Daniel Johnston plays the Electric Lounge in Austin during the 1999 South by Southwest.
Monday was Daniel Johnston's 57th birthday.
And in Austin, Texas, where Johnston rose to become one of America's most beloved "outsider" musicians in the 1980s, the mayor declared Jan. 22 as "Hi How Are You?" Day.
In a statement given to various news outlets, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said:
"'Hi, How Are You?' is more than one of Austin's most iconic murals. It's a reminder to reach out to our friends and neighbors to see if they're OK, and for those experiencing mental health issues it's a reminder that you've got a whole community that can handle an honest answer because we want to help you get the help you need."
The mural
For the uninitiated, Hi, How Are You? was the name of Johnston's 1983 album, originally self-released on cassette only.
The mural of which the mayor spoke was one that Johnston himself painted on the wall of the old Sound Exchange record store. It was based on the cover of the album, a weird frog-like creature drawn by Johnston. The record shop is gone, but the mural remains.
Johnston's struggle with his mental health problems are well documented.
On Monday in honor of Hi How Are You? Day there was a Johnston tribute concert at The Mohawk. HERE is the Austin American-Statesman's coverage, written by my pal Peter Blackstock. Daniel himself was on hand for the show and performed "Caspar the Friendly Ghost" and "a couple of other short fragments of songs."
So happy belated Hi How Are You Day! Here are some videos of some of my favorite Daniel songs.
This is one of the many Johnston wrote inspired by his unrequited love for the beautiful Laurie.
Johnston teamed up with Jad Fair in the late '80s to sing about Roky Erikson
"True Love Will Find You in the End."
Here's a live performance of a Beatles song with Jeff Tweedy in Chicago late last year.
This is a my favorite cover of one of Daniel's most moving songs. It's by the late Vic Chesnutt.
Finally, here's a video from the Hi, How Are You Foundation.
My Daniel Johnston cassette collection,
(two with original Sound Exchange price tags)
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018 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
Evil by Grinderman
Greenies by Skip Church
Corpse on a Roof by The Blind Shake
Wanderer by De Los Muertos
Jesli Bedaiesz Tam by Kult
Abduction by The Scaners
Chunk of Steel by Hollywood Sinners
They Ring the Bells for Me by Reverend Beat-Man
Going Uptown by Rattanson
Blow Dumb by Nobunny
Can't Fool With Me by The Spaceshits
Trip to the Clinic by Demon's Claws
Shake 'em on Down by R.L. Burnside with Jon Spencer
4 Seasons Love by Juke Joint Pimps
She Lives in the Jungle by O Lendario Chuchrobillyman
Slut by New Bomb Turks
Clever Way to Crawl by Persian Claws
The Projects by Baronen & Satan
Tall Black and Bitter by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
You Can Eat My Poussiere by Rosie Ledet
Gay Jew Conquistador by Pocket FishRMen
Gibbus Gibson by The Fall
Trainwreck by The Dirtbombs
Your House or The Courthouse by The Livids
Formula X by Boss Hog
Get Wound Up by Oh! Gunquit
How Come You Do Me by The Cramps
St. James Infirmary Blues by Johnny Dowd
Laredo by Snakefarm
Love Gangsters by Gogol Bordello
Move Like Two Ghosts by Movie Star Junkies
Down for Death by Simon Stokes
There's So Many by Brian Wilson
Johnny Mathis' Feet by American Music Club CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 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
25 Minutes to Go by Johnny Cash
Midnight Train to Memphis by Chris Stapleton
Walking with Frankie by Eilen Jewell
That's What She Said Last Night by Billy Joe Shaver
The President is Out of His Goddamn Mind by Ramblin' Deano
Nails in the Pines by Poor Boy's Soul
It's Been a Long Time Mama by The Blues Against Youth
Heartbreak Queen by Diamonds and Whiskey
Heavy on the Lonesome by Miss Leslie
Drift Away by Jim White
Way Out West / Jailhouse by Marty Stuart
Johnny Law / Dog House Blues by Wayne Hancock
The Housefire by Turnpike Troubadours
Cajun Joe (The Bully of the Bayou) by Doug & Rusty Kershaw
Cajun Stripper by Doug Kershaw
Alligator Man by Jimmy C. Newman
Cajun Clones by Stephen W. Terrell
Diggy Liggy Lo by Buck Owens
Bye Bye Boozoo by Beausoleil
The Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright III
Goin' Down to Louisiana by Rusty Kershaw with Neil Young
Louisiana Man by Bobbie Gentry
Toot Toot by Doug Kershaw & Fats Domino
Stopm Kickin' My Dog Around by Rusty Kershaw
Hey Mae by Doug & Rusty Kershaw
Honey Child by Peter Case
Blood Red Velvet by Joe West
Dying Breed by Lonesome Bob
I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Want to keep this hoedown going after I sign off at midnight? Check out The Big Enchilada Podcast Hillbilly Episode Archive where there are hours of shows where I play music like you hear on the SF Opry.
Today is the birthday of one of the world's greatest comics, Oliver Hardy. He would have been 126.
Happy birthday, Ollie!
One of my happiest memories as a child was watching Laurel & Hardy on TV with my grandfather. He always called them "Stan and Ollie." One of the local stations in Oklahoma City played their old shorts every Sunday. In fact I might have been going to watch Stan & Ollie with my grandfather that day when this happened.
