Monthly Archives: September 2009

Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban!

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Whoa, WFMU’s Debbie D and company have gone bonkers over at the Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban site.

There are photos of Phil Spector, circa 1958, looking remarkably sedate. A picture of Tennessee Ernie Ford standing atop a pile of coal, advertising “Sixteen Tons.” A portrait of burlesque star Coco Barr brandishing a pair of pistols.

And, of course, there’s music galore: The Collins Kids, performing on the U.S. Air Force’s Country Music Time show. Big Star. Dexter Romweber. “The Patio Twist.” And an incredible live stream of “obscure ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’ soul.” I’m listening to Huey Smith and the Clowns right now!

In other WFMU news, the Trashmen will be performing at the Record Fair, slated for Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion on October 23rd, 24th and 25th!

Garage, New York, R&B, Rock 'n Roll, Soul

Henry Gray: Scotlandville’s Quiet Blues Giant

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While Henry Gray has lived in the sleepy hamlet of Scotlandville, Louisiana, just north of Baton Rouge, for nearly 40 years, he is the obvious heir to the Chicago blues piano throne. Why, one might well ask? He gets the crown, via 25 years of playing in the Windy City during the golden age of … Continue reading Henry Gray: Scotlandville’s Quiet Blues Giant →

Blues, Chicago

Scene Report: The Jack Johnson Memorial Dance at the VFW in Starks

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I had just purchased six piping-hot, 8-inch rice-and-porkers at the Sausage Link on old U.S. 90 in Sulphur, Looziana, when I glanced down at the newspaper rack by the exit door and spied a surprisingly familiar sight in this almost-alien swampland. Had I drunk too much beer at the Kaw-Liga bar down the road, where … Continue reading Scene Report: The Jack Johnson Memorial Dance at the VFW in Starks →

R&B, Scene Report, Swamp Pop

Scene Report: The RBT Band at Mo’s Chalet in Metairie

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Metairie is a place often disparaged by those “not from here.” It is especially disparaged by those not from here who seek to cloak themselves and where they came from in all things New Orleans. By disparaging our hinterlands, they strive to make themselves all the more genuinely New Orleans. Ironically, these self-appointed New Orleans … Continue reading Scene Report: The RBT Band at Mo’s Chalet in Metairie →

New Orleans, R&B, Rock 'n Roll, Scene Report