Diddy Wah

Ken Kash Kwintet

2012-03-09T13:46:00.000Z

mp3: Ken Kash Kwintet - Vicious Vodka

Google is a convenient and powerful research tool, but it's been of little help in getting to the bottom of how and why this recording came to be. What I can tell you is that Vicious Vodka was released in the late 50s on Chicago's Chess records. It's a sax heavy R&B groover that doesn't sound related to Amos Milburn's Vicious, Vicious Vodka, which was recorded earlier that decade. It actually drifts into Row, Row, Row Your Boat at one point. Vicious Vodka is credited to Bridges and Long and the flip, The Dig, is credited to Ken Bridges, who I assume is the Ken in the Ken Kash Kwintet, but this information didn't lead me anywhere either. The one place today's selection does pop up is on an excellent compilation from a few years back called Dr Boogie Presents Heavy Jelly: Essential Instrumentals. If you're able to shine some more light on this mysterious recording, please shine away.

Diddy Wah with DJ Andy Smith at The Haggerston

2012-03-07T14:38:00.000Z

Now, here's some really exciting news. Joining me on Friday March 16th on DJ duties at my local spot, The Haggerston in Dalston, will be the one and only DJ Andy Smith. We'll be tearing the roof off until 3am, playing the best tunes from way-back-when, all on vinyl 45s. It's always busy, so come down early (they make nice pizza).

The Hunch

2012-03-06T17:38:00.000Z

mp3: Bobby Peterson Quintet - The Hunch

The Hunch is a straightforward rockin' instrumental that charted at #71 in 1959. Bobby Peterson was a piano player from Pennsylvania who teamed up with sax man Joe Pyatt and three others to make up the quintet. This was their first single.

You may have noticed the new Facebook link up on the right hand side there, under the picture of me dressed in white. I've now joined almost almost a billion other Facebook users with a DJ Diddy Wah account. As well as using it to share blog posts such as this one, I'll let folks know about my DJ gigs and radio shows. I'm also going to be sharing YouTube clips of records I'm currently digging, especially ones that I can't find or can't afford. And, I'll be "liking" things and just generally attempting to be more interactive. So, if that sounds appealing and you're on Facebook yourself, then click here and like me.

1,000,000 Wahs

2012-03-01T13:22:00.003Z

mp3: The Orlons - The Wah-Watusi

According to my stats counter, the total number of Diddy Wah visitors went over the one million mark this week. I'm sure I personally make up about half of those, but thanks anyway to everyone else who has stumbled by over the years. It's quite an achievement and I'm proud to be a millionaire.

A few months ago, I posted The Orlons' Don't Hang Up, which was also included in my latest mix. Like Don't Hang Up, The Wah-Watusi was released in '62. It soared to #2 on the pop charts, making it The Orlons' biggest ever hit.

In 1960s USA, The Watusi was the second most popular dance craze (after The Twist). It started when Latin drummer Ray Barretto struck gold with El Watusi in 1961. The term Watusi refers to the Tutsi tribe of Rwanda and Burundi. I suspect Barretto used it because he felt his conga drum rhythms had an African feel, or maybe he just liked the word... The dance itself seems fairly straightforward. Stand with your legs about a foot apart, knees bent. Then swing yours hips and both arms to the left and then to the right. Repeating in time to the beat.

Thirty Days

2012-02-28T22:51:00.001Z

mp3: Chuck Berry - Thirty Days

In his second single for Chess records, Chuck Berry treats us with his pioneering rock'n'roll songwriting skills. Not only does Thirty Days have that freight train beat, the lyrics, in which the threats escalate from casting a hoodoo to lodging a complaint with the United Nations, are simple and brilliant. Wherever, whoever has left Berry has gone, they've got exactly 30 days to come back home.

