WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13th
Green Bay, 2005
JIVE BOOT CAMP
Once again, I was one of the minority who was up and around before noon,
and I saw that the free dance lessons with Miss Wolff's Jiving School
was still well attended and everyone still seemed to be having a good
time, and dancing better!
VENDORS IN BALLROOM
MORE VENDORS
MISS WOLFF'S JIVE DANCE LESSONS
MORE VENDORS
RUDY LA CRIOUS FROM UK GETTING HIS HAIR CUT AT ROB'S CHOP SHOP
(FROM DALLAS, TEXAS)
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: LEW AND ANITA WILLIAMS, BARRY,
AND ERICH AND ANNA HERBST, A COUPLE FROM VIENNA, AUSTRIA
(WHO ALSO ATTENDED GREEN BAY IN 2002)
BOBBY CROWN
The first act in the big Ballroom at 2 p.m. was Bobby Crown, who was
backed by the Wildfire Willie band. Bobby Krajca, son of Louis and Erin
Lorene Krajca, was born in Fort Worth, Texas on March 7, 1941. His
mother was part Irish and part Indian, while his father was a
second-generation American/Czechoslovakian. It wasn't until after Bobby
recorded for Jimmy Fields and Joe Bill at Feldco and Kick Records that
Jimmy Fields changed Bobby's stage name to Crown.
BOBBY CROWN WITH THE WILDFIRE WILLY BAND
Bobby's dad played bass fiddle in a western swing band when he was
young, and Bobby remembers the first two songs he learned: "Herijima
Isle" and "Remember Me." His mom taught him his first chord on guitar
and at the age of 14, while he was messing around with an A chord, he
wrote a song called "One Way Ticket." By the mid-50's, Bobby was
playing with his dad, and they were called The Krajcas. They mostly did
cover songs of Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, etc. From there they formed a
band and played at a wild place called the Lavida Club, and they started
to draw some good crowds. At this time Bobby was mixing rockabilly into
the country repertoire, and a cousin named Eddie Conley joined the band.
Bobby's first two acetate recordings were "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and
"Frauline." Eventually they started to play on the "Country Picnic" TV
show in Dallas, and the producers of the show were Jimmy Fields and his
partner, Joe Bill. Jimmy liked "Your Conscience," which he sang on the
TV show and asked Bobby if he had another song for the B side. Bobby
told him he had written "One Way Ticket" a few years back.
Bobby has released his own CD, "Bobby Crown Songs From 1956 to 1966" on
the Texan Records label, and has both a demo and a released version of
the "One Way Ticket" song on the CD.
"IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR"
Overlapping a bit with Bobby Crown's set was a set in the Casino Lounge from
2:00-3:30 p.m. by The Stumbleweeds. The Stumbleweeds are an authentic 1950's/1960's
style country and western rockabilly band out of the New England area featuring female
vocals from Lynnette Lenker, and red-hot playing from Dennis Kelly on lead guitar,
Jack Hanlon on doghouse bass, and Johnny "Cocktail" Cote on his favorite cocktail drum set.
They all share a great love of "roots" music. Their debut CD, "Pickin' and Sinnin',"
was released in 2001 on Rawk Records label. The Stumbleweeds' own composition,
"Honky Tonk Christmas," was also featured on a 2002 Christmas compilation from Dusty
Records of Sweden. Their swinging set on Wednesday included many of their own compositions,
including "Foot Stompin' Friday Night," "Pickin' and Sinnin'," "Nashville to Nashua,"
"Had Enough," and "Heart on Fire" along with other great renditions of the likes of
"My Baby Just Walked Right Out on Me," "Hard Times Ahead," "The Trouble With Girls,"
"Look Out Heart," "Evil On Your Mind," "Only Mama," "Boo-hoo Boogie," "Mercy," "Starlight,
Starbright," "Mean, Mean, Man," and "Rock Boppin' Baby." Good News! A new CD is in
the works and should be out before the end of this year.
