Thursday, February 12, 2015

THROWBACK THURSDAY; Better Call ... The Ink Spots

Warning: This Throwback Thursday post might give you sudden cravings for Cinnabon

Readers who watched the opening scene of the premier episode of Better Call Saul will know what I'm talking about.

It's a black-and-white scene featuring a mustachioed Saul Goodman working at a Cinnabon shop at some Omaha mall, apparently hiding out from his recent life of sleazy lawyering and drug money laundering in Albuquerque, as depicted in Breaking Bad.

But in the background there's this song playing, taking on sinister undertones almost certainly not intended when it was recorded. And it sounds just like this:



"Address Unknown" was a 1939 hit for a popular African-American vocal group called The Ink Spots. According to the All Music Guide:

The Ink Spots played a large role in pioneering the black vocal group-harmony genre, helping to pave the way for the doo wop explosion of the '50s. The quavering high tenor of Bill Kenny presaged hundreds of street-corner leads to come, and the sweet harmonies of Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, and bass Hoppy Jones (who died in 1944) backed him flawlessly.

All Music notes that "Countless groups masquerading as The Ink Spots have thrived across the nation since the '50s."

I can vouch for that. Back in the early '80s I was assigned to interview the lead singer of "The Ink Spots" who were playing in Santa Fe. I talked with some old guy in his hotel room at La Fonda. I forgot his name, but it wasn't Bill, Charlie, Deek or Hoppy.

Part of the problem was due to the original members themselves. Both Charlie and Deek started rival Ink Spots groups in the early '50s.

Be  that as it may, The (real) Ink Spots made some sweet sounds during their glory years of the late '30s through the mid '40s.

And speaking of songs on recent television shows, The Ink Spots covered this Vera Lynn hit, which graced the end of The Colbert Report in December. The group recorded the song at least three times between 1941 and 1944.



Saul Goodman: Address Unknown






Wednesday, February 11, 2015

WACKY WEDNESDAY: Pre-Presidents Day Bash

Next Monday is Presidents Day. Because I don't do "Wacky Monday" on this blog, we'll just have to celebrate a little early.

Until recently I thought Presidents Day was in honor of George Washington and Abe Lincoln, both of whom were born in February.

But that's not true according to the Snopes website -- which apparently took time off from debunking 9-11 conspiracies and knocking down rumors that a little known section of Obamacare involves selling the kidneys of little white girls to Kenyan organ smugglers.

According to Snopes, the only official holiday next week is for Washington's Birthday. Technically "Presidents Day" doesn't exist. Congress never passed a law to declare it as such.

But what the heck. Why not honor, or at least lampoon, as many presidents as possible in preparation for this holiday that isn't even a holiday.

Here are a few songs to set the tone.

First a snazzy little musical history lesson from They Might Be Giants.




The next artist, known as "Mr. Beat" on Youtube, seems to have been very influenced by They Might Be Giants. Here's a song about the guy who was president when I was born.



Country Joe & The Fish give a one-fingered salute to two presidents with this one. The original version of "Superbird," which appeared on their first album Electric Music for the Mind and Body was only about LBJ. But sometime after Richard Nixon took office, Country Joe updated the tune.



This next tune is a "song-poem" about our disco-era president Jimmy Carter. It was written by Waskey Elwood Walls Jr. sung by song-poem titan Gene Marshall (Gene Merlino).








Sunday, February 08, 2015

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST


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Sunday, Feb., 2015 
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Friday, February 06, 2015

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST


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Thursday, February 05, 2015

THROWBACK THURSDAY: February Made Me Shiver

I know I usually throwback to the pre-rock 'n' roll era on Throwback Thursday, but the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper -- 56 years and two days ago -- is a big one.

I was only five years old when the single engine plane carrying the three rockers went down in a snow storm over Iowa on Feb. 3, 1959. But I was a little rock 'n' roll freak even then. I loved The Coasters and I loved Buddy Holly, especially his hit "Peggy Sue." I recall hearing it played on American Bandstand. My mom told me that one of the teenage girls dancing on the show was actually Peggy Sue.

I was only five, but I was in lust!

If my memory serves, I found out about the plane crash listening to a disc jockey talk about it on the radio before playing a Buddy song. I only remember feeling incredibly sad. I'd never thought much about death before. How could someone as cool as Buddy Holly die?

I still get sad thinking about it. At least the music lives on.

If you knew...



Here's Ritchie Valens, with a weird little cameo by Chuck Berry and Alan Freed (from the movie Go, Johnny, Go! )



And here's the Bopper, J.P. Richardson, the only one of the three who hasn't had a movie made about him.



And what the hell, this is far more recent history, but Feb. 4, 2009 is the day that Erick Lee Purkhiser, aka Lux Interior of The Cramps, died. February is just a crappy month for rock 'n' roll.

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

WACKY WEDNESDAY: Full of Shaving Cream

One of the many contributions of Dr. Demento is his rescuing a comic singer called Benny Bell from the dustbin of history.

Thanks to the good doctor, who frequently played "Shaving Cream," recorded in 1946, and to a lesser extent oter songs like "Everybody Loves My Fanny," Benny Bell won a whole new generation of fans.

I don't care how many times I've heard it, these lyrics always bring a chuckle:

"I have a sad story to tell you
It may hurt your feelings a bit
Last night when I walked into my bathroom
I stepped in a big pile of ...
Shhhhh . . . aving cream
Be nice and clean. 
Shave every day and you'll always look keen."

And so forth.

For those not familiar with Bell's biggest hit, (which actually was sung not by Bell, but by a vocalist named Phil Winston aka Paul Wynn) take a listen:



Bell, born Benjamin Zamburg in 1906, (and died in 1999) was a pioneer in Jewish American comedy records.

According to his biography at the Judaica Sound Archives, (a massive collection of Jewish music) which is part of Florida Atlantic University:

Like so many others of his day who lived on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Benny Bell’s first language was Yiddish. He was drawn to the world of entertainment from an early age, already writing song lyrics and music as a teenager. The lure of show business beckoned and before long he was performing on the Vaudeville stage as Benny Bimbo. A natural comedian, Benny Bell enjoyed nothing more than making people laugh. 

Starting his own record company in the 1930’s, he became a pioneer in the field of Yiddish comedy phonograph recordings. He produced a series of party records using different names, e.g. Paul Wynn, and which were considered risqué at the time, but are really quite mild by today’s standards.

The Internet Archive has collected 31 old Benny Bell recordings. Most are from old scratchy 78s in the '40s, though some like "A Goose for My Girl," "Farewell Song" and "Turtle Song," as late as the '70s. Download any or all of these HERE or listen below.

When you listen to Track 4,  "Dopey John," go back and read my exploration of  the song "Cabbage Head" on this blog. (CLICK HERE)



And as a special bonus, here's a version of "Shaving Cream" by none other than Dave Van Rock

Sunday, February 01, 2015

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

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Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. 
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time 
Host: Steve Terrell
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101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org

Here's the playlist below


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TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

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