Music...
Phil Urso home movies
Denver jazz great, the late Phil Urso, hamming it up with fellow members
of the Elliot Lawrence Band in this rare 1950 8mm home movie.
This happy, short clip features Howie Mann, Joe Techner and Phil Urso
in suspenders.
Phil Urso had a great tone, somewhere between Lester Young and Sonny
Rollins. He played with many jazz legends but is best known for his mid-’50s
sides with Chet Baker.
Here is a much longer clip of the Elliot Lawrence Band from 1949, touring
around Golden, Lookout Mountain, Mt. Evans (Urso showing up at the top of
the mountain around 5:50 & 6:15), then off to Utah where Phil Urso and Jimmy
Padget look parched (at 7:50). Phil shows up one more time at about 9:15!
One last clip, the first solo on this wonderful Elliot Lawrence recording
Elevation is Phil Urso on tenor. Dig that tone!!
January 26th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Grim Reapers
(Ronnie Montrose: top, unknown: bottom left, Rick Palan: middle, Ron Akers: right)
Ronnie Montrose, circa 1966, in Denver band The Grim Reapers (or sometimes called
The Grim Reapers of the New World).
Ronnie wasn’t born in Denver, but moved here when he was two. He got his first guitar in 1964 and formed the Grim Reapers a year or so later. After the Reapers, Ronnie moved to San Francisco and formed the band Sawbuck, landed the guitar spot on Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey, joined the Edgar Winter Band, then formed his most famous group Montrose with singer Sammy Hagar.
(photo borrowed from Grand Junction Free Press)
January 5th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Safari Supper Club
The soon-to-be-opened Mauki Tiki Bar on S. Broadway reminds me to post some photos
of the Safari Supper Club, an exotic ’60s-era night club in Ft. Collins, owned and run by
Bob Swerer, also the leader of the house band.
I just determined that building that housed this night club still survives, I will post a photo
when the weather cooperates.
December 4th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Fyodor, Boyd and Ralph
Photo © 2011 Gregory Ego
Guest photographer Gregory Ego weighs in on The Eye with a photo of three unusual underground music artists from present day Denver: Little Fyodor, Boyd Rice and Ralph Gean, taken recently at the Lion’s Lair on Colfax.
The 2011 Boyd Rice biography film, Iconoclast (directed by Larry Wessel), is being shown in it’s entirety at the Denver Underground Film Festival this Sunday, November 13th at the Unitarian Society of Denver (1400 Lafayette).
(Be sure to view Gregory Egos photo website (http://gregoryegophotos.blogspot.com/), a who’s who of underground music, literary and political figures.
November 8th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Gregory Ego
Out of Sight
Boulder’s mighty ’60s-era contribution to rock & roll, The Astronauts,
tearing it up on their cover of Them’s cover of Big Joe William’s Baby,
Please Don’t Go. From the beach party film Out of Sight from 1966.
October 5th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
A reader asks…
Guitar great Mike Bloomfield spent the Summer of 1962 in the Denver/Boulder area. He put together an RnB band with Happy Logan’s son. The instruments were supplied by Happy Logan’s. The band played at the Sink in Boulder and apparently stole the crowd from Tulagi. I know this is a long shot. Does anyone remember the band or hearing about this? Thanks, John Ivey
From the editor: I would be interested in that too! The only acts I know from 1962 in Boulder were Stormy Patterson’s Stormtroupers (later became the Astronauts) and their rivals The Spartans. Anyone?
September 28th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Doug Kershaw and the Oriental
Esteemed Greeley musician Doug Kershaw narrowly avoided tragedy last Friday when
just after he finished his set at the Berkeley Oriental Theater, a 15′x20′ section of the
ceiling fell onto the stage.
Hopefully, it will not take them long to repair the roof of this historical theater, designed
in 1927 by Leo Desjardins.
Doug Kershaw has been a long time Colorado resident. Before living in
Greeley he lived up in Evergeen where he was a revered family friend of
my wife’s Stanbro Real Estate family (see Shannon Stanbro’s site:
5280mod.)
Kershaw was born and raised in Louisiana surrounded by Cajun music and
has been playing music himself since he was five years old. He had his first
records out in the ’50s (with his brother under the name Rusty & Doug)
and is most famous for his song Louisiana Man, which was once even
broadcast back from outer space to earth by Apollo 12!
September 26th, 2011 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Daniels
1960s Denver band, The Daniels, in a ‘65 Ford Thunderbird!
As Dave Hardy corrects in the comments below this post: “The band member names next to the photos were all mixed up by ID Band Book. Left to right in the Thunderbird are Rick Newton (Aspen, CO), Dave Hardy (Honolulu, HI), Mike Cooper (Denver, CO) and Brian O’Meara (Northglenn, CO).
(click to enlarge)
Here is a video from 2008 celebrating Brian O’Meara’s 60th Birthday Party
and his 40th Anniversary at O’Meara Ford Center in Northglenn!
(Thanks to Kenny Davis via Chris Hedlunds for the steer on the vid!)