 
I really enjoyed listening to the "Pickin' and Sinnin'" CD when I returned home.
Tight, enjoyable music, and the singing chores get spread around a bit, including some
nice vocal harmonies.
HARDROCK GUNTER
At 3:15 in the Ballroom, Hardrock Gunter took the stage, backed by the
Ragtime Wranglers and Carl Sonny Leyland. Born Sidney Louis Gunter, Jr.
in 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama, Hardrock Gunter was one of the earliest
country boogie artists to start shifting his music into full-fledged
rockabilly. Although many people believe that Jackie Brenston's
(actually the Ike Turner Band with Jackie Brenston on vocals) 1951 song
"Rocket 88" was the first rock and roll record, one year earlier
Hardrock Gunter released "Birmingham Bounce." Hardrock's "Birmingham
Bounce" was covered by Red Foley for a hit on the country charts, and
Amos Milburn on the R&B charts. After releasing several more singles on
Decca through 1953, Hardrock Gunter released material for MGM and Sun,
among others, and his Sun singles "Gonna Dance All Night" backed with
"Fallen Angel" in 1954, and "Jukebox Help Me Find My Baby" in 1956, have
appeared on many compilations. Hardrock Gunter has been backed up by
the Ragtime Wranglers for several years now, and the set was thoroughly
enjoyed and well received by an enthusiastic audience.
HARDROCK GUNTER WITH THE RAGTIME WRANGLERS
HARDROCK GUNTER WITH THE ORIGINAL RANCH GIRLS
Hardrock Gunter has quite a stage presence and a still-strong voice. He
might have leaned on the music stand a bit while he was performing, but
the audience couldn't stop moving, whether they were on the dance floor
or just getting a closer look at him on the stage. I don't have a set
list, but I do remember him doing "Birmingham Bounce," "Gonna Dance All
Night," "My Buckets Been Fixed," "Rockin' Boppin' Baby," "Don't Roll
Them Bloodshot Eyes At Me," "Right Key But The Wrong Keyhole" and
"Honky-tonk Baby." What a great and memorable performance by both
Hardrock Gunter and The Ragtime Wranglers! Oh, and by the way: The
"Original" Ranch Girls came on stage to sing a song with Hardrock too!
SONNY BURGESS
I have seen Sonny Burgess perform several times since 1999, usually with
the group billed "The Original Pacers." However, I never saw him with
Jack Nance or a suitable substitute playing that great trumpet I heard
on all the earlier Pacers' recordings. Well for Green Bay 2005, Sonny
had some of his usual backing band, but also enlisted others, including
a member from Mars Attacks, who played the trumpet and made the set
sound more authentic than I had ever heard in person before.
Sonny was born in rural Arkansas in 1931, and his stage presence is just
as lively as when I first saw him in 1999. Keep Rockin' Sonny!
BOB TIMMERS, GLEN GLENN, BARRY KLEIN
LEE DRESSER, LEADER OF KRAZY KATS
The Krazy Kats were formed in 1957 when guitarist Lee Dresser, pianist
Willie Craig and drummer Fred Fletcher, three high schoolers from
Moberly, Missouri, decided they wanted to rock just like Elvis, Jerry
Lee, Fats and all the rest of their favorites.
KRAZY KATS
Now based in the Kansas City area, this trio has performed together over
3,000 times, bringing their style of classic 50's and 60's music all
over the world. They were voted "Best Band in Kansas City" in 1991 and
were inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999. Their
autobiographical song, "Still Rockin' After All These Years!" says it
all.
Lee Dresser, who handles guitar, harmonica and most of the lead vocals,
is a self-made man whose parents died when he was very young. He was
drafted in 1966 and promptly sent to Viet Nam, and Lee started doing a
solo act, including some USO work. After his discharge, Lee moved to
Los Angeles and began his performing career.
