Trick Bag – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Among aficionados of classic R&B, the legendary Drifters vocal group is divided into two factions -- the "old Drifters" and the "new Drifters." The "old" group is the one that was founded by Clyde McPhatter in 1953 and, with many personnel changes, ran until 1958 with tremendous success. In the spring of that year, the group's manager, George Treadwell, fired the entire group, and, because he held exclusive rights to the name, he hired a group called the Crowns and rechristened them with the Drifters name. This group, also with many personnel changes over the years, is the aggregation that fans refer to as the "new Drifters." They enjoyed a string of R&B and pop hits stretching into the mid '60s.  

Of the "old" (pre summer of 1958) group, there is only one survivor -- Bobby Hendricks. I had the chance to interview Bobby in June of 2013. Being a huge Drifters fan (particularly the "old" group), it was a real thrill for me to chat with him. Other topics we discussed were his early influences, his pre-Drifters musical endeavors and his success as a solo artist. I'm happy to share my talk with Bobby Hendricks on this latest edition of Trick Bag!

Your host,

Neil the Night Howler

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Songs: 

Drifters - Drip Drop

Drifters - Moonlight Bay

Drifters - Suddenly There's a Valley

Flyers - My Only Desire

Settlers (Drifters) - Sugar Plum (rare recently discovered recording)

Settlers (Drifters) - Come Home (rare recently discovered recording)

Bobby Hendricks - Dreamy Eyes

Bobby Hendricks - Itchy Twitchy Feeling

Bobby Hendricks - I Want That

Bobby Hendricks - Psycho

Bobby Hendricks - Honey Drip

Bobby Hendricks - Good Lovin'

Bobby Hendricks - Let's Get It Over

Bill Pinkney & the Originals - The Masquerade Is Over

Bobby Hendricks - Go On Home Girl

Bobby Hendricks - A Thousand Dreams

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It's an all a cappella showcase on this installment of Trick Bag. Vocal groups were a hot commodity in the '50s and '60s, but it wasn't common for record labels to release recordings without instrumental backing. Fortunately, many a cappella tracks were recorded and preserved. I've picked out some real gems to share with you on this episode.  

Your Host,

Neil the Night Howler

Trick Bag is presented by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Neil Pellegrin. Produced by Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Matt Dwyer and Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Executive produced by Patrick Mitchell (EAC Productions). Artwork by Katherine Boils..

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Music in this episode:

Casanovas - Night Rider

Dovers - Only Heaven Knows

Volumes - Miss Silhouette

Nutones - Love Affair

King Crooners - School Daze

Royal Counts - Way Over There

Nutmegs - Hello

Eagle-Aires - Money Honey

Titans (Vitamins) - It's So Hard to Laugh, So Easy to Cry

Juveniles - Beat In My Heart (live on Wide Wide World TV show)

Tymes - Lover's Plea

Ad Libs - The Boy From New York City

Hollywood Flames - Roseanne of Charing Cross

Elegants - Little Star

Kripp Johnson's Versatiles (feat. Chuck Jackson) - Cold Feet

Debonairs - In My Memories

Sharps - I'm Such a Lovin' Man

Avalons - Love Me Now Or Let Me Go

Lillian Leach & the Mellows - You're Gone

Dappers - Good Lovin'

Heartbeats - A Thousand Miles Away

Miracles - Ooo Baby Baby

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This edition of Trick Bag will pick up from where the last episode left off. We'll hear another helping of engaging stories about Guitar Slim stories from his piano player, Lawrence Cotton. Also featured in this installment are recordings Lawrence made with Guitar Slim, Edgar Blanchard's Gondoliers and Danny White. 

Join host Neil the Night Howler and special guest, Lawrence Cotton, for another journey through the golden years of New Orleans rhythm and blues!