Or maybe not.
Even before he became a comic actor, Hardy was a singer. When he was a kid in Georgia his mother sent him to Atlanta for voice lessons. He sang in local vaudeville theaters. And in later years, he'd sometimes sing in the Laurel & Hardy films.
Here are a few of those clips.
This song, called "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" from their movie Way Out West. The baritone part that Laurel lip syncs is actually sung by cowboy actor Chill Wills.
Swing your Honolulu baby!
"I'm singing this song!"
What can you say about a couple of sad sack street buskers singing "In the Good Old Summer Time" in the snow?
Finally, "Shine on Harvest Moon" may be Hardy's greatest musical moment captured on film.
A couple of years ago on a quiet Wacky Wednesday I posted an introduction into the world of White Rap. You can find that masterpiece HERE.
There I quoted Irwin Chusid from his liner notes for the classic 1994 Spy Magazine compilation White Men Can't Wrap. White rap is a centuries-old tradition; the original white rappers were square-dance callers improvising rhymes for Saturday-night barn parties in America's rural backwaters. Like today's rappers, they were seen as debauchers, imperiling the morals of the young. The fiddle was "the instrument of the devil"; church leaders banned it. The callers' freestyle rhymes teased with erotic innuendos ("Duck for the oyster/Dig for the clam/Knock a hole in the old tin can"). ... it was all about sex and forbidden behavior! It was the roots of today's white rap culture."
Let's start off with the works of three classic rockers who, in the 1980s, proved they were down with the hippity hop.
First there's Rappin' Randy.
Lou Reed declared himself "The Original Wrapper."
And there's no denying that when Brian Wilson raps, he's still a genius. A very stable genius. Paging Dr. Landy!
Just for the heck of it, here's one of the classic old hillbilly "white rap" tunes like Chusid talked about. This song by Seven Foot Dilly & His Dill Pickles is from a cool compilation called The Roots of Rap.
But there is not, nor will there ever be a white rapper greater than the one and only Devastatin' Dave (the Turntable Slave). Here he is with a positive message for the youth.
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 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
Ain't No Pussy by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons
Interlude: E'Lectric Spider Webz by The Black
Call the Police by The Oblivians
The Cat's Meow by The Darts
Don't Mess with Me by Rattanson
Lies by Dilly the Kid
Elevator by Boss Hog
Voodoo Got Me by The Goon Mat & Lord Bernardo
The Cuckoo by Johnny Dowd
Victoria Train Station Massare by The Fall
The Projects by Baronen & Satan
Queen of the Gorillas by Pocket FishRMen
Born to Lose by Social Distortion
We Want the Lot by The Movements
Swamp Thing by The Cavemen
Sea Serpent by Mean Motor Scooter
Ultimo Cartucho by Hollywood Sinners
Shotgun by Junior Walker & The All Stars
Comin to Take Me Away by Tiny Tim POLKA SET!
Hosa Dyna by Brave Combo
Who'd Ya Like to Love Ya by Li'l Wally
Division Street by The Polkaholics
Desert Polka by The American Indians
Minnesota Polka by Karl & The Country Dutchmen
Tra Ra Ra Boom De by Walt Spolek & The Orchestra
The Polka Polka by Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper
Mountaineer Polka by Norm Dombrowski's Happy Notes
Weiner Dog Polka by Polkacide
Edge of Reality by Elvis Presley
Mr. Moonlight by The Beatles
Love Letters by Dex Romweber Duo with Cat Power
Wang Dang Doodle by P.J. Harvey
One for My Baby by Iggy Pop
He Gives Us All His Love by Randy Newman
Lonely Town by Stan Ridgway CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 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
You Can Have the Crown by Sturgill Simpson
Me and Whiskey by Whitey Morgan
Jackpot by Nikki Lane
(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone to Kill by T.Tex Edwards & Out on Parole
I Get Smarter Every Drink by Lonesome Bob
Get Out of My Brain by Legendary Shack Shakers
Wild Bill Jones by J.D. Wilkes
Steamboat Whistle Blues by John Hartford
Columbus Stockade Blues by Pine Hill Haints
Nothing Feels Right But Doin' Wrong by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Train Yard by Ray Wylie Hubbard
Slowly But Surely by Rhonda Vincent & Daryle Singletery
God's Problem Child by Willie Nelson (with Tony Joe White, Leon Russell & Jamie Johnson)
Keeper of the Light by Joe West
Building our Own Prison by The Waco Brothers
Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight by Whiskeytown with Alejandro Escovedo
Holy Ghost Rock 'n' Roller by Jesse Dayton
Whole Lotta Highway by Marty Stuart
Rockin' With the Rhythm of the Rain by The Judds
Fire of Love by The Blasters
Miller, Jack and Mad Dog by Wayne Hancock
It's Too Late by The Imperial Rooster
Lucille by The Beat Farmers
Nothing in Rambling by Eilen Jewell
Detour by Peter Stampfel
A Thousand Years by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
Whitehouse Road by Tyler Childers
Let Me Fall by Peter Case
Cowboy Coffee by Shake Russell & Michael Hearne
Walk Right Back by Chris Hillman
Last Thing I Needed First Thing This This Morning by Chris Stapleton CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Want to keep this hoedown going after I sign off at midnight? Check out The Big Enchilada Podcast Hillbilly Episode Archive where there are hours of shows where I play music like you hear on the SF Opry.
