Little Richard Rocks!

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom…
Who doesn’t know these immortal words, the beginning of perhaps the ultimate Rock & Roll song; Tutti Frutti
I remember when I got a bunch of 45s with my first record player which included this classic, probably worn the grooves out of that poor piece of vinyl.
Later I got some albums, one of them being Little Richard's Greatest Hits - Recorded Live! from 1967.
But after that he sort of fell off my preferred artists list, also my musical horizon expanded, there was (much) more than 50s R&R…
Over the years Little Richard popped up here and there, whether in a duet with Canned Heat or as a rapping preacher for Living Colour.
He passed away almost 5 years ago, but I didn’t feel inclined to start looking more seriously at his legacy.
So what triggered this now?
Believe it or not, it was the review of Elton John’s latest album with Brandi Carlile: Who Believes In Angels?
It includes a song called Little Richard’s Bible and I must admit it’s pretty good!
Out of curiosity I started surfing the internet for more Little Richard related songs and found plenty of cool tracks.
Most of his songs got rereleased on CDs and the number of compilations listed on Discogs is staggering, the fact that he re-recorded his hits several times didn’t help.
Worse, there isn’t anything covering his whole career, just endless repackaged/re-recorded hits, live recordings of at times dubious quality, his very early pre-Specialty work, the Specialty hits, gospel recordings, VeeJay Records, Okey Records, Reprise Records, etc.
This seemed a perfect opportunity for Jokonky to step in and rectify this dreadful situation!

As a result we proudly present this compilation covering the beginning (1951’s Taxi Blues) to the (more or less) end (2008’s I Ain’t Never) + Little Richard’s Bible thrown in as it’s a great tribute!

THE BEST OF JERRY LEE LEWIS: Live At Gilley's 1981-1988

Jerry Lee Lewis broadcast five live shows from his cousin, Mickey Gilley’s gin joint in the 1980’s (Stinky writes).  Jerry Lee was struggling with drugs & alcohol when most of these recordings were made.   He’d been hospitalized due to ulcers in 1981 & 1985, and several artists (like the late Kris Kristofferson) went to see “The Killer” to pay their last respects.  Jerry went to The Betty Ford Center in 1986, and one Gilley’s broadcast represented here is from 1988.  Yet there isn’t a huge difference in his lucidity on these tracks.  

In my opinion, in an altered state or not, JLL could always put on an amazing show.  It was only in between the songs that you realized he was high enough to punch pelicans; when he leered at women in the audience, or salaciously slurred stories.  He also had a tendency to bark orders at the band during the songs when he’d been imbibing.  “Pick it up, son!”

Lewis is on his best behavior as he runs through songs that were in his live sets since the days of his legendary 1964 live album, Live At The Star Club: Great Balls Of Fire, Whole Lotta Shakin’, and High School Confidential as well as his later favorites No Headstone On My Grave, Chantilly Lace, and Who Will The Next Fool Be?  

Some songs are here more than once — because it was too difficult to choose between the versions included — as in the case of the only SLOW version of Great Balls Of Fire that I’ve heard him play, or one of the faster ones.

I own more Jerry Lee Lewis albums than any other solo artist, so it’d seem cruel to make you wait to download this piping-hot comp.  But I’d appreciate it if you’d answer the following question.

I saw four of the early rock & rollers live: Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Link Wray and Jerry Lee.  Who are the earliest rock & roll pioneers that you’ve seen live, and under what circumstances?

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG: Stinky's tributes to Link Wray and Otis Blackwell (who wrote Great Balls Of Fire as well as Breathless).  Plus more Chuck Berry covers than you can shake, rattle and roll a stick at.

Gnarly Guitarists: LINK WRAY!!!

Stinky sez: If all Link Wray ever did was invent the power chord, we’d still be talking about him today.  Wray concentrated on guitar after he lost a lung to tuberculosis while serving in the Korean War, which hospitalized him for most of 1956 and made singing difficult.

But his fame grew when his signature song, RUMBLE, became the first and only instrumental to be banned in the first fearful furor over rock & roll’s effect on teenagers.  Authorities in Boston and NYC banned the raunchy sounding 1958 record because they feared it would incite teenage gang violence!  The record went on to sell 4 million copies.

A peer of Elvis Presley’s, Link recorded for major labels Epic and Swan before he tired of the music business and retreated to record his music with his brothers in a three-track recording studio, in a converted chicken shack, on the family farm.

Before The Stray Cats made retro-rockabilly popular, Robert Gordon was recording rockabilly songs from the 50’s with Link Wray.  The difference was that Robert couldn’t write songs like Brian Setzer, so it wasn’t sustainable.  But for a couple of albums and a couple of tours Robert paired with Link Wray and producer Richard Gottehrer.

In 2002 Cain Bureau wrote: Wray claims that because he was too slow to be a whiz on guitar, he had to invent sounds. "I was looking for something that Chet Atkins wasn't doing, that all the jazz kings wasn't doing, that all the country pickers wasn't doing. I was looking for my own sound," he said.  He was one of the first guitarists to take a major chord and run it up and down the fret board, creating the thundering sound known as the power chord—a favorite among today's hard-rock players.