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Songs featured in this episode: 

Guitar Slim - Something to Remember You By

Guitar Slim - Certainly All

Edgar Blanchard & the Gondoliers - My Ding-a-Ling

Edgar Blanchard & the Gondoliers - Fuzzy Wuzzy

Edgar Blanchard & the Gondoliers - Bopsody In Blues

Edgar Blanchard & the Gondoliers - Blues Cha Cha

Danny White - I've Surrendered

Guitar Slim - If I Had My Life to Live Over

Guitar Slim - When There's No Way Out

Guitar Slim - Strange Things Happening

Guitar Slim - Plenty Good Room

Guitar Slim - If I Should Lose You

Trick Bag is presented by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Neil Pellegrin. Produced by Kirsten Cluthe and Adam Caplan. Edited by Matt Dwyer and Justin Thomas. Executive produced by Patrick Mitchell (EAC Productions). Artwork by Liz Bee.

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On this edition of Trick Bag, we'll hear the story of one of the most colorful, dynamic and intriguing characters in New Orleans music history -- Guitar Slim -- as told by his piano player, Lawrence Cotton. 

Guitar Slim hit it big in 1954 with "The Things That I Used to Do." Complete with Slim's stunning guitar work and a masterful arrangement by Ray Charles, the song stayed at the #1 position on the R&B chart for 14 weeks and was one of the top-selling R&B singles of 1954. Slim's piercing and innovative guitar style combined with his captivating onstage persona, which included coloring his hair to match his brightly colored suits and making use of his custom 100-foot-long guitar cord to play his instrument while he rode atop the shoulders of a burly member of his entourage, made him the ultimate showman. His self-destructive alcohol habits were no secret and his untimely death on February 7th, 1959 at age 32 only added to the mystique that already surrounded him. 

Lawrence Cotton played piano with Slim, in concert and on recordings, from 1954 to late 1958. I had the chance to do an in-depth interview with Lawrence on December 1st, 2015 for my radio program on WWOZ in New Orleans. Lawrence was 88 at the time of the interview and is one of the most engaging and interesting people I've ever had the pleasure of interviewing. I'm happy to say that Lawrence, now 94, is just as sharp and lively as ever. 

In this episode, Lawrence will take us on an aural journey of Guitar Slim's career as only he can!

Songs Featured in this Episode:

• Guitar Slim - Stand By Me
• Guitar Slim - I Want to Love-A You (take 1)
• Guitar Slim - Sufferin' Mind (take 1)
• Lloyd Lambert & his Band - King Cotton (feat. the piano of Lawrence Cotton)
• Lloyd Lambert & his Band - Heavy Sugar
• Guitar Slim - Guitar Slim
• Guitar Slim - I Got Sumpin' for You
• Guitar Slim - Quicksand

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This edition of Trick Bag showcases one of the great independent record labels of Louisiana. S.J. Montalbano's Baton Rouge-based Montel Records issued its first single in late 1958. Over the course of the next ten years, Montel and its sister labels, Carmie, Michelle, Stephanie and Debbie -- the latter three named for Montalbano's three daughters -- provided a platform for an eclectic mix of R&B, Rock'n'Roll, swamp pop, country, blue-eyed soul and garage rock. A 1963 Michelle release -- Dale and Grace's "I'm Leaving It Up to You" -- put the label in the national spotlight when the song hit #1 on the Billboard chart. Other South Louisiana classics from the Montel arsenal include "Shirley" by John Fred and the Playboys, "Crazy Baby" by Buck Rogers and the Jets, "Danny Boy" by Sugar Boy Crawford, "Night Owl" by Bobby Loveless and "The Crying Man" by the Boogie Kings featuring Gee Gee Shinn.  

S.J. "Sam Montel" Montalbano passed away on February 10th at age 84. This episode presents choice cuts from the vaults of Montel Records and tells the stories behind the music and artists who were part of its stable. 