RORY JUSTICE
RORY JUSTICE AND GROUP
Rory Justice, a phenomenon of 15 years of age, took the stage in the
Iroquois Room at 6:30. A Californian whose dad, Crash, nurtured him
with musicianship and showmanship, Rory has quite a lot of talent and
stage presence, and seems very respectful of his dad and other
influences in his life including Glen Glenn. Rory even called Glen
Glenn up to the stage to perform one of my favorite Glen Glenn songs,
"Blue Jeans and a Boy's Shirt."
RORY CALLS UP GLEN GLENN TO DO "BLUE JEANS IN A BOY'S SHIRT."
Rory really rocked, and it was fun to think about his promising future.
AL URBAN
Al Urban took the stage in the Ballroom at 7 p.m. With Tjarko Jeen on
guitar, Jussi Huhtakangas on steel, Kevin Smith of High Noon on bass and
Lisa Pankratz on drums, it was a super combination.
Al Urban, who was born near Gonzales, Texas, recorded for Sarge Records
in Ś57 and '58 including the songs "Lookin' for Money," "I Don't Want To
Be Alone," "Gonna Be Better Times," and "Won't Tell You Her Name." Hal
Harris played lead guitar on these songs. Hal himself did "I Don't Know
When" and "Jitterbop Baby." In later years, Al's songs would become so
popular, they would appear on many compilations including CD's on the
ACE, Bear Family, Buffalo Bop, and Collector labels. With Tjarko Jeen
now living in Texas, I guess we can call this an all Texas band! At any
rate, it was good to see Al Urban looking and performing well, and
seeing the face behind the songs we often hear.
BARRY, SLIM JIM PHANTOM OF THE STRAY CATS, AND BOB TIMMERS
YOUCHI AND THE HILLTONE BOYS, A VERY GOOD TRIO FROM OSAKA, JAPAN.
At 7:45 p.m. in the Iroquois Room, another Japanese band, Youchi & the
Hilltone Boys were substituted for The Rizlaz, who I heard had
immigration issues getting into the country. I can tell you that this
trio, an Elvis, Scotty and Bill-type set up (minus drums) sounded very
good, and this Osaka, Japan group has a CD out on the Thousands Record
label. Youchi & The Hilltone Boys elicited a raucous, well-received
reception and the crowd really went nuts when Youchi yodeled on Hank
Williams' classic "Long Gone Lonesome Blues."
THE DONETTES APPEARED IN PURCELL'S LOUNGE FROM
8 TO 9 PM ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13.
(Photo courtesy of Frederic Schroers of KBOO Radio, Portland Oregon.)
The Donettes are a Seattle-based, female-fronted band featuring Rebecca
Kemberling, Kirsten Ballweg, Sarah Bratsch, Jonathan Stuart and Tom
Forster.
Some of the songs in their set included "Bad Monkey 500," "Oh Boy," "Tom
Cat," "5-10-15 Hours," "Whipper Snapper," "Action Slacks," "Rocket 69,"
"Ready If You're Willing," "Straight Shottin' Daddy" and "Bang Bang."
After their set, a worked up audience demanded an encore, which was "Cry
Cry Cry." We haven't heard the last of The Donettes!
IKE TURNER
At 8:15 p.m. Ike Turner and his big band played in the main Ballroom.
IKE TURNER AND HIS BIG BAND
It is unfortunate that a majority of people do not know the importance
of Ike Turner in the genesis of rock and roll. He came to Sun Studio in
1951, almost three years before young Elvis Presley first walked in the
door at 706 Union Avenue. It was Ike Turner and the band that he led,
The Kings of Rhythm, who recorded what many music connoisseurs refer to
as the first rock and roll song, "Rocket 88." As I had mentioned
earlier, Jackie Brenston was on the vocals for this song, but it was
Ike's leadership in arranging and his band, The Kings of Rhythm, that
recorded the song, not the "Delta Cats," Jackie Brenston's side band
which was mistakenly credited with the song by Chess Records, who
released it and many other Sam Phillips' Sun-produced records in the
early 50's. Originally known as well for his guitar playing as his
piano pounding, it was Ike Turner, along with BB King and Howlin' Wolf,
who were the early R&B Memphis stars emulated by the likes of Elvis
Presley a few years later.
