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Showing posts from April, 2005

Olive Oyl !

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From Ventura, California, The Mixtures were managed by Eddie Davis and were part of the Eastside sound and scene. Their instrumental recording "Olive Oyl" is and Eastside classic (I don’t mean the Eastside of France of course, although I cook everyday with olive oil in case you wanna know). The Mixtures - Olive Oyl The Mixtures - Rainbow Stomp Friday Bonus ! To stay in the olive oil mood, Rev. Frost presents the greatest tenor ever ! Mario Lanza ! - You'll Never Walk Alone And don’t forget to go to Hasil Adkins.com . (Thanx a lot Ks ) What the hell are you still doing here ? Go check the other sites on yer right…There’s a fringe Hall of Fame somewhere…... Have a good weekend y’all !

Oh, You Pretty Woman !

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Milton Brown was the founding father of Western Swing. Because his career was cut short by his untimely death in 1936, he has not been properly recognized for his crucially important contributions to music. His band, the Musical Brownies, was comprised of super-talented and innovative musicians that blazed new musical trails during the early 1930's. The Brownies played their spirited, jazzy brand of Western Swing with hilarity and virtuosity. To get an idea of their sound, think of Bob Wills with a hearty dose of Django Reinhardt and Cab Calloway - and a dash of electric steel guitar for good measure. And don’t ever try to drive with this kind of music, it’s the best way to crash, believe me. Milton Brown - Oh, You Pretty Woman Milton Brown - Brownie's Stomp

The Crusher !

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Do the hammerlock you turkeynecks with 1964 Minneapolis masterpiece wrestling ode The Crusher and original flip instro Take 7 !!! Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh. The Novas - The Crusher The Novas - Take 7

Love Shock !

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Little Sonny, whose birth name is Aaron Willis, is a product of Detroit's blues scene. He moved to the Motor City in 1953 after growing up on his dad's farm in Alabama (his mom gave him his nickname). When Little Sonny wasn't working local haunts with John Lee Hooker, Eddie Burns, Eddie Kirkland, Baby Boy Warren, or Washboard Willie (who gave him his first paying gig), he was snapping photos of the patrons for half a buck a snap. Sonny Boy Williamson rambled through town in 1955 and gave Willis some valuable pointers. In 1958, Sonny made his blues recording debut, cutting for both Duke and local entrepreneur Joe Von Battle, who leased Little Sonny's "Love Shock" to Nashville's Excello imprint. Little Sonny - Love Shock Little Sonny - I'll Love You Baby (Until The day I Die)

Tiny Bradshaw !

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Tiny Bradshaw was one of the most prominent bandleaders of the '30s and '40s who led groups of essentially jazz - trained musicians into the developing (and more commercial) field that came to be known as rhythm & blues. A vocalist with other bands early in his career, Bradshaw formed his own band in 1934 and kept it going through the early '50s, enjoying five Billboard hits (and also recording the original "Train Kept A -Rollin'") with King Records (where he was a labelmate to many of the other leading jump blues performers of the era). Bradshaw's band produced such saxophone stars as Sonny Stitt, Red Prysock, and Sil Austin; among the vocalists to record with the group were Roy Brown, Arthur Prysock, Lonnie Johnson, and Tiny Kennedy. While trying to make the transistion to the rock & roll market, Bradshaw passed away of a third stroke on November 26, 1958, at his home in Cincinatti. He was 53 years old. Tiny Bradshaw - Well, Oh Well Tiny Bradshaw

Satan's Chariot !

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Damn, Satan again. Two albums were released by the Deuce Coupes in 1963, one on Crown Records (Shut Downs) and one on Del-Fi Records (Hotrodder's Choice), and although both were full of the hot rod-themed songs and instrumentals that were popular at the time, they were actually two different groups sporting the same name. The Del-Fi version of the Deuce Coupes grew out of the Avantis, formed by brothers Lolly Vegas and Pat Vegas, who would go on to fame in the 1970s as Redbone. The duo recorded Hot Rodder's Choice as the Deuce Coupes backed by a group of crack L.A. session players, including Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, and Leon Russell. By 1965 the bottom had dropped out of the hot rod boom, and the brothers Vegas dropped the Deuce Coupes name and moved on to other ventures. The Deuces Coupes - Satan's Chariot The Deuces Coupes - Nite Surfer Spaghetti Western Friday Bonus !!! Gianni Ferrio - Tema Per Una Vendetta Bruno Nicolai - Ballata Per Ringo (When you hav

Satan Is Real !

