The Gaylads

One last ska single for 2012 this time from 1967 on the Rio label. Nice ska instrumental on the "B" side by the Soul Brothers...................................................................................................................................................................... Wikipedia says - "The Gaylads are a Jamaican vocal group. They were one of the top rocksteady vocal groups active in Jamaica between 1963 and 1973. The group, formed in Kingston, originally consisted of singers Harris "B.B." Seaton, Winston Delano Stewart and Maurice Roberts; Seaton and Stewart had previously been successful as the duo Winston & Bibby. There would be several line-up changes throughout The Gaylads' ten year history, with Maurice Roberts remaining the only constant member. Besides recording several hit records, The Gaylads also backed many influential musicians (including Ken Boothe) on recordings. Roberts, the lone remaining original member, selected brothers Randell and Hopeton Thaxter to carry on the Gaylads name; the new lineup never matched the success of its predecessor, however, and after releasing the album, Love and Understanding, as the Gayladds, Roberts dropped any reference to the moniker and rechristened the trio the Psalms, landing as backing vocalists for Bunny Wailer. The founding duo of Seaton and Stewart reformed for the first time in over two decades for an appearance at the 1991 Studio One concert, and two years later Roberts joined them for a performance at the Rocksteady Reunion in Kingston. Seaton, who began his solo career in 1973 with the album Thin Line Between Love and Hate and enjoyed success throughout the years to follow—subsequently relocated to London to helm his revived Soul Beat imprint. Some of their hits included one of the first singles encouraging repatriation - "Africa (We Want To Go)," "Joy In The Morning"; "Red Rose," (for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One), "It's Hard To Confess," "Over the Rainbow's End"(for Sonia Pottinger) and "My Jamaican Girl" (for Leslie Kong / Beverley's). The current line-up of the Gaylads comprises Seaton, Roberts, and Randall Thaxter."................................................................................................................................................................. Soul |Bothers - Soul Serenade......................................................................... The Gaylads - Put On Your Style.

Bill Black's Combo

Groovy blues instrumentals by Bill Black's Combo on the Hi label from the 60's................................................................................... Wikipedia says - "Black was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to a motorman for the Memphis Street Railway. He was the oldest of nine children. His father played popular songs on the banjo and fiddle to entertain the family. Black learned to play music at the age of 14 on an instrument made by his father—a cigar box with a board nailed to it and strings attached. At the age of sixteen, Black was performing "honky-tonk" music on acoustic guitar in local bars. During World War II, Black was stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee in Virginia. While in the Army, he met Evelyn, who played guitar as the member of a musical family. They married in 1946 and returned to Memphis. Black worked at the Firestone plant. Black began playing the upright bass fiddle. He modeled his "slap bass" technique after one of his idols, Fred Maddox of Maddox Brothers and Rose. Black also developed a "stage clown" persona in the same way that Maddox entertained audiences. Black performed as an exaggerated hillbilly with blacked-out teeth, straw hat and overalls. According to his son, Black said his goal was always to give his audience "a few moments of entertainment and maybe a little bit of humor that'll tickle 'em for a while." In 1952, Black began playing club and radio shows with guitarist Scotty Moore. Along with two other guitarists and a fiddler, they performed country music tunes by Hank Williams and Red Foley in Doug Poindexter's band, the Starlight Wranglers.[3] Black and Moore also played in a band with Paul Burlison, Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette on steel guitar, and a drummer. In 1954, Black and Moore were formed into a trio with Elvis Presley."............................................................................ Bill Black's Combo - Blues For The Red Boy.................................................................. Bill Black's Combo - So What.

