Diddy Wah

A Heavy Sugar session from Lady Kamikaze

2013-05-21T10:49:00.001+01:00

You don’t need a weatherman to know that it was a chilly London night in March when Lady Kamikaze joined us for Heavy Sugar at The Alibi. In no time though, she had the whole club positively sizzling with this eclectic mix of vintage tunes. From swinging soulful shimmyers to spicy Latin shakers, Lady Kamikaze had us in the palm of her hand all the way through. The tracklisting below is not wholly complete, there’s a large slab of Cumbia in the middle which you won’t miss. It was a massive privilege to share the decks with such a connoisseur of dancefloor dynamite.

Willie Mitchell - Slippin' & Slidin'
Bill Black's Combo - Don't Be Cruel
Solomon Burke - Maggie's Farm
Ted Taylor - I Don't Care
The Raelettes - One Room Paradise
Betty Everett - Hands Off Little
Junior Lewis - Can She Give Me Fever
Jackie Wilson - Baby Get It
Chubby Checker - Twist It Up
Roy Orbison - What'd I Say
Rosco Gordon - Torro
Cumbia Band - Cumbia Music
Ella Fitzgerald - Ol' Man Mose
Ella Fitzgerald - Can't Buy Me Love
Nina Simone - Come On Back, Jack
Gene Pitney - Quando Vedrii La Mia Ragazza
Rhythm Addicts - Oomp Boomp
The Chimes - Zindy Lou
The Pearls - Zippity Zippity Zoom

Crap Shootin’ Sinner

2013-05-18T18:09:00.000+01:00

mp3: 'Cile Turner - Crap Shootin' Sinner

Crap Shootin’ Sinner is a gospel-style ditty about a gambler trying to get into heaven. So far so normal. It’s sung by ‘Cile Turner, who was born Lucile Turner in Virginia in 1895. Apart from today selection being an entertaining tune, what’s interesting is that Turner was a white woman who from a young age embraced African-American folk songs and spirituals. This was an against the grain cultural choice that, at the time, would have challenged many in the deep South on both racial and gender grounds. Turner performed all over the US in the 1920s, 30s and 40s and made her first recording in ’47. Crap Shootin' Sinner was recorded and released in ‘59. It’s included on ‘T-Bird Party! - A Swangin' Slew Of Greasy R&B’, a great compilation CD called that I have in a box somewhere in Melbourne. On this website, you can read a bit more about ‘Cile Turner, sample some of her recordings and buy a double CD that has all of her commercial recordings on it.

Heavy Sugar with Gaz Mayall - May 24th

2013-05-16T12:26:00.000+01:00

I’m super excited to announce that legendary DJ Gaz Mayall will join Fritz and I at our next Heavy Sugar club night. Gaz’s Rockin Blues is London's longest running one-nighter club. It’s been going since 1980! I’ve always had a rollicking time there, dancing the night away to incredible tunes every time. I can’t wait to hear what heat Gaz brings for Heavy Sugar.

Friday May 24th is the date we’ll be back at Dalston’s funnest late night party spot, The Alibi. It's an ideal way to start a long weekend in London. Come early to avoid queuing and be ready for an incendiary mix of original R&B and early rock’n’roll. Also, it's a clever idea to let us know you’re coming so that we can prep the door girls to treat you and your friends like the kings and queens of Kingsland Road that you are. More details can be found on the Facebook event page. Don't miss this one. I'll see you on the dancefloor!

Atomic Adams

2013-05-14T13:03:00.003+01:00

mp3: Faye Adams - Hurts Me To My Heart

Wow, what a strong, powerful voice Faye Adams has. No wonder that around the time of this recording she was known as Atomic Adams. Released in 1954, Hurts Me To My Heart was the third and final in string of #1 R&B hits for Adams. That run started with Shake A Hand, which, through its use in the moving and poetic Killer Of Sheep film, is the song that introduced me to Adams' immense talent. Hurts Me To My Heart was written by the fruitful songwriting partnership of Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton.

