Born in Pocahontas, Arkansas exactly 84 years ago (Oct. 5, 1933), Riley was the son of a sharecropper who learned to play guitar from Afican-American farm hands.
Riley, who died in 2009, never got as big as Elvis or Carl Perkins or Jerry Lee Lewis (who played piano on his biggest hit), or other Sun Records stars.
But Billy Lee Riley made rockabilly go intergalactic.
It was a crazy novelty song he recorded for Sun Records in 1957 called "Flying Saucer Rock 'n' Roll" -- a tune that forever cemented the cosmic links between UFOs, 1950s rock 'n' roll, tacky sci-fi movies and Cold War paranoia.
You must realize that Commies and aliens were out to destroy America -- and some truly believed that a bunch of wild-eyed hillbillies playing savage, unholy music were leading the way.
Here's proof:
But it in the years before "Flying Saucers," in the early 1950s, Riley gigged around Arkansas in various bands, including one called The Dixie Ramblers, which included Cowboy Jack Clement. Clement and fellow Rambler Slim Wallace recorded a couple of sides by Riley in 1956, which impressed Sam Phillips, who released a single for Sun Records.
Another classic Riley song for Sun was "Pearly Lee."
"Pearly Lee was the flip side of "Red Hot," a song originally recorded by Billy "The Kid" Emerson for Sun Records. (Confession: The first version I heard was the mid-60s cover by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs.)
Bob Dylan, who befriended Riley decades later, thought "Red Hot" was was Billy Lee's masterpiece. Here's what Dylan said about the song just a couple of years ago at the 2015 Grammy Awards:
"So Billy became what is known in the industry -- a condescending term, by the way -- as a one-hit wonder. But sometimes, just sometimes, once in a while, a one-hit wonder can make a more powerful impact than a recording star who's got 20 or 30 hits behind him. And Billy's hit song was called "Red Hot," and it was red hot. It could blast you out of your skull and make you feel happy about it. Change your life. "
And later, Riley would even make a music video for the sexy, sleazy Scopitone company. (I've featured Scopitone a couple of times HERE and HERE
In American song, the waitress is a friend and frequently a fantasy lover of truckdrivers, starry-eyed poets, lonesome drifters and other lost souls on the Lost Highway.
She's appeared in the work of some of my favorite songwriters. Below are just a few examples
Loudon Wainwright III has some advice that any waitress would appreciate in a song "for Patty and all the girls ..." Tip that waitress!"
The Roches sing "Mr. Sellack" from the point of view of a waitress having to grovel to get her job back.
Here's a classic by Santa Fe's own Terry Allen, "The Beautiful Waitress."
Sometimes waitresses fantasize about their customers, at least in the fantasies of Dan Hicks. Here's "Sweetheart (Waitress at a Donut Shop)," sung by Maryann Price.
Kinky Friedman wrote at least a couple of songs about waitresses. Here's "Waitret Please Waitret."
But Kinky's greatest waitress song is "Highway Cafe" sung here by Tom Waits on a Kinky tribute album.
Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Dispatch from Mar-a-Largo by L7
Treat Her Right by Los Straitjackets starring Mark Lindsey
Crime of Love by Jack Oblivian
Sheela Na Gig by PJ Harvey
Valley of the Wolves by The Ghost Wolves
Makin' Love by The Sloths
Headin' For the Texas Border by Flamin' Groovies
Sorrow Avenue by The Howlin' Max Messer Show
Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was in by Mojo Nixon
Warm Hands (Freedom Returned) by Ty Segall
Mountains of the Moon by The Grateful Dead
Night Expo by Thee Oh Sees
I'll Take It by James Leg
Captain of the Creeps by Oh! Gunquit
Billy by Boss Hog
You'll Bring Me Flowers by The Darts
Hey Little Girl by The Dead Boys
I'm the Unforgiver by The Masonics
Monkey With Your Tail by The Cramps
Let it All Out by The Movements
Corner Remix by The Grannies
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart by J.C. Brooks & The Uptown Sound
Welfare Bread by King Khan & The Shrines
If I Ever Get Home Before Dark by Gogol Bordello
Happiness by Lisa Germano
I Thought He Was Dead by Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls
Loser by Family in Mourning (with Lydia Lunch)
My Man is a Mean Man by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
This month's show, "Cow Tippin' "will knock you off your feet. Especially if you're of the bovine persuasion. Sit back and enjoy another fine hillbilly episode of The Big Enchilada!
Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens
Diggy Liggy Lo by Doug Kershaw
She Gave Up on Herself by Miss Leslie
Who Shot Sam by George Jones
I Had My Hopes Up High by Joe Ely
I'm a Little Mixed Up by Eilen Jewell
5 Minutes to Live by Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre
(Sing a) Worried Song by Legendary Shack Shakers
Twelve Gates by Joe West
I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning by David Bromberg
All of the Monkeys Ain't in the Zoo by Tommy Collins
If You Ain't Livin' You Ain't Lovin' by Faron Young
Carolyn by Merle Haggard
You Better Not Do That by Tommy Collins
No One Likes Me by The Imperial Rooster
White Trash by Bottle Rockets
Precious Memories by The Blasters
May The Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose by Little Dickens
I'm Just a Honky by The Ex-Husbands
White Man's World by Jason Isbell
Tell the Devil I'm Gettin' There as Fast as I Can by Ray Wylie Hubbard with Lucinda Williams and Eric Church
Walk Right Back by Chris Hillman
Take a Message to Mary by The Everly Brothers
Stoplight Kisses by The Cactus Blossoms
Lay You Down by Nikki Lane
Ol' Dude with an Attitude by Tommy Miles
You Remind Me / 13 Roses by Beth Lee & The Breakups
All Apologies by Iron Horse
Way Down in My Soul by Zephaniah Ohora
What's the Score by Don Williams
Streets of Baltimore by Del McCoury Band
Guess I Got It Wrong by Robbie Fulks CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Like the Santa Fe Opry Facebook page Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican Sept. 29, 2017
Ty's most recent album cover
When I was a boy, back before rock ’n’ roll became “art” and recording sessions took on extravagant budgets that dwarfed the gross national product of some emerging nations, you could count on bands like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones or The Beach Boys to release a couple of albums a year, sometimes more. But by the 1970s, it became standard practice for bands to take two years or more to make an album. Thus, in recent years I’ve come to sincerely respect musicians like Ty Segall and John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees, both of whom seem maniacally driven to make their work available to people who want it — even if their marketing strategy (I’m using that term sarcastically) defies conventional music-biz wisdom.
Take Segall, who is coming to Santa Fe next week. This California kid has released more than a dozen new-material studio albums over the past decade, plus a couple of singles compilations, a handful of live albums, a nine-song EP of T. Rex covers, and various side projects. That’s downright brain-boggling, considering the boy just turned thirty a few months ago. If nothing else, you have to admire his work ethic.
Segall’s ever-growing body of work includes two self-titled albums: one from 2008 on Castle Face Records (which includes his immortal “Pretty Baby, You’re So Ugly”) and one released this year on Drag City.
The Segall album of which the new one most reminds me is Slaughterhouse, a 2012 pounder released under the name Ty Segall Band. And this comparison is a mighty compliment. Slaughterhouse, which packed more guitar fire and fury (where have I heard this phrase lately?) than anything Segall’s done since, is hands-down my favorite Ty album.
The cover of the 2008 self-titled Ty Segall album
This year’s Ty Segall comes pretty close. It’s produced by none other than Steve Albini, the Chicago-based studio guru best known for his aggressive, stripped-down sonic attack. (Think Pixies, Jesus Lizard, Nirvana’s In Utero.) Come to think about it, this record sounds more like a Steve Albini album than most of his productions I’ve heard in the past couple of decades.
The opening track, “Break a Guitar,” is a harbinger, with guitars screaming for mercy. “Thank You Mr. K” is Segall at his most rocked-out. “Freedom” starts a little soft, but it doesn’t take long for the guitars to roar. Segall’s voice in recent recordings has drifted toward Marc Bolan territory, but on the “The Only One,” it reminds me a bit of John Lennon on the verge of a primal scream, fronting Nirvana.
