Our Monthly Club Meeting will be this Sunday,
August 12th at the Homewood Public Library.
2:00 PM
RECORDS & CD’S-----MUSIC------FOOD------FRIENDSHIP
GOOD TIMES-----GUEST SPEAKERS----
MEMBER PRESENTATIONS

******NEXT CLUB MEETING WILL BE SEPTEMBER 9TH. THE 2ND SUNDAY*******

THIS YEAR’S SHOW IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF CLUB MEMBER BOBBY BEST, SR WHO PASSED AWAY JULY 12TH. THANKS FOR BEING A GOOD FRIEND AND ALL YOU DID FOR THE CLUB, BOBBY. YOU’LL BE MISSED.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S BRC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES.

BEN MCKINNON: General Manager WSGN for over 20 years
BILL BOLEN: Radio & TV personality
ED BOUTWELL: Founder, Boutwell Studios
THREE ON A STRING: Renowned Bluegrass group

BE SURE TO BE IN ATTENDANCE FOR THEIR INDUCTION ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 19TH AT 2:00 PM.

Jerry Grammer’s story this month is a tribute to a good friend.

"Tribute To Carl Stewart"
I can’t remember not knowing Carl Stewart. The entire Stewart family was our friends for ages. The most musical family I had ever met. It seems as if they were born with instruments in their hands.
Carl played everything. He was known for playing fiddle and bass with Hank Penny and the now world famous songwriter, musician: Boudleaux Bryant (Carl won National Fiddling competition at only 14 years old). Later he played with all of the top musicians in the Birmingham clubs. That is how I became hooked. Carl would come by and take me to his gigs and hide me behind the piano. It was unlawful for kids to be in the clubs. He would tell my Dad he was playing at a Supper Club, so that I could go. These few episodes were the beginning of my musical education. Soon I would take my trumpet and Carl would tell me what notes to play. He was a master at cheating the musical scales.
I would visit his home and his son Wayne would show me The Blues on guitar. He played with it tuned in E, so he could use one finger to chord. That is the way Jimmy Rogers and Richie Havens played. This is where I first heard John Lee Hooker’s music. I was in awe.
Later, in high school, his son Larry played drums and piano in “The Dixie Travelers.” This was the first band I ever organized, and definitely was not to be the last!
Carl finished his life and musical career in Ketona Nursing home, due to a freak accident. He played piano everyday for the patients there.
I called him a few times and promised I would visit. This is a promise I was unable to fulfill. I regret that to this day, but I will never forget him.
Jerry Grammer

Here are the answers to last month’s trivia questions.
1) In the song, “Beep Beep”, what type car was bugging the singer and if it had passed his Caddy it would have been a “big disgrace.” Nash Rambler
2) “Fun, Fun, Fun” is about a girl who had her car taken away by her dad. What kind of car? Thunderbird
3) The driver in Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” had what singer on the radio? Brenda Lee
4) Paul Revere & The Raiders had a song that’s title was a particular kind of car. What kind was it? SS 396 (they also had a song entitled “The Judge”)
5) What model was the Cadillac in Johnny’s Cash’s “One Piece At A Time”? ”It’s a ‘49, ‘50, ‘51, ‘52, ‘53, ‘54…” and so on.
6) What were the 2 cars involved in the race in “Dead Man’s Curve?”
Sting Ray & XKE

Thanks to Johnny Powell for the music, trivia and the cd’s at last month’s meeting.

MUSIC THEME FOR AUGUST: 50’s – 60’s DANCE CRAZES

Chris Montez said it best. “Let’s Dance”. There were quite a few songs that talked about dancing but some people got specific and sang about a particular type dance to do. Probably the one that made the biggest splash in my lifetime was Chubby Checker’s “The Twist”. But dance fads and crazes have been around a long, long time. We won’t start at the beginning of recorded history but let’s take a look at the 20th century. Our grandparents or parents might have done the Jitterbug or the Charleston. The Foxtrot premiered in 1914. When rock & roll came along, record companies were not sure what dance would be applicable to it. Decca Records listed its rock & roll releases as Foxtrots. See the trivia questions for more about this. Flappers, a “new breed” of women in the 1920’s were doing The Shimmy. The Susie Q came along in the 1930’s. Big Band dominated the 1940’s and dances included The Swing and The Hokey Pokey. Groovy Joe Poovey, a 50’s rockabilly singer, had a song entitled “Move Around” in which he commented that our parents had their songs and dances also. Dances from our generation would include The Twist, The Slow Twist, The Mashed Potato, The Loco-Motion, The Swim, The Stroll, The Bunny Hop, Hitch Hike, Hully Gully, The Jerk, The Madison, The Monkey, The Pony, The Swim and The Watusi. There are plenty more but you get the picture.

Trivia time:

1) Who wrote and recorded “The Twist” originally?
2) Little Eva was the baby sitter for whom?
3) Who was the song “Loco Motion” originally written for?
4) Nat Kendrick & The Swans released the instrumental, “(Do The) Mashed Potato” in 1960. Nat Kendrick was the drummer for whose band? That person is also heard doing some of the background “shouting.”
5) Which of the dances mentioned in the above paragraph had its tune put to new words and this version later was used in Peter Pan Peanut Butter commercials?
6) In 1961, Chubby Checker had a # 1 hit with “Pony Time.” During 1962, four other songs about particular dances hit #1. What were they?

Let’s have a listen to some of the songs that started some of these dance crazes.

The Twist http://youtube.com/watch?v=OhWmc43Z4FM
Slow Twist http://youtube.com/watch?v=GCO4sRLzsGk
Mashed Potato http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB1ugh48q2M&mode=related&search=
Locomotion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1mQwXW2MVg
Hitch Hike http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FioNrMTrVXk
Watusi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOxxYZX9yuk

UPCOMING CONCERTS

TEMPTATIONS & FOUR TOPS. SEPT 23. 7:00 PM
ALABAMA THEATRE. TICKET INFO TBA. 205-252-2262.

ORIGINAL BLUES BROTHERS BAND. OCT 19. 8:00 PM
ALYS STEPHENS CENTER. TICKETS $25 - $108.
205-975-2787.

See Ya,
Charlie