BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP
THIS MONTH’S MEETING, MAY 4TH 2:00 PM THE FIRST SUNDAY
THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE MUSTANG MUSEUM OF AMERICA
LOCATED AT 49 FORMAN FARM ROAD ODENVILLE, AL 35120
NEXT MONTH’S MEETING WILL BE THE SECOND SUNDAY, JUNE 8TH 2:00 PM
HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
This month we will take a ‘road trip’ to the Mustang Museum Of America and check out over 120 Mustangs starting from a 1964½ to recent models. Bobby Powell owns and operates this museum. Bobby is the brother of Johnny Powell who was a dedicated member of BRC until his death in 2013. Many of us would go over to Johnny’s house to play records and while there see the Mustangs that Bobby, who lived next door to Johnny, owned. Now he has housed all those Mustangs along with his others in a museum. Be sure to come and take a nostalgic trip back to the beginnings of the Mustang and see the evolution to what has become an iconic American car.
For more info go to https://mustangmuseumofamerica.com/visitor-information/
BRC’S 40TH ANNUAL RECORD SHOW
We look forward to another successful show and as time goes on we will be asking for your help in making this type of project happen. Without your help and support each year could be our last show. We are always looking for IT help, help at the door during the show and any ideas in advertising among other things that have to get done. Show dates and time are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, August 15-17. Friday, members only from 10AM – 2PM and the public from 2PM – 7PM. Saturday 9AM – 5PM and Sunday 10AM – 4PM.
HISTORY OF BIRMINGHAM ROCK & ROLL BOOK – UPDATE
Last month I mentioned a project to raise money to publish local artist Craig Legg’s book entitled History Of Birmingham Rock & Roll. The group sponsoring this project has raised at the moment I am writing this $21,317 of the needed $21,000. They made it! Congratulations to Craig and the people helping do this. When the book gets published I will give info on how to obtain a copy.
MUSTANGS AND OTHER CAR SONGS
With our meeting this month being held at the Mustang Museum Of America I felt it was apropos to take a look at car songs over the years. During my era of growing up I remember car songs were very popular. Then when I began to meet people who had the hobby (or business) of collecting records as I did I began to learn more about the records that I didn’t get the chance to hear on the radio. So many collectors have Jackie Brenston’s, ‘Rocket 88’ on their radar as one of the early car songs. That was 1951 and although it did not hit the pop charts it did very well on the R&B charts going to #1. But there were other car songs prior to ‘Rocket 88’ going back as far as 1905. Maybe the first car song was ‘In My Merry Oldsmobile’ written by Vincent Bryan and Gus Edwards and recorded by Bill Murray (not that one). Charts weren’t around at that time but it seemed to have been a well-known song of the time. Under the title of the song on the sheet music from that time were the words, ‘Timely Waltz Song’. So even in 1905 music lovers were having fun dancing and singing along with a car song. Not long after that in 1913 we find the song, ‘He’d Have To Get Under, Get Out And Get Under, To Fix Up His Automobile’. Yep that is the real title and it too was also recorded by Bill Murray in 1914 with Al Jolson recording it in 1913. Debbie Reynolds along with Carleton Carpenter recorded it in 1951 and it was used in the Ken Burn’s documentary Horatio’s Drive in 2003. I read a comment on line where a guy said he first heard this song while waiting in line for a car attraction at Disneyland.
Going forward into the mid-1930’s, Blues singer Robert Johnson recorded 16 songs for talent scout and record store owner H. C. Speir in November 1936. Among those was one called ‘Terraplane Blues’. The Terraplane was a car built by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, MI. The song is thought to be about his girlfriend who has another man and Johnson is using a car, the Terraplane in reference to her.
In 1953, a couple of years after ‘Rocket 88’ came out there was a song called ‘I Got A New Car’ done by Big Boy Groves. But let’s fast-forward to the rock era and check out those songs that were popular on the radio and some of those that may not have gotten air-play but were popular among vinyl collectors. I would think that if a baby-boomer was asked what car song comes to mind when they were growing up it might be the Beach Boys ‘409’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ or ‘Shut Down’. Or, if you think a little bit later, it may be the Rip Chords ‘Hey Little Cobra’, Ronny & The Daytonas ‘G.T.O.’ and probably Chuck Berry’s ‘No Particular Place To Go’. All these came out and charted between December 1963 and August 1964.
Some of the other popular car songs of the time would have been ‘Beep, Beep’ by the Playmates, ‘Ballad Of Thunder Road’ by Robert Mitchum, ‘Transfusion’ by Nervous Norvus ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ by Jan & Dean and who can forget ‘Hot Rod Lincoln’ a song that hit the charts in May of 1960 by Charlie Ryan and again in August 1960 by Johnny Bond. Bond’s version going to #26 and Ryan’s version making it to #33. And of course Wilson Pickett doing ‘Mustang Sally’ recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL in 1966.
Now how about some that did not chart and may not have gotten any airplay either but are fun car songs and can be found at record shows. The Medallions had a thing about cars I guess, they had 3 releases about them. ‘Buick 59’, ‘Coupe De Ville Baby’ and ‘Speedin”. The Cadillac was mentioned in quite a few song titles including ‘Black Cadillac’ by Joyce Green, ‘White Cadillac’ by Donna Lou, ‘Long While Cadillac’ by Dwight Yoakam, ‘Big White Cadillac’ by Joey Farr, ‘Red Cadillac & A Black Mustache, ‘Wanted (A Solid Gold Cadillac)’ by the Aquatones, ‘I Want A Lavender Cadillac’ by Lavern Baker, ‘Pink Cadillac’ by numerous artists, ‘Welfare Cadillac’ by Guy Drake, ‘Cadillac Man’ by the Jesters, and on and on.
And now as my room runs out some quick hits. Here’s a title that I am sure many of us even said in our day, ‘Pop, Let Me Have The Car’, by Carl Perkins. Billy ‘The Kid’ Emerson wrote and recorded ‘Every Woman I Know’. This song would be covered by many and the title would change to ‘Crazy ‘Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know)’. Sam The Sham did this one and Ry Cooder also. And speaking of the women, here are a few by them, ‘Black & White Thunderbird’ by the Delicates, ‘Get Your Daddy’s Car Tonight’ by the Petites and ‘Go Back Go Back To Your Pontiac’ by the Darby Sisters. Well, I gotta get in my car and go. Sorry I left out your favorite but there are so many. Wish I had room for the whole list but this is it for now.
BRC RADIO
And don’t forget that BRC radio is still on the BRC website. Our 3 hosts play all kinds of music including hit songs from the 1950’s – present, LP cuts, songs that received little or no air-play, and all genres. Just go the birminghamrecord.com and click on the ‘RADIO’ icon and chose a show.
See ya,
Charlie