Wray toured right up until his death in Copenhagen at the age of 76.

“If it hadn’t been for Link Wray and RUMBLE, I would have never picked up a guitar.” - Pete Townshend

"I used to have this thing about Link Wray/ I used to play him every Saturday/ God bless Saturday" - The Fall, "Neighbourhood of Infinity"

Songs The Flamin' Groovies Taught Us

This set of songs covered by The Flamin' Groovies has some interesting connections to other "jukebox" collections on this blog.  The Groovies covered Frankie Lee Sims' "Married Woman". Barrence Whitfield and the Savages turned Sims' song "Walking With Frankie" into "Walking With Barrence" on the Savages' debut album. (See the post Savage Songs That Barrence Taught Us.)

The Groovies' cover of "32-20 Blues" is based on the 1965 recording by The Charlatans, who were pioneers of the SF psychedelic scene.  Mike Wilhelm of The Charlatans later formed the band Loose Gravel, whose song "Styrofoam" was covered by Dr. Feelgood (see Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox, Vol. 2).  Chris Wilson played with Mike Wilhelm in Loose Gravel, and Wilhelm served as The Flamin' Groovies' lead guitarist from 1978 to 1983.

Both NRBQ and The Flamin' Groovies were influenced by The Lovin' Spoonful.  The Groovies' version of "Wild About My Lovin" is based on The Spoonful's arrangement.  The Groovies, The Spoonful, and the Q were all signed to the Kama Sutra label. The Groovies covered NRBQ's "I Want You Bad".

And then there's Chuck Berry.  Half a dozen Berries have been covered by The Flamin' Groovies, and Chuck's arrangements of W.C Handy's "St. Louis Blues" and Tampa Red's "Don't You Lie To Me" are the basis of The Groovies' versions.

Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox, vol. 1

The world lost Wilko Johnson in 2022.  A tribute to Wilko's musical career was recently assembled by art58koen. Get it at The Good Old Major's Hole. A couple years ago, Stinky and I talked about featuring Wilko in our Gnarly Guitarists series, but art58koen's tribute is far better than anything I could have put together. 

Dr. Feelgood is a musical ship of Theseus which sails on without any of its original members.  Lee Brilleaux died almost 30 years ago.  Robert Kane has fronted the Feelgoods for the past two decades.  Brilleaux was a dedicated showman, and he might be well pleased to know that Dr. Feelgood continues to entertain and inspire audiences.

The Feelgoods are known for many fine original songs, written by Wilko and other band members.  But they also specialized lean & mean covers of R&B, rock, soul and blues songs.  Perfect candidates for this blog's Jukebox series, aka "Songs Someone Taught Us". Here's the first set, compiling the original versions of songs covered during Lee's tenure as head Doctor.  

Volume 1 starts in 1954 with "Riot in Cell Block #9" by the Robins, and continues through 1969.  I left out some of the better known artists that Dr. Feelgood covered (you've heard the Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters songs).  But there are still some heavy hitters (Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker), and more tunes that you may already know and love.

Gnarly Guitarists: Joe Moretti

Here's a guitar player you've likely heard but may not know by name. Johnny Kidd and the Pirates are inextricably associated with guitarist Mick Green, but many don't know that Mick joined after the first big Pirates hits ("Please Don't Touch" and "Shakin' All Over"). That distinctive guitar line on "Shakin' All Over" was played by Joe Moretti, who has been called The Greatest British Guitarist You've Heard But Never Heard Of.

Moretti's recollection of how "Shakin' All Over" was written (and how little he was paid) is wickedly funny.  In 1959, (a year before "Shakin' All Over") Moretti played on another of the greatest early British rock singles, "Brand New Cadillac" by Vince Taylor And His Playboys. British radio wouldn't give Vince Taylor a chance, and Moretti turned to session work to pay the bills. Among his colleagues in the studio were Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John McLaughlin. 

Moretti played on Tom Jones' first hit, "It's Not Unusual", Petula Clark's "Don't Sleep In The Subway", and Donovan's "Mellow Yellow". He played on the Bay City Rollers' smash hit "Saturday Night" and the cast recording of Evita.

Moretti left London in 1981. He and his wife relocated to South Africa to avoid the Inland Revenue. He died in Johannesburg in 2012. He left a legacy of incredible guitar work, and Stinky has done the honors of compiling two dozen songs that represent Moretti's musical artistry.

Here's a video of Gene Vincent performing "Bluejean Bop" and "Sexy Ways" on Italian TV in 1960 with Moretti on lead guitar:

The Best of Otis Blackwell

Welcome to 2022! Our last post was a collection of songs from the pen of Chuck Berry. Stinky has compiled a set from another of rock's greatest songwriters, Otis Blackwell.

Otis Blackwell wrote several of Elvis Presley's biggest hits: Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up, and Return To Sender. He wrote two of Jerry Lee Lewis' signature songs, Great Balls Of Fire and Breathless. He co-wrote Fever (first recorded by Little Willie John), Handy Man, and Hey Little Girl.