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Howdy !!! From the close-harmony brother acts of the '30s evolved Charlie & Ira Louvin , ranking among the top duos in country music history. With Ira's incredibly high, pure tenor and Charlie's emotional and smooth melody tenor, they learned well from the Bolick brothers (the Blue Sky Boys), the Monroe Brothers, the Delmore Brothers, and other major family duos of the previous generation, preserving the old-time flavor while bringing this genre into the '50s, when country music moved to a newer sound. Well, now you can also sacrifice a chicken while listening to Satan is Real, and see what happens. The Louvin Brothers - Satan Is Real The Louvin Brothers - There's A Higher Power (nice cover...) For more information on Satan, read

Party Girl !

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Few major postwar blues guitarists come to mind that don't owe T-Bone Walker an unpayable debt of gratitude. B.B. King has long cited him as a primary influence, marveling at Walker's penchant for holding the body of his guitar outward while he played it. Gatemouth Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Goree Carter, Pete Mayes, and a wealth of other prominent Texas-bred axemen came stylistically right out of Walker during the late '40s and early '50s. Aaron Thibeault Walker was a product of the primordial Dallas blues scene. His stepfather, Marco Washington, stroked the bass fiddle with the Dallas String Band, and T-Bone followed his stepdad's example by learning the rudiments of every stringed instrument he could lay his talented hands on. One notable visitor to the band's jam sessions was the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson. During the early '20s, Walker led the sightless guitarist from bar to bar as the older man played for tips. Anyway, his electric guitar solos wer

Dave Myers & The Surftones !

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Multi-instrumentalist Dave Myers played guitar, tenor sax, trumpet, bongos, and steel guitar. As a college music major, he was influenced by the folk, blues, jazz and classical music while copping some of his mentor Dick Dale's frenzied double-picking surf playing. For sure, there have been literally hundreds of surf bands that have come and gone over the years, but Dave Myers and the Surftones were one of the best. Every element that one would expect in good surf music is in their music: bubbling bass, cracking drums, twanging guitar and wailing horns. Sure, that could be said of many surf bands, but they melded these elements seamlessly. Dave Myers & The Surftones - Moment Of Truth Dave Myers & The Surftones - Church Key

Jesse Belvin !

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Jesse Lorenzo Belvin was born in San Antonio, TX, in 1932. He discovered R&B in his early teens, and in 1950 joined jazz saxophonist Big Jay McNeely's backing vocal quartet Three Dots and a Dash. Belvin's falsetto was placed up front in his debut release, 1950's "All the Wine Is Gone"; the response was so strong that on the group's next record, his name was placed directly under McNeely's on the B-side, "Sad Story." In 1952, Belvin and bandmate Marvin Phillips signed to Specialty. Belvin was a prolific songwriter, but his business approach was rather cavalier. In a period in which millions of dollars were sometimes earned on a carefully protected copyright (don’t laugh please), Belvin wrote songs as a way of raising quick cash and often sold them outright to others for as little as 100 dollars. The result was dozens upon dozens of songs that Belvin was responsible for as writer and singer on the demo or guide track, few of which he actually r

I Had Too Much To Dream !

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Birthday party is over, ooooooooh my head…Anyway, thanx for the comments my dear friends, Madame Frost was happy. The Electric Prunes were not so much a self-contained group as a front for some talented L.A. songwriters and producers; they by and large played the music on their records, but the vision and inspiration came from elsewhere. Nonetheless, they produced a few great psychedelic garage songs, especially the scintillating "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night," which mixed distorted guitars and pop hooks with inventive, oscillating reverb. Songwriters Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz wrote most of the Prunes' material, much of which in turn was crafted in the studio by Dave Hassinger, who had engineered some classic Rolling Stones sessions in the mid-'60s. "Too Much to Dream" was a big hit in 1967, and the psychedelized Bo Diddley follow-up "Get Me to the World on Time" was just as good, and also a hit. The Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much To

Happy Birthday Missus Frost !

