Colin Bowles has compiled a list of 100 titles that, in his opinion, are the worst ever published. All were hits but I must say that I know only by name about a dozen of artists. Surf music, garage music and psychedelia and other fads have stopped my musical clock for ever.
But it's always delightful to witness the demolition of false idols through humor. This book is hilarious.
See YT playlist assembled by me here or read the book here
Eskew Reeder
The Flu
wr. Patterson, Khoury, Webster
Tek Publishing & Shuler Music
Instant Records #3258
1962
Singer and pianist, Eskew Reeder, Jr. usually known by the stage name Esquerita and occasionally as S.Q. Reeder or The Magnificent Malochi, was known for his frenetic performances. He has been credited with influencing rock and roll pioneer Little Richard.
"The Magnificent Malochi", an excellent 9-pages article by Pierre Monnery & Jay Halsey was published by Blues & Rhythm #270.
Rockin' In A Wooden Shack
Ann Brewer and the Flames
Century Recording Corporation of Dodge City, Kansas
Master Leasing Division
Audtion Copy
Copyright 1965
Discography:
22409 Side 1 - Walkin Down The Street
22409 Side 2 – Rockin’ In A Wooden Shack
22410 Side 1 - Low Down Blues
22410 Side 2 - Frustration
There was an interesting post from a member of the early Flames posted years ago to a yahoo group dedicated to the Kansas music scene. I saved the message at the time, unfortunatly omitting the poster's name.
Yahoo has long since removed all those groups where one could exchange messages on all kinds of topics. Archive.org kept all those messages, but navigating them is quite complicated; you have to download huge files and process them in some way before you can at last access a specific group.
Here is the post :
Before there was an Ann Brewer and The Flames, there was The
Mossmen ... a three piece group consisting of Tom Moss on bass, his
brother Frank(?) on lead, and me on drums. Tom sang and we did a
lot of Chuck Berry covers with wailing guitar and even "steps". We
were playing the Catacombs in Lawrence when this cute little
brunette started working behind the counter upstairs at the pizza
joint. Her name was Ann Brewer and she caught Tom's eye ... as
well as other significant parts of his anatomy. He decided he had
to "get me some of that". The next thing we knew she started
showing up at rehearsals. Well, that's when Frank(?) quit. I
guess he didn't like the idea of playing backup to a GIRL. So, Tom
started playing lead, we hired a bass player named John Malone,
stuck Ann up front and changed our name to Ann Brewer and The
Flames. We played a lot of James Brown covers ... hence, "The
Flames" ... which Ann covered quite credibly.
Ann was a natural screamer. She was a true original. And a
trailblazer. To my knowledge, she broke the gender barrier for all
rock bands in this area and probably for many, many counties
around ... perhaps states. For that reason alone, she deserves to
be in some Hall Of Fame.
We never played the Kansas Circuit. The Catacombs was
our "home". But, we did play the Yuletide Tea Dances at The
Muehlebach Hotel. At one Tea, there was some showboat guy up front
dancing his ass off, doing the splits, and screaming the words to
every song Ann was singing. It was Michael "Spanky" Landis. I
guess he saw Ann and decided he had to "get me some of that" ... and
he didn't mean Ann. He became an avid groupie over in Lawrence and
we even let him sit-in a couple of times. The next thing we know,
he's holding a trumpet and fronting Spyder and The Crabs. And I've
gotta ask ... did he ever really play that trumpet? I always
thought it was just a prop to give him something to do when he
wasn't singing ... or doing the splits. I don't think I ever heard
one note come out of it.
We also played RanchMart Auditorium a couple of times. I remember
wearing a gold and pink Nehru jacket. What a world!! In the
audience was this skinny little blond-headed punk named Jimmy
McAllister. I guess he heard us and decided he had to "get me
some of that". He didn't mean Ann, either. But, I understand he
was more impressed with our volume than anything else. He gives
the Ann Brewer group credit for inspiring him to get into the biz
and for that I will be eternally proud. Because, I was the loud
one. Everybody else had to play over me. Weren't all drummers
like that?
