by Robert Wilkinson
These two wrote a lot of major hits, so today we moove and groove to early rock and roll and classic country. Good golly Miz Molly, Long Tall Sally's on the loose and Ready Teddy is looking to Rip it Up! We have Little Richard and "The Storyteller" on the jukebox at the Cosmic Cantina!
Robert Alexander "Bumps" Blackwell (May 23, 1918 – March 9, 1985) was an iconic early rock and roll songwriter, arranger, and producer. We read in Wikipedia that he gave the world Little Richard, and helped launch Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Lloyd Price, Herb Alpert, Larry Williams, and Sly and the Family Stone.
Today we’ll focus on his Little Richard work, since he co-wrote and/or produced some of the biggest! After that we’ll play some of Bumps’ work with Larry Williams, who was the next big piano wailer for Specialty records after Little Richard left music for the ministry for a while. We’ll begin with his production of Little Richard’s first big one, the "sound of the birth of rock and roll!"
From the 1956 Alan Freed movie Don't Knock the Rock, Little Richard’s cranking out Bumps Blackwell’s production of "Tutti Frutti." (It was standard to lip synch in those days, but it still gives a sense of what was happening!) And from the Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, here's a clip of the Master in full makeup and great form live in 1995 doing a powerful pounding performance of "Tutti Frutti." This one seriously rocks, and rocks hard!
Also from Don't Knock the Rock, a tune Bumps co-wrote! "Long Tall Sally." Here's the original studio version, complete with wailing sax! "Long Tall Sally." And for your enjoyment, here's an incredible Beatle live performance at the 1964 NME of "Long Tall Sally," sung "with gusto" by Paul McCartney.
This one’s live from 1956! For your enjoyment, LR cranking out "Rip It Up."
From the 1957 Alan Freed “jukebox movie Mister Rock and Roll, LR cranks out a song he co-wrote with Albert Collins which was produced by Bumps, the classic "Lucille"
Check this one out! An utterly fantastic music video featuring John Goodman and "the King," Little Richard performing his signature hit co-written by Bumps, "Good Golly Miss Molly."
From the 1964 UK Granada TV show Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (later retitled Don't Knock the Rock - no relation to the Alan Freed movies!), we have a rave up opening by the house band, followed by Little Richard performing several of his biggest. He begins with another Bumps tune, a huge hit in that era for several artists, "Rip It Up." He’s then joined by the Shirelles before cranking out (as it says) “Lucille,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Send Me Some Lovin',” “Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On,” “Hound Dog,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Tutti frutti,” and “Jenny Jenny.”
I found a 27 minute live show in France in 1966 where he's at his wild man best! Little Richard in France Live in 1966 (“Lucille,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Rip It Up,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Jenny Jenny,” “Send Me Some Lovin’,” “Ready Teddy,” “She’s Got It,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”)
Here are a couple of single clips from that 1966 show in Paris, Little Richard wailing on "Jenny Jenny," followed by a great performance where he winds up shirtless doing a rave up version of the Bumps tune "Ready Teddy"
From the movie Let the Good Times Roll, an 18 minute gem of kinetic Sag energy ablaze! ”Lucille,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and “Rip It Up.”
From Muhammad Ali’s 50th birthday, "Good Golly Miss Molly."
We’ll begin to close this brief tribute with classic clips from the legendary 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Peace Festival! Last year we had the entire set list in order except for the first tune (“Blueberry Hill”) which is nowhere to be found. This year all but these have disappeared, but I have his set in the encores! We begin this trio of rock and rolls classics with cranking out a pounding “Lucille” followed by “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and keep the heat up with “Rip It Up.”
This year these have disappeared: “Tutti Frutti,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Hound Dog,” “Jenny Jenny,” and “Long Tall Sally.”
We’ll close with several appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. From June 1994, “Good Golly Miss Molly.” From a few weeks later at the end of July 1994, “Keep A Knockin’,” and here’s his January 1997 appearance on Leno cranking out “Lucille.’”
For the encore, 24 minutes of Little Richard live in 1968! Little Richard Live at Isy’s Dinner Club - Vancouver.”
For the second encore, an entire 28 minute clip of Little Richard in 1969, so enjoy this magical slice of rock and roll history! Little Richard live at the 1969 Toronto Peace Festival
Thanks to friend of the site Steve, we have this 37 minute Library of Congress interview with the beautiful one! The Library of Congress Interview with Little Richard.
And now, heir to the “Architect of Rock and Roll,” the great Larry Williams! In a short time, he gave us some amazing tunes which turned on John Lennon in a BIG way!
From June 1957,his first big one that went to #5 in the pop charts, #1 in the R&B charts! “Short Fat Fannie”
From 1957, the “B” side to “Short Fat Fannie,”“High School Dance”
Here’s his follow up in 1957 that went to #14 on the pop charts and #5 on the R&B charts, “Bony Moronie”
After these, Bumps left Specialty with Sam Cooke and went to Keen Records and later on wound up as the West Coast A&R director for Mercury. He wound up back as Little Richard’s European tour manager when the Beatles opened for LR, and continued working with him into the 70s.
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We now celebrate the life and music of "Tom T." Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021). He is one of the greatest country talents ever to hit the stage. From wiki, he was a “songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He wrote 11 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more that reached the Top 10, including the No. 1 international pop crossover smash "Harper Valley PTA" and the hit "I Love", which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He became known to fans as "The Storyteller," thanks to his storytelling skills in his songwriting.”
We’ll begin with one of my favorites, “Pamela Brown”
Leo Kottke did an extraordinary performance of this tune by on ACL but it’s disappeared. So instead, here’s a great performance on German tv in the 80s of Tom’s classic! “Pamela Brown.” For another great 1982 live performance on Night Time Variety, Leo’s picking is superb on “Pamela Brown”
Here was his breakthrough! “Harper Valley PTA” Of course, this was the version that went to the top on both the pop and country charts! Here’s Jeannie C Riley belting out her classic hit “Harper Valley PTA”
This went to #1 in 1969! A funny take on "A Week in a Country Jail"
Here’s a great video the leads with an interview about his childhood hero! This went to #1 in 1971! "The Year Clayton Delaney Died"
Here’s the original studio version of the song that went to #1 in 1972, "(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine" And from the old man in 2011, a great live performance of "(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine"
This one went to #1 in 1973! "I Love"
This kid’s tune went to #1 on the country charts in 1975. "I Care"
Here’s an early hit for Manfred Mann that Tom T took to #1 Country in 1976! “Fox On The Run”
From 1979, "Greed Kills More People Than Whiskey"
A 1986 live tv performance of his #1 hit from 1974, "Country Is"
A great video of an obviously loaded Tom T performing his 1975 #4 hit, "I Like Beer"
#1 in late 1975 and early 1976! "Faster Horses (the Cowboy and the Poet)"
This has to be the strangest country tune ever written! “America the Ugly”
We’ll close with a great tune, perfect for the occasion! “I Hope It Rains at my Funeral”
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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