One for Kenny, in honor of his comment here: The Young-Holt Unlimited’s unforgettable 60s soul classic “Wack Wack.”
Update! What the hell, while we’re on the 60s soul music, here’s two more for my old friend, legendary CLT lounge-lizard Mr Roy.
Great stuff, that. Might’s well throw in one of my own personal faves while we’re at it.
Background on Mr Roy: Roy is an elderly, diminutive black fella who also happens to be one of the most dapper men of any age I’ve ever had the privilege of hanging out barside with. Roy is a truly dedicated lover of the good old blues, soul, rockabilly, and zydeco music. To my knowledge, he never missed a BP’s performance at the late, lamented Double Door Inn, even with as loud and rowdy as we were notorious for being.
Every year, without fail, Roy would pile in his pristine Cadillac and make the 12-hour drive down to New Orleans for Jazzfest. Way back when, I made a pact with Roy that I was gonna make that particular trip with him sometime. Alas, the scheduling never worked out for me to be able to do it, to my everlasting regret.
Everybody around town knew and loved Mr Roy. A fixture on the local dive-bar and live-music scene, Roy could reliably be seen sitting on a stool at one bar or another sipping on a Scotch and milk, a bevy of dynamite young white chicks in close and hanging on his every word.
And what words they were, too; he had a store of catchphrases he would toss off, like “Mighty fine, might fine” or “I’m a charming motherfucker!” That one led to years of debate between me and Mr Roy; one night in some gin-joint or other, he declared me a “bad motherfucker,” whereupon I responded in the only way I could think of: “No, Roy, YOU’RE a bad motherfucker!” He shot back, “No, I’m a CHARMING motherfucker, YOU’RE the BAD motherfucker!” I can’t even begin to tell you how flattered I was by that. This good-natured ribbing was taken up again many times after that first night, and we’d both just about kill ourselves laughing when it did, every time.
So popular was Mr Roy and his catchphrases around here that a local artist got a snapshot of Roy, highball glass in hand, which he then did up in the style of those old Shepard Fairey posters—logoed with one of Roy’s notable catchphrases, natch, not “Obey Giant” or any of that later “Hope & Change” malarkey—and did a limited-edition run of them to give away at various local dens of iniquity. I had Mr Roy autograph my copy for me:
Had to take a photo, because it’s way too big to fit into my scanner. The lighting is all wrong, but hey, don’t hate me ’cause I’m beautiful, aiight?
I referred to Mr Roy in the past tense a couple times above, but having aged out of the bar/live music circuit myself a few years back after the curse of Viking Disease had junked my guitar-playing hands, I really couldn’t say if Roy is still around or not. I sure hope he is; there never was enough like him out there, and once they’re gone, they ain’t coming back. Whether he’s gone or still kicking, his poster will have a position of honor on my living-room wall wherever I may live, for as long as I do.
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Well, darn. I recognize that old fellow, Roy. And I had forgotten about the Double Door. We used to go there on occasion when we were up here racing at Charlotte speedway. We came up on Fridays and would usually visit a titty bar of some type on Friday night, then hit the Double Door on Saturday night. That was usually about 3 times per year. I’ve always felt like I saw your band but could never really put my finger on it. I bet I saw you there. I was going there from around 1974 up to about 1983 when I stopped racing for a year to build a new car. Which became marriage, children, four kids through school and 40 years later the new car was ready 🙂 And I raced at Charlotte once again but now live <30 minutes away.
Heh. The Paper Doll, I’m betting. My crew used to ride our Harleys out there several times a week, often enough that the manager, George, used to meet us at the door to take our helmets back to the office for safekeeping, then escort us to our usual table right by the stage. He’d even go so far as to shoo away anybody who had sat there by mistake. We were outright royalty at what they used to call the Granpappy, that’s for sure. I’ve had occasion to visit titty bars all over the country over lo, these many years, but the good ol’ Paper Doll was hands down the best of ’em all.
As for the DDI, we didn’t start playing there until 1989, so we might’ve missed ya there.
’89, wasn’t there then. I can’t recall the last time we went to the Double Door, but it was probably around 1980.
The Paper Doll – I had forgotten that one. That wasn’t the one though. We used to go have a few beers on Friday night at some dive near the speedway, I don’t even recall the name. No show, just a topless waitress or two. I think there was more than one place. I’ve been to the Paper Doll long ago, early 90’s. I had some customers that would come up from Georgia once a year for a meeting and that was the entertainment selected.
I do recall, with fondness, a show from my youth that probably came from the 60s. The Wacky Racers. I used to laugh like Muttley for a while.
Plus I recall Smack is Wack as an expression.
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So I was just having a little fun on the play on words of the homophones and how it was used there and how Gotti would use the word.
I can’t get drop and drag pictures to work. Try another way:
I didn’t know the first tune. It was cool.
Grazing in the Grass. I remember that one from my early days! I hadn’t heard that in 40 years at least. Great tune!
The Mar-Keys were the horn driven sibling of Booker T and the MGs. Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn anchoring both bands, That London/Atlantic label initially threw me, as they were the Stax Records house band. IIRC Atlantic acquired the rights to Stax eventually, so I don’t know when that 45 shown was actually issued.
BTW Cropper and Dunn are two of the most famous soul musicians ever but most people don’t know them. They’re more famous as members of The Blues Brothers Band!!!
Soul Finger! Another lost classic from my early days!! Love it.
The Bar-Kays were another Stax house band that was backing Otis Redding. The 5 of them were with Otis Redding when their plane went down. Only Cauley survived. The reformed band, including another Blue Brother Band member, Willie Hall, backed dozens more acts including Isaac Hayes (Hot Buttered Soul).