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican Jan. 12, 2018
Here’s a bunch of albums from 2017 that somehow I never got around to reviewing. These are the ones that got away — almost.
* From a Room (Volumes 1 and 2) by Chris Stapleton. Through the years, I’ve done more than my share of raging against the evil corporate overlords of country music and their evil corporate award shows that seem to honor lamer and lamer music every year. But in 2017 there was a surprise. A soulful-voiced weirded beardo from Kentucky named Chris Stapleton managed to win the Country Music Association’s awards for male vocalist of the year and album of the year. Indeed, Stapleton is a rare bird who has won praise from — and has sold records to — fans of mainstream country, traditionalist country, and alternative country alike. The first volume of From a Room, released last May, snagged him that CMA album of the year prize. Don’t be surprised if Volume 2, released in November, does the same thing this year. Both volumes are full of good, basic songs, mostly originals, seeped in ’70s outlaw country and just enough Southern rock to keep it lively. Stapleton deserves some kind of award for “Up to No Good Livin’,” in which he declares himself “the Picasso of paintin’ the town.”
* Brood X by Boss Hog. There was no new record by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion last year, but this is the next best thing. Spencer plays guitar and contributes some scattered vocals with Boss Hog, but his wife (and former Pussy Galore bandmate), Cristina Martinez, is the driving force, and she’s on fire here. It’s been 17 years since Boss Hog’s previous album, due to Martinez taking a long break to raise some kids. But she and Spencer make their punk/blues/funk/no-wave noise sound more urgent than ever. Throughout most of the record Martinez sounds appalled and alarmed by the state of the world. For instance, “Elevator” (on which she repeatedly sings, “This is an emergency”) sounds like a six-alarm crisis in progress. But the funky keyboards by Mickey Finn make the emergency sound kind of fun. And on “Rodeo Chica,” Spencer and Martinez duet like a punk-rock Sonny & Cher. “What’s wrong, baby?” Spencer sings. Martinez answers bluntly: “Everything!”
* New Facts Emerge by The Fall. I was sad last year when I learned that Mark E. Smith — frontman for The Fall and the king of rant ’n’ roll — was suffering from severe health problems. He was doing some shows in a wheelchair, and by December he had to cancel a bunch of dates. But somehow in 2017, Smith and company managed to release this spirited record. He still sounds like a crazy old wino who loves to scream at you on the bus, his voice ranging from a menacing growl to a desperate rasp. That instrument is showing signs of wear and tear, but the craziness is still there. His current band is muscular enough to drive home Smith’s message. Whatever the heck that might be.
* The Greatest Story Ever Told by Pocket FishRMen. This classic punk band from Austin has flown under the radar for three decades. With singer Brant Bingamon, the FishRMen rerecorded 30 of their best-loved songs. They’re filthy, irreverent, and hilarious, with titles like “Go Go Saddam Hussein,” “Oft Times When We Pork,” “Amy Carter,” “Flesh Eating Parasite,” “Queen of the Gorillas,” and “Colonoscopy.” I realize most of these songs are pretty old, but when I heard “The Leader Is Burning,” I had to check to make sure it wasn’t a new one. Indeed, it’s from the late ’80s, but it sounds pretty relevant to current events.
* The Revealer by Jesse Dayton. Here’s another Austin act. Dayton is a fine country singer, but his head sometimes drifts into the punk-rock clouds. His latest album is a showcase of his country-rock bona fides. “Daddy Was a Badass” is a sincere tribute to his dad (who rode a Harley and financed his own college education by gambling), while the high-energy “Holy Ghost Rock ’n’ Roller” is about “the devil’s music” saving his life from fuddy-duddy fundamentalism. And there’s a new version of “I’m at Home Getting Hammered (While She’s Out Getting Nailed),” a song Dayton originally recorded with Banjo & Sullivan, a long out-of-print musical project that sprouted from Rob Zombie’s 2005 movie The Devil’s Rejects.
* Ain’t No Pussy by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons and Me.Ow by The Darts. Girl punk lives, and it has a nice home on Dirty Water Records. The first of these is a worthy follow-up to Pussycat’s Dirty Rock ’n’ Roll, the 2013 album that first brought the English trio to my attention. If anything, Ain’t No Pussy is harder-edged than the previous record. In the very first verse of the very first track, the title song, singer Puss Johnson, in so many words, threatens to use her boot to turn some poor guy into a permanent soprano. Puss isn’t always so harsh, though. “Surrender My Heart,” with its jungle beat and crazy guitar solo, is probably the closest thing here to a love song. And “Suneal,” which borrows the melody of Little Richard’s “Lucille,” is downright joyful.
The Darts is an all-female quartet from Phoenix. If there was an award for best use of a Farfisa organ, Darts singer and keyboardist Nicole Laurenne would be a shoo-in. Her Farfisa provides a nice garagey, psychedelic backdrop for the songs. Highlights include the sexy mysterioso opener, “The Cat’s Meow”; the spooky, bluesy “You’ll Bring Me Flowers”; and “Get Messy,” a giddy outburst which is as bright as “Flowers” is dark.