Lightin' Slim

A blues single with three tracks on the Blue Horizon label from 1972. Produced arranged and directed by Mike Vernon.......................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Lightnin' Slim was born Otis V. Hicks in St. Louis, Missouri. moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of thirteen. Taught guitar by his older brother Layfield, Slim was playing in bars in Baton Rouge by the late 1940s. He debuted on J. D. "Jay" Miller's Feature Records label in 1954 with "Bad Luck Blues" ("If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all"). Slim then recorded for Excello Records for twelve years, starting in the mid 1950s, often collaborating with his brother-in-law, Slim Harpo and with harmonica player Lazy Lester. Slim took time off from the blues for a period of time and ended up working in a foundry in Pontiac, Michigan,[citation needed] which resulted in him suffering from constantly having his hands exposed to high temperatures. He was re-discovered by Fred Reif in 1970, in Pontiac, where he was living in a rented room at Slim Harpo's sister's house. Reif soon got him back performing again and a new recording contract with Excello, this time through Bud Howell, the present President of the company. His first gig was a reunion concert at the 1971 University of Chicago Folk Festival with Lazy Lester, whom Reif had brought from Baton Rouge in January 1971. In the 1970s, Slim performed on tours in Europe, both in the United Kingdom and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland where he was often accompanied by Moses "Whispering" Smith on harmonica. He last toured the UK in 1973, with the American Blues Legends package. In July 1974, Slim died of stomach cancer in Detroit, Michigan, aged 61."...................................................................................Lightnin' Slim - Just A Little Bit................................................................................................................................................................... Lightin' Slim - Your'e Old Enough Mind Your Own Business

Roland Alphonso/ Little Luman

Another R. Alphonse (sic) track with the even more obscure Little Luman on the "A" side from 1964. A great instrumental version of The Hucklebuck which Alphonse claims to have written but pretty sure he didn't!....................................................................................................................................................................... Wikipedia says - "When the Skatalites disbanded by August 1965, Alphonso formed the Soul Brothers (with Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, and Jackie Mittoo) to become The Soul Vendors in 1967. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Alphonso led the Ruinaires, the resident band at the Ruins restaurant/nightclub, this coming to an end when he suffered a stroke at the age of 41. He recovered quickly from this setback, and relocated to the United States in late 1972, soon returning to performing and recording. He released the first album under his name in 1973 on the Studio One record label. During the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, he kept on playing on numerous records coming out from Jamaican studios, especially for Bunny Lee, and he toured with many bands. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he played with the band Jah Malla, performing regularly on the live circuit around New York. He was awarded Officer of the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 1977, and started to tour more often in the U.S. He took part in the reformation of the Skatalites in 1983, with whom he toured and recorded constantly until he suffered a burst blood vessel in his head during a show at the Key Club in Hollywood on 2 November 1998. He died on 20 November 1998 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after suffering a second burst blood vessel, and spending four days in a coma.".................................................................................................................................................................... Little Luman - Hurry Hurry................................................................................................................................................................. Roland Alphonso - The Hucklebuck.

The Creation

The Creation sounded more like The Who than the Who did! This single is from the mid 60's on the Planet label.....................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Most of the members of what would eventually become Creation were initially members of The Mark Four, a British beat group based in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. By late 1963 The Mark Four was a quintet consisting of Kenny Pickett (vocals), Eddie Phillips (guitars), Mick "Spud" Thompson (rhythm guitars), John Dalton (bass), and Jack Jones (drums). This line-up played regularly in the UK and in Germany before issuing two non-charting singles for Mercury Records in 1964. Dalton then left the band, later joining The Kinks as a replacement for Pete Quaife, and was replaced by new bassist Tony Cooke. Around the same time, Thompson left the band and was not replaced. This Mark Four line-up issued two further non-charting singles: "Hurt Me (If You Will)" (Decca, August 1965) and "Work All Day (Sleep All Night)" (Fontana, February 1966). In April 1966, the group signed a management deal with Tony Stratton-Smith. He promptly suggested replacing Cooke with new bassist Bob Garner (previously of the Tony Sheridan Band), and a name change. The band took him up on both suggestions: it was Pickett who came up with the name The Creation, based on a reference he found in a book of Russian poetry. The band's style, produced by Shel Talmy, was, at this point, loud pop art, similar to early records by The Who.. Their first single, "Making Time", was a Pickett/Phillips original. Released in June 1966 on Talmy's own label, Planet (distributed in the UK by Polydor and in the US by Jay-Gee), it reached #49 on the UK chart. Almost immediately thereafter, The Creation suffered another line-up change when Jack Jones was fired and replaced by new drummer Dave Preston. However, the band was unsatisfied with Preston's live work,[citation needed] and in less than three weeks Jones was asked back and rejoined the group. Their next single, October 1966's "Painter Man", became their biggest hit, reaching #36 UK and the top 10 in Germany. The track featured Phillips playing his electric guitar with a violin bow. He was reputedly the first guitarist to use this technique, although Jimmy Page later did it to greater acclaim. The Creation took their pop art experimentation slightly further when, during live performances of "Painter Man" Pickett would spraypaint a canvas during their concerts, before a member of the road crew set light to artwork on stage."................................................................................................................................................................... Creation - Making Time.................................................................................................................................................................. Creation - Try And Stop Me.

