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Post by rizzuto on Dec 12, 2023 12:34:06 GMT -5
Get It While You Can, my friends... I see you've been rooting around in my record collection again Rizz. Howard Tate was a Philly guy and this song got played around here a lot in 1967. He was one of the really great gospel/soul vocalists who never got the kind of recognition he should have. He had another great hit called "Ain't Nobody Home." These songs were written by another Philly guy named Jerry Ragavoy, who had better-known hits like "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones and "Piece Of My Heart" by Big Brother and the Holding Company aka Janis Joplin. The original vocal of "Time Is On My Side" was by Irma Thomas, "The Soul Queen Of New Orleans" who you might know about. One of my favorite woman soul singers. The original "Piece Of My Heart" was sung by Irma Franklin, older sister of Aretha and a powerful vocalist in her own right. Ragavoy also wrote one of my all-time favorite gospel soul songs, "Cry Baby" done originally by Philly's Garnet Mimms and later covered by Joplin. Anyway, thanks for unexpectedly posting this seldom-heard gem from out of the past. I was watching the series "Reacher" on Amazon - from the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child that I mentioned before - and the song played. I went to YouTube and listened to the song in its entirety for the first time, and thought, "This has to be right in Pipps' wheelhouse." And, indeed, anyone from south Louisiana who likes real music knows Sweet Irma Thomas. Jimmy Buffett from Mobile, Alabama once sang (song is called "Saxophones") in his earlier career when trying to get air time: I cut my teeth on gumbo rock Benny Spellman and Doctor John Sweet Irma Thomas and Frogman Henry Use to boogie woogie all night long Though I love rock and roll the acoustic guitar was the only way I had of becoming a star I’m doin rather nice and traveling around But they won’t play my record in my own hometown |
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Post by pippsheadache on Dec 12, 2023 21:06:16 GMT -5
I see you've been rooting around in my record collection again Rizz. Howard Tate was a Philly guy and this song got played around here a lot in 1967. He was one of the really great gospel/soul vocalists who never got the kind of recognition he should have. He had another great hit called "Ain't Nobody Home." These songs were written by another Philly guy named Jerry Ragavoy, who had better-known hits like "Time Is On My Side" by the Rolling Stones and "Piece Of My Heart" by Big Brother and the Holding Company aka Janis Joplin. The original vocal of "Time Is On My Side" was by Irma Thomas, "The Soul Queen Of New Orleans" who you might know about. One of my favorite woman soul singers. The original "Piece Of My Heart" was sung by Irma Franklin, older sister of Aretha and a powerful vocalist in her own right. Ragavoy also wrote one of my all-time favorite gospel soul songs, "Cry Baby" done originally by Philly's Garnet Mimms and later covered by Joplin. Anyway, thanks for unexpectedly posting this seldom-heard gem from out of the past. I was watching the series "Reacher" on Amazon - from the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child that I mentioned before - and the song played. I went to YouTube and listened to the song in its entirety for the first time, and thought, "This has to be right in Pipps' wheelhouse." And, indeed, anyone from south Louisiana who likes real music knows Sweet Irma Thomas. Jimmy Buffett from Mobile, Alabama once sang (song is called "Saxophones") in his earlier career when trying to get air time: I cut my teeth on gumbo rock Benny Spellman and Doctor John Sweet Irma Thomas and Frogman Henry Use to boogie woogie all night long Though I love rock and roll the acoustic guitar was the only way I had of becoming a star I’m doin rather nice and traveling around But they won’t play my record in my own hometown I appreciate your musical scholarship Rizz. I gave a listen to "Saxophones," which I had never previously heard, and I liked it. It sounds a bit like something Jim Croce would have done. I'm so glad you know about Irma Thomas, although her prime was before you arrived on the scene. I love her stuff, especially "Wish Someone Would Care" and "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand.)" Unfortunately those songs came out in 1964, when not only The Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion hit our shores, but also Motown began its rise to monstrous proportions. So they got lost in the shuffle. Not her best song, but her best concept, was her early release "You Can Have My Husband (But Don't Mess With My Man.)" I'm impressed that Benny Spellman gets a shout out in a song. He had a few hits -- "Lipstick Traces" and "Fortune Teller" (covered by the Stones), but probably his best-known appearance on a record was as the bass voice on Ernie K-Doe's hit "Mother-In-Law." Two NOLA veterans, and favorites of Paul McCartney, who had them as guest performers a few times with Wings. Frogman Henry and Doctor John both legends. You