Happy Birthday Annie Ross!

From Annie's 1963 John Barry - produced lp "Sings a Handful of Songs"
"I'm Gonna Go Fishin'"

The Gals of The Big "D" Jamboree (Dragon Street Records, 2001)

I've been meaning to share ths wonderful OOP cd for ages!  In the interests of expediency (& sheer laziness) I lifted the following review from Amazon  - thankfully, it's spot on:

For the uninitiated, the Big "D" Jamboree was a weekly variety show broadcast over 50,000 watt radio station KRLD beginning in the late 1940s. It was a weekly event much along the lines of similar music-oriented live entertainment programs like the Grand Ole Opry, the Louisiana Hayride and the National Barndance. Held weekly at a Dallas, Texas wrestling venue called the Sportatorium, the Big "D" Jamboree's heyday ran from the late '40s through the early '60s. In continuing their superb Legends of the Big "D" Jamboree series which in addition to a wonderful 2-CD various artists collection from last year (The Big "D" Jamboree Live)as well as other single artist releases focusing on such stalwarts as Groovy Joe Poovey, Johnny Dollar, and Gene Vincent, Dragon Street Records rolls out what is easily its most humdinger collection yet with The Gals of the Big "D" Jamboree. 

Clocking in at over an hour's worth of music spread cross 29 tracks that are culled from a combination of live material, studio demos and 45 RPM records, it's a collection that presents both known quantities (Janis Martin, Wanda Jackson, Charline Arthur) and unknowns (Helen Hall, The Lovett Sisters, Abbie Neal & the Ranch Girls, Pat Smith, Doreen Freeman, Sherry Davis, Betty Lou Lobb and Ramona Reed) from the Big "D" gal corral. In comparison to many of their Nashville feline country contemporaries, the gals were a more hard-edged, saucy bunch of honky tonkin' ladies for whom a cigarette and a bottle of beer with the fellows was likely never out of the question. More importantly, these were Virginia Slims types (remember those old TV ads??) who weren't afraid to speak their mind in song. Heck, all it takes is a listen to piece-of-mind pieces like What Else Does She Do Like Me? which opens with the not so lady-like line "She smokes the same sort of cigarettes as I do" or Wasted Life about a malcontent husband who can't pry himself from the barstool ("Sitting all alone at the bar / No one knows or cares where you are / You don't care about your home / You don't care about your wife / You're a perfect example of a wasted life") to understand what I'm talking about. Each of those cuts come from the tough-talking honkabilly pepper pot Helen Hall who takes the cake in this collection. Quite frankly, it doesn't get more hardcore honky tonk country than numbers like these and even better, The Gals of the Big "D" Jamboree is filled with plenty more from where these two came from. 

All too often overshadowed by their C&W male contemporaries, The Gals of the Big "D" Jamboree is an insightful look at a vital chapter in the annals of female country music. Accompanied by a deluxe, 20-page booklet featuring discography, artist biographies from noted Texas country music historian Kevin Coffey, and an intro by current female rockabilly star Kim Lenz, this is a first rate package overflowing with hot tunes that comes highly recommended -  Dan Ferguson April 20, 2001

Here are 2 of my favorite cuts:

Helen Hall - What Else Does She Do Like Me?

The Lovett Sisters - Bacon & Eggs

Get the whole shebang here

I am NOT a Tri-stater vol 1

First in what may be a continuing series featuring Connecticut-based bands that Brushback hasn't yet discussed.  Why? Why not!  I need a schtick.

First up, the Five Satins, hailing from New Haven.  Everyone knows the classic  In the Still Of The Night, but my favorite song by the Five Satins is the following much more soulful & upbeat number, released by Roulette in 1964. I love this song. LOVE it.  Almost as much as I love the best pizza in America, also from New Haven.  But I digress.

The Five Satins - You Can Count On Me (Roulette, 1964)


And another song I love, also from 1964.  These songs are meant to be placed together on as many feel-good mixtapes as possible.  This goes out especially for Rockin' Jeff, who recently posted a later cover version from his amazing collection of 45s.

The Tams - What Kind of Fool [Do You Think I Am] (ABC, 1964)


The Tams are not from Connecticut. The Tams are from Georgia, but are best known as  mainstays of the Carolina beach music scene. Did you know that they took their name from the Tam o'shanter style of hat that the group chooses to wear on stage? Neither did I. Thanks, Wiki!  Anyway, that opening flute reminds me of a third song that needs to be included in this imaginary mix.  ALSO from 1964 (honestly, this was not planned). Taken from one of the best box sets ever:

this is a picture of the reissue, not the original box set

Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers - Oh Mary Don't You Weep (SAR, 1964)
 

 That "drownded" gets me every time.