But not everything here is raw and rowdy. Segall is nothing if not versatile. “Orange Color Queen” starts out with folky guitars before settling into a ’70s British soft-rock groove. “Talkin’ ” features a slow, lilting, almost country melody that sounds closer to The Grateful Dead than anyone ever dreamed Segall would get. And speaking of The Dead, the 10-minute-plus “Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)” is a sprawling, constantly-changing excursion that dips into zones of punk, psychedelia, and metal. But somewhere near the halfway point, the songs seem to melt away, leaving just a quiet, noodling interplay of instruments and feedback. In the haze you can imagine the sweet-faced ghost of Jerry Garcia leading you back to the cosmic path to Terrapin Station.
The thing I love most about this album is that Ty Segall continues to amaze and surprise me. So check him out, and know if you don’t like this one, a new album likely will be here sooner than you’d think.
Ty Segall performs at Meow Wolf (1352 Rufina Circle). Doors open 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. Tickets are $22, $25 at the door. Opening will be Flat Worms. Sorry, kiddies, only those twenty-one or older will be admitted. (What kind of message does that send to the children? I think it’s “Kids, stay home!”) For more information, visit www.meowwolf.com or call 505-395-6369. Also recommended:
* Orc by Thee Oh Sees. This group deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Ty Segall when you’re talking about prolific musicians. It was only about a year ago I was marveling at their album A Weird Exits, which came right on the heels of a live album. And after Exits they released what’s basically a six-song EP, called An Odd Entrances, which included an eight-minute song called “Nervous Tech (Nah John)” which is credited to Miles Davis, based on the great jazzman’s “Go Ahead John.”
On Orc, head Oh See Dwyer seems to lean a little heavier on electronica than normal, though the basic thrust of the music is still centered on his crazy guitar. That sure is the case with the frantic first song, “The Static God,” which kicks off with rapid-fire drums and Dwyer’s guitar, which sounds as if it’s about to explode. The next track slows down only slightly, with the guitar playfully bouncing off the whizzing, fizzing keyboards (also played by Dwyer) that sound like a Martian trying to play “96 Tears.”
Some songs, like “Animated Violence” and “Drowned Beast,” are mostly heavy and sludgy, while others are lighter and almost breezy, such as “Keys to the Castle” — at least parts of it. All numbers, “Castle” included, are subject to sudden changes in tempo, tone, atmosphere, and direction. And, of course, all are subject to Dwyer’s signature yelps, followed by him trying to murder his guitar.
The most interesting tune here is “Jettisoned,” which features verses with a Motown-like melody, with Dwyer singing in his finest whispered falsetto. The verses are soft, though these are momentary lulls. You can hear Dwyer’s restrained guitar itching to attack — as it does with wild gusto in the instrumental parts.
Some videos for ya
This is the official video for "Break a Guitar."
And here's Thee Oh Sees performing "Animated Violence" live
He was a soldier, a preacher and a honky tonk singer. He was an Okie who helped shape what became known as The Bakersfield Sound, recording a bunch of singles in the 1950s with a lead guitarist named Buck Owens. He wrote hits for Merle Haggard, Faron Young and Mel Tillis. Haggard wrote a song about him.
He was born Leonard Raymond Sipes, born Sept. 28, 1930 in Bethany, Okla. just outside of Oklahoma City. But he would become better known under his stage name, Tommy Collins. He would have been 87 today, but he died in 2000 before he reached 70.
I first became familiar with Collins in the mid '60s from his guest appearances on my favorite syndicated country music show, The Buck Owens Ranch. His songs were funny and a little suggestive. I thought he sounded like another Okie hero of mine, Roger Miller.
But he also had a serious side to his songwriting. Later, he'd write the dark tale of adultery called "Carolyn," which Haggard would turn into a hit.
Let's celebrate Leonard's birthday with some songs he did with Buck and The Buckaroos on the Owens show. Buck plays lead guitar on this one.
Here is Collins' version of "Carolyn." (I still like Haggard's version best.)