could chew up a lot of bandwidth just rattling off great musicians from Louisiana. It doesn't have to be Fats Domino or Louis Armstrong-level of great. The Meters, The Neville Brothers, Doug Kershaw, Tommy McLain, Tony Joe White, Huey "Piano" Smith, Chris Kenner, Joe Stampley. How about Cookie and His Cupcakes? Among the originators of Swamp Pop, they had a song called "Mathilda" you may know. I used to play it on my radio show in Santa Fe because we got swamped with requests for it from Hispanics living in Espanola. The Cajun sound was well-liked in that area. Thanks for dredging up some interesting musical history. I miss the days of strong regional music taste when radio stations would give a lot of air time to local artists. In the 1950s and early 60s a guy from Dallas named Gordon McLendon came up with the concept of Top 40 stations, which significantly narrowed the playlists and focused on playing the same songs every few hours. Unfortunately it was quite successful -- the public likes repetition, and Program Directors like exercising control over DJs -- and it made it tougher to get air time for more fringe tastes, at least on the big stations. |
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Post by Renfield on Dec 12, 2023 21:48:28 GMT -5
Dang, pipps! Great recitation of Louisiana musicians with a rare shout out to one of my more obscure favs--Doug Kershaw--the Louisiana Man. Saw him in college and he put on a great show. One of the most energetic performers you could see. Not a classic or clean fiddler, but a unique style. Often would hold his fiddle at waist level. He would really just saw the fiddle to pieces it seemed. He had a basket of bows with him on stage as his fiddling style just frayed them to shreds. When it got to where there were more strings on his fiddle than on his bow, he'd throw it in the basket and grab another one. He's still alive, I think. Don't know if he performs anymore. Diggy Diggy Lo is my favorite Kershaw tune.
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Post by pippsheadache on Dec 13, 2023 16:53:56 GMT -5
Dang, pipps! Great recitation of Louisiana musicians with a rare shout out to one of my more obscure favs--Doug Kershaw--the Louisiana Man. Saw him in college and he put on a great show. One of the most energetic performers you could see. Not a classic or clean fiddler, but a unique style. Often would hold his fiddle at waist level. He would really just saw the fiddle to pieces it seemed. He had a basket of bows with him on stage as his fiddling style just frayed them to shreds. When it got to where there were more strings on his fiddle than on his bow, he'd throw it in the basket and grab another one. He's still alive, I think. Don't know if he performs anymore. Diggy Diggy Lo is my favorite Kershaw tune. You are a true connoisseur, Renfield. Doug Kershaw is legendary among musicians, but not widely-known by the typical music listener. I've never seen him in concert unfortunately. The first I ever heard of him was when he appeared on Johnny Cash's TV show many years ago, around 1970, I was watching because Bob Dylan was going to be on and out comes Kershaw looking like a taller version of Ray Davies of The Kinks, complete with an Edwardian suit and ruffled shirt, flapping around like a great blue heron taking off. Cash had him on several times, and I remember him doing "Louisiana Man" and I think "Jole Blon" however you spell it. You're absolutely right, once seen you do not forget him. I never saw a guy shred a bow like that. I think if you gave him a stick and a slinky he could do a virtuoso rendition of "Orange Blossom Special." Good-time music. My wife and I once went to a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center that featured Itzak Perlman, one of the greatest classical violinists in history. It was unforgettable to watch an acknowledged genius at work. He's also a great showman. At one point he addressed the audience to say he was going to divert from his usual offering for a minute to pay tribute to "my friend Doug Kershaw" by playing some wild piece I couldn't identify, but it brought the house down. Man, I only scratched the surface on Louisiana musicians. Jerry Lee Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, Louis Prima, Buckwheat Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, The Dixie Cups ("Chapel Of Love"), Dale and Grace ("I'm Leavin' It Up To You"), John Fred and His Playboy Band ("Judy In Disguise"), Frankie Ford ("Sea Cruise"), The Wild Tchoupitolous (anybody know them?) and several thousand others I am not recalling immediately. One of the founding fathers of American music Louis Moreau Gottschalk, the bridge between classical and ragtime, another largely ignored genius. Another NOLA star was Toussaint McCall, who about 20 years after the fact got some well-deserved publicity when his song "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" was used in the movie "Hairspray." www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6I4fUnICdI |
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Post by rizzuto on Dec 13, 2023 17:25:36 GMT -5
