The end of a long year deserves a playlist to bring in the new one, and just as we did a mere twelve months ago, here’s a compilation of songs that buzzed my earballs in 2024.
Party Hard, Little Isidore & the Inquisitors (ca. 2012)Little Isidore is the alter ego of David Forman, a little known musician with a great resume; he fronts The Inquisitors, aka The Golden Inquisitors, aka The Mighty Inquisitors. Live stream December 2024 reunion show here: https://volume.com/t/gGilog/
Born and raised in Ozark, Arkansas, Jesse Welles began his career around 2012, performing as Jeh Sea Wells. “It’s obvious that Wells will always be comfortable in some dirty rock and roll kitchen where, as he says in one song, ‘everyone’s kinda ugly in that way that looks pretty.'” – NPR
R&B soul singer Curtis Salgado won the Blues Music Awards’ Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year two years in a row (2021 & 2022). Salgado was the inspiration behind John Belushi’s creation of the Blues Brothers characters in the late 1970s. They met in Eugene, Oregon, and became friends while Belushi was filming the movie Animal House [Wiki].
Gonna take my hatchet and get a Christmas tree tomorrow. Not gonna cut it, I just get a better price with a hatchet in my hand. Don’t know why, I just do. In the meantime, help yourselves to the porch and I’ll be back soon enough.
Step By Step, The Four Hollidays (1963) One of several groups out of Detroit with similar names, this one had an extra L and featured Cleo “Sonny” Barksdale, Robert Barksdale, James Holland and Johnny Mitchell.
Pm3 – PKP designation of a German express steam locomotive with aerodynamic lagging, produced in 1939–1941 for German railways (German series 0310).
Good, Good Lovin’, The Blossoms (1966) The Blossoms were probably the most successful unknown group of the ’60s, and the most well-known lineup was Darlene Love, Fanita James and Jean King. Their biggest hit was not even credited to them: producer Phil Spector was in a rush to get He’s A Rebel to the market, and since his top group was on tour at the time, he named The Crystals instead.
Hello Stranger, Barbara Lewis (1963)
One of the prettiest songs ever written IMO.
Barbara Lewis was inspired to write a song with that title while working gigs in Detroit with her musician father: “I would make the circuit with my dad and people would yell out: ‘Hey stranger, hello stranger, it’s been a long time’.” The song is notable because its title comprises the first two words of the lyrics but is never repeated at any point in the rest of the song. [via Wiki]
New Life, Little Johnny Christian (1983) John Christian grew up in Cleveland, Mississippi singing gospel in local church choirs. He was 15 in 1951 when he left for Chicago and joined The Highway Q.C.s, a post-WWII group with an ever-changing lineup that launched the careers of many gospel and soul singers. Tire of touring, Christian sang and played bass guitar in bar bands around the Chicago area, eventually forming his own R&B group, The Chicago Players, in 1968. [More at the link at top.]
[Top image: Japanese decoy tank constructed from lava rock, Iwo Jima, WWII (colorized); Decoy Warfare: Lessons and Implication from the War in Ukraine,USNI Proceedings April 2024.]
I Really Love You, The Stereos (1961) Formed by members of The Buckeyes, The Stereos were an R&B group from Steubenville, Ohio, and recorded from 1959 through 1968. Their biggest hit, I Really Love You, was later covered in 1983 by George Harrison.
Zoom Zoom Zoom, The Collegians (1958) A hit for the Collegians, the intro to this song was adopted by the Marcels in 1961 for their classic version of Blue Moon.
1987 claymation video by Aardman Animations features the voice and piano of Eunice Kathleen Waymon, aka gospel / jazz / R&B / soul singer Nina Simone, with a song from 1958. She changed her name to elude family members and play “the devil’s music” in an Atlantic City nightclub. The management told her that she would have to sing to her own accompaniment, and that launched her career as a jazz vocalist.
“What’s your band’s name?”
“The High Numbers.”
“The who?”
“Yes.”
Too far south to see this weekend’s aurorae, and I hope everyone who can survives the EMT barrage. I’ll take the event as a good omen, and yet another damn good reason to do some porch sitting tomorrow.
See you then.
Tacky Raccoons 