James Isaac Moore was born Jan. 11, 1924 in Lobdell, Louisiana.
Never heard of him? Me either. But I'm well aware of Moore's secret identity, bluesman Slim Harpo.
He started performing publicly in Baton Rouge under the name of "Harmonica Slim." In 1957 he recorded his first single, "I'm a King Bee" for Excello Records.
A true working class hero, Harpo kept his day jobs while struggling with the music business. In the 1960s he started his own trucking company.
Slim would have been 94 years old today. But he only made it to the age of 46.
There is a lot more on the life of the man at The HoundBlog. And there are a lot of cool songs below.
Here is the song that introduced me to Slim Harpo back when I was in junior high, his first big crossover hit.. The song of course, stands on its own, but I also like this crazy fan--made video.
The Rolling Stones covered Slim's "Shake Your Hips" on their album Exile on Main St. But Slim did it best.
Though it wasn't the hit that "Scratch My Back" was, Harpo's first song, "I'm a King Bee" probably is his most covered. Among those buzzing around this hive were The Stones, The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Pink Floyd (!), Lou Rawls, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and some guy named Muddy Waters.
Here's Slim Harpo:
This is a lesser-known Harpo tune, but it's pretty cool.
I didn't realize until last night that Slim Harpo recorded this Johnny Cash classic
Finally, here's a worthy tribute to Slim by Florida rocker Ronny Elliott
Most people who know me realize that I love Elvis Presley. His impact on music is undeniable. The power of his voice is almost supernatural. Elvis was King. I believe it. That settles it.
But even so, even a fan such as I (a fool, such as I) has to admit that Elvis dedicated way too much of his short time on Earth to producing crappy music. The vast majority of his crappy music was for his even crappier movies of the mid 1960s. His output during this era ranged from the sadly mediocre to the irritatingly corny to the horrifyingly awful (with a handful of rocking gems and beautiful ballads here and there.)
So I present these songs not to besmirch the memory of Elvis, who whose 83rd birthday was just a couple of days ago, but to have a couple of laughs in his honor. I think somewhere Elvis is laughing too.
Here's what many Elvis consider to be the low point of his catalog, "Queenie Wahine's Papaya" from Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966). He performs on the world's smallest ukulele, telling a pointless story to a gaggle of island tykes.
In Fun in Acapulco (1963) Elvis shared this bit of widom: "There's no room to rumba in a sports car."
I bet Captain Beefheart was jealous that he didn't come up with the title "Song of the Shrimp" before Elvis did this song in the movie Girls! Girls! Girls! in 1962
In Roustabout (1964) Elvis sang about hula girls shaking their grass. It's strictly high class.
And for those who can't get enough of bad Elvis, here is a Spotify list I put together a few years ago featuring those songs and many more.
Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 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
Double Shot of My Baby's Love by The Swinging Medallions
My Confusion by The Elites
You Treat Me Bad by The JuJus
Strychnine by The Sonics
The Crusher by The Novas
Shattered by Good Feelings
Beautiful Gardens by The Cramps
They Can't Hurt Me by Lyrics
A Fix on You by Dead Moon
Come and Go by Travel in Space
Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown by Count Vaseline
Formula X by Boss Hog
Take Off Your Clothes by Goon Mat & Lord Bernardo
Trash Talkin' Paint Huffin' Girl by The Cavemen
The Devil's Trick is Not a Treat by The Devils
Dumb Feelings by Escobar
Turmoil in My Head by Arvidson & Butterflies
Honey Baby Blues by Lightning Beat Man
Bomb Carpets of Love by Rattanson
Hold It Down by Striplight
Get Messy by The Darts
Old Zztrrk Man by The Fall
Then Comes Dudley by The Jesus Lizard
Colonoscopy by Pocket FishRMen
Take a Stroll Through Your Mind by The Temptations
I May Be Gone by The Oblivians & Mr. Quintron
Chem Farmers by Thee Oh Sees
7 and 7 Is by Love
Lightning's Girl by Nancy Sinatra
Red Harvest by Movie Star Junkies
Bitch I Love You by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Jemima Surrender by Howard Tate
Indestructible by Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls
Don't Play That Song (You Lied) by Jackie Shane
Black Night by Frank Sinatra Jr. CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Jan. , 2018 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
Air Mail Special by Marty Stuart
A Tornado Warning by Turnpike Troubadours
Rolling River by Joe West
Girlfriend Stole My Alien by DM Bob & Country Jem
The Moon is High by Neko Case
Can't Live Life by Rhonda Vincent & Daryl Singletary
Sorry You're Sick by Mary Gauthier
Whole Lotta Things by Southern Culture on the Skids
Who's Gonna Take Your Garbage Out by Rosie Flores with Jon Langford
Is it True What They Say About Dixie? by Jim Kweskin
I've Waited a Lifetime by Wynn Stewart
Eatin' Crow and Drinkin' Sand by Jesse Dayton
I Want It So Bad by The Gourds
I Got Your Medicine by Shinyribs
Garden of Delights by Legendary Shack Shakers
Rain and Snow by J.D. Wilkes
If I'm to Blame by Chipper Thompson
Fools for Each Other by Bill & Bonnie Hearne
Ice Water by Peter Case
Don't Leave Poor Me by Eilen Jewell
There Oughta Be a Law Against Southern California by Terry Allen
Voodoo Walking by Hipbone Slim & Mama Rosin
What is Life Without Love by Cheetah Chrome
Down the Mississippi by The Dad Horse Experience
No Woman's Flesh But Hers by Johnny Dowd
Drunkard's Prayer by Chris Stapleton
Pinball by Hellbound Glory
One Endless Night by Jimmie Dale Gilmore
How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away by Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
Where Did It Go by Bobby Bare
Going Where the Lonely Go by Merle Haggard CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Want to keep this hoedown going after I sign off at midnight? Check out The Big Enchilada Podcast Hillbilly Episode Archive where there are hours of shows where I play music like you hear on the SF Opry.