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A little help from my friend Baba Thomas to wish a happy birthday to my sweetheart/love of my life/lil' wife! Baba Thomas - Miss Shake It Baba Thomas - Why Don't You Leave It Alone

Reverend Charlie Jackson !

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I know I know it’s a repost, but I did his avatar a long time ago... back then, only missus Frost knew about this blog. Reverend Charlie Jackson fits into a long lineage of gospel performers touched by facets of the Blues. It’s an illustrious family that includes Blind Willie Johnson, Reverend Louis Overstreet and Elder Roma Wilson among a host of others. Each of these men used the simple instrumental tools associated with the oft-considered profane music to galvanize their audiences- whether they were congregations or the record-buying public. Jackson’s early Seventies singles for the Booker and Jackson are collected on God's Got It, the inaugural release on the CaseQuarter label out of Montgomery, Alabama; a imprint initiated to circulate little known rawboned gospel gems from the past, present and future. Reverend Charlie jackson - God's Got It Reverend Charlie jackson - Morning Train Reverend Charlie jackson - I Gave Up All I Had

I Can't Find The Door Knob !

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If Jimmy Lee Fautheree is remembered for nothing else, it'll be the alcoholic anthem he cut as one half of Jimmy & Johnny for Houston's D Records in 1958, the unbelievably brilliant "I Can't Find The Door Knob." The song is so perfect in its hillbilly rock 'n' roll stupidity as to simply boggle the mind. An excellent guitarist with a style similar to that of Merle Travis, Fautheree began playing at Dallas's Big D Jamboree at the age of sixteen before heading to the Louisiana Hayride in early '51. Jimmy & Johnny recorded for Chess, Decca, D, Feature, and Republic (the original duo was Jimmy Lee Fautheree and Johnny "Country" Mathis, followed by Lee with his brother Lynn Fautheree and Wayne Walker after Mathis left.) (Jimmy and Johnny's lone hit, and their handful of rockabilly classics like "Sweet Love on My Mind" and "I Can't Find the Doorknob" have surfaced on compilations.) Aaaa, Jimmy & Johnny, t

The Premiers !

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The Premiers were born in San Gabriel, California in 1962 when the Perez brothers, John and Lawrence, decided to form a band. They scored a hit in 1964 with a revved-up version of Don & Dewey's Farmer John. By "Louie Louie-izing" the tune, and adding cheers and screams courtesy of the all-girl Chevelles Car Club, they created an infectious dance party anthem. Their sole long-player was supposedly cut "live at The Rhythm Room in Fullerton," but was in fact cut live in the studio like the "Farmer John" single, with friends brought in to give it a "party atmosphere." And a party it is! The Premiers - Farmer John The Premiers - Duffy's Blues

Screamin' Lord Sutch !

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Hello boys & ghouls… With a rock & horror act based to a large degree on Screamin' Jay Hawkins, David "Lord" Sutch was one of the first genuine rock & roll longhairs, and his bands employed such sterling instrumentalists as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Nicky Hopkins, and Mitch Mitchell before they became famous. His early-'60s singles -- mostly over-the-top Halloween novelties or covers of early rock and R&B standards -- are genuinely energetic and fun performances that rank among the few out-and-out raunchy rock & roll records waxed in Britain. Twiddling the knobs on his first five singles was the legendarily eccentric Joe Meek, who embellished Sutch's modest talents with his usual grab bag of treated instruments, compression, and odd effects. He was also the founder and president of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the UK. On June 16, 1999, David Sutch was found hanged at his home in London. For his friends and fans th

The Atlantics !