New Mix - Rama Lama

2012-02-27T08:00:00.000Z

This new mix of mine is tight in terms of styles. It really just spans goodtime doo-wop boppers and hipshaking R&B instrumental rockers. Yep, it's full of sax. Not that I've checked or anything, but I reckon the records in it are all from the late 50s early 60s. These are the sounds driving me wild at this point in time. They're what you'll hear impregnating dancefloors at my DJ gigs.

Rama Lama is not all tunes featuring the drummer Earl Palmer, as I threatened last time, but he is well represented. Might save the Earl-Palmer-thon for a future radio show special -- stay tuned!

I was spurred on to stitch this mix together by fellow local London spinner of discs, Fritz, who kindly invited me to guest on the Buzzsaw Joint Mixcloud.

mp3: Rama Lama

The Edsels - Rama Lama Ding Dong
B. Bumble & The Stingers - Mashed #5
The Versatones - Bila
The Ideals - The Gorilla
Big Jay McNeely - Big Jay Shuffle
The Rivingtons - Papa Oom Mow Mow
Twistin' Kings - Congo Pt.1
Hollywood Flames - Buzz Buzz Buzz
Ernie Fields Orchestra - Christopher Columbus
Freddy King - The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist
The Orlons - Don't Hang Up
Googie Rene - Wiggle-Tail Pt.1
Johnny & The Hurricanes - Sheba
Curtis Lee - Pretty Little Angel Eyes

Be mine, Cherrystone

2012-02-24T13:41:00.004Z

mp3: The Addrisi Brothers - Cherrystone

Two brothers, Don and Dick Addrisi from Massachusetts, had a minor hit with today's selection back in 1959. Cherrystone is a cordial rock'n'roll pop song about a boy who meets a girl at a dance, walks her home, steals a kiss, and then hooks up with her again for the next dance. I dig the handclaps.

Now, onto other matters. For a preview listen of my newest mix, hot off the platters, head over to Buzzsaw Joint's Mixcloud. I'll post the amalgam of doo wop and R&B instrumental goodness up here shortly, but it's live there right now!!

And, a quick note to say that the fountain of knowledge that is the Funky16Corners blog has recently and unexpectedly moved here.

Fuzz Fuzz Fuzz

2012-02-22T17:43:00.006Z

mp3: The 2000 Pound Bee Pt.2
mp3: The 2000 Pound Bee Pt.1

There's a lot written about early electric guitar fuzz. Tunes from Link Wray, Marty Robins and Ann Margret all get a mention. But when it comes to the first use of a specifically designed fuzzbox in a truly fuzzy song, the conversation generally settles on today's fuzzified selections.

The Ventures, a pioneering surf rock group from the Pacific Northwest, inspired many others and are still, impressively, the highest selling instrumental band of all time. On hearing the fuzz in Marty Robin's Don't Worry, they asked an electronically minded friend, Red Rhodes, to create a device which would make their guitars sound as fuzzy. He did and the result was 2000 Pound Bee. It was actually Part 2 which, only slightly, bothered the Billboard chart in 1962, reaching #91. I'm not surprised, although they're equal in their fuzziness, Part 2 is the one for me. Twenty years after its release, Dan Aykroyd fulfilled a promise by playing a tape of 2000 Pound Bee at John Belushi's funeral.

At The Hop

2012-02-17T14:00:00.000Z

mp3: Danny & The Juniors - At The Hop

Danny & The Juniors were a doo-wop group from Philadelphia who struck gold in 57/58 with At The Hop, a US #1. It's a true 50s rock'n'roller that received a nostalgic resurgence in the 70s courtesy of American Graffiti. At The Hop is what's known by some as an oldie, which means that it was a smash hit back in the day, is fairly inoffensive and can sit alongside chart topping classics from such luminaries as Bill Halley, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and The Coasters. Of course these are all top tunes in their own right and I'm hardly in a position to diss them, but in the context of being bunched all together they acquire a sickly sweet golden-age of rock'n'roll sheen, which make them incredibly ignorable, to me at least. I trust that in the context of this blog post, you'll appreciate today's selection as the great rock'n'bopper that it is.