Ram-Bunk-Shush

2013-05-13T14:25:00.003+01:00

mp3: Bill Doggett - Ram-Bunk-Shush

Bill Doggett was pianist and organist who worked with Louis Jordan, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynonie Harris and Johnny Otis among others. He also spent some time in the band of Lucky Millinder, the guy who wrote and released Ram-Bunk-Shush first in 1952. Doggett's version came out in '57 and, thanks largely to Clifford Scott's honking lead sax, made both the pop and R&B charts, peaking at #10 on the R&B. Ram-Bunk-Shush was also released by surf group The Ventures in '61. Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five played a sizzling version of this instrumental jiver for television in '66. There's a great clip of that performance here.

London gigs this weekend

2013-05-13T11:24:00.003+01:00

I'm going to be treated to a couple of nights of top-shelf garage rock'n'roll this coming weekend. On Friday May 17th, yours truly will be joining DJ Phil Istine behind the decks at Deviation Street, a night held every month at The Alleycat in Soho. We'll be spinning records between and after The Ladykillers, Thee MVPs, Limozine and Kepler Rising.

Then, the very next night, I'm heading to the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston for the Dirty Water Club. I'll be rocking out to the Hollywood Sinners, The Ricky C Quartet, Plastic Pals and ANO before serving up a feast of 45s with Dirty PJ till 3am.

So, if you're in the vicinity, join me at one or both of these tremendously rockin' gigs, you won't regret it.

Fruit Boots

2013-05-10T12:22:00.002+01:00

mp3: Red Prysock - Fruit Boots

Recorded in 1956 in New York, today's selection features the jiving instrumental sounds of the Red Prysock Nonet. That's tenor saxophonist Prysock and eight others, including bassist Herb Gordy who gets credit for writing the wonderfully named Fruit Boots.

Mama Get Your Hammer

2013-05-08T12:58:00.003+01:00

mp3: Bobby Peterson Quintet - Mama Get Your Hammer

Here’s a real wild rocker from pianist Bobby Peterson. Mama Get Your Hammer is the flip of One Day. Released in 1960, it was the quintet's fifth single on V-Tone (you may recall that last year I posted their first, The Hunch). Mama get your hammer, with the refrain, a fly's on the baby's head, is a pretty twisted lyric. I would like to think that this is a playful answer record to a song with the line “mama get your hammer, a fly’s on papa’s head”, but I can’t find any solid evidence of that. Either way, today’s selection is a mighty fine slice of frantic R&B from a bunch of guys who knew what they were doing.

I Found You (I Feel Good)

2013-05-03T15:17:00.000+01:00

mp3: Yvonne Fair - I Found You

Today’s selection would fit in well with other original versions of songs I didn’t realise weren’t, such as Gloria Jones' Tainted Love or Denise by Randy & The Rainbows. Of course, since he wrote it, it’s a bit harsh to describe James Brown’s I Got You (I Feel Good) as a cover version. Still, in 1962, three years before it was released, Brown recorded and released the same song as I Found You with Yvonne Fair on vocals and her name in big letters on the record label.

Not taking anything from Brown’s hit version, it’s an ironclad classic and, according to Wikipedia, “his highest charting song and arguably his most widely known recording”, but I really dig the rawness of Fair’s voice and the stripped back R&B sound of the James Brown Band on this recording. Plus, it’s an interesting variation on a familiar tune, which is also the appeal of a lot of covers. I Got You (I Feel Good) seemed to be everywhere when I was growing up. Its inclusion in the film Good Morning Vietnam and Tour Of Duty television series might have had something to do with that. Still a great song, but its impact has been spread a little too thinly for me, for now.

The Majestics

2013-05-02T11:50:00.001+01:00

mp3: The Majestics - Oasis Pt.1
mp3: The Majestics - Oasis Pt.2

I had assumed that The Majestics of today's selections, were the same group who released The Boss Walk (Blop-Up's opening stormer), but now I'm not so sure. They are both killer two-part instrumentals and, without over-analysing it, have a similar saxophone and guitar based rock'n'roll sound. However, the songwriting and production credits are totally different. Before being issued by Chess, Oasis was released in 1961 on Tennessee's Chanson Records. A second The Majestics record on that label, Safari / Riding By, from early 1962, confusingly credits a whole nother bunch of songwriters. Not long after that, The Boss Walk was released on Dunes Records up in New York. To confound the situation, there have been several definitely unrelated The Majestics since then. So, for now, the jury is out on this one.