Sam Cooke was not from Connecticut, nor was his brother L.C.  But L.C. did put out a fantastic song that completes this evolving set nicely -and guess what - it's from 1964. Spooky!

L.C. Cook(e) - Put Me Down Easy (SAR, 1964)


Don't you feel all warm & fuzzy now?  The only thing better than listening to these songs would be listening to these songs while eating the meal of my dreams, below:
 

Pepe's White Clam Pie

If anyone's ever traveling from New Haven to Durham and wants to make a girl's dreams come true, please let me know!

Y'all have a nice day.

King Solomon - You Ain't Nothing But a Teenager (Night Train, 2005)

This post is for ana-b, whose blog The Singing Bones is one of the best on the web. Ana recently gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, & to welcome little Anza to our world I figured I'd post something that I promised her mother quite some time ago.  Ana, here's my lazy girl synopsis of Nick Loss-Eaton's very thorough liner notes:

Born King Sylvester Lee Melicious Solomon in Tallulah, LA on October 12, 1934  Solomon says simply, "I guess all the kids had long names".   As a teenager, Solomon sang with an a capella gospel group that opened for a pre-Sam Cooke Soul Stirrers. In 1949 the aspiring singer got on a bus to Chicago where, in addition to running a restaurant,  he met early mentor Sunnyland Slim & befriended Rufus 'Bearcat' Thomas.  After 5 years in Chicago he made his way to Los Angeles and assimilated West Coast blues stylings into his Chicago blues & northern soul foundation - billing himself as either King Solomon & the Soul Brothers Band or King Solomon & the Handicappers. His bands included, among others, Maxwell Davis, Joe Kincaid, & Charles Wright of "Express Yourself" fame" (whose band accompanies King Solomon on the 1965 title song of this collection).  

So.  Here we have 24 songs released on 8 different labels between 1960-78 - and no wonder Ana has been confused! Also per Mr. Loss-Eaton, a different King Solomon (Hill) was a country-blues singer in the pre-war era. Yet another King Solomon was a pianist who accompanied Lowell Fulsom. Then there's Solomon Burke's nickname.  And also apparently a 'hip hop artist' (can't you hear Mr. Loss-Eaton's sniff of disdain?;-))  Point is, this King Solomon, over several incarnations, is most enjoyable and y'all can listen to him here.

And for a preview, here is one of my favorite cuts from the cd.  Recorded in the early 60s, it's obviously deeply indebted to a much more famous bluesman & one of his most famous songs - but hey.  Dig it.


King Solomon - Yodelling This Morning (originally released on Magnum 720)

Ferlin?!?! Swing West Vol 2 - Guitar Slingers (Razor & Tie, 1999)

So... a couple of months ago I was listening to the radio & was absolutely floored by a version of  Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' that totally sounded like something Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant would've cooked up. Said song was credited to none other than Ferlin Husky, who, while the singer of one of my fave country novelty songs of all time, has not ever been known for his guitar prowess. Hmm.

I had to purchase this awesome, sadly out of print cd to ascertain that a sadly UNKNOWN Nashville session guitarist (along with steel player Curly Chalker) put down this smoking & previously unreleased tune during a 1965 Ferlin Husky recording session.

Enjoy the entire cd - and here's the highlight:

'Ferlin Husky' - Caravan



And as a bonus here's Ferlin singing his ode to Eli - Eli, NOT Joe - the camel:

Ferlin Husky - Eli the Camel
 

And, double bonus, another wonderful cover from an oft-maligned player.  Totally different style but who cares!

Chet Atkins - Walk Don't Run (originally from Hi-Fi In Focus, 1957)








UPDATE 03/17/2011 - R.I.P., Ferlin

Satan Go Away! Scat! Seriously, right this minute! Dude, I am talking to YOU!

By request, here's a nice OOP compilation of Frank Guida productions.
Highlights include the Gary U.S. Bonds number referenced in the post title, yet another song about an ugly girl by Jimmy Soul, the maudlin 'Last Phone Call' by Lynn Earlington & a very nice straight soul song by The Soul Cop, who may or may not be Lenis Guess.

UPDATE 2/20/11 - Thanks to commenter doggett, we now know that the Soul Cop is in fact Oliver Christian.  Thank you, doggett!!!

@320, no scans

Nick, I hope you enjoy! [And everyone who somehow found their way to this sorry excuse of a blog should immediately go visit Nick's totally awesome site!]

VA - Frank Guida Presents The Norfolk VA. Rock 'n' Roll Sound (Ace, 1994)

get it here