It's Twine Time

2012-02-16T11:03:00.008Z

Alvin Cash - Twine Time

Here is a party tune straight from the creative brain of Andre 'Mr. Rhythm' Williams. I've blogged about it by proxy before. The gist being that Alvin Cash & The Crawlers were young dancers in Chicago when Williams led them into the studio to cut today's offering. It climbed to #4 on the R&B charts in 1965. For me -- because it used to be a prominent feature of the promotional stings and intro -- it will always be associated with my old pal Mohair Slim's excellent radio show, Blue Juice.

Diddy Wah radio love special

2012-02-13T11:37:00.004Z

Today's Valentine's Day eve episode of my NTS radio show (5-6pm London time) will be all about love. To give a sneak peak, I blogged about seven of my favourite love-related 45s on the NTS blog. Several of these tunes have appeared around these parts previously, but I thought you might still be interested, especially if you're in the midst of putting together a mixtape for someone special.

Dee Clark - Nobody But You (1958)

A sweet love song from a singer just twenty years old at the time of recording. The other-worldly background vocals are courtesy of The Anita Kerr Singers.

Mary Wells - I'm Gonna Stay (1962)

Another youngster, Mary Wells was just nineteen when she laid down this incredible vocal performance. Pure and beautiful; it gets me every time.

Little Eva - He Is The Boy (1962)

This is the flip side to Little Eva's best known tune, the number one smash hit The Locomotion. It's got a strange slow groove and nifty off-key piano breakdown. The lyrics tell of a girl's determination to love her boy despite his personal failings, perhaps that's why it resonates with me.

Lee Moses - Bad Girl Pt.1 (1967)

Similarly to He Is The Boy, this is a song about love in the face of adversity. Lee Moses impassioned vocals on this track are equal to any in soul music, and I don't say that lightly.

Ron Holden - Love You So (1959)

An end-of-the-night lilting ballad of love from Ron Holden and The Thunderbirds. Somewhat depressingly, Holden was also a teenager when this tune was climbing the charts.

Phil Phillips - Sea Of Love (1959)

Sea Of Love has been covered many times but never bettered. This simple and divine ode to love sold over a million copies, but sadly Louisiana's Phil Phillips never received the royalties. They even named a movie after this one.

Little Willie John - Fever (1956)

Speaking of covers, this would have to be up there in terms of most covered of all time -- at least in my collection -- and it's not hard to hear why. On this, the original version, Little Willie John sounds as affected by love as the song suggests.

Teenage Philosopher

2012-02-10T14:17:00.002Z

Bobby Day - Teenage Philosopher

Teenage Philosopher was released in 1960, two years after Bobby Day's breakout smash, Rockin' Robin. Both tunes were written by Leon René, who set up two LA based labels I'm very fond of, Rendezvous and Class. Unfortunately, the length of time since René was himself a teenager (about 50 years) is glaringly obvious in the lyrics of today's selection. I can't imagine the condescending "beware beware beware" tone resonating with the youth of any era. Still, like Rockin' Robin, Teenage Philosopher has a swinging Earl Palmer rock'n'roll beat. It also has a brief interlude of Plas Johnson's growling sax that makes up for any lyrical inadequacies.

DJing at The Haggerston February 18

2012-02-08T14:50:00.008Z

It's true, in a couple of Saturday's time I'll be back behind the decks at one of Dalston's two favourite late-night trendy/divey party pubs, The Haggerston. Joining me on record selecting duties will be DJ Dapper Dad. Come down for good times guaranteed and be sure to say hi.

Puerto Rico

2012-02-07T13:50:00.003Z

Jerry Green and The Passengers - Puerto Rico

When Puerto Rico was released on Atlantic in 1964, drummer Jerry Greenberg already had his own label and was immersed in the music business. Ten years later, aged just 32, he became President of Atlantic records; apparently the youngest person to ever to head a major. He went on to work with ABBA, Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson, among many others. But, who really cares about all that? Today's selection is a top-notch Latin-infused tittyshaker -- that's the main thing.