Roland Alphonso

Forget the squeaky voiced Hyacynth on the "A" side the flip is the best- excellent jazz ska with Roland Alphonso - on the Rio label from 1965....................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Roland Alphonso O.D. or Rolando Alphonso aka The Chief Musician (January 12, 1931, Havana, Cuba - November 20, 1998, Los Angeles, California, United States)[1] was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist, and one of the founding members of The Skatalites. Alphonso came to Jamaica at the age of two with his Jamaican mother, and started to learn saxophone at the Stony Hill Industrial School. In 1948 he left school to join Eric Deans' orchestra and soon passed through other bands in the hotel circuit and first recorded as a member of Stanley Motta's group in 1952, going on to record frequently as a session musician. In 1956 he first recorded for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, although these early recordings were lost before they were mastered. In 1959 he joined the band of Cluett Johnson named Clue J & His Blues Blasters and backed many of Dodd's recording sessions in a typical Jamaican R&B style. He also acted as arranger at many of Dodd's recording sessions. By 1960, he was recording for many other producers such as Duke Reid, Lloyd "The Matador" Daley and King Edwards, as well as continuing to work for Dodd, contributing alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, and flute to recordings. During this period he played in many different bands, such as The Alley Cats, The City Slickers, and Aubrey Adams & The Dew Droppers. In 1963, after few months spent in Nassau, Bahamas, he took part in the creation of The Studio One Orchestra, the first session band at Dodd's newly-opened recording studio. This band soon adopted the name of The Skatalites.".............................................................................................................................................................. Roland Alphonso - Jazz Ska...............................................................................Hyacynth - Oh Gee.

The Les Dawson Syndicate

Not THE Les Dawson but an obscure Les Dawson who only made this one single for the Melodisc label it seems back in 1962. A bit of a rarity I imagine. Not sure where I found it - maybe in that box of ska singles from the scout hut in Basildon back in the 70's. Anyway, this is a great song - mostly instrumental with shout outs from the band.On the other side they are joined by Johnny Stevens - who is another I could find no mention of on the internet search. If you know anything please do tell!..........................................................................................................................................................................Les Dawson Syndicate - Last Chicken In The Shop...................................................................................................................................................................... Les Dawson/Johnny Stevens - Oh Yeah

Singing Dogs (Re-Up)

Another 78 from the boot on Sunday. I remember this oddity being played on Children's Favourites on the radio when I was a nipper. "Carl Weismann - Danish legendary pioneer bird voice recording engineer, working for the Danish State Radio in Copenhagen - HATED dogs! Yeah, well - he hated their barking spoiling every other of his recordings of singing birds - he became a master in cutting them out of his bird tapes - in those days - the 50's - there was no other way to do it than with a pair of scissors! So he ended up with two piles of tapes - one with bird voices and one with dog voices. The dogs really were doomed to be thrown out - but then Carl got an idea! He cut together a tape of various toned dog barks set to the music of 'Jingle Bells'. He had no further intentions, than it might be fun for a Danish children radio show. HOW it in 1955 ended up on a 45 rpm with 3 other tunes 'Patty Cake', 'Three Blind Mice' and 'Oh Susanna' as a four-tune medley - I simply don’t know. But the disc was released by RCA in USA and sold 500.000 copies. Release in Britain around the same time was on Pye-Nixa label, on a 78 rpm disc. In Sweden it has been seen on the Metronome label. Howard Smith, host of a four-hour talk-music show over WABC-New York FM outlet, WPLJ who liked to play anything weird or new on his program first started playing the original 45 rpm disc at Christmas 1970. Someone found it in a Boston used record store and gave it to the father of his girlfriend. Smith played the disc for many weeks prior to Christmas 1971 and told some RCA executives at a record party about the public response to his playing their old record. RCA unearthed the original parts at their plant in Indianapolis and rushed the disc into release in early December 1971. In 3 weeks alone it sold 420,000 copies, the combined sales through the years thus making it a million seller."===================================================================================================================================================================Singing Dogs - Pat-a -cake/Jingle Bells==================================================================================================================================================================Singing Dogs - Oh Susanna

Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 4

Another Cajun LP from the same pile at last week's boot sale - this time on the Old Timey records label. A compilation from 50's released in 1972...........................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says of Harry Choates - "Harry Choates (December 26, 1922, Rayne, Louisiana or New Iberia, Louisiana - July 17, 1951, Austin, Texas) was an American Cajun music fiddler. Choates's place of birth is disputed. He moved to Port Arthur, Texas in the 1930s, and received little schooling, instead spending time in local bars listening to music on the jukebox. By age 12 he started playing fiddle for spare change in barbershops. He gained early professional experience playing in the bands of Leo Soileau and Leroy LeBlanc, then split off to form his own group called the Melody Boys in 1946. His 1946 song "Jole Blon", a top 10 hit (Billboard position #4) for Choates, was recorded by country singer Moon Mullican and became a major hit, but Choates had waived his rights to the song and was never compensated for the song's success. Choates remained with the Melody Boys from 1946 to 1951, recording for Gold Star Records in 1946-47. The Melody Boys disbanded over Choates's chronic problems with alcoholism and his frequent missed concert dates, and shortly after the dissolution he played with Jesse James & His Gang on KTBC radio. In the middle of the year, Choates was found to be in contempt of court for failing to pay his support payments for his children. He spent three days in prison, at which time he began hitting his head against the bars of his jail cell, eventually knocking himself into a coma. The condition persisted for several days before Choates died on July 17, 1951."......................................................................................Wikipedia says of Hackberry Ramblers - "The Hackberry Ramblers (also known as the Riverside Ramblers), a Grammy Award-nominated Cajun music band based in Hackberry, Louisiana, formed in 1933. Since its heyday in the late 1930s it has become one of the most recognized names and influential groups in Cajun music. Its sound has come to be one of the genre's most imitated, and its 1936 song "Jolie Blonde" — the group's most covered song — ranks as the informal "Cajun national anthem." The group, which continues to tour and perform, has one of the longest histories of a musical group in the United States of America, and while its lineup has changed many times since its conception, its founders — fiddler Luderin Darbone and accordionist Edwin Duhon — led the band until Duhon's death in 2006. (Darbone died November 21, 2008.) While the roots of the band lie in its Cajun music repertoire, the Ramblers perform a broad swath of American music, from Western swing to blues and rockabilly, and much of their sound blends them all. The Country Music Hall of Fame has honored the group; it holds enshrined many of the founding members' instruments. James "Glen" Croker died at the age of 77 on August 23, 2011."...............................................................................Tracks are as follows - 1. Wondering - Joe Werner & His Riverside Ramblers 2. Dissatisfied - Joe Werner & His Riverside Rablers 3. Jolie Blonde - Hackberry Ramblers 4. Ma Cherie Belle - Hackfield Ramblers 5. Austin Special - Harry Choates 6. Saturday Night Waltz - Harry Choates 7. La Prison - Oaklahoma Tornadoes......................................................................................Cajun Music - Side One

Adge Cutler & The Wurzels

More Wurzels this time with Adge Cutler from 1968 on the EMI label. Supposed to be a live recording but sounds very fake to me - maybe just the way its been edited. The usual old country bumpkin nonsense and terrible jokes and daft ditties about life in the West Country....................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Alan John Cutler was born in Portishead, Somerset. Nicknamed 'Adge' by his friends, from his initials A.J., he lived in the small North Somerset town of Nailsea. He spent his earlier years pursuing various jobs he would use as material for later songs, including road manager for Acker Bilk, working in a cider mill (Coates of Nailsea), and working on building a power station in North Wales. He spent a year in Spain working as an agent looking for property. During his time there he grew to love the country and the Spanish way of life, as well as becoming fluent in Spanish. In 1972, he married Yvonne, moving to Tickenham, a few miles north of Nailsea. Cutler's songs are largely sung in his own accent, though some are in an exaggerated Bristolian accent, and one in West Indian dialect. Cutler was influenced by Len "Uke" Thomas, a singer who left no recordings but who sang in the Bristolian dialect and who was a well known Bristol entertainer. Virtually all of Cutler's recordings are live; one album, "Cutler of the West", was recorded at the Webbington Country Club, which is very easy to see on the M5 motorway, on the slopes of Crook Peak. [edit]Death On 5 May 1974, he died when he crashed his MGB sports car on a roundabout in Chepstow, following a Wurzels concert. Cutler is buried in the graveyard of Christ Church, Nailsea."..................................................................................................................................................................Adge Cutler - Side One

Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy & D.L. Menard

Boot sale find on Sunday. LP on the Arhoolie label from 1977. Dance music from the Louisiana bayou..........................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Dewey Balfa (March 20, 1927 – June 17, 1992) was an American Cajun fiddler and singer who contributed significantly to the popularity of Cajun music. Balfa was born near Mamou, Louisiana. He is perhaps best known for his 1964 performance at the Newport Folk Festival with Gladius Thibodeaux and Vinus LeJeune, where the group received an enthusiastic response from over seventeen thousand audience members. He sang the song "Parlez Nous à Boire" in the 1981 cult film Southern Comfort, in which he had a small role."............................................................................................."Marc Savoy (pronounced English pronunciation: /sɑːˈvwɑː/ 'sah-vwah')[1] (b. near Eunice, Louisiana, United States, October 1, 1940) is an American musician, and builder and player of the Cajun accordion. Savoy holds a degree in chemical engineering but his primary income is derived from his accordion-making business, based at his Savoy Music Center in Eunice, Louisiana. His wife is the singer and guitarist Ann Savoy, whom he met in 1975. He has performed with Robert Bertrand, Dennis McGee, Rodney Balfa, Sady Courville, Dewey Balfa, D. L. Menard, and Michael Doucet, the latter of whom he plays with in the Savoy-Doucet Band. He also plays in the Savoy Family Band with his wife Ann and their sons Joel and Wilson. He hosts regular jam sessions and mini-festivals at the Savoy Music Center."...................................................................................."Menard was born in Erath, Louisiana. The only child of Mr. Ophy Menard and Mrs. Helena Primeaux Menard. He was part of a Cajun farming family. He started to play guitar at 16 and started playing dances in Louisiana clubs at 17. He was greatly influenced by Hank Williams meeting him once in 1951 at the Teche Club shortly before Hank's death. Since then he has performed in more than 30 countries and served as a good-will ambassador for Cajun culture. He has also recorded with non-Cajun artists, including Bryan Ferry. He and his wife Louella - now deceased - have seven children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He still lives in Erath and continues to play music. He has maintained a separate career as a craftsman, noted for his handmade ash-wood chairs he makes at his one-man factory in Erath."......................................................................................................................................................................Tracks are as follows - 1. Jolie BlondeDe bayou 2. Petite Fille De La Campagne 3.En Bas D'un Chene Vert 4. Port Arthur Blues 5. J'ai Fait Un Gros Erreur 6. J'etais Au Bal........................................................................................................................................................................Dewey Balfa & Co. - Side One

Charlie Gillett - Undercurrents 12 (re-up)

Another Undercurrents show from the early 80's. No guest as such but a live song by The Shakin' Pyramids, a Scottish rockabilly band. Charlie plays the usual eclectic mix from the pub rock and indie scene at the time.............................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "The Shakin' Pyramids (also known as Shakin' Pyramids) were a Scottish rockabilly band formed in Glasgow in the late 1970s. The band consisted of Dave Duncan (vocals, harmonica, percussion) James G. Creighton (acoustic & electric guitar, vocals) and "Railroad" Ken McLellan (acoustic guitar, vocals). During the band's recording career from 1980–1983, they released two studio albums, four singles and three extended plays—one of which was recorded with the late British recording star Lonnie Donegan. A 1983 compilation album was released shortly after the group's disbandment, and a live album followed in 2001. Although the band did not enjoy any major chart successes, their work was generally well received by critics. They earned a fan base through their energetic live performances, which were originally honed on the streets of Glasgow and later exhibited via their extensive touring and a number of television appearances. In recent years, their work has been described as having helped define the short-lived rockabilly revival of the early 1980s."....................................................................................................................................................................Charlie Gillett - Undercurrents 12

Chas and Dave

A interview with DJ Stu Colman on Radio London in the 80's. The rockney duo chat about their favourite influences - Jerry Lee Lewis etc. and playing some of their "new" songs ................................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) are an English pop rock duo, most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled "rockney", which mixes "pub singalong, music-hall humour, boogie-woogie piano and pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll". For a time, "Rockney" was also the name of their record label, and they achieved several British chart hits, their major breakthrough being "Gertcha" in 1979, which peaked at #20 and was the first of eight Top 40 hit singles the duo played on. The act has also enjoyed nine best-selling albums. It was announced in September 2009 that the pair would no longer be working together as Dave Peacock planned to retire from the band following the death of his wife Sue. However, in 2010 the band announced a tour in 2011. They are due to play IndigO2 on 8th December 2012 & then a final tour of the U.K. between 28th February until 16th May 2013.".....................................................................................................................................................................Chas n Dave - Stu Colman show