Post-Catacombs, we started playing the TeePee quite a bit and went
in search of another lead guitarist. One of the guys we auditioned
was this hulkingly sweet gentle giant of a kid that played just like
Frank Plas. His name? Ed Toler. I wanted to "get me some of
that". But, Ann and Tom didn't care much for him. And, despite
my adamant protestations and several adjectives referring to their
taste and intelligence, they didn't hire him. I would have loved
playing with Big Ed. That was a big missed opportunity for me.
(Sigh).
I don't remember why I left Ann Brewer. It could have had
something to do with nepotism. She married Tom Moss and started
putting the rest of her family in the band. First it was her
sister, Dede, on backup vocals. My good friend Paul Dahlstrom
took over my drumming duties for awhile, but that job eventually
fell to her brother, David. The recording of "Rockin' In A
Wooden Shack" that Bill has (thanks, Bill) was recorded in Dodge
City and Paul thinks it's David on drums. It sure isn't either of
us. I don't know what happened to any of them or even if they are
still alive. If anybody does, please pass on the info. I'd
really appreciate it.
Ann Brewer (now Crosta) and her group, The Flames, were a Kansas rock 'n' roll band started in 1962. They performed throughout the Midwest during the sixties. Later they were based in Las Vegas and then moved on the Los Angeles. In 1973 Ann suffered a mugging resulting in damaged vocal chords and the end of her singing career. She then began to teach dancing in California. She was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Drinkin Spo-Dee-O-Dee
(McGhee)
Vocal by Les Guthrie
Western Magic
Hit Parades Tunes
1949
A cover of the Sticks McGhee song. Not listed in Second Hand Songs
A subsidiary of the Swing Records Manufacturing Company, from Paris, Texas, operated by Jimmy Mercer.. In all likehood the Western Magic was a short-lived budget label.
At least two other records were issued by this label. See 45cat Les and His Western Playboys are not related (Ohio family group led by Les Haven)
Interesting information about Jimmy Mercer and his Swing Records Company can be found at Counterfeit Records in the 1940s (and Beyond) by Allan Sutton
I reproduce here the pertinent part of the article :
The only pressing plant operating at the time in Paris, Texas, was the Swing Record Manufacturing Company, a small start-up owned by Jimmy Mercer (née Harry Schaefer, a.k.a. Jivin’ Joe Jackson). His checkered past included a 1928 conviction for robbery and forgery, and allegedly, a 1931 arrest for passing bad checks. By the mid-1940s, Mercer had moved to Paris, where he worked at radio station KPLT, operated the Melody Lane Record Shop, and gave piano lessons. Mercer is perhaps the best-documented example of a small-time entrepreneur whose output simultaneously included original, pirated, and counterfeit records.
The October 1946 launch of Mercer’s Swing Records was well covered in the local press. The Paris News devoted a feature story to the company in November, at which time Mercer invited local artists to audition for his new Swing and Downbeat labels (the latter having no connection to DownBeat magazine). Mercer’s records were pressed on poor-quality recycled scrap and bore equally shoddy labels. He regularly solicited broken records in the local want-ads, along with “strong active women” to work the night shift at his plant.
Although Mercer claimed to be pressing for several “well known” (but undisclosed) labels, his only confirmed connection with the established companies consisted of pirating their discs. He is known to have copied recordings from Atlantic, Cow Town, Freedom, 4 Star, Gold Star, and other labels, which he then issued on his own labels. Gold Star’s Bill Quinn sued Mercer, then settled out of court after Mercer agreed to purchase some masters from the company. Atlantic Records reportedly threatened legal action as well.
It was Mercer’s party-record pressings (some on the Zest and Zip labels, others lacking any brand name) rather than his pirating and counterfeiting activities, that eventually brought him to the attention of federal authorities. In March 1949, he was arrested and charged with delivering obscene records for shipment across state lines. He pled guilty to two counts in January 1950, and was sentenced to three years’ probation.
Mercer’s arrest marked the end of his involvement with the record business. With few other offenders apprehended, the investigation into record counterfeiting wound down in the early 1950s, causing the problem to worsen considerably. By September 1951, Billboard was reporting that one operation in the New York area, which had so far eluded all efforts at detection, was believed to be pressing more than 50,000 counterfeit discs weekly.