Otis was a gifted performer in his own right. Daddy Rollin' Stone was his first single, released in 1953. The song became a hit in Jamaica for Derek Martin, and it was later recorded by The Who, The New York Dolls, The Blasters and others.

Otis Blackwell recruited The Smithereens as his backing band for two self-released 1983 albums, From The Beginning and Let's Talk About Us, and they toured together before The Smithereens scored their own first hit in 1986 with "Blood And Roses". Stinky's astonishing set of 32 Otis Blackwell recordings, demos, and live performances ends with Otis backed by Foghat on live versions of "All Shook Up" and "Don't Be Cruel".

Hope You Had a Very Berry Christmas

Finished today's share before Christmas, but wasn't feeling the holiday spirit. Stinky sent a bunch of great new stuff, so let's clear the queue before 2022! I made two sets of cover versions of almost every a-side and b-side from Chuck Berry's first decade of Chess Records singles. Some personal favorites are The Cannibals' version of "Talking About You", Kevin Dunn's "Nadine", Bunky & Jake's "County Line" (aka "Jaguar And Thunderbird"), and Etta James' performance of "Rock And Roll Music" with Chuck during the concert film Hail Hail Rock And Roll. "It Don't Take But A Few Minutes" wasn't a single, but NRBQ's version is included, simply because it's swell.

Chuck Berry was an unsurpassed lyricist, every bit as witty as Cole Porter, Bob Dylan, or any other songwriter you'd care to name. He was a giant of rock's early years, and influenced almost every guitarist in the decades to follow.

Some may say he was sloppy as a performer. Chuck might stray off the beat or out of tune, but he never lost the groove. His recklessness is part of what made his style so appealing to Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Johnny Thunders, Dave Edmunds, George Thorogood, and others.  

Some of the guitarists featured in this collection (in addition to those mentioned above) are Mick Green, Fred "Sonic" Smith, Cyril Jordan, Cub Koda, Sonny Vincent, Mike Campbell, and Georgia's own Rick Richards.  Chuck's contemporaries Ray Sharpe and Robert "Bilbo" Walker are also included. The incomparable pianist Johnnie Johnson led Chuck's band, and there are a few keyboard wizards herein, such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Leon Russell, Terry Adams, Geraint "Otis" Watkins, Benmont Tench, and Bianca Bob Miller from Pianosaurus.

Born Savage: Songs That Barrence Taught Us

Peter Greenberg (DMZ, Lyres, Customs) and Barry White formed Barrence Whitfield & The Savages in Boston. They released a self-titled album in 1984 on their own Mamou label, and signed to Rounder for the 1985 followup, Dig Yourself. These albums combined amped-up covers of songs from early rock and R&B records with new songs written in a similar spirit. 

After the original lineup disbanded, a new tribe of Savages formed around Barrence and guitarist Milton Reder. These new Savages played on through the mid-90's. Barrence also made two albums with Tom Russell.

In 2009, a new Barrence Whitfield album called Raw Raw Rough appeared, with Milt Reder and original Savages drummer Howard Ferguson.  Barrence soon reunited with Peter Greenberg and original bassist Phil Lenker.  Their 2011 comeback album was called Savage Kings. It was followed by three more albums: Dig Thy Savage Soul, Under The Savage Sky, and Soul Flowers Of Titan. 

In 2019, Barrence and Milt Reeder teamed up again in The Barrence Whitfield Soul Savage Arkestra, and released an album called Songs From The Sun Ra Cosmos. Barrence has also performed and recorded with Spanish groups The Bloodyhotsak and Los Mambo Jambo, and this year Peter Greenberg laid down some guitar for the next Woggles album.

"Savage Songs That Barrence Taught Us" is divided into three sets: 1) the original recordings of songs covered by the first lineup (including the bonus tracks on the reissue of the debut); 2) songs covered during the Milt Reder era (including Raw, Raw, Rough); and 3) cover songs recorded by the current incarnation of The Savages. You dig?

Elvises Everywhere!

Our correspondent Stinky recently asked himself: how many countries and record companies had an "Answer To Elvis" -- a response to the musical and cultural phenomenon that was Elvis Presley? And now, on the King's own birthday, Stinky presents Answer To Elvis, more than two dozen songs in the key of TCB.

France had Johnny Hallyday; England gave us Cliff Richard, Billy Fury, and Tommy Steele; Germany, India, Japan, Australia, and other countries had their own answers to Elvis. Numerous record labels hoped to duplicate the success of Sun's biggest star. Movie studios and TV networks did the same.

But this isn't a compilation of Elvis impersonators (although it does include Clownvis and El Vez). Most were his contemporaries, though few were his equal. I contributed a few performers who met Stinky's criteria: Arch Hall, Jr. (the Elvis of B-movies), Ronnie Hawkins (one of Canada's answers to Elvis), and the masked singer Orion. I also suggested some who didn't make the cut; among them were Danzig, Eilert Pilarm, and this guy (one of whose albums is wittily entitled Return To Splendor).  

Maybe you have a few ideas to share. And maybe Stinky will compile another volume of Answer To Elvis!