You've got to live for yourself

2012-02-03T12:04:00.002Z

James Brown - I'll Go Crazy

A sweet slice of R&B goodness from James Brown and The Famous Flames is today's pick. The Famous Flames -- Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett and Lloyd Stallworth -- all contribute backing vocals on I'll Go Crazy, originally released in 1960. Two years later, they belted out a slightly more punchy version to open a performance at the Apollo Theater in Harlem that will go down in recording history.

Bossa Nova Watusi Twisting

2012-02-01T14:20:00.002Z

Freddy King - The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist

Released on the Federal label in 1963 by Texas via Chicago 6-string maestro, Freddy King (aka Freddie King), The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist is far better than its name implies. Rather than just a weak attempt to cash in on several of the popular dance crazes around at the time, King's offering is a superbly smooth original R&B guitar groove.

Don't Forget About The Marvels

2012-01-26T18:02:00.006Z

The Marvels - Forget About That Mess Pt1
The Marvels - Forget About That Mess Pt2

When I began researching today's selection I initially drew a blank. This is not the first time that this has happened to me, but usually the record is more obscure, rare or weird. This recording seems to be reasonably well known, available and is definitely listenable but, even using my ninja-like Google searching skills, I've struggled to find out about it.

Of course, there are various leads. A label called the Sensation Records Company (SRC) was named after Lee's Sensation Lounge (or Club Sensation) in Detroit. It was around from the late 40s to the early 50s, notably releasing several John Lee Hooker records. Still, today's tunes come from a later era than that. I'm no expert, but I would place it towards the late 60s. It’s part soul-funk, part boogaloo and part girl-group. There is also a Sensation Records that released disco in Italy in the 80s, but I think we can safely rule that one out.

The names listed on the record label don’t help. Forget About That Mess was written by Herman Davis, probably not the Jamaican drummer of the same name known as Bongo Herman. Davis, U. Lee and C. Wills were the producers and Wills also owned the music publishing rights.

There seems to have been many groups in the 60s know as The Marvels. For starters, it was the original name of Motown’s The Marvelettes. Another The Marvels were from Jamaica but based in the UK. They do a really great version of Aretha’s Rock Steady on the Pama Supreme label -- which I must post up here sometime -- but I don't think this is them either.

There is a girl-group from Florida who were called The Mar-Vells before having their name changed by a record label to The Fabulettes. Apparently, they continued to perform up until the late 60s, sometimes as The Marvels. From its sound, I could believe that it was recorded by a group from Florida. Also, the vocals do bear a resemblance to The Fabulettes. Mystery solved?

Maybe. I should also mention a comment left on a YouTube clip of the song (about as unreliable a source as you get), which confidently states, “That is not The Marvels on that picture, I know because I'm one of them. The Marvels are three sisters from Detroit and the song was recorded in Detroit at United Sounds Studio.”

Feel free to enlighten me with new evidence, or even hearsay, about this record and, most of all, enjoy the tune.

Ay Caramba

2012-01-23T13:35:00.001Z

The Champs - Caramba

From 1959, here are The Champs who, in my estimation, are a fairly under-rated group. Everyone knows and loves Tequila, but I'm often faced with surprise when I tell people that they've got several other instrumental gems in their repertoire. Perhaps it's because none of them stray too far from Tequila in terms of their general sound, but when your first release -- originally the b-side -- sells millions and rockets to number one, it's not surprising that you might try and replicate it. Caramba, which, according to Google translate, is Spanish for wow, was written by guitarist Dave Burgess. It could be described as one of the follow ups to Tequila.

New DJ night - Jam Up Twist

2012-01-19T18:27:00.009Z

Thurston Harris - Be Baba Leba

In a couple of Friday's time, I'll be helping out behind the decks at a new night with DJ Andy Smith. It's called Jam Up Twist and is to be held in a brand new venue in Stoke Newington, the La Sera Club. I'm extremely thrilled about this as Andy Smith, through his seminal The Document mix CD, was a massive early influence on me as a Deejay.