Songs In This Episode:

• Lester Robertson & the Upsetters - My Girl Across Town
• Bobby Loveless - Night Owl
• The Boogie Kings - When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (Live at the Bamboo Hut in Galveston, TX)
• John Fred & the Playboys - Shirley
• Lee Tillman - One More Time
• Buck Rogers and the Jets - Crazy Baby
• Joe Tex - I've Got a Song
• Jay Chevalier - Cuttin' Cane
• The Tempos - I Gotta Make a Move
• Dale and Grace - I'm Leaving It Up to You
• The Nitehawks - Boogie Chillun
• Van Broussard - Kidnapper
• The Hi-Fi's - I'm So Lonely
• Mohawk and the Red Necks - Enchanted Forest
• The Boogie Kings (featuring Gee Gee Shinn) - Funny (How Times Slips Away)
• Dynamic Duke Royal (Luther Kent) - I Wanna Know
• Sugar Boy Crawford - Danny Boy

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Happy Mardi Gras! On this edition of Trick Bag, we'll get a taste of classic New Orleans Mardi Gras music. Most of these songs received very little to no attention outside of New Orleans, but in the city, they're considered perennial anthems of Carnival season. If you're from New Orleans, you should have a blast hearing the stories behind the Mardi Gras classics you've been listening to all your life. If you're not from the city and these songs are new to you, you're sure to enjoy this exciting musical taste of Mardi Gras in New Orleans!  

Songs played in this episode:

• Al Johnson - Carnival Time
• Huey & Curley - At the Mardi Gras
• Sugar Boy (Crawford) & his Cane Cutters - Jock-A-Mo
• Bill Sinigal & the Skyliners - Second Line (Part 1)
• Dave Bartholomew - Carnival Day
• The Fabulettes - Oh, the Mardi Gras
• Professor Longhair - Go to the Mardi Gras
• Ray Brackens - Come On, It's Carnival
• Joe Lutcher - Mardi Gras
• Danny Barker & his Creole Cats - My Indian Red
• The Hawketts - Mardi Gras Mambo
• Sammy Harris - King Zulu
• The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko (acapella version)
• Huey & Curley - The Second Line
• Jack Dupree - Yellow Pocahontas
• Jessie Hill - Mardi Gras
• Eskew Reeder - Mardi Gras In New Orleans (rehearsal recording)

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The Clovers were one of the top R&B vocal groups of the 1950s scoring 21 chart-toppers between 1951 and 1959. These include "Don't You Know I Love You", "One Mint Julep", "Blue Velvet", "Ting-A-Ling", "Devil or Angel", and "Love Potion No. 9".  

On this installment of "Trick Bag", we'll hear a 2014 interview with Harold Winley, the group's bass singer and last surviving original member. Harold is a great raconteur and tells the story of the Clovers as only he can. This two-part series also features Clovers hits and obscurities, including several rare live performances from the mid '50s.

In Part 2, Harold shares colorful stories about the Clovers' continued string of hits in the latter half of the 1950s. We'll hear the Clovers' bass man reminisce about many of the great New York R&B songwriters, the group's abrupt switch from Atlantic to United Artists Records, and what led to their disbanding in the 1960s. Also featured is a live performance by the Clovers with the Count Basie Orchestra done in New York for Alan Freed's radio show in 1956. This includes a rare duet between Harold and Etta James!

Songs played in this episode:

• “Blue Velvet”
• “In the Morning Time”
• “Devil or Angel”
• “Hey, Doll Baby”
• “Your Tender Lips” (Live with Count Basie's band, 1956)
• “Dance with me Henry” (Live with Count Basie's band, 1956)
• “Love, Love, Love” (Live with Count Basie's band, 1956)
• “Love Potion #9”
• “Noni Cosi”
• “To Each His Own”
• “(That) Old Black Magic”
• “Try My Loving On You”

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The Clovers were one of the top R&B vocal groups of the 1950s, scoring 21 R&B chart-toppers between 1951 and 1959. These include "Don't You Know I Love You," "One Mint Julep," "Blue Velvet," Ting-A-Ling," "Devil or Angel" and "Love Potion No. 9." On this installment of Trick Bag, we'll hear a 2014 interview with Harold Winley, the group's bass singer and last surviving original member. Harold is a great raconteur and tells the story of the Clovers as only he can. This two-part series will also feature Clovers hits and obscurities, including several rare live performances from the mid '50s.  