Dang, pipps! Great recitation of Louisiana musicians with a rare shout out to one of my more obscure favs--Doug Kershaw--the Louisiana Man. Saw him in college and he put on a great show. One of the most energetic performers you could see. Not a classic or clean fiddler, but a unique style. Often would hold his fiddle at waist level. He would really just saw the fiddle to pieces it seemed. He had a basket of bows with him on stage as his fiddling style just frayed them to shreds. When it got to where there were more strings on his fiddle than on his bow, he'd throw it in the basket and grab another one. He's still alive, I think. Don't know if he performs anymore. Diggy Diggy Lo is my favorite Kershaw tune. You are a true connoisseur, Renfield. Doug Kershaw is legendary among musicians, but not widely-known by the typical music listener. I've never seen him in concert unfortunately. The first I ever heard of him was when he appeared on Johnny Cash's TV show many years ago, around 1970, I was watching because Bob Dylan was going to be on and out comes Kershaw looking like a taller version of Ray Davies of The Kinks, complete with an Edwardian suit and ruffled shirt, flapping around like a great blue heron taking off. Cash had him on several times, and I remember him doing "Louisiana Man" and I think "Jole Blon" however you spell it. You're absolutely right, once seen you do not forget him. I never saw a guy shred a bow like that. I think if you gave him a stick and a slinky he could do a virtuoso rendition of "Orange Blossom Special." Good-time music. My wife and I once went to a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center that featured Itzak Perlman, one of the greatest classical violinists in history. It was unforgettable to watch an acknowledged genius at work. He's also a great showman. At one point he addressed the audience to say he was going to divert from his usual offering for a minute to pay tribute to "my friend Doug Kershaw" by playing some wild piece I couldn't identify, but it brought the house down. Man, I only scratched the surface on Louisiana musicians. Jerry Lee Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, Louis Prima, Buckwheat Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, The Dixie Cups ("Chapel Of Love"), Dale and Grace ("I'm Leavin' It Up To You"), John Fred and His Playboy Band ("Judy In Disguise"), Frankie Ford ("Sea Cruise"), The Wild Tchoupitolous (anybody know them?) and several thousand others I am not recalling immediately. One of the founding fathers of American music Louis Moreau Gottschalk, the bridge between classical and ragtime, another largely ignored genius. Another NOLA star was Toussaint McCall, who about 20 years after the fact got some well-deserved publicity when his song "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" was used in the movie "Hairspray." www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6I4fUnICdIWho wouldn't want Pipps as one of their life lines on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" By the way, Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural, Jr.) was a cousin by marriage of my eldest brother's wife. He was from Lafayette, Louisiana, home of the University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, my entire immediate family's alma mater, sans you know who... |
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Post by pippsheadache on Dec 13, 2023 20:33:57 GMT -5
You are a true connoisseur, Renfield. Doug Kershaw is legendary among musicians, but not widely-known by the typical music listener. I've never seen him in concert unfortunately. The first I ever heard of him was when he appeared on Johnny Cash's TV show many years ago, around 1970, I was watching because Bob Dylan was going to be on and out comes Kershaw looking like a taller version of Ray Davies of The Kinks, complete with an Edwardian suit and ruffled shirt, flapping around like a great blue heron taking off. Cash had him on several times, and I remember him doing "Louisiana Man" and I think "Jole Blon" however you spell it. You're absolutely right, once seen you do not forget him. I never saw a guy shred a bow like that. I think if you gave him a stick and a slinky he could do a virtuoso rendition of "Orange Blossom Special." Good-time music. My wife and I once went to a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center that featured Itzak Perlman, one of the greatest classical violinists in history. It was unforgettable to watch an acknowledged genius at work. He's also a great showman. At one point he addressed the audience to say he was going to divert from his usual offering for a minute to pay tribute to "my friend Doug Kershaw" by playing some wild piece I couldn't identify, but it brought the house down. Man, I only scratched the surface on Louisiana musicians. Jerry Lee Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, Louis Prima, Buckwheat Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, The Dixie Cups ("Chapel Of Love"), Dale and Grace ("I'm Leavin' It Up To You"), John Fred and His Playboy Band ("Judy In Disguise"), Frankie Ford ("Sea