I was introduced to him through the guy who did the show before me when I was doing a blues slot on student radio in Melbourne. This guy, let's call him Johann, traveled frequently to Hong Kong and often came back with dodgy street copies of the latest cool music on CD. He was so enamored by The Document that he burnt it for me and a few others to share the love. It blew our little minds away. I was particularly taken by the way it radically crossed genres and eras and made it work. I loved that it made me question where musical gems could be found. It had never occurred to me, before hearing The Document, to consider Tom Jones musically and it probably wouldn't have otherwise. When I first started being asked to DJ at friends' parties, I would play large chunks of The Document and either sit back and soak in the glory or join them on the dancefloor.

Naturally, when DJ Andy Smith would tour Australia, me and my pals would go. I recall a three-hour festival set he did with Dynamo Productions where it felt like every single one of the best songs ever recorded was included in the mix. The crowd started as about twenty people, mainly my mates -- Jamiroquai, very popular at the time, was on at the same time -- and steadily built into a huge crowd of maybe a thousand boogieing revellers.

Of course, the years have passed and Andy Smith's musical journey has included Northern Soul, Reggae, and New Orleans R&B. At this night we'll be playing a hot selection of Rockabilly, Northern Soul, 50’s R&B, Surf & Tittyshakers, Rock Steady & Ska. I recently acquired Thurston Harris's boppin' Be Baba Leba, so you can pretty much guarantee that, unless Andy drops it first, I'll be giving it a spin.

So, if you're in the London area on February 3rd, or the first Friday of any month, venture over to Stoke Newington and join us on the tiles for a night of top tunes and world class fun -- and be sure to say hi.

Don't You Know

2012-01-17T16:51:00.003Z

Johnny O'Keefe - Don't You Know
Johnny O'Keefe - Come On And Take My Hand

Okay, so, I'm back from the land down under. I didn't do much record shopping there, but did manage to pop into a great secondhand book and vinyl shop at the lower end of Smith Street. They had some very reasonably priced 45 bins and while getting my fingers dusty I happened upon today's selection.

If you've been paying close attention to this blog over the last year or so, you'll know that I've been chasing down tunes by a certain group of New Orleans raised musicians working in LA in the late 50s, early 60s. They include Earl Palmer, Rene Hall, Plas Johnson, Ernie Fields and Ernie Freeman. So, I was almost startled to find out that Australia's first rock'n'roller, Johnny O'Keefe (or simply JOK), had recorded some sides under the direction of pianist/arranger Ernie Freeman. Also, since it was 1960 and he recorded them in LA, there's every chance that the others, or some of them, were the faceless session musicians behind these rocking recordings.

Now, although JOK might have once been described as Australia's answer to Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, I think that's a little generous. I'm not even sure what question the King and the Killer were posing. But, he was wild and he had ambition. The reason he was in the states was that, like so many Aussie rockers to follow, he was trying to crack the tough US market. Unfortunately, apart from a number one in New Orleans (which is no mean feat and I for one am bloody impressed) he didn't really succeed. There was still a lot of love for him at home though, as evidenced by the two weeks this record occupied the top spot on the Australian charts.

Big Jay

2012-01-07T00:11:00.002Z

Big Jay McNeely - Big Jay Shuffle
Big Jay McNeely - The Goof

Today's choice cuts will be a real treat for fans of honking instrumental R&B. Californian saxophonist, Big Jay McNeely, is pretty much the master of the genre and this 1952 record is one of his finest. Big Jay Shuffle has a relentless swing that inspires me to take those dance classes where you twist your feet, grab your girl's hand and spin her round and round, under your arm and back again. The Goof just blazes wild, even the handclappers can't keep up.