In Part 1, Harold will take us from his childhood and formative musical influences to his early success as the bass singer of one of the most revered vocal groups in history.

Songss Played in This Episode:

• “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby”
• “When You Come Back to Me”
•  “Don’t You Know I Love You”  
• “Needless”
• “One Mint Julep”
•  “I Got My Eyes On You” 
• “I Confess”
• “Your Cash Ain't Nothin but Trash”
• “Lovey Dovey”
• “Little Mama”

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This episode of Trick Bag concludes our musical journey through the early work of Mac Rebennack, aka Dr. John.  

Tracks Featured in this Episode:

• Clarence “Frogman” Henry, “Long Lost and Worried”
• Benny Spellman, “Walk On, Don’t Cry”
• Bobby Mitchell, “There’s Only One Of You”
• Mac Rebennack, “Good Times”
• Johnny Fairchild,  “A Fool Or a Wise Man”
• Shirley and Jessie, “You Can’t Fight Love”
• Mac Rebennack and Ronnie Barron, “My Key Don’t Fit”
• Johnny Adams, “Who’s Gonna Love You?”
• Tommy Ridgley, “Heavenly” 
• Morgus & the Ghouls, “Morgus The Magnificent”
• Alvin “Shine” Robinson, “Empty Talk”
• Jerry Byrne, “Raining”
• Dorian Burton, “Love Bank”
• Marcel and the Exiles, “Castro Mash”
• Ben E. King, “She Knows What to Do For Me”
• Ronnie Barron, “Did She Mention My Name?”
• Johnny Adams, “A Losing Battle”
• Jimmie Dale,  “My Pride & Joy”
• Roland Stone, “Remember That”
• Wilson Pickett, “Lord Pity Us All”
• Mamie Lee, “The Show is Over”

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Osiris Media proudly presents Trick Bag, the place to be for classics and rare gems from the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. Trick Bag is hosted by disc jockey and R&B aficionado Neil Pellegrin and is inspired by his weekly radio show on WWOZ in New Orleans, where he spins vintage tracks (and the occasional hit) from the mid-20th century and celebrates some of the most electrifying and soulful sounds ever recorded. 

This first episode comes in two parts and spans the early years of the legendary Mac Rebennack, better known by his stage name Dr. John. Before reinventing himself as Dr. John in the late ‘60s, Mac combined R&B, rock and other ingredients from his native New Orleans into a musical gumbo that excited music fans in and around the city and laid the foundation for his future as a major force in the music world.   

In this episode, we’ll hear Mac’s prolific early work as a frontman, session player, songwriter, and producer, and see the breadth of his impact on the music of New Orleans in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.

Tracks Featured in this Episode:

• Johnny Adams, “Come On” 
• Sugarboy Crawford, “Have A Little Mercy”
• Chuck Carbo, “Out On A Limb”
• Ronnie (Barron) & the Delinquents, “Bad Neighborhood”
• Roland Stone, “Something Special”
• T.B. Fisher, “Don’t Change Your Mind”
• Frankie Ford, “Watch Dog”
• Johnny Adams, “The Bells Are Ringing”
• Lee Dorsey, “Ay-La-Ay”
• Mac Rebennack, “Foolish Little Girl”
• Art Neville, “What’s Going On”
• Bat Carroll, “Aw Who”
• Leonard James, “Lampoon”
• Joe Barry, “Loneliest Boy In Town”
• Big Boy Myles, “Who Can I Turn To”
• Jerry Byrne, “Lights Out”
• Roland Stone, “Desert Winds”
• Barbara Lynn, “You Can’t Be Satisfied”
• Mac Rebennack, “Storm Warning”
• Johnny Adams, “Operator”
• Jimmy Clanton, “Ship on a Stormy Sea”
• Ronnie Barron, “The Grass Looks Greener Yonder”
• Chuck Carbo, “Picture of You”
• Jerry McGee, “Twilight Zone”

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