Cruise"), The Wild Tchoupitolous (anybody know them?) and several thousand others I am not recalling immediately. One of the founding fathers of American music Louis Moreau Gottschalk, the bridge between classical and ragtime, another largely ignored genius. Another NOLA star was Toussaint McCall, who about 20 years after the fact got some well-deserved publicity when his song "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" was used in the movie "Hairspray." www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6I4fUnICdIWho wouldn't want Pipps as one of their life lines on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" By the way, Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural, Jr.) was a cousin by marriage of my eldest brother's wife. He was from Lafayette, Louisiana, home of the University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, my entire immediate family's alma mater, sans you know who... Desousa was actually on that show, was he not? A lifeline would have only been an encumbrance. Wow, Buckwheat Zydeco in the family? You have waited this long to spring this valuable information on us? More details are needed here, starting with did you know him? If you told me that for a year I could only listen to music that came from Louisiana, it would not be difficult to fill those hours with great pleasure. Now more of those musicians are popping into my skull -- Lloyd Price ("Stagger Lee"), Lee Dorsey ("Working In A Coal Mine"), Al Hirt ("Java"), Pete Fountain ("Basin Street Blues"), Smiley Lewis ("I Hear You Knocking"), Aaron Neville ("Tell It Like It Is"), King Floyd ("Groove Me"), Joe Jones ("You Talk Too Much"), Shirley Goodman ("Shame Shame Shame"), Roy Brown ("Good Rockin' Tonight"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), Phil Phillips ("Sea Of Love") -- just getting warmed up. How were you able to break away from the spell of the Ragin' Cajuns? Any of those Green Waves from Tulane in Clan Rizzuto? |
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Post by kaybli on Dec 13, 2023 20:39:22 GMT -5
Who wouldn't want Pipps as one of their life lines on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" By the way, Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural, Jr.) was a cousin by marriage of my eldest brother's wife. He was from Lafayette, Louisiana, home of the University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, my entire immediate family's alma mater, sans you know who... Desousa was actually on that show, was he not? A lifeline would have only been an encumbrance. Wow, Buckwheat Zydeco in the family? You have waited this long to spring this valuable information on us? More details are needed here, starting with did you know him? If you told me that for a year I could only listen to music that came from Louisiana, it would not be difficult to fill those hours with great pleasure. Now more of those musicians are popping into my skull -- Lloyd Price ("Stagger Lee"), Lee Dorsey ("Working In A Coal Mine"), Al Hirt ("Java"), Pete Fountain ("Basin Street Blues"), Smiley Lewis ("I Hear You Knocking"), Aaron Neville ("Tell It Like It Is"), King Floyd ("Groove Me"), Joe Jones ("You Talk Too Much"), Shirley Goodman ("Shame Shame Shame"), Roy Brown ("Good Rockin' Tonight"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), Phil Phillips ("Sea Of Love") -- just getting warmed up. How were you able to break away from the spell of the Ragin' Cajuns? Any of those Green Waves from Tulane in Clan Rizzuto? was indeed on the show and will rue the day Joseph Meister was born for the rest of his life: millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Matt_BordenHe did win a cool 25k though! 💰 |
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Post by kaybli on Dec 13, 2023 20:45:02 GMT -5
 And just to give desousa even more of a hard time here’s a comment from an article linked from that wiki: What I'll remember most about Matt is that he almost never looked up at the cameras - he was focused on the screen so all we saw was the top of his balding head (except on rare occasions.) 😂 |
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Post by rizzuto on Dec 15, 2023 0:14:36 GMT -5
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Post by inger on Dec 15, 2023 12:25:06 GMT -5
And just to give desousa even more of a hard time here’s a comment from an article linked from that wiki: What I'll remember most about Matt is that he almost never looked up at the cameras - he was focused on the screen so all we saw was the top of his balding head (except on rare occasions.) 😂 If only he had been on “Wheel of Fortune”. While he broke the record for most RPM on the wheel he could have said hello to all of us… That game “WWTBAM” was tough to win $25K on. It appeals to greed that usually won’t let a player be smart enough to get out at that stage. Way to go, Matt!!! |
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Post by pippsheadache on Dec 15, 2023 16:08:15 GMT -5