Charlie Gillett - Ry Cooder 1982

An "Undercurrents" radio show on Capital Radio from 26th October 1980 when Ry was over here promoting his Bop Til You Drop LP and touring with John Hiatt and his band which also included Flaco Jimenez on accordion. Some great music including original versions of songs that Cooder had covered and informative chat as always........................................................................................................................................................................"Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in blues-rock, roots music from his native North America, and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries. Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and much else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Earl Hines, Little Feat, Captain Beefheart, The Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Pops, Mavis Staples, Gabby Pahinui, Flaco Jiménez, Freddy Fender and Ali Farka Touré. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner. Cooder was ranked 8th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." ......................................................................................................................................................................................Charlie Gillett - Ry Cooder Pt. 1......................................................................................................................................................................Charlie Gillett - Ry Cooder Pt. 2.............................................................................................................................................................................Also on Divshare...................................................................................Charlie Gillett - Ry Cooder Pt. 1...........................................................................................................................................................................Charlie Gillett - Ry Cooder Pt.2

Mohammed El-Bakkar

I thought I had featured this LP some years ago but looking back through the archive I see that I missed it for some reason. Apart from the striking sleeve it has some very nice Egyptian music on it. Sounds very authentic to me but what do I know! Made back in the 60's for the Hi-Fi enthusiasts more than anyone and an interesting flavour of the Middle East long before the phrase "world music" was ever invented.

Wikipedia says -

"Mohammed El-Bakkar (Arabic: محمد البكار‎; d. Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States, September 8, 1959) was a Lebanese tenor, oud player, and conductor.

El-Bakkar was a noted tenor and appeared in several Arabic-language films. He moved to the United States in 1952 and lived in Brooklyn. He released several LPs of Arabic music in the United States. He also played a singing Oriental rug salesman in the Broadway musical Fanny, in the Oriental bazaar scene; the production ran from 1954 to 1956.

He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on September 8, 1959, at the age of 46, after collapsing while performing at an annual Lebanese American festival in Lincoln, Rhode Island."................................................................................. Tracks are as follows - 1. Haun Meelee 2. Balady 3. Rahks Port Said 4. Hygalo 5. Geena Ghanneelak 6. Ah Ya Zain......................................................................................................................................................................... Mohammed El-Bakkar - Side Two

Post Early For Xmas!

Music for your eyes!

Billy Cotton

A 10 inch LP on the Decca label from the late 50's I imagine, perhaps even earlier. I have fond memories of The Billy Cotton Band Show on the radio during my childhood and youth at Sunday lunchtimes whilst we ate our roast and two veg. Billy, Alan Breeze and the gang would be singing about their coconuts, woodpecker holes, Mother Brown and all. A typical selection of novelty songs and dance music on here which sums up that era for me perfectly!.......................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "William Edward Cotton (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969), better known as Billy Cotton, was an English band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the British dance band era. Today, he is mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, although his musical talent emerged as early as the 1920s. In his younger years Billy Cotton was also an amateur footballer for Brentford F.C. (and later, for the then Athenian league club Wimbledon, now AFC Wimbledon), an accomplished racing driver and the owner of a Gipsy Moth which he piloted himself. Born in Smith Square, London, to Joseph and Susan Cotton, Cotton was a choirboy and started his musical career as a drummer. He enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers by falsifying his age and saw service in World War I in Malta and Egypt, before landing at Gallipoli in the middle of an artillery barrage. Later he was recommended for a commission and learned to fly Bristol Fighter aircraft. He flew solo for the first time in 1918, the same day the Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force. He was then not yet 19 years old. In the inter-war years. he had several jobs such as bus driver before setting up his own orchestra, the London Savannah Band, in 1924. At first a straight dance band, over the years the London Savannah Band more and more tended towards music hall/vaudeville entertainment, introducing all sorts of visual and verbal humour in between songs. Famous musicians that played in Billy Cotton's band during the 1920s and 1930s included Arthur Rosebery, Syd Lipton and Nat Gonella. The band was also noted for their African American trombonist and tap dancer, Ellis Jackson. Their signature tune was "Somebody Stole My Gal", and they made numerous commercial recordings for Decca. During the Second World War Cotton and his band toured France with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). After the war, he started his successful Sunday lunchtime radio show on BBC, the Billy Cotton Band Show, which ran from 1949 to 1968. In the 1950s composer Lionel Bart contributed comedy songs to the show. It regularly opened with the band's signature tune and Cotton's call of "Wakey Wakey". From 1957, it was also broadcast on BBC television."................................................................................................................................................................Songs on side One are as follows - 1. I've Got A Lovley Bunch Of Coconuts 2. The Parlour Piano 3. It Ain't The Cough 4. Never been There Before.............................................................................................Billy Cotton - Side One.......................................................................................................................................................................Side Two songs are as follows - 1, Friends & Neighbours 2. There's Another Hole In The Road 3. Why Worry? 4. Kitchen Rag........................................................................................................................................................................Billy Cotton - Side Two