No, I didn't have to Google this morbid little piece of historical trivia. I've known this date for 51 years.
Ruby, the Dallas strip joint owner who killed JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died the same day as my grandfather. I remember reading it in the paper the day after and thinking my grandfather would have been interested in the article.
It had been my grandfather who had introduced me to Jack Ruby. I was walking downstairs in our house on Nov. 4, 1963 when I hear Pappa start bellowing from the den. "They shot the son of a bitch! They shot the son of a bitch!"
Sure enough, he'd just witnessed the first live televised murder on national TV. I only got to see the first replay of the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Even before Ruby died he already was firmly planted in the center of a thousand conspiracy theories. His passing just ensured his status as a permanent resident of those shadow lands. And even for those of us who are skeptical of the world of magic bullets and grassy knolls, Ruby, with his strippers, his Mafia ties and his questionable links to law enforcement still lurks as an immortal symbol of America's dark underbelly.
Naturally he's been immortalized in song. Here are some of those.
As I mentioned above, I don't buy into all the conspiracy stuff that Minnesota songwriter Paul Metsa sings about here. But there's no denying that this is one powerful tune.
Similarly, I also like this one by British singer Glyn Shipman. I always dug Ruby's hat too.
I'm not sure whether Roland Alphonso's 1964 ska song was really about the Jack Ruby. But it would have sounded great on the Carousel Club's jukebox.
Here's a rockin' little 1990 tune called "Meet Jack Ruby" by a band called Shiva Burlesque (which included Grant Lee Buffalo's Grant Lee Phillips on guitar.)
But my favorite Jack Ruby song though has always been Camper Van Beethoven's song from Key Lime Pie. Let's do business, boys!
(My Facebook Friend Truly Judy inspired this one)
Back in 2005, there was an episode of South Park featuring a middle-aged Chinese woman trying to make it as a singer. Her name was Wing and she became a client of a "talent agency" run by Cartman and the boys.
She had a voice that would curdle your soup. Hilarity ensued.
Many South Park fans just assumed Wing was a cartoon character from the warped imaginations of Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But no. Wing was a flesh-and-blood human named Wing Han Tsang or Zēng Yǒnghán or 曾咏韓.From the scant biographical information I can find, it appears she originally was from Hong Kong and migrated to New Zealand, where she began her musical career by singing in nursing homes.
She released a CD of cover songs called Phantom of the Opera, (featuring the theme from the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical) and appeared on some TV shows in New Zealand and Australia.
The South Park guys discovered her via Internet buzz. Her appearance there basically made her the Tiny Tim of 2005 -- even though her voice was closer to Mrs. Miller. Though she seemed to take her music seriously, she was considered a novelty act -- or by some, an "outsider artist."
Yes, we laughed at her, not with her. But she seemed like such a sweet, modest lady you felt like a jerk after the yuks.
Her career kept going for several years. She cranked out several albums between 2006 and 2008. and even making an appearance at the 2008 South By Southwest in Austin.
According to her Wikipedia page, she announced on her website that she was retiring from showbiz in 2015. That website is no longer online. And though the Allmusic Guide says she made a couple of records for CD Baby, I can't find them there. She's got a Facebook page, but she hasn't posted anything there in three years.
But there is a lot of material still available on YouTube, so Wing, this is for you, wherever you are.
She did this one on South Park.
Wing did a whole album of AC/DC covers. And hey, even Tiny Tim did "Highway to Hell."
This is one of the later Wing songs I could find. Produced by Rappy Mcrapperson, Wing truly lives up to her weirdness potential here.
Finally, here's some live footage of Wing. I guess we'd be going over that old rainbow ...
Friday, Dec. 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
Make it Up to Mama by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
Down on the Corner of Love by Buck Owens
Crazy Mixed Up World by Eilen Jewell
Days of 49 by Jim Kweskin
Hobos are my Heroes by J.D. Wilkes
Long Legs by Legendary Shack Shakers
Jesus Don't Love Me by Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs
Believe in Heaven by Ruby Boots
Lonely Goth Girl by Peter Stampfel R.I.P. Bonnie Hearne (All Songs by Bill & Bonnie Hearne)
Wild Geese
Bluebonnet Girl
Somewhere Between
Saturday Night Girl
New Mexico Rain
Above and Beyond by Rhonda Vincent & Daryle Singletary
I Can Still Feel by Miss Leslie
Room 102 by Chris Shifett
Here She Comes Again by Chris Hillman
Louisiana Swing by Bud Hobbs
Let's Do Wrong Tonight by Simon Stokes with Annette Zilinkas
You'll Lose a Good Thing by Dad Horse Experience
Big Girl Blues by Danny Barnes
Big Dark World of Hate and Lies by Graham Lindsey
Walking on Hell's Roof Looking at the Flowers by Waco Brothers
Dead Thumb King by Ray Wylie Hubbard
Set My Soul on Fire by The War and Treaty
Honky Tonk Flame by Tyler Childers
Vandalism Spree by Hellbound Glory
I'm Just a Country Boy by Don Williams
Four Strong Winds by Neil Young
My Rose Marie by Stan Ridgway CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Want to keep this hoedown going after I sign off at midnight? Check out The Big Enchilada Podcast Hillbilly Episode Archive where there are hours of shows where I play music like you hear on the SF Opry.