There was a big crowd on hand to greet Ike, who also had a bit of a
crowd on stage. He was backed by a big band (in 1951 they would have
called it an orchestra). Also appearing on stage with Ike was his
female vocalist, Audrey Madison, who had a beautiful voice.
IKE TURNER
(Photo Courtesy of John Hall)
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, Ike Turner has
been slowly and steadily receiving acclamations that he has deserved for
decades. Unfortunately, even though Tina Turner has publicly announced
that the film "What's Love Got To Do with It?" was not fair to Ike, that
statement was glossed over by the media, and Ike is receiving
professional recognition the only way he knows how: earning it. Ike
Turner keeps getting more and more of the credit he deserves in his
place in the history of rock and roll. Hopefully, he will live long
enough to see more of it.
BARRY WITH ROCK & ROLL ICON IKE TURNER
AND SINGER AUDREY MADISON
DARRELL HIGHAM
DARRELL HIGHAM & THE ENCORCERS
DARRELL HIGHAM & THE ENFORCERS
I heard something very surprising after Darrell Higham & The Enforcers
entertained in the Iroquois Room at 9 p.m. Darrell Higham is "taking a
break" from performing. This Englishman has been rocking around the
world for many years, and his set was up to his usual high standards. I
enjoy his recordings and personal appearances, and I hope his hiatus
halts soon. And look at the sets he played for the likes of Art Adams,
Terry Noland and Roc LaRue!
THE CRICKETS
There is a long history of The Crickets, the group that played with
Buddy Holly in the 1950's, and this article might become twice as long
if I go into their entire history.
In the mid-50's there were no set members of the group. They were a
bunch of guys in Lubbock who played with different bands and knew each
other.
The regulars of the group in 1957 were Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Niki
Sullivan and Joe Maudlin. Some songs were released on Brunswick just as
"The Crickets," while other songs were released on the Coral Record
label as "Buddy Holly." Soon Sonny Curtis and Tommy Allsup also were
members of the ever-changing lineup. At the time of Buddy Holly's death,
Waylon Jennings was on bass, Charlie Bunch on drums and Tommy Allsup on
guitar. Allsup gave up his seat on that Beechcraft Bonanza late
February 2, 1959 to Ritchie Valens while Waylon Jennings gave up his
seat to J.P. Richardson, The Big Bopper. They crashed just after
midnight, making February 3, 1959 "The Day The Music Died."
Fast forward to April 13, 2005: Jerry Allison, Joe Maudlin and Sonny
Curtis are The Crickets, although Tommy Allsup, who now plays with The
Bob Wills' Texas Playboys band, also played for a spell. Just as they
did in 2002, The Crickets played a very enjoyable set to a very large
and enthusiastic crowd.
Last year The Crickets released a CD entitled "The Crickets and Their
Buddies," a high profile effort produced by Grammy Award winner Greg
Ladanyi and featuring guest performances by Peter Case, Eric Clapton,
Rodney Crowell, Phil Everly, Nancy Griffith, Waylon Jennings, Tonio K.,
Albert Lee, Graham Nash, Vince Neil, John Prine, Johnny Rivers, JD
Souther and Bobby Vee. Waylon Jennings and Bobby Vee, of course, have
performed with The Crickets previously in the 50's and 60's, and we lost
Waylon last year.
This just shows what enduring popularity The Crickets have enjoyed, and
the great amount of influence they have had with rock, country,
alt-country and many contemporary musicians today.
PART OF A LONG AUTOGRAPH LINE FOR THE CRICKETS
PEP TORRES
Performing at 10 p.m. in Purcell's Lounge was Pep Torres, a
Latino-rocker/crooner from Hollywood, California who plays his own blend
of 50's-style rock and roll, rockabilly, doo-wop, and rhythm and blues.
