobby Scott - Chain Gang

Rockin R's - Nameless - Heat

Just some mid week rock with the Rockin R's on Tempus (TR-1507) from 1959!

I already had their 1st 45 Crazy Baby/The Beat and just uncovered this white label promo of their 2nd 45. I i dig this one almost as much as the 1st one!



The following is taken from the Rockabilly hall Of Fame

Those two cats with the thousand dollar Jimmy Carter smiles strummin' their way to infamy on their platter's front cover are Ron Volz and Ron Wernsman, kingpins supreme of the legendary Rockin' R's rock 'n' roll group. Now it's important when sizin' up these hombres' whole wazoo to flip back over to the other side of this cardboard and dig their surroundings, 'cause it was in those environs - the Wernsman family basement way out in Peoria, Illinois suburb of Metamora - that the R's first lit their fuse in late 1957 with their special brand of subterranean swing.

"Mr. Wernsman was just the greatest guy," sez Volz. "Five nights a week he let every kid in town down to his basement for a party. Packed every night. We had a lotta tuff gangs in town and they'd come by, too. All Mr. Wernsman asked was that they check their weapons at the door - "GUNS AND KNIVES UNDER THE FLOWERPOTS, FELLAS!' There was virtually nobody playin' rock & roll in town, so Ron & I got things goin' with our guitars." With sprite fingered Volz pickin' leads over Wernsman's rhythm, they became the Rockin' R's when they grabbed Ted Minar offa Mr. W's basement couch to pound the skins. The trio blasted the hits of the day (leanin' heavy on Berry, Vincent, Little Richard & the Everlys) to the lucky legions in that finely wallpapered basement.

Outta these cellar bashes come the earliest recordings on their LP - a roarin' version (well, half a version) of "Whole Lotta Shakin'" taped at an R's party and a handfulla rehearsal swingers like the Sparkletones-styled shuffler "Gonna Snatch Me A Satellite" (actually a wise retitling of the Couplings' hokey pop toon "Young Doves Calling") and a boffo step onna gas kicker of "You Send Me."

As word of these beat wild teens spread through town, the combo picked up a lotta work at hops & parties. Local wheeler dealer Steve Clark interested the trio in waxin' for the newly hatched Tempus label and promptly trotted the threesome into yet another Peoria storm cellar (do you detect a pattern developing here?) to cut their coolest original "Crazy Baby."

But it was while the Rockin' R's were warmin' up with some non-vocal racket that Tempus hit paydirt. "The weird thing," sez Volz, "is we just started horsin' around while he was settin' up. He taped a little bit, called it 'The Beat' and it became the biggest hit we had!"

To whoop up the act a bit, the Rockin' R's took on a forth member, local sax boy Rick Bressick. Now Bressick was no threat to Lee Allen but he helped plant an important seed in the combo's collective noggin, namely that a sax would help 'em compete with a lotta the tuff fuller combos that were THE deal in '58. This short lived ineup made several appearances on the Paul Beard Show, a local TV variety program hosted by car dealer Beard, whose hackneyed approach to rock & roll makes Steve Allen seem like the Mad Daddy. In addition to their own TV spots, some of which are paraded on the platter, the band reluctantly backed a horrid hometown chickadee Judy Noll, the Linda McCartney of Peoria.

Meanwhile, back in the charts, "The Beat" spread like crazy locally, goin' on to top many midwest hit parades and ultimately made a national holler with strong placing in both Billboard & Cashbox, earnin' the boys the surefire girl-getter, namely a spot on American Bandstand. Six months after "The Beat" charted, the Rockin' R's pumped out "Heat"/"Nameless", another strong two-sider for Tempus, sportin' a marked upswing in the sound thanks in no small part to Bressick's replacement on sax, Art Bill. The R's literally yanked Bill right offa the stage of a strip joint called the Clover Club and this, the group's most durable lineup, toured purdy much non-stop, landin' dream gigs with their idols Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent amongst others. Sez Volz, "After the first record hit, everything started happening real fast. We were so young and willin' to do anything on stage - climb on equipment, climb on each other, hang from the celling, anything! Our whole outlook got outta hand but man, we loved it!"