My radio show blops up again

2013-04-30T16:51:00.004+01:00

Yesterday's episode of the Diddy Wah radio chronicles is now up on an internet near you, ready to be streamed or downloaded. For this one, I play all the tracks from my new Blop-Up mix, in the same order, but with a little chat about the artist, song, label, year, etc. in between tracks every now and again.

Blop-Up

2013-04-24T11:29:00.001+01:00

It got to the point recently, because I’d acquired so many killer new 45s, that I realised the drip, drip method of sharing them as single file vinyl rips through this blog wasn’t going to be enough. There was a backlog developing and it dawned on me that even though it had only been two months since the last one, it was time to embark on another mix making project. The result of that endeavour is Blop-Up, 50 minutes of rockin’ blues bliss. Several of these records took some chasing to find, others found me. Almost all have joined my collection this year, so this is the sound you’ll hear me playing out and about for the next little while. Hope it blows your mind like it does mine. Enjoy!

mp3: Blop-Up

The Majestics – The Boss Walk Pt.1
Frankie Ford – Saturday Night Fish Fry
Cozy Cole – Blop-Up
John Lee Hooker – She’s Mine
The Strangers – Hill Stomp
Bo Diddley – Bring It To Jerome
Jimmy Nolen – Wipe Your Tears
Bobby December – Invasion
Link Wray – The Black Widow
Tarheel Slim – Number 9 Train
Billy Boy – Rockin’ Itis
David Dean’s Combo – Double Freeze
Jesse Stone – The Rocket
Guitar Gable – Congo Mombo
John Greer – Come Back Maybelline
Dave Hamilton – Beatle Walk
Percy Mayfield – You Don’t Exist No More
Little Johnny Taylor – Somewhere Down The Line
Jeanette (Baby) Washington – Move On
Louis Jordan – Run Joe
The Rhythm Kings – Exotic

Rebel Juke meets Heavy Sugar

2013-04-23T11:57:00.000+01:00

On Friday, in the evening time, DJ Fritz and I will be catching a Southern train to Brighton to meet up with Rebel Juke's DJ Karl Kaos. Together, we will embark on a wild escapade of 45 spinning madness and you're invited to join us. This rock'n'roll soundclash will occur between the hours of 9pm and 3am at The Globe on Middle Street. It's free to get in and will be a lot of fun. All the details are on the Facebook event page. See you on the dancefloor!

The monkey was arrested for the nonsupport

2013-04-22T17:53:00.000+01:00

mp3: Frankie Ford - Alimony

Frankie Ford lives where he was born, just across the mighty Mississippi River from New Orleans in Gretna, Louisiana. He grew up absorbing the amazing Rhythm & Blues music that part of the world was producing in the 1940s and '50s. He sang and played in bands during high-school and shortly after released his first record on Ace. Alimony came out in 1959 as Ford's third single. It was the follow up to his biggest hit, Sea Cruise. Like Sea Cruise, Alimony features the backing of Ace's other star of the time, Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns. The lyrics tell the tale of a couple of monkeys with irreconcilable differences, one of whom has a billy goat for an attorney. Even with such a dramatic plot and hand-claps galore, always a bonus in my book, Alimony hardly bothered the pop charts, peaking at just #97.

Little Darlin' I Miss You So

2013-04-18T16:49:00.003+01:00

Lillian Offitt - Miss You So
The Gladiolas - Little Darlin'

These two 45s already featured on my most recent Utopia mix, but I thought I'd offer them here in single-file mp3 format as well. And, since they were both released on Nashville's Excello Records, it's neat to post them as a pair.

Miss You So, from 1957, was Lillian Offitt's first hit. It's a beguiling tune with solid blues guitar licks and fantastically eery vocals. Offitt moved to Chicago the following year and found more success singing with Earl Hooker. But it didn't last long, so she retired from music to start a family.

The original pressing of Little Darlin' by The Gladiolas was on the same orange label as Miss You So. My arrow-label copy is the second issue. The label describes it as Calypso, but Little Darlin' has a decidedly clave rhythm. Judging by the catalogue numbers, Little Darlin' was released by Excello just three records prior to Miss You So. I wrote a bit about it when I posted The Diamonds version last year. The most notable point being that it was written and sung by Maurice Williams, before he and The Zodiacs had a huge smash with Stay.