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Pep started singing when
he was 15 and by the age of 17 was strumming guitar along with his
rockabilly records. Pep has already released three albums on the
Hollywood Vintage Records label:
"Rockabilidad," "You and I," and the most recent, "It Ain't Rocket
Science," in 2004.
His music is endemic to the roots music genre in the United States as
well as Latin America and Europe, where he has been called by some "The
New Ritchie Valens" and "The King of Latin Rock and Roll."
Pep Torres has appeared all over the United States and Canada, including
top venues such as The House of Blues, The Derby, the Roxie in
Hollywood, the Tractor in Seattle, and the Buddy Holly Center in
Lubbock, Texas.
Pep has also crossed the Atlantic and has appeared in Spain three times,
the last being a full tour of the country with performances in Madrid,
Barcelona, Granollers, L'Hospitalet, Zaragoza and Bilbao.
Pep's Green Bay set included songs in English and Spanish, including
"Wow, Wow," (they ought to call you) "Miss Heart Break," "Live It Up,"
"Dang Me," "Tell Me Why," the old blues number "Mellow Down Easy," and
"It Ain't Rocket Science." His Spanish numbers included "Chica
Dinamita," "La Novia De Mi Mejor Amigo," "Te Recordare," and "La Chica
Alborotada." "Pep" is a good name for this animated, electric
performer.
MARS ATTACKS (Swiss Group)
One of the acts that I was looking forward to seeing for the first time
was Mars Attacks, who appeared at 10:15 in the Iroquois Room. Mars
Attacks is a "super group" from Switzerland and Austria who left other
bands to form Mars Attacks. After "launching its attack" and "invading"
Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and
Spain, Mars Attacks made its way twice to perform at Hemsby in England.
Their debut album "Run for Your Life!," is available both on CD and 10"
LP as well as 7" EP for vinyl fans. It's on the Armadillo Records
label. Half of the 14 songs were written by the band. Another 7" vinyl
EP called "Snatch It and Grab It" was released after "Run for Your
Life!," and their second full-length release, "Dirty Tricks," is
available on both 12" vinyl and CD.
They are a terrific band that includes Roland Riedberger on lead vocals
and acoustic guitar, Mops Luscher on drums and vocals (they're the Swiss
guys), and Austrians Oliver Pfanner on standup bass and vocals, and
Martin Telfser on lead guitar.
MARS ATTACKS AND CONQUERS!
I was very impressed with Mars Attacks, as well as their instrumental
dexterity, with two of the members able to play trumpet. I couldn't
stay for entire set, but the songs in their set list included "Arouse My
Curiosity," "Something I Said," "A Gal of My Kind," "Rockin' and a
Knockin'," "Diggin' My Steps," Carl Perkins' "Pink Peddle Pushers,"
Johnny Carroll's "Crazy Crazy Lovin'," "Tattoo Bop," "What A Beat,"
"You'll Never Break Me" and, of course, "Man From Mars." I would love
to take the time to see them do a full set, but there were seven acts I
had to catch within a two-hour period.
BARBARA LYNN
Barbara Lynn has had an outstanding 40-year musical career, reaching the
No. 1 spot on the R&B charts and No. 8 on the pop charts with her 1962
hit "You'll Lose a Good Thing."
Born Barbara Lynn Ozen in Beaumont, Texas in 1942, she started playing
guitar as a teenager. Her early guitar influences were Jimmy Reed and
Guitar Slim, and her vocal influences included Connie Francis and Brenda
Lee, along with the "swamp rock" sounds of the east Texas/Louisiana
area.
