The Girth Of Rock & Roll

Via the Jet magazine archives, 1959.

Too Many Mini-Skirts

Jimmie James  -  Too Many Mini-Skirts

Too many mini-skirts?  Well, let's not get all carried away. Further study on the topic of country music and mini-skirts awaits you over on the main WFMU blog.

My Ferrari GTO

Revells  -  My Ferrari GTO (2:13)

All right, a Pontiac and a Ferrari are two different things, I know that.  Just go with it, because both the song and the ad are pretty damn great. I admit to being a little queasy about the tiger skin, but maybe it's the skin of a very old tiger that died peacefully of natural causes.  Or maybe not.

Jackass Cigarette Dispenser

Elton Britt  -  Jackass Blues

The Ball State University Singers, 1966

To be quite frank, I am pretty sure I would be unable to fully appreciate the music made by the Ball State University Singers, but I can't quit admiring this fantastic photo.  Via the Ball State University Digital Archives.

WSB is on the air

Jim Wesley mans the DJ booth at Atlanta's WSB radio station, 1957.  Via the Georgia State University Library Archives, file #LBP48-196a.

Travis Wammack, Folk Rocker

Travis Wammack - Tomorrow Night

This catchy vocal folk-rocker is the flip of the instrumental Stay, posted here the other day.

Travis Wammack

Travis Wammack  -  Stay

Tijuana Christmas

The Border Brass  -  Tijuana Christmas  (1:59)

The Border Brass was just one of many Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass knock-offs that helped feed the world's insatiable appetite for faux Latin easy listening instrumentals back in the late 1960s. 

Lionel Hampton - Hep Santa Claus

Via the Jet magazine archives (December, 1957).

Chinky Grimes & Jimmy Rushing come to Brooklyn, 1955

Jimmy Rushing  -  Lotsa Poppa  (2:35)

Photo via the Jet magazine archives.

Ruth Brown Beat Down

Ruth Brown  -  Lucky Lips

If you're fortunate enough to have a pair of lucky lips, you're probably safe from Ruth Brown's ferocious fists of fury.

Via the Jet magazine archives, 1954.

Let's Go To Strollsville

 Boots Brown & The Blockbusters  -  Let's Go To Strollsville  (2:20)


1962 – The Sandy Springs High Class of ‘62 dances at the Marietta Country Club, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's photo Tumblr.  The original caption?  "Those of the Charleston era puzzled? This is ‘The Stroll."

Happy Thanksgiving

Sax on the beach

I fully expect my blogging privileges to be revoked after that groaner.  But in the meantime, check out Louis Jordan as he throws himself a beach party of the shores of Lake Michigan, 1966. Via the JET magazine archives.  Also pictured, the "leggy lovelies" Agatha Collins, Gwendolyn Roberts and Phyllis Campbell.

Shoot The Juice To Me Bruce - Part 2 (Ed. Repost)

When Ichiban boss Debbie blogged a Nervous Norvus 45 here yesterday, I was reminded of the positively eye-popping NN photos buried deep within the Life magazine archives. Photographer Ralph Crane snapped these images back in 1956 and they seem to have been hidden away in the vaults ever since.

Since Life's photographic treasures are not always labeled with 100% accuracy, finding them was a real stroke of luck. Instead of identifying him as Nervous Norvus, he's dubbed "Nervous Nervous" in the archives! Anyhow, these are only a few of the Nervous Norvus pictures they've got stashed away over there. Check out some more. Sure, many of them appear to be duplicates but have a look anyhow and your day will likely be made.

The Whigs - Chicken Switch

Here's The Wigs, hailing from Cleveland, Ohio. Yesterday, we shared the group's fantastic publicity shot, showing the group clad in colonial-era garb.

The Wigs

Wigs Warble:  Wearing colonial style wigs and George Washington-type garments, Cleveland vocal group called The Wigs score big in their night club appearances.  Fancy dress and buckled shoes of yesteryear are no bar to their modern rhythm and blues numbers."  Jet - 1964

All I can say is, I sure hope they did the Buckle Shoe Stomp.

Three Sixpacks, Two Arms And A Juke Box

Johnny Seay  -  Three Sixpacks, Two Arms And A Juke Box 

Most of Johnny's hits, not that there were all that many of them - but he did have a smattering of chart success stretching from the late 1950s until near the end of the 60s, were released under the name of Johnny Sea.  The pronunciation didn't change, only the spelling, when he reverted to his birth name of Seay.  In any event, this 1968 outing gets my nod for the Honky-Tonk Record Of The Week, full-up with fiddles, steel guitar and heart-wrenching lyrics about blotting out pain with the help of a little binge drinking.

Surfer From Tennessee (MP3)

Joey Paige  -  Surfer From Tennessee


What, y'all didn't know hillbillies loved surfing?