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One of the greatest nstrumental surf groups did not even hail from America. The Atlantics , despite their name, were an Australian combo (hello Brownie) who not only emulated the sound of alifornia surf music, but ranked among its very best practitioners. Featuring a reverb-heavy, extremely "wet" sound, the Atlantics attacked original material, standards, and movie themes with a nervy blend of precision and over-the-top intensity. As in Dick Dale's music, touches of Middle Eastern influences can be detected in the rhythms of melodies (some members of the group claimed Greek and Egyptian heritage). But Beatlemania (damn those guys) spelled commercial death for the Atlantics, as it did for U.S. surf combos, in 1964 and 1965. After several albums and a few more equally fine nstrumental singles, the Atlantics became a vocal group in the last half of the '60s, but are most renowned for their instrumental recordings. And NO, it’s not the Shadows. The Atlantics - Gremlin Fro

In The Deep Dark Jungle

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Bob Luman started out as a rockabilly performer, switched to country and then in the late '50s nearly ditched the music industry altogether. Born in Blackjack, Texas on April 15, 1937, he was actually an outlaw before outlaws were in vogue, seldom betraying his rockabilly roots and upsetting country music traditionalists by sprinkling his performances with Rhythm & Blues classics. Luman's first Imperial session (1957), featured a band he'd assembled in Shreveport, including James Burton (guitar) - he'd already played the hypnotic tiff on Dale Hawkins' Susie Q - James Kirkland (bass) and Butch White (drums). Read more here Bob Luman - In The Deep dark Jungle Bob Luman - You're The Cause Of It All

96 Tears !

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? and the Mysterians was an early punk-rock group that was formed in Michigan in the mid-60's. They were a somewhat mysterious group by design, and were most often associated with their very popular number one hit from 1966, 96 Tears. ? (or ? Mark) was actually lead singer Rudy Martinez, who had been born in Mexico in 1945 and who grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. The group was originally formed in Saginaw and consisted of Frank Rodriguez, Jr. on keyboards, Larry Borjas on guitar, drummer Robert Martinez, and lead guitarist Bobby Balderrama. They started to play in Adrian, Michigan around 1964. Group members Larry Borjas and Robert Martinez were drafted and went on active duty in Germany; they were replaced by drummer Eddie Serrato and bass player Frank Lugo. Calling themselves ? and the Mysterians, they came up with a song called 69 Tears but later changed its name to 96 Tears due to concerns that the original title might cause some radio station programmers to avoid giving the song a

Big Maybelle !

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Born Mabel Louise Smith, Big Maybelle was one of the most popular R&B singers of the 1950s, recording for Okeh, Savoy and other labels.the singer strolled off with top honors at a Memphis amateur contest at the precocious age of eight. Gospel music was an important element in Maybelle's intense vocal style, but the church wasn't big enough to hold her talent. Producer Fred Mendelsohn discovered Smith in the Queen City, re-christened her Big Maybelle, and signed her to Columbia's OKeh R&B subsidiary in 1952. She slipped into a diabetic coma and passed away in a Cleveland hospital in 1972. She remains an old school blues shouter with an irrepressible spirit... Watch out boys, Big Maybelle's back in town. Big Maybelle - That's A Pretty Good Love Big Maybelle - Rockhouse

The Walk !

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Jimmy McCracklin is born on 13 August 1921 in St Louis, Missouri. (He has however, often insisted that he was born ten years later.) His main influence on piano being Walter Davis (little Jimmy's dad introduced him to the veteran pianist). McCracklin was also a promising pugilist, but the blues eventually emerged victorious. After a stint in the Navy during World War II, he bid St. Louis adieu and moved to the West Coast, making his recorded debut for the Globe logo with "Miss Mattie Left Me" in 1945. On that platter, J.D. Nicholson played piano; most of McCracklin's output found him handling his own 88s. McCracklin recorded for a daunting array of tiny labels in Los Angeles and Oakland prior to touching down with Modern in 1949-50, Swing Time the next year, and Peacock in 1952-54. Early in his recording career, McCracklin had Robert Kelton on guitar, but by 1951, Lafayette "Thing" Thomas was installed as the searing guitarist with McCracklin's Blues Bla