Today, January 13, 2021, is National Stephen Foster Memorial Day, honoring the great American songwriter of the mid 1800s, who died on this day by his own hand in 1864 at the age of 37.
It's also Wacky Wednesday here on Stephen W. Terrell's (Music) Web Log, so let's look at the funny side of Foster.
Foster himself indeed had his funny side. After all, he's the guy who penned lyrics like, "It rained all night the day I left / The weather it was dry." But even his most beautiful and dreamy songs have been parodied, mutated and dementized through the years. In fact, folks of My Generation -- and generations before -- probably were introduced to Foster's music via short performances of parts of his famous tunes in comedies and cartoons.
Way back in 1930, in their movie Animal Crackers, The Marx Brothers did a quick a capela performance of "My Old Kentucky Home."
None other than Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny did a version of "Oh! Susana," adapting the lyrics to fit the plot of Mr. Fudd searching for gold to help the U.S. war effort in 1942. (Check out how different Elmer looks!)
Spike Jones & His City Slickers did a full-blown version of Foster's "Camptown Races."
And Stan Freberg rocked Foster up. My favorite part is about the "one-eyed cat peepin' at Old Dog Tray."
For an earlier tribute to Stephen Foster
CLICK HERE.
Sunday, January 10, 2021 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
As any lover of American and British folk ballads know, murder ballads are an
essential part of our heritage -- especially those songs about young women who
fall for, and eventually are felled by a violent dickhead lover.
And as lovers of '50s and '60s rock and country know, answer songs, if not
essential, can be a lot of fun, from Etta James' "Roll With Me Henry" (an
"answer" to "Work With Me Annie") to "Dawn of Correction," (a response by a
group called The Spokesmen to "Eve of Destruction.")
There are some truly important artists who sang answer songs -- Etta
James and Kitty Wells, to name a couple. But there is something so
inherently tacky, so nakedly bottom-feederish about the whole game of
trying to glom onto someone else's hit, I can't help but love the
answer-song.
And yes, gentle readers, there are examples of answer songs to murder ballads.
Let's look first at a ballad ballad that was based on the true story of a Tennessee man named Finley Preston who killed his lover, Lillie Shaw and burned her body in 1903. Preston was hung for the crime in 1905.
The murder turned into a ballad known by several names including "Come All Ye Coal Miners," "Lilli Schull" and "Finley Preston." This is the title used by Clint Howard and Fred Price in this 1972 recording.
The great alt-country band, Uncle Tupelo recorded a version called "Lilli Schull" on their live album, March 16-20, 1992. Later in the '90s, after Uncle Tupelo broke up, singer Jay Farrer, with a new band, Son Volt, recorded this answer song called "Been Set Free," which begins, "I am the voice of Lilli Schull ..."
Another classic murder ballad is "Down in the Willow Garden," which deals with the murder of a woman named Rose Connelly. It's an Appalachian ballad with roots in Ireland. Here's the version by The Everly Brothers:
In 2011, Rachel Brooke released an answer song on her album "Down in the Barnyard." Here Rose's childhood friend sees justice done.
Perhaps the best-known murder ballad is "Pretty Polly." Question: How many bluegrass bands or alt-country bands does it take to play "Pretty Polly"? Answer: Apparently all of them.
Here's the version by The Stanley Brothers:
Technically this 2011 song, "Pretty Polly's Revenge" by Florida singer Fred "Butch" Burns, isn't technically an answer song. It's a re-write of the original. But here, let's just say the scoundrel Willie makes the mistake of bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Sunday, January 3, 2021 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show!
terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Wooly Bully EspaƱol by Rudy “Tutti” Grayzell & Los A-Bones
Tiger Man by John Schooley
It’s Gravity by T. Tex Edwards
When She Begins by Social Distortion
The Splank! By Oh! Gunquit
Ya Ha Ba Be by Ana Threat
Thank You For Giving Me Life by The Geraldine Fibbers
Bing Can’t Walk by Stan Ridgway
(Background Music: Sweet Georgia Brown by Bert Weedon)
The Lie by Gun Club
Sherlock Holmes by The Dirtbombs
That’s All by Shrunken Heads
27 Devils by REQ’D
Teenage Maniac by The Spook Lights
Single Again by Scott H. Biram
They’re Coming to Take Me Away by Butcher Babies
On on the Barge by Al Duval
Angel by Bobby Swanson
(Background Music: Chicken Stuff by Hop Wilson)
Gun Slinger by Bo Diddley
You Can’t Judge a Book by The Plimsouls
Magic Potion by Mondo Topless
Insane Jane by The Molting Vultures
Despot by Sleeve Canon
Don’t Look Down by Lovestruck
Johnny’s Got a Gun / Destination X by Dead Moon
Daddy Lolo by Gamin’s Asia Minors
(Background Music: Ghastly Stomp by The Ghastly Ones)
Mr. Supernatural by King Khan & The Shrines
Brimful of Hate by Jack Ketch & The Crowmen
Everybody is in Love with You by Lynx Lynx
The Money’s Rolling In by Alien Space Kitchen
One Night of Sin by Frontier Dan & The Hickoids
Last Night on Earth by The Mekons
Blue Wing by Tom Russell with Dave Alvin
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
On this day, December 30 in 1928, a child named Elias McDaniel was born in
McComb, Mississippi. He would grow up to be a member of the Valencia County
Sheriff's Reserves, an
honorary citizen of Santa Fe,
and, oh yeah, a true founding father of rock 'n' roll, known to the world as Bo
Diddley.
Thirty three years later in New York City a boy named Sean Patrick Hannity was
born. He grew up to be one of the nation's most successful right-wing
blowhards and unofficial advisors of outgoing President Donald J. Trump, the
loser of last month's presidential election.
Hannity and Diddley born on the same day. This proves astrology is
real!
I've met both of these birthday boys. In 1985 I interviewed Deputy Diddley
when he came to Santa Fe to play Club West. The day of the show Mayor Louis
Montano -- at my urging -- had Diddley come to his office to be honored with a
certificate naming him an honorary citizen of our city. That was a momentous
day!
Then in 2004, at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, while waking
around the convention center one afternoon I stumbled across "Radio Row,"
where radio reporters were working. There at a desk was Hannity doing a live
broadcast. I was surprised to see him at a Democratic convention and stood
there slack-jawed for a couple of moments. Hannity looked up at me, obviously
irritated. "Can I help you with something?" he said.
That wasn't as momentous as meeting Bo Diddley.
In honor of the senior birthday boy, here are a couple of tunes celebrating
the man amongst men.
Sorry, I couldn't find any songs honoring Sean Hannity. [OOOPS! See update below]
First, Warren Zevon covering a Diddley hit:
Here's Roky Erikson with The Nervebreakers, mutating one of Diddley's hits
The Jesus and Mary Chain proclaimed that "Bo Diddley is Jesus." I'd have loved
to have seen Diddley's face if or when he ever heard this.
And here's Diddley himself, doing one of my favorite songs from his latter-day
catalogue.
UPDATE: My Washington correspondent and Beltway Insider Chuck pointed this Hannity song by the Gregory Brothers (featuring Blondie. And what's Weird Al doing in this photo?)