Bob Cort

An LP of Bob Cort without his skiffle group from the early 60's I would guess. Some rather off colour songs for the time though a bit innocuous now. The backing group sounds like the Mike Sammes Singers which is a shame - I was hoping for a drunken pub crown as the photo on the sleeve suggests!.................................................................................................................................................................... Find out a little more about Bob HERE......................................................................................................................... Tracks are as follows - 1. RollMe Over 2.Oh Dear, What Can The Matter be? 3. Ringa Ranga Roo 4. Foggy Foggy Dew 5. The Good Ship venus 6. A Man Came Home From Work 7.Make Mine Musicana. 8. Oh Sir Jasper..................................................................................................Bob Cort - Side One

Stereo Sound

I have several "stereo samplers" like this one on the Decca label from 1958. They all sound fairly similar featuring orchestral classics, trains, cars and marching feet etc. The montage on the sleeve caught my eye I must admit. This side features the voice of Geoffrey Sumner who introduces all the sounds and the wonderful world of ffss!...........................................................................................................................................................................Stereo Sound - Side One

Cricketones

An 7 inch EP on the Happy Time label from 1962 with delightful splatter effect vinyl that Damien Hirst would be proud of.Not sure who the Cricketones were - just a house band one suspects.......................................................................................................................................................................Wikipedia says - "Cy Leslie reorganized Pickwick Sales Corp. in 1952 out of Voco, which had begun in 1946 producing recorded greeting cards, elaborately designed kiddie picture discs with cardboard backings and finally multicolored vinyl records. Cricket was the successor to Voco, making its debut with Pickwick itself on May 25, 1953; "my wife's birthday" as Leslie later recalled. Cricket was the first product line offered by Pickwick Sales Corp. According to Leslie, "Good fortune introduced me to an early genius, Eli Oberstein. He owned a vast catalog which included many children's albums, which he agreed to lease, thus beginning Pickwick's first licensing – The Pickwick Cricket line of children's records." Many of the early records were credited under the collective banner of the "Cricketone Players," or some variant thereof. The 1953 lease from Oberstein produced roughly the first fifty Cricket Records, and the remainder were recorded in a scatter-shot fashion afterward. Cricket singles sold for 49 cents each. Cricket Records are often anonymous, or credited cryptically to non-entities such as "Cricketone Orchestra." Among established name artists to appear on Cricket were Gene Autry, William Bendix, Smiley Burnette, Bobby Colt, Dennis Day, Eddie Dean, Leif Erickson, Ray Heatherton, Boris Karloff, Maury Laws, Gisele MacKenzie, Norman Rose and David Wayne. Cy Leslie himself is credited on C-85 as the leader of The Calypso Tones. There are no credits on records in the 6-inch series, though these largely duplicate material that appeared in other formats.[citation needed] Cricket Records started out strong, competing well against Golden Records, the main producer of postwar kiddie records. Leslie recalled that the Golden and Cricket concerns often had their booths set up next to each other at record shows. Cricket Records, however, were not sold in record stores but on racks in department stores and were, therefore, stocked by rackjobbers. Later in the 1950s, Pickwick turned its attention to low-budget licensing deals with majors such as Capitol Records, Mercury Records and RCA Victor. These contracts proved enormously profitable, and required more of Pickwick's attention. In 1968, both Cricket and its sister label Happy Time Records were phased out, though back stock on both labels continued to be available for a time."......................................................................................................................................................................|Cricketones - Little Red Riding Hood...................................................................................................................................................................Cricketones - Kiddie Songs