Before she was out of high school she was leading her own band, Bobbie
Lynn and The Idols. She was discovered by Joe Barry ("I'm A Fool to
Care") who introduced her to the famous (and infamous) producer Huey
Meaux, who also produced one of Jerry Lee Lewis' best country albums in
the 1970's. Meaux was instrumental in getting her a deal with Jamie
Records, who released "You'll Lose a Good Thing" and a subsequent LP of
the same name. Two charted hits in 1965 were "You're Gonna Need Me" and
"Oh Baby (We Gotta a Good Thing Goin')," the latter being covered on the
Rolling Stones' third U.S. release, "The Rolling Stones Now" (that album
followed "England's Newest Hit Makers" and "12 X 5"). Her last major
chart entry was in 1971 with "(Until Then) I'll Suffer," which was No.
31 on the R&B charts on the Atlantic Records label.
Although Barbara dropped out of music for the most part during the
1970's and 1980's, she returned to the music scene in the 1980's and
released an LP "You Don't Have To Go," recorded while on a 1984 tour of
Japan. She has been touring regularly since then, and releasing new
music on blues labels such as Antone's and Bullseye, and she was a
headliner at the last Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans.
Barbara Lynn turned in a fine performance, contributing both vocally and
playing her left-handed guitar, with an excellent backing group.
TREVOR COVENEY, FROM CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, IS THE UK VERSION
OF CHICAGO'S CARL SCHREIBER
THE LAZY JUMPERS
THE LAZY JUMPERS
The Lazy Jumpers are a jump blues combo who played at 11:30 in the
Iroquois. This Spanish combo sounds like they came right out of
Chicago, not Spain. The singer, Blas Picon has a terrific sound with
his voice and harmonica. They have a CD out on El Torro Records called
"Somebody Tell That Woman." The other members of the band are Mario Cobo
on guitar, Ivan Kovacevic on upright bass and Marco Antonio on drums.
THE STAR DEVILS
(Photo courtesy of Michel and Anneke of the Netherlands.)
The Stardevils performed at midnight in Purcell's Lounge. I had never
seen The Stardevils before Green Bay, but I loved their CD "Diagnosis
Dee-Licious," which I reviewed in May last year
(
http://rockabillyhall.com/barrycdreview0504.html). This
Cincinnati-based quartet is still batting 1,000 with me now that I have
heard their new CD, "The Devils Music." The Stardevils are led by Lance
Kaufman, who handled the production, engineering, mixing and mastering
as well as the lead vocals, and many of the song compositions. The band
also includes David Rhodes Brown on lead guitar and lap steel, Greg
Schramm on drums and Steve Buckel on upright bass. David Rhodes Brown
also contributed to the compositions on the CD. My only hope now is
that I can stay for an entire performance the next time I see them.
Their set included "Jello Sal," "Miss Froggy," "Six Dollar Trim,"
"Little Lucy," "I Guess U Figured," "Crazy Lovin'," one of my all-time
favorites, "Sugaree," and also featured several songs from the new "The
Devil's Music" CD including "Dickity Doo," "Red-Hot Riding Hood,"
"Rollin'," "Buckboard Boogie," "Off My Rocker," "Leavin' Chicago,"
"Rockabilly Silly," and "Kat Daddy."
A fellow named Bruce emailed me after the Green Bay festival and
commented positively on two groups: The Stardevils and Dr. Snout. Of
the Stardevils he said, "The Stardevils are one of the purist rockabilly
bands that we sw in the short first 3 days of the show that we were
there. Their style, sound and dress were authentic rockabilly. This
band was my wife's favorite of all the smaller venue bands. We are both
looking forward to seeing them again." What more can I say??!!
LEVI DEXTER AND LEAD GUITARIST OF MAGIC
Levi Dexter with Magic performed at 12:15 a.m. in the Ballroom.
LEVI DEXTER AND MAGIC WITH SLIM JIM PHANTOM ON DRUMS
I have written about Levi Dexter on more than one occasion, and although
I try not to be repetitive, the man leaves me no choice: he always puts
on a strong performance featuring good backing musicians, a strong vocal
performance, sharp clothes and a never-ending, energetic boppin' style
that takes him all over the stage and is bound to cause camera pictures
to blur. It's always a treat to see Levi Dexter, and he never lets his
fans down.
