Category: Retro & Vintage

Saturday Matinee – Ronco’s Greatest Hits, Han Li, Sam Chatmon, Magic Slim & The Teardrops

Just a few more shopping days left. Go for it [via].

“We found the happiest lady [Han Li] in China. We told her that you don’t need a real hula hoop to have fun. She agreed.”

Khruangbin made me smile [found here].

Sam Chatmon (1897-1983) sang his version of a classic cheatin’ song in 1978. Apparently the vid was filmed by Alan Lomax.

The origin of the song “Make Me A Pallet On The Floor” is fuzzy and dates to the 1800s. It appeared in sheet music in 1908 in “Blind Boone’s Southern Rag Medley No. One: Strains from the Alleys.“

Now check out John William Blind Boone‘s amazing story…

Magic Slim, aka Morris Holt (1937-2013). Nice Chicago blues [via].

Magic Slim was forced to give up playing the piano when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin mishap. He first came to Chicago in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam. The elder (by six months) Magic (Sam) let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass with his band and gave him his nickname.

Have a great weekend folks. Be back here tomorrow for more stuff.

Elsie’s Tavern

Michael E. Long makes and sells shadow boxes of curious/derelict building exteriors and interiors.

[Found here.]

Hose-Belting-Packing Hot Links

Chomp.

A Few Goodmen.

Roadtrip dashcam.

And meme rolls on [via].

Arguing fact on Twitter.

What happens when a cat plays Dungeons & Dragons.

You Have The Right To Remain Silent. Now they’re attacking The Salvation Army.

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago.

[Top image: Alcohol smuggling ca. 1926, via here.]

Klaus-Günter Jacobi’s Contribution To The World

If socialism is such a great economic system, why have so many people died trying to escape it?

Risking imprisonment, torture and death, Klaus-Günter Jacobi modified a BMW Isetta to help his friend escape the oppression of East Germany in 1963. Nine others were able to escape using the same method.

[Escaping East Berlin in a 1961 BMW Isetta [via]. Short vid here.]

Thirsty.

At the Drinking Fountain, New York, USA, 1930s.

[Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – Earl Hooker, Sam Maghett & Joanna Connor

Here’s Earl Hooker’s guitar with Earl Hooker [1930-1970].

Here’s Earl Hooker’s guitar being ripped to shreds by Magic Sam Maghett (1937-1969). I think the song is also named Looking Good.

Here’s Joanna Connor’s guitar, played by Joanna Connor, playing Magic Sam playing Earl Hooker’s guitar.

Killer stuff, that. Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow for more stuffing and gravy.

In 1915, The U.S.S. North Carolina Became The 1st US Aircraft Carrier.

 

[The] catapult was installed on board the U.S.S. North Carolina during the late summer of 1915. The first test was made with a plane which carried no pilot, with the controls lashed in flying position. The experiment was successful so far as the catapult was concerned, although the plane stalled at the end of the track and spun into the water. This was sufficient proof for Lieutenant Commander Mustin, commandant of the station, and he ordered the second plane aboard to be prepared for a catapult shot. Climbing in and warming up the engine he flew the first plane off a catapult mounted on a ship. After several live shots, the next attempt was to catapult a plane while the ship was definitely under way. Lieutenant A. A. Cunningham, U.S. Marine Corps, was selected for this experiment. This shot, however, failed and the plane struck the water with one wing and turned over. Fortunately, the pilot swam out from under and was picked up by a boat.

[Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – The Password, Larkin Poe, Grace Slick & Ernie Andrews

The Password [via].
Seen that scene many times, but it wasn’t until recently that I connected it to something I read years ago.

The Code Breakers” by David Kahn is a classic book on the history of cryptology. In Chapter 2 he described the simple alphabet letter-shift that every schoolboy knows, but then he double-encrypts the shift with a password. Kahn used SWORDFISH as an example.

Using a simple alphabet shift from A to B:
TACKYRACCOONS reads SZBIXQZBBNNMR. Lot of repeated letters, but if you add a key like SWORDFISH to the shift, you get LWQBVGIUJGKJ, and it’s tougher to crack. That’s kind of how the WWII German Enigma machine worked.

Leadbelly cover found here.

Grace Slick’s vocals (sans backup music) on White Rabbit creeps me right out [via]. “Remember what the door mouse said.” Oh shut up. Go feed your cats or something.

I need an aural palate cleanser after that one, so let’s roll with this:

Yeah, Ernie Andrews, one of the greatest big band soul singers of all time, and “Do I Worry” is one of my all-time favorites.

Have a great weekend or two, folks. We’ll keep the porch light on.

If I had a Hammond…

[Top graphic found here. Booker T. Jones‘ image found here.]

I read an opinion recently in a nation-wide Sunday publication [Parade Magazine] suggesting that organ donation should be mandatory by default, unless a person acts and chooses to “opt out.” Think that one through, and it should scare the hell out of you.

Saturday Matinee – Bot Training, Peter Gunn & Link Wray

Training the bot is pretty cool. How it was made is cooler:

[Found here. Don’t worry, it’s a safe site. They had a coordinated WOT report attack years ago by some people who didn’t like their opinions. If you subscribe to WOT, please mark the site as safe. They don’t deserve this unwarranted abuse. Never have. SFK. SFW.]

In 1992, The Blues Brothers Band did Henry Mancini’s 1958 classic “Theme To Peter Gunn” justice. Other notable artists covered it, including Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, Jeff Beck and Deodato.

Emerson Lake & Palmer‘s version is probably the most pretentious, while Roy Buchanan just quietly walks up and then BAM. Right in your face.

Link Wray took some liberties with the song, made it nasty, and renamed it “Switchblade.” I couldn’t find a live vid, but I found this:

Awesome.

Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here for more stuff.