Don’t recall exactly how or why, but I ran across this gem the other day, which came with an added kicker ere all was said and done.

The BPs covered this butt-rockin’ classic RaB tune for many years—a strict, straight-up rendition without any embellishment or “improvements,” not even in the guitar solo. It always got a solid response from the crowd, getting people out on the dance floor with a quickness to shake their booties joyously. But that additional kicker I mentioned? It’s in the YewToob comments section.

Crazy, man, crazy! As Fate would have it, Poe and his Poe Kats have a pretty storied history their own selves, which goes well beyond big Al Downing and “Down On The Farm.”

Bobby Nelson Poe, Sr. (April 13, 1933 – January 22, 2011), also known as The Poe Kat, was an American musician who had a long and varied career in the music business.

Bobby Poe was born in Vinita, Oklahoma. In the mid-1950s, he formed Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats, which featured African-American piano player Big Al Downing, lead guitar player Vernon Sandusky and drummer Joe Brawley. Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats were also Rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson’s first Rock and Roll backing band. They toured with Wanda and can also be found on her early Capitol Records recordings, including the Rockabilly classic “Let’s Have a Party”. Bobby, Wanda, Big Al and Vernon are all members of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats came to the attention of Sam Phillips of Sun Records with their first recorded track, “Rock and Roll Record Girl”. Based on the music of the old standard “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy”, “Rock and Roll Record Girl” was at first blocked from release by Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose because of that fact. By the time all of the legal hurdles were cleared, Sam Phillips was no longer interested in releasing the track. Instead, Dallas, Texas radio personality Jim Lowe stepped in and released the single on his White Rock Records label. “Rock and Roll Record Girl” backed with “Rock and Roll Boogie” became a number 1 single in the state of Texas.

After one more single for Jim Lowe’s White Rock Records entitled “Piano Nellie”, under the name of Bobby Brant and The Rhythm Rockers (which was shortly thereafter picked up and re-released by EastWest Records), Bobby Poe gave up his career as an artist to become an artist manager. His first client was Big Al Downing. In the 1960s, Poe moved to the Washington, D.C. area and expanded his operation. He managed and co-produced The Chartbusters, which featured his old bandmate Vernon Sandusky. The Chartbusters scored a Top 40 hit in 1964 with their recording “She’s The One”. Tom Hanks was quoted in People Magazine as saying The Chartbusters were one of the influences for his film “That Thing You Do!”. Vernon Sandusky went on to play guitar in Country Music Hall of Famer Roy Clark’s band for over 20 years. Bobby Poe also co-managed The British Walkers, which featured Bobby (sometimes spelled Bobbie) Howard and legendary blues guitarist Roy Buchanan.

One of the things I’ve always loved about the music biz is the wild, wild stories lurking behind even the most ordinary-seeming artists. More unexpected twists and turns than the most remote mountain blacktop, that’s for sure.