JIMMY SUTTON OF CHICAGO'S FOUR CHARMS IS
LEAD GUITARIST FOR THE HI-Q'S OF DETROIT
RUDY VARNER IS THE BASSMAN FOR THE HI-Q'S.
The last show I saw on Wednesday night was the 12:45 a.m. (or should I
say the first thing Thursday morning) show at the Iroquois Ballroom
featuring the Hi-Q's. Despite the fact that I was going to do another
7-mile run early Thursday morning, I just could not miss seeing the
Hi-Q's. Founded by front man and singer, Matt Strictland, the Hi-Q's
original lineup included half the former members of The Big Barn Combo
(also Detroit), Loney Charles on drums and Paul "Smokey Links" Cook on
lead guitar. Filling out the quartet is Rudy Varner, who besides being
the bass man for Jack Scott and who formerly played with the Starlight
Drifters, is also the man behind that great rockabilly web site, Planet
Rockabilly
(
www.planetrockabilly.com). Being in Naples, Florida since
mid-October, I did not know that Paul Cook was no longer with the group,
but it wasn't until I saw the band come on stage that I realized that
Chicago's Jimmy Sutton was joining the group. Wait a minute! He
doesn't have his bass. This guy's gonna play lead guitar! I just
couldn't believe how great they all sounded together! Jimmy, you're
double bad!!
MATT STRICKLAND IS LEAD SINGER OF THE HI-Q'S, WHO,
AS NO SURPRISE TO HEPCAT DETROITERS, THE H-Q'S
HAD QUITE AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION IN GREEN BAY.
The first time I saw Matt and the Hi-Q's was in an intimate bar in
Ferndale, Michigan, The New Way Bar, at one of their earlier live
performances. They were very good and I particularly liked both the
selections of rockabilly songs they covered and their original
compositions. Particularly, when I was at the New Way they did one of
my favorite rockabilly songs, Don Woody's "You're Barking Up The Wrong
Tree." I mean, Don Woody would be proud of the way the Hi-Q's did that
song, right down to the final dog howl at the end.
JIMMY SUTTON, LEAD GUITAR!
LONEY CHARLES IS THE DRUMMER FOR THE HI-Q'S. LONEY AND RUDY ARE ALSO
THE RHYTHM SECTION FOR GREAT SCOTT! (JACK, THAT IS)
Well, if anybody wanted to hear fantastic, straight-up rockabilly, with
great selections of classic rockabilly songs, plus some tasty tunes
tomed by Matt Strickland, this was the place to be! Whether it was
"Worn Out Baby," or the Peanuts Wilson classic, "Cast Iron Arm," these
guys really rock. Matt's vocals are perfect, he has a great command of
the stage, and of course the musicians are top notch. I am very
familiar with the talents of the rhythm section, Rudy Varner and Loney
Charles, but I just couldn't believe how great Jimmy Sutton sounded on
the guitar solos. If you missed the Hi-Q's, you really missed
something, so you better not let it happen again, and I'm proud of all
you guys! By the way, the Hi-Q's debut album "Hoppin' Bop" is available
on El Toro Records.
At a stag dinner last summer in Detroit celebrating the marriage of
Craig "Bones" Maki, Matt gave me a copy of the new CD. On the cover is
a picture of the historic Detroit building that housed the Fortune and
Hi-Q record labels. Don't miss a chance to see or hear the Hi-Q's.
THE PALADINS
(Photo courtesy of Frederic Schroers of KBOO Radio, Portland Oregon.)
THE PALADINS
(Photo courtesy of Frederic Schroers of KBOO Radio, Portland Oregon.)
Would somebody please book The Paladins and have them play before 1:30
a.m.!!!??? The last time I saw them was at 12 Midnight at the
Continental Club in Austin on Thursday, February 24,2000
(
www.rockabillyhall.com/BarryKSXSW2000html). Vegas, Green Bay I, they
always play so late!!
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