Heavy Sugar Alibi 3rd Birthday Mix

2013-04-17T12:20:00.001+01:00

DJ Fritz and myself have been busy recording sets from our Heavy Sugar club nights. Here's an hour long mix taken from early last month, when we played big hitting party records to help celebrate the 3rd birthday of The Alibi. Starting off with mini-sets, we progressed to a straight up gun fight (one track each).

We'll be teaming up again, along with Brighton DJ Karl Kaos for a wild night of 45 spinning at The Globe on Friday April 26th. All the info will be on the Heavy Sugar facebook group. Hope to see you there!

The Wailers – Mashi

Gary Webb – Drum City Pt.1
Googie Rene – Wiggle-Tail Pt.1
The Strangers – Rockin' Rebel
Jerry Lee Lewis – Whole Lotta Shakin’
The Blue Tones – Shake Shake
Cliff Richard – Dynamite
Dick Bush – Hollywood Party
Ron Haydock – 99 Chicks
Buddy Miller – Teen Twist
Barbara And The Boys – Hooty Sapperticker
Big Jay McNeely – Big Jay Shuffle
Sandy Nelson – Caravan
Elmore James – Rollin’ And Tumblin’
Howlin' Wolf – Killing Floor
The Rhythm Kings – Exotic
The Individuals – La Bamba
Jack Costanzo – I Got A Bongo
Big Bo & The Arrows – Big Bo's Twist
The Champs – Tequila Twist
One Plus One – Outer Space Dixie
The Cyclones – Say What
Louis Jordan – Big Bess
Hollywood Flames – Strollin On The Beach
Fats Domino – Let The Four Winds Blow
The Teen Beats – Big Bad Boss Beat
Duane Eddy – Ramrod Judy Jae – Twisteree
Little Richard – Lucille
The Puddle Jumpers – Snake Charmer
The Flee-Rekkers – Bitter Rice

The Delcos of Arabia

2013-04-15T16:19:00.003+01:00

The Delcos - Arabia

Here's a slightly exotic sounding tune from a group who named themselves after a battery. The Delcos met as high school students in Indiana and even though Arabia is a relatively obscure record, it was their biggest success. An early recording of it was released in 1962 on Ebony Records and started selling well. Too well for that new label, so a deal was struck with Monument Records. The Delcos travelled to Nashville to re-record Arabia with the Boots Randolph's band featuring Bill Justis. That version was released in 1963 on the Monument subsidiary, Showcase. Although the original Arabia became a local hit, The Delcos never made-it on a national level. If it's any consolation to them, and it probably isn't, Arabia became a big spin on the Stafford Northern Soul scene some 20 years later. Also, according to my ears, it's possible they inspired another magnificent party record from '63, The Ideals' The Gorilla.

Louie, Louie '13

2013-04-11T08:22:00.006+01:00

Jack Eely - Louie, Louie '66

Happy International Louie Louie Day! I'm celebrating by posting this cracking version of Louie Louie by the guy who's vocals helped cement its place in musical history. In 1963 when The Kingsmen recorded the best known version of this party rocker, Jack Ely was the singer. At the time they had no idea it was going to take off the way it did, so Ely left the group to go to college. When their Louie Louie was all over the radio, he tried to rejoin The Kingsmen, but the other members weren't having it. So he formed his own group and toured as Jack Ely and The Kingsmen until the inevitable lawyer's letter arrived. His group then became Jack Ely and The Courtmen and produced this single. No prizes for guessing when it was released. I don't know where the Eely spelling came from, but I'm going with it.

International Louie Louie Day is held on the birthday of Richard Berry, who wrote the song. If you're in London, you can mark the occasion this year with some like-minded folk and top vinyl DJs at The Haggerston pub. It's free to get in and sure to be a total blast. All the details are on the Facebook event page. See you there!

Can I get through tonight?

2013-04-09T15:22:00.004+01:00

Little Milton - Long Distance Operator

Singer, songwriter and guitarist "Little" Milton Campbell recorded for Sun, Chess and Stax. That's quite a CV! Rufus Thomas also achieved this feat, but how many others? Long Distance Operator, however, was released on his own St. Louis based Bobbin label in 1959. It’s a new breed blues bopper with tasty horns and plenty of swing.