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican Dec. 29, 2017
Here are my favorite albums of 2017.
*
Sidelongby Sarah Shook & The Disarmers. On my very first listen, I was a fan
by the end of the first two tracks: “Keep the Home Fires Burnin’ “ (with its
beyond catchy melody, similar to the bluegrass classic “Rocky Top”) and “The
Nail” (a love-gone-wrong honky-tonker with some fine guitar and lap steel in
which Shook sings, “Well, I ain’t your last, you ain’t my first/You can’t decide
which fact is worse”). With her voice sporting more than a hint of a whiskey
rasp, Shook sounds as if she’s the punk-rock granddaughter of Hazel Dickens.
*
Texa$ Platinumby Ghost Wolves. This Austin band made some of the finest garage rock
I’ve heard all year. Singer Carley Wolf has a pixieish voice that wouldn’t seem
out of place in some of my favorite Japanese girl-punk bands. Actually, the
first time I heard her, I thought of KatieJane Garside, the singer of the
early-’90s group Daisy Chainsaw (“Love Your Money”). Carley is also a heck of a
guitarist. Her hubby Jonathan is not only downright powerful on the drums, he
also adds subtle iggly-squiggly, sci-fi synth effects.
*
Boy in the Well
by The Yawpers. This rowdy little band from Denver has created one of the most
rocking little albums of the year. With big sonic traces of The Gun Club, ZZ
Top, The Legendary Shack Shakers, and their own twisted take on rockabilly, The
Yawpers rip through most these songs with an urgency that’s undeniable. And the
whole thing centers on a bizarre story of a World War I love child who, yes,
spent most of his life in a well — before he emerges and unleashes a series of
Oedipal wrecks.
* Tell the Devil I’m Gettin’ There As Fast As I Can
by Ray Wylie Hubbard. Another fine revelation from the crusty old Texan,
who only seems to get tougher and ornerier with age. Like the Bible, the album
starts out with the creation story — a song called “God Looked Around,” in which
Hubbard, in his knowing drawl and slow-moving guitar, tells the story of the
origin of the universe, Adam and Eve, and that pesky snake. But the next song,
“Dead Thumb King” goes right to the hoodoo, as Hubbard explains that he’s armed
with “some dirt from Lightnin’ Hopkins’ grave,” “bones from an old black crow,”
and a “rattlesnake tail inside my guitar.”
*
Goin’ Back to Wurstvilleby King Salami & The Cumberland 3. This hopped-up, high-energy
London-based band has been around for more than a decade, but despite my overly
optimistic prediction a few years ago, they never really have made a huge splash
in the good old USA. That’s our loss, my fellow Americans. With Salami and the
Cumberlands’ seamless bend of garage-rock, ’50s and ’60s R&B, and
occasionally a little instrumental surf music, few bands match their sound in
terms of pure fun.
*
20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo
by Pere Ubu. This is the most outright rocking studio album Ubu has unleashed in
about a decade, maybe longer. No, the band, which emerged during the punk and
New Wave scare of the late ’70s, hasn’t forsaken their heritage of avant-garde,
experimental, atmospheric sounds. But they also haven’t forgotten how to make
your feet move and head bang either. The group’s foundation was garage and surf
rock — colored by darkly bizarre lyrics, David Thomas’ warbling vocals, and
Plan 9 From Outer Space-esque synth noises. And
Missile Silo shows that foundation is strong.
*
Purgatory
by Tyler Childers. This twenty-six-year-old guitar slinger from Kentucky
writes and sings songs that sound timeless. Covering evergreen hillbilly themes,
he tells tales of good moonshine, bad drugs, an all-seeing God, a powerful
devil, and the joys of love and sex. Some tracks have a pure outlaw country
sound, while some come right out of the world of bluegrass. Purgatory was
produced by Sturgill Simpson. And it shows.
* Existentialism by
The Mekons. Technically, this album was originally released in 2016, but it was part of a
fancy, expensive “limited edition” package. But this year, Bloodshot Records
released it as a single (and affordable) CD. Recorded live at a small club in
Brooklyn a couple of years ago, this album has all the things Mekons fans love —
rowdy barroom singalongs over inexplicable ambient noise, nods to Hank Williams
and dub reggae, and lyrics that seem soaked in alcohol and revolutionary fervor.
Speaking of which, the song “Fear and Beer,” subtitled “Hymn for Brexit,” is as
sad as it is lovely.