Rizz, either you are unusually perspicacious or I am depressingly predictable. Not only does "Boogaloo Down Broadway" ring bells, there is probably no song in the universe that I listen to more often. Seriously. Gut-bucket dashboard-pounding heavy beat funk is right in the old solar plexus for yours truly. The Fantastic Johnny C, like Joe Frazier, is another Philly boy via South Carolina. Actually, he's Norristown -- birthplace of Tommy Lasorda and Mike Piazza -- but that's pretty close. I of course have his only album, issued in 1967 on the mysterious Phil-LA of Soul label which also gave us Cliff Nobles, whose instrumental "The Horse" used to be a staple of college marching bands during the halftime shows. On the cover of the album Johnny actually shows us a series of steps of him doing the boogaloo down Broadway. His career was short-lived -- the supply of outstanding musicians has always exceeded the demand. I see that he is still alive at age 83. He had a record shop in Norristown that I unfortunately was not aware of until after it had closed. That murderous rimshot that lifts the song to immortality was provided by a guy named Earl Young, one of the all-time great soul drummers. Young is the drummer on most stuff that came out of Philly in the 60s and 70s and was one of the main guys behind MFSB and their billion-selling TSOP (the soul train theme.) He's one of the founders of The Trammps and the drummer on pretty much anything done by The Spinners, The Stylistics, Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes, The Three Degrees ("When Will I See You Again") and on and on. People who understand drumming say he has the drummer's equivalent of perfect pitch -- perfect timing -- that only the likes of Buddy Rich and Hal Blaine (he's the main Wrecking Crew drummer) have. Wow, thanks for giving me an unexpected jolt with that song. A very different kind of song, but another that can always crank my engine, is from Yuma's gift to rock and roll, Curtis Lee www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZT__JFMUgU |
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Post by inger on Dec 16, 2023 15:40:53 GMT -5
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Post by rizzuto on Dec 16, 2023 15:45:59 GMT -5
Rizz, either you are unusually perspicacious or I am depressingly predictable. Not only does "Boogaloo Down Broadway" ring bells, there is probably no song in the universe that I listen to more often. Seriously. Gut-bucket dashboard-pounding heavy beat funk is right in the old solar plexus for yours truly. The Fantastic Johnny C, like Joe Frazier, is another Philly boy via South Carolina. Actually, he's Norristown -- birthplace of Tommy Lasorda and Mike Piazza -- but that's pretty close. I of course have his only album, issued in 1967 on the mysterious Phil-LA of Soul label which also gave us Cliff Nobles, whose instrumental "The Horse" used to be a staple of college marching bands during the halftime shows. On the cover of the album Johnny actually shows us a series of steps of him doing the boogaloo down Broadway. His career was short-lived -- the supply of outstanding musicians has always exceeded the demand. I see that he is still alive at age 83. He had a record shop in Norristown that I unfortunately was not aware of until after it had closed. That murderous rimshot that lifts the song to immortality was provided by a guy named Earl Young, one of the all-time great soul drummers. Young is the drummer on most stuff that came out of Philly in the 60s and 70s and was one of the main guys behind MFSB and their billion-selling TSOP (the soul train theme.) He's one of the founders of The Trammps and the drummer on pretty much anything done by The Spinners, The Stylistics, Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes, The Three Degrees ("When Will I See You Again") and on and on. People who understand drumming say he has the drummer's equivalent of perfect pitch -- perfect timing -- that only the likes of Buddy Rich and Hal Blaine (he's the main Wrecking Crew drummer) have. Wow, thanks for giving me an unexpected jolt with that song. A very different kind of song, but another that can always crank my engine, is from Yuma's gift to rock and roll, Curtis Lee www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZT__JFMUgU Pipps, your capacity for musical history and running miles of rabbit holes for a single song’s deconstruction is an incredible gift. Your passion and intense relationship to these songs has me paying attention and discovering music I likely would have missed if not for you. My antenna has definitely shifted since getting to know you, and I’m better for it. Glad you enjoy me running these musical gems by you! |
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Post by inger on Dec 16, 2023 18:04:12 GMT -5
Billy Gibbons is 74 today…
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Post by pippsheadache on Dec 17, 2023 7:43:42 GMT -5
Hey guys, loving these music posts. I'm out of town doing the in-law circuit in the Finger Lakes and there's not much downtime for us right now, but I'll for sure get back to this at the first opportunity. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to. So there.
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