Invasion

2013-04-08T15:01:00.003+01:00

Bobby December - Invasion

Regular Diddy Wah visitors will know, I’ve got a lot of love for obscure instrumentals like this guitar driven beast from Bobby December and the Famous Renegades. It seems Invasion was released around 1959 and that’s almost all I know about it. The writing credit goes to Bob McElroy, who would be my lead suspect in the search for Bobby December. The Orchestra label operated out of the San Francisco Bay Area and was headed by Wayne Farlow. The main claim to fame of Orchestra Records is to have released some early singles from Tom and John Fogerty several years before they formed Creedence Clearwater Revival.

It's time for Diddy Wah on NTS

2013-04-05T11:17:00.000+01:00

In the latest Diddy Wah radio show, I draw on my brief history in astrophysics to explore how stars such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Etta James and Ray Charles deal with the concept of time. Big questions are posed, such as: is night time the right time? And, is it possible to meet him on a Sunday if Friday's on your mind? Listen now to find out.

International Louie Louie Day

2013-04-03T12:43:00.000+01:00

Thursday April 11th is International Louie Louie Day! The original Louie Louie was written by Richard Berry in 1955 as a calypso inspired by a cha cha cha and went on to be eternalised by the Kingsmen's garage take in 1963. Over a thousand versions later and it has been enshrined in popular culture from the famous Toga party scene in Animal House to a soft drinks commercial in the 80s that belatedly made Berry a millionaire. On what would have been his 78th birthday, we will celebrate the greatest party rock anthem of all time with a night at The Haggerston pub in East London.

Love That Louie's vinyl spinners include DJs from internet radio stations NTS and Hoxton FM, band members from MFC Chicken, The Fabulous Penetrators and The Brute Chorus, plus promoters from the Dirty Water Club, Buzzsaw Joint and Heavy Sugar. Louie Louie themed projections from Julian Savage and drink specials will run all night. Big thanks also go to Sam Oakley for the brilliantly retro poster design.

Entry is free, but space is limited, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. For more information, head to the Facebook event page. Me gotta go!!

The DC5 Move On

2013-04-02T20:47:00.003+01:00

The Dave Clark Five - Move On

Anyone up for a tough instrumental from a band hailing from Tottenham in North London? Sometimes known as the DC5, The Dave Clark Five are not to be confused with The Motor City Five. The MC5 were garage rock revolutionaries from Detroit, The DC5 were a pop rock group who invaded the US in the wake of The Beatles. The invasion must have gone well since their stateside popularity far eclipsed that for them in their native land. Although today's selection isn't indicative of their sound, there exist at least two other tasty DC5 instrumentals well worth checking out; On The Move and Chaquita. Move On is apparently from 1964, even though the label clearly says 1965. And, in case you were wondering, Dave Clark was the drummer.

Cliff's Dynamite

2013-03-28T14:02:00.003Z

Cliff Richard - Dynamite

Unless you're a British women in your 70s, Cliff Richard probably isn't someone you consider to be a cool rock'n'roller. But this b-side from 1959, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, proves otherwise. Ably backed by The Shadows, Sir Cliff brings it strong on Dynamite, an explosive rockabilly number written by Ian Samwell. I might play this one tonight when I spin records with DJ Andy Smith for his Jam Up Twist night. Now, the thing about Andy is, he hates Cliff Richard. I think it stems from his mother overplaying Cliff and The Shadows during Andy’s youth. I find this situation ironic since in 1998, for me and many others, Andy’s own The Document CD rescued one Tom Jones from the pinnacles of un-hipness by including his blasting Looking Out My Window in the mix. Like Jones, Richard’s got some tunage and deserves a chance to be hip with the kids once again.

Uncle Stan, The Hip Hit Record Man

2013-03-27T08:16:00.003Z

Lightnin' Hopkins - Uncle Stan, The Hip Hit Record Man

The Uncle Stan referred to in this unusual song title is Stan Lewis. Lewis started his business life with a few jukeboxes in Shreveport, Louisiana. He then opened a record store, moved into producing records, including Dale Hawkins' Susie Q, and founded the record labels Jewel, Paula and Ronn. Lightnin' Hopkins got on well with Lewis and made many recordings with him. Uncle Stan, The Hip Hit Record Man was released in 1965. It's juke joint dance music, a bluesy guitar instrumental with plenty of rhythm.