“Old Lenny’s dead now. He got bitten by a badger while walking through the river naked one night, and later died of sepsis. Yet as I hit the water, the last thing I saw was his weathered and alcoholic face in my mind, and I knew the old special forces bastard was sending me a message from beyond the grave.” (Abergavenny man Johnny Turnip on his near-death experience.)
Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard, Tom Waits (1978)From the album Blue Valentine. According to Grok, the song lineup is:
Tom Waits / vocals, electric guitar; Alvin “Shine” Robinson / electric guitar; Harold Battiste / keyboards; Scott Edwards / bass; Earl Palmer / drums; Herb Hardesty / tenor saxophone.
Gloria Grahame & Humphrey Bogart – In a Lonely Place (1950)
It’s Bad You Know, R.L. Burnside (1998) The remix album Come On In by Delta blues guitarist R.L. Burnside was released on Fat Possum records in 1998.
Burnside was born in 1926 in Lafayette County, Mississippi. He learned from Mississippi Fred McDowell who lived in the next county over. Burnside and his family, tired of the life of sharecroppers, moved to Chicago in the early 50s. Subsequently his father, two uncles and two brothers were murdered there. In 1959 he returned to Mississippi, was convicted of murder himself, and served time at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, aka Parchman Farm.
Drumheller, Alberta boasts “the world’s largest dinosaur statue”, a 26.3 meter tall Tyrannosaurus Rex statue. Just like the iconic T-Rex from the Fallout New-Vegas videogame, visitors can climb an internal staircase and view the surrounding desert through its mouth.
If You Were Mine, Otis Rush (1957)From his first hit in 1956 (I Can’t Quit You Baby)Otis Rush was the sound of West Side Chicago electric blues. His vocals and playing style influenced many who followed, including Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn (who named his band after Rush’s 1959 hit Double Trouble).
Whale bone chess pieces found in Uig, Scotland, 12th Century AD.
Dap Walk, Ernie and The Top Notes, Inc. (1972) Over the years, Ernie has arranged and written songs for the likes of Ernie K-Doe, Alex Spearman, King Floyd, Eddie Bo, and Jessie Hill. He’s backed stars like Joe Tex, Solomon Burke, and Mardi Gras Indian bands, including the Wild Magnolias and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux’s Golden Eagles. He’s been a staple at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Formed in 1971 in New Orleans, the group consisted of Ernie Vincent (aka Ernie Vincent Williams) / guitar, writer & producer; John “Dap” Peters / bass; Lawrence Bowie / trumpet; Freddie Green / trumpet; Nathaniel Gaines / sax; and Peter Rooster / drums. They disbanded in 1980.
Atomic Dog, George Clinton (1982) Atomic Dog was P-Funk‘s last recording to hit No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart, but didn’t make Billboard’s Top 100. Bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay.
Man Child, Sam The Sham (1963)
Domingo Samudio, aka Sam The Sham, released his first 45rpm in 1962, a cover of Chick Willis’ Betty and Dupree; the B side was Man Child. Two years later, Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs’ hit Wooly Bully made No. 1 in Billboard’s Top 100 for 1965. Contrary to popular belief, Samudio wasn’t of Mexican ancestry; he was of Basque/Apache descent.
Romantic Beach, Los Elásticos (2003)
Banda instrumental de México, amante de la lucha libre y de la de Música Surf. Los cuatro luchadores y una Go-go Dancer tienen una página web por ahí.
Tear Drops, Soul Brothers Inc. (1967 Salem Records) 1960s northern soul group from Christiansburg, Virginia, with vocals by brothers Earl and Marshal Carter. A copy of this rare 45rpm can fetch as much as $5k. (Not to be confused with Soul Brothers Inc. from Houston, Texas, or S.B.I. / Soul Brothers Inc. Records.)
Moon Baby, Bo Diddley (1961) The amount of time to compose and record this song must have taken almost an hour. It was the last track on Side 1 of Bo Diddley is a Lover (reissue, ca. 1961). It also appears on retro compilations (like this one).
Tacky Raccoons 