Green Monkeys, Purple Tigers

2012-01-01T09:56:00.002Z

The Parkays - Green Monkeys
The Parkays - Purple Tigers

Everything about The Parkays draws comparisons with the similarly named The Mar-Keys. Green Monkeys, released in 1962, sounds a lot like The Mar-Keys' big instrumental hit from 1961, Last Night -- which is obviously good thing. I can't ascertain if there was a connection between the two groups, but I suspect not. It's probably just another case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. I do like that the song titles on both sides of today's selection follow a colour-animal theme. Were oddly coloured creatures in vogue in the early sixties? The first Pink Panther film came out in '63, which makes me think that they were. Also, in case you were wondering, the grooves of this record, thankfully, aren't anywhere near as scratched as its labels.

Stay

2011-12-25T12:59:00.002Z

Maurice Williams - Stay

Just the other day I was in Nukuʻalofa, the captial of the Kingdom of Tonga. One night, I ventured out to a bar where a local cover band was entertaining the revillers. With a seemingly endless series of rotating vocalists, they were mainly dishing out southern rock staples; CCR, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. As I found out, swampy tunes suit tropical climes. But, when they slided into a version of today's selection, I knew what my next blog post had to be.

Stay is an absolutely georgeous song, albeit a little brief. It was written by a fifteen year old Maurice Williams after he unsuccessfully tried to convince his date to break her curfew. However, it was seven full years later when Williams and his group, The Zodiacs, climbed all the way to number one with it in 1960. Stay's inclusion on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack -- one of the best selling albums of all time -- ensured that William's gentle and sweet doo-wop pleading reached a new generation of listeners. My sincere hope is that this blog post will have a similar effect.

Diddy Wah

2011-12-08T11:35:00.006Z

Bo Diddley - Diddy Wah Diddy

This is a multifaceted blogpost. Firstly, I recently became aware that I've neglected to provide you with a rip of Bo Diddley's 1955 recording of this blog's namesake song, Diddy Wah Diddy. So I'm hereby correcting that.

Secondly, a few weeks ago, a very nice hardcover book of Robert Crumb's music related drawings was delivered to me, unannounced. It includes the classic Cheap Thrills cover and some of his Heroes of the Blues, naturally, but there's also much more. The Complete Record Cover Collection now sits proudly on one of my shelves, next to another R. Crumb book.

Thirdly, I need to let you know that I've started doing radio again. I've been given a slot on a station that popped up earlier this year in Dalston, London. It's called NTS and my show is imaginatively titled Diddy Wah. So far I've presented two programmes, both show-specials. The first one is all tunes used in John Waters' flicks, the second is all about girls names. You can listen to them here.

Finally, I wanted to give you a heads-up that for the next month I'll be about as far away from my records as is humanly possible. I'm going to Australia. So you might notice the post frequency dropping a little below the level you've grown accustomed to. Stick with it though, I'll be back in full effect early in twenty-twelve.

Rockin-On-'N'-Off

2011-12-05T17:47:00.002Z

B. Bumble & The Stingers - Mashed #5
B. Bumble & The Stingers - Rockin-On-'N'-Off

Can't believe it's taken me so long, a matter of months, to post this -- one of my favourite recent vinyl acquisitions. If you're familiar with the work of B. Bumble & The Stingers, it's possibly through their biggest hit, a UK #1, Nut Rocker -- which was a rockin' interpretation of the most familiar part from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. This time the same group (read about them here and here) decided to take classical inspiration from Beethoven, with Mashed #5, and Rachmaninoff, with the ingeniously named Rockin-On-'N'-Off.

Released in 1962, for my money Mashed #5 should have been the A-side. Beethoven's Fifth just has that natural swing, something that didn't pass Walter Murphy by -- he turned it into a disco hit in '76. Prelude In C Sharp Minor on the other hand is a darker, more serious affair and this comes shining through on Rockin-On-'N'-Off. Anyway, if you love hearing rock interpretations of classical themes, you're going to dig both of these, a lot.