* Down to the River by
The War and Treaty. Singer Michael Trotter Jr. has one of the
greatest
music biographies
I’ve ever seen. He was a soldier during the invasion of Iraq and was assigned to
guard one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces after the strongman was driven from power.
In the basement of the building, the occupying Americans found an old piano said
to have belonged to Saddam himself. Trotter taught himself to play on that
abandoned instrument, writing his first song, a tribute to a fallen captain. But
even without that crazy back story, this music, on which Trotter shares vocal
duties with his wife Tanya Blount, is soulful, bluesy, and rootsy.
* Down Hearted Blues by Eilen Jewell. Can a white
girl from Idaho sing the blues? Should a white girl from Idaho sing the blues?
I’ll leave those important questions to the guardians of political correctness.
All I know is that on this collection of old songs — mainly obscurities,
spanning Memphis Minnie to Howlin’ Wolf — Jewell pulls it off with grace and
grit. A former St. John’s student who used to busk at the Santa Fe Farmers
Market, Jewell even includes a great hillbilly blues song here,
Moonshine Kate’s “The Poor Girl’s Story.”
Just to show how obsessive I can be I created a new tag on this blog for
my annual Top 10 album lists. If you're as bored as I am obsessive, you can go
back to the very early days of this blog and see what albums I liked best
between the present and 2003.
CLICK HERE
Finally here's a Spotify list featuring a couple of tracks from each of my
favorite 20017 albums.
Cabell Calloway was born on Christmas Day in Rochester New York 110 years ago. His folks wanted him to be a lawyer like his dad. He did attend law school but his career in law got derailed by the Hi De Ho. By 1930 his band was headlining at The Cotton Club in New York City. And soon he would become one of the greatest showmen American music has ever known.
Enough yack! Let's get on with the jive.
Here's one called "The Skunk Song"
Cab sings Harold Arlen's and Johnny Mercer's "One for My Baby" (and One More For the Road)" and makes it dreamy and sad.
Hep us, cats!
This was one of several follow-ups to Cab's signature song.
And here's the song that made gong-kicking a national obsession. Keep that Hi De Ho in your heart!
Along with the better-known Homer & Jethro, Lonzo & Oscar, who began their career in the 1940s opening for Eddie Arnold, epitomized cornball country comedy on the Grand Ol' Opry in the 1950s.
Kentucky native Rollin Sullivan portrayed Oscar, the goofy-looking hillbilly who played a mean mandolin. The role of Lonzo, the straight man of the band, was something of a revolving door. A guy named Lloyd George was the original Lonzo. He sang on their big hit "I'm My Own Grandpa" in 1948. But he left the act in 1950.
In the clips below, which are from the 1950s, Lonzo is Johnny Sullivan, Rollin's brother.
Don't ask me what "Cousin Jody's" real name is. The guy gives me the willies (though he's a fine lap steel player.)
On with the music!
Here is one I first heard performed by Hank Thompson, "No Help Wanted"
This is called "Hole in the Bottom of the Sea"
Little Jimmy Dickens introduces the boys for their parody of "16 tons."
Here's a love song called "Dear Joan."
Finally here's a parody of Hank Snow' signature song.
Friday, Dec. 22, 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
Blue Christmas Lights by Buck Owens
Six Bullets for Christmas by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
I Bought the Shoes That Just Walked Out on Me by Cornell Hurd
Brace for Impact by Sturgill Simpson
Scarecrow in the Garden by Chris Stapleton
Will I Ever Feel Fine by Tommy Miles & The Milestones
Dangerous Times by The Imperial Rooster
Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy by Rev. Horton Heat
Christmas Without Daddy by Loretta Lynn
The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams
Down Hearted Blues by Eilen Jewell
I Lie When I Drink by Dale Watson
Drunk on Love by The Hens
Rats in My Amp by Salty Pajamas
Shimmy Shakin' Daddy Maddox Brothers & Rose
Great Big Donut by Kell Robertson
Christmas Island by Leon Redbone
Billy's Christmas Wish by Red Sovine
Do Right by Me by Margo Price
Lost in the Desert by Marty Stuart
It's So Cruel by Ruby Boots
Josh Went to Yoga by Joe West
Born Again by Tyler Childers
Coulda Shoulda Woulda by Peter Case
Dancing With the Women at the Bar by Whiskeytown
No Vacancy by Marlee MacLeod
I Know Your Name by Dad Horse Experience
Guitar Man by David Rawlings Bottle by My Bed by Sunny Sweeney
Old Toy Trains by Roger Miller
Nothing But a Child by Steve Earle with Maria McKee
Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Want to keep this hoedown going after I sign off at midnight? Check out The Big Enchilada Podcast Hillbilly Episode Archive where there are hours of shows where I play music like you hear on the SF Opry.
Turner & me at Whoo's Donuts, August 2017.
Photo by Kristina Pardue
This Saturday, Gregg Turner and his usual gang of weirdos -- including me -- will be playing one of our fun-filled music spectaculars at Santa Fe's number one secret music venue, Whoo's Donuts.
Turner, a founding member of The Angry Samoans will be backed up by his band of lovelies, singer Kristina Pardue and bassist Sarah Meadows.
I'm one of the "special guests," so I'll be doing a couple of the songs that made us all fall in love.