Instead of lettin' the guys follow the cool path they were rockin' out, Tempus tried to market Volz as a teen idol. After a couple poppy sides it was agreed this brainstorm wasn't doin' anyone a whole lotta good and the Rockin' R's duly bounced back with the scorchin' "Mustang," jumblin' the looseness of "The Beat" with the ballsy drive of "Nameless." It was a fantastic disc but Tempus steadily became untracked with a string of non-R's money dran flops and the label went kaput. It seemed the guys wre starin' some long green inna face by steppin' up to the big time Vee Jay label but the effortless cellar swing that was the Rockin' R's trademark suffered in the process, what with rigid studio confines, reshuffled personnel (Wernsman even conceded and switched to the taboo bass) and just plain weariness. The Rockin' R's ultimately crapped out in "62, plumb outta gas accordig to Volz.

That's purdy much the musical end in the proverbial nutshell, but there's a whole lot more to the Rockin' R's tale (like the time Wernsman put his ass thru a jukebox and they hada tape his bloody cheeks together to finish a show!) which Bob Paton & Steve Rager spilled out in fine detail in KICKS#6. So now after alla those moons their LP is the very first collection of toons by (as goofball MC Paul Beard intoned) "the rock & rollers from Metamora," a little ruff but plenty wingding worthy (guns & knives under the flowerpots, of course). So get with the Rockin' R's, muchachos, and go CRAZY BABY!!

BILLY MILLER

Rockin R's - Nameless
Rockin R's - Heat

The Devotions - Rip Van Winkle & Johnny Cymbal - Mr. Bass Man

Formed in 1960 in Astoria, New York, USA, the Devotions were a doo-wop group best known for their 1964 novelty recording ‘Rip Van Winkle’. The group included Ray Sanchez, who sang bass-lead, Bob Weisbrod, Bob Hovorka and brothers Frank and Joe Pardo. With their manager, the group auditioned in 1960 for a small record label, Delta, whose owner, Bernie Zimming, was not impressed with their sound. The group wrote ‘Rip Van Winkle’ that day and Zimming liked it. However, it did not sell, but two years later, when the larger Roulette Records acquired Delta, it was released again. It still did not reach the charts, and the group disbanded. In 1964, however, Roulette included the song as part of a Golden Goodies album series and it attracted more attention. Roulette issued the single for a third time and this time it made the US Top 40. A new Devotions group was assembled including three original members, but when further singles flopped, they disbanded in 1965.


The Devotions - Rip Van Winkle


Johnny Cymbal (February 3, 1945 - March 16, 1993) was a Scottish born American songwriter, singer, and record producer who had numerous hit records, including his signature song, "Mr. Bass Man".

During a career that spanned four decades, from the time he was 15 until he died in 1993, Johnny Cymbal made a meaningful impact on popular music worldwide as a songwriter, singer, performer and record producer. During those years, in addition to his rock and roll anthem, "Mr. Bass Man", he was responsible for hit records including: "Teenage Heaven", "Cinnamon", "Mary In The Morning", "Rock Me Baby" and "I'm Drinking Canada Dry".

In 1963, with his smash hit "Mr. Bass Man" all over the top of the charts from the United States to Asia, Johnny Cymbal was recognized as a teen star. While continuing to record, he toured the U.S., Europe and Japan performing as both a solo headlining act and in rock and roll package shows. Later, as a songwriter and record producer, he found success in New York City, Los Angeles, and Nashville.

Read more Here:

Johnny Cymbal - Mr. Bass Man


I'm sending these two out to my internet blog pal Jon over at Poetry Is For Assholes for trying to help me out w/ The Holy Modal Rounders.

It's a long story that started w/ Sheriff and the Ravels, went to the Holy Modal Rounders and ended here... (or did it?)

... Enjoy the tunes!

Gene The Hat - (Pass) The Bug Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Pass the Bug huh?

I wonder what kind of bug they was passing here?

Roaches perhaps?

Sure sounds like they was having fun....

Gene The Hat - (Pass) The Bug Pt. 1

Gene The Hat - (Pass) The Bug Pt. 2