Don’t ask my opinion, don’t ask me to lie, then beg for forgiveness for making you cry. Rag’n’Bone Man does heavy duty soul.
Live from Budapest, Sonny and his Wild Cows rock it. A popular band in Hungary (and across Europe) they cover 40s & 50s American blues, R&B, rock & roll, rockabilly, swing and country. Free music download at their awesome website, too.
Well looky here. It’s the weekend. Have a great one, and we’ll see y’all back here tomorrow, rain or shine.
Right Around The Corner, The “5” Royales (1956)The Royal Sons Quintet, aka The Royals, aka The “5” Royales were a gospel group that made the crossover to R&B and laid the foundation for what would later be called Soul Music. Active during the years 1951 through 1965, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Funny,Joe Hinton (1964)First recorded by country singer Billy Walker in 1961, Joe Hinton’s version made No. 13 on Billboard’s Top 100, No. 1 on Cash Box Magazine’s R&B list, and was one of Willie Nelson’s first hits as songwriter. The title Funny How Time Slips Away was shortened on the record label. Hinton succumbed to skin cancer in 1968 at the age of 38.
I Can See Everybody’s Baby, Ruth Brown & Her Rhythmakers (1955)Ruth Brown was known as “Miss Rhythm” and “The Queen of R&B,” while Atlantic Records was called “The House That Ruth Built.” The Rhythmakers [sic] provided backup vocals and were better known as The Drifters.
Brown recorded many hits from 1949-1955, and faded from public view in the ’60s to become a housewife and mother. She returned to music in 1975 at the urging of Redd Foxx.
Hair-Net, The 5 Peaks, (1985?) Jay-R RecordsFrom Pueblo, Colorado, Gerald Gantt, Robert Stallworth, Casey Hynes and Joel Scherzer recorded in the 70’s as The Four Shades, The Five Bucks, and as The 5 Peaks in the late 80’s for the Jay-R label. The 45 rpm credits M. Simpkins as the songwriter. [Heard on The Hound.]
“We had so much fun backstage during our last jam video that Darius Rucker decided he didn’t want to be left out…so we made another!” Whole buncha peeps in that one: The Brothers Osborne, Darius Rucker and A Thousand Horses. BTW, that’s a Doc Watson song.
Utopia (2019) is a short by filmmaker Kosta Nikas. A man lives in a society where citizens police each other with their mobile phones. [Found here.]
The Nicholas Brancker Band plays 60’s-70s spouge, a style that was “Barbados’ answer to ska in Jamaica and calypso in Trinidad.” I’d heard before but never knew it had a name until recently (thanks to Queen H.). Jump to 01:10 for the music.
Tighten Up (Part 1) is a cover of the classic 1969 Archie Bell & the Drells hit. Music starts at 0:40. This all-star lineup features:
“If Earl Scruggs, Dolly Parton, and Spinal Tap spawned a litter of puppies, it would be the Cleverlys.” – NYT
As long as we’re doing covers, The Cleverlys‘ take on The Proclaimers‘ 1988 song is a good’un. A lot of the songs they cover are parodies of a sort (I expected to hear “pterodactyl” in the refrain) but they play I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) straight… mostly.
There’s a hunderd other things that I can think of to post, but I gotta wrap it up and ship it out. Have a great weekend, and you know what to do.
Village of Love, Nathaniel Mayer & The Fabulous Twilights (1962)Village of Love was Nathaniel “Nate Dog” Mayer‘s first hit, recorded when he was 18. After his six year stint with Fortune Records, his whereabouts were often unknown as he would disappear into the East Detroit ghettos, sometimes for years. Apparently he’d had a rough time, too – in 2009 he recorded The Puddle.
The Woo Woo Train, The Valentines (1956) Rama RecordsFirst calling themselves The Mistletoes, then The Dreamers, they settled on The Valentines.The Jimmy Wright Orchestra played on the Rama sessions.