And rumor has it that the one and only Joe West is threatening to show up.
The show starts at 11:30 am Saturday, Dec. 23 at Whoo's, 851 Cerrillos Road. Come on down have some coffee and a fresh-baked pastry and let us entertain you.
If you're looking for Christmas cheer ... don't come here.
Deep in heart I do believe that 99-percent of Christmas music sucks the warts. For the most part I agree with these guys.
But there is a major exception. I'm a sucker for a sad country Christmas song.
In my Terrell's Tune-up column last week, I mentioned a song by George Jones (included on Rhino Records' Bummed Out Christmas compilation. It's one of the best country Christmas weepers. Check it out below.
You know it's going to be sad one when Kitty Wells sings "Holidays are lonely days for me ..." at the very beginning of "Christmas Ain't Christmas Anymore."
This is just one beautiful song by Buck Owens. Hell, I'd even listen to this in July.
Loretta Lynn tugs at your holiday heartstrings with "Christmas Without Daddy."
But the most over-the-top maudlin Christmas tune in the history of country music has to be "Billy's Christmas Wish." This is the saddest Red Sovine song since the Phantom 309 ran over Teddy Bear.
Last Friday in my Terrell's Tune-Up column, I reviewed several wacky (and/or tacky) Christmas albums.
In that spirit, here are some random wacky Christmas songs. Some are tacky too.
Lat's start with the meeting of two super-groups of the '60s Canned Heat and The Chipmunks
This giant chicken could give the children nightmares
When I was growing up in Oklahoma City in the 1960s, my favorite radio station, WKY, used to play this Little Cindy smash. ... All the damned time every December!
Enjoy some Pantera Christmas lights ...
But nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like a disturbing Captain Beefheart cover
As The Red Baron told Snoopy, "Merry Christmas, mein friend!"
Call me Scrooge. Call me Grinch. Call me Ishmael. But once again I just couldn't bring myself to produce another damned Christmas show. Sometime in the past couple of holiday seasons, I just burned out on Christmas songs. So, just like last year, once again I'm giving you an hour of crazed rock 'n' roll -- with just a sprinkling of songs from the season. (And if you really need some Christmas music right now, you can find all my Christmas specials HERE)
Sunday, Dec. 17, 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
You're Humbuggin' Me by Rocket Morgan
Second House Now by The Fall
The Leader is Burning by Pocket FishRMen
Diddy Wah Diddy by Captain Beefheart
I Ain't Got No by Mary's Kids
Break a Guitar by Ty Segall
Red Grave by The Devils
Signal by Boss Hog
Danger by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Santa Claus Has Got the AIDS This Year by Tiny Tim
Happy Birthday Jesus by Little Cindy
Drowned Beast by Thee Oh Sees
Comet by Baronen & Satan
Moon by Travel in Space
There Ain't No Other Way by The Blasting Fondas
Church Mouse by Nobunny
Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown by Count Vaseline
I Found a Peanut by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds
Strange Days by The Darts
Egg Nog by The Rockin' Guys
Rock and Soul by Country Joe & The Fish
Kiss and Ride by King Soul
Man With Soul by Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales
King of the Jungle by King Khan & The Shrines
Wonderful Girl by Jack Mack & The Heart Attack
House Party II by The Soul Deacons
Galactic Zoo by Swamp Dog
Beginning to See the Light by The Velvet Underground
Usurpentine by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons
Demona by Dead Moon
Fish Out of Water by Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls
O Holy Night by Brian Wilson
Star of Wonder by The Roches CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Friday, Dec. , 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
99 Problems by Hugo
Midnight Train to Memphis by Chris Stapleton
I'm Still Drunk by Chris Shiflett
LSD Made a Wreck Out of Me by T. Tex Edwards & Out on Patrol
My Last Ride by The Dad Horse Experience
Between the Ditches by The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
Swingin' Cat by Felton Jarvis
White Trash by Southern Culture on the Skids
Mother's Chile by The War & Treaty
Somebody Stole My Santa Suit by Dan Hicks & The Christmas Jugband
I Buried Your Love Alive by Ashley Monroe
Nothing Rambling by Eilen Jewell
Do Right by Me by Margo Price
Alabama Wild Man by Jerry Reed
Garden of Delights by Legendary Shack Shakers
Old Town Drunk by Clark Bentley
Hop Old Rabbit by Elizabeth LaPrelle
Lonely Christmas Call by George Jones
A Week in a County Jail by Tom T. Hall
How I Got to Memphis by The V-Roys
One Toke Over the Line by Jeannie C. Riley
Harper Valley PTA by Syd Straw & The Skeletons
The Preacher and the Movie by Lawton Williams
I'm on Fire by Whitey Morgan & The 78s
The Sound of Laughter by Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre
Walking Backwards by Pork Chop Party
Out in the Smokehouse Takin' a Bath by Leroy Pullins
Christmas Eve Can Kill You by The Everly Brothers
He'll Have to Go by Ry Cooder
Please Don't Say Goodbye by Marty Stuart
Something Happens by Peter Case
Airplane by David Rawlings
Lady May by Tyler Childers CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Want to keep this hoedown going after I sign off at midnight? Check out The Big Enchilada Podcast Hillbilly Episode Archive where there are hours of shows where I play music like you hear on the SF Opry.