July 26th, 2011 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
The Denver Nightingale
Here to celebrate July 4th are a couple of signature song hits of The Denver Nightingale,
Billy Murray!
(Grand Old Rag was the original title, Murray recorded this before the sheet music came out!)
Hard to believe you do not hear much about Billy Murray here in Denver as he was one of biggest, if not thee biggest star of the acoustic recording era. The acoustic era is the time before microphones from the 1890s through the 1920s, when the singer had to yell into a recording horn. Many of the popular songs from the first half of the 20th century were originally well known hits for Billy Murray.
Murray grew up in Denver Town after his family moved here in 1882. He first got into show business in Denver with Harry Leavitt’s High Rollers. He started recording in 1897 and would go on to record for every major recording label of his day, including Edison, Columbia & Victor (Where he became listed as The Denver Nightingale). His popularity dropped after the acoustic era, but he still managed to record up until his retirement in 1944. His strong voice, clear enunciation and often comical material is a joyfull experience to listen to.
Visit www.DenverNightingale.com for more info.
(Photos borrowed from Wikipedia, music borrowed from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project)
July 4th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Big One!
From Elvis’ first visit in 1956. He made $4,000 after selling 16,000 tickets.
Francis Melrose of the Rocky Mountain News gets the controversy flowing. I love how she put ‘Singer’ in quotes! I bet she wasn’t ready for the backlash of letters she received.
The rage begins:
There are so many great quotes in these letter columns: “Johnny Ray with St. Vitus Dance”, “He’d get up on stage a take a fit, and those crazy dames in the front row would take a fit right along with him”, “I think you’re jealous, or else you’re working for Faron Young“.
Aside from Faron Young, also on the bill were the killer Jimmy & Johnny duo and Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson!
May 16th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Surf Riders
A little landlocked surf action from the Surf Riders featuring young men from Regis.
Named after the 1963 hit tune by California’s Lively Ones, these photos are from 1966,
when they have added vocals and an ‘English sound’ to keep up with the times.
(Click these to enlarge and read)
May 11th, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Willie & The Bop-A-Whiles
A new LP has been released by Willie Lewis, the semi-retired Denver rockabilly legend and president of Denver’s own Rock-A-Billy Records, a local label that has released maybe 40-50 records and CDs over the last 29 years!
It’s no coincidence that Denver had a huge rockabilly resurgence at the same time that this label and it’s many artists were most active from 1989-1995!
This latest LP Don’t Shoot Me Baby is on France’s Hog Maw Records and comes at a time when Lewis is going through hard times, as his wonderful, gracious wife Mary Lou is terribly ill. We wish Mary Lou and Willie Lewis all the best!
Here is a sample cut:
Willie & The Bop-A-Whiles – A Gal Named Liz
May 2nd, 2011 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Happy Logan ad
Rickenbacker guitar in a Happy Logan ad from 1966.
April 15th, 2011 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Freddie & The Hitch-Hikers
One of Denver’s earliest rock & roll bands, Freddie & The Hitch-Hikers played their first show at the K-Bar-C in Kittridge in 1959. The Hitch-Hikers played all the original Denver rock & roll haunts like the Hi-Fi Club, the Fireside Lounge, La Pitchet (1st Denver band to play there!), the Olympic Bowl and the Catacombs in Boulder.
They played wild frat parties all over Boulder, D.U. and even Louisville. Ace drummer Larry Higgins told me that the frat parties were just like the movie Animal House, the band playing in the basement, typically with the head of the frat joining them 4 or 5 times a night to sing “Shout”. The Hitch-Hikers played alongside other early Denver rock & roll bands like Dean Carr & The Corvettes, Chuck Mills & The Monarchs and Orlie & The Saints.
Freddie & The Hitchhikers were Freddie Alridge (Vocals, Guitar), Larry Higgins (Drums), Bobby Miller (Guitar), Jerry Spiva (Bass) and sometimes Bobby Leo on sax.
In 1960 they recorded a 45 on Denver’s Band Box Records penned by Freddie titled Sinners, that is not only a moody Elvis-style rocker but features the first Theremin on a rock & roll record, played by a violinist from the Denver Symphony Orchestra. Theremin was the instrument of choice for ’50s horror & science-fiction films, lending a creepy undertone to a song about getting right or going to hell!
Larry also told me that the song Sinners was actually co-arranged by Fred Taylor of the Denver kid’s show Fred ‘n Fae, popular on Denver TV from 1953 through to 1967. Sinners is available on the Rhino Records box set Rockin’ Bones, an album nominated for a Grammy!
Fred ‘n Fae
The Hitch-Hikers continued to play in various forms through out the 1960s, becoming a popular showband in places like Arizona and Utah. Drummer Larry Higgins went on to play in Don May & the Gigilos, the Dayleks and sometimes back with the Hitch-Hikers. He played session work at Band Box and did gigs around town at places like Cloud 9, the Wig Wam and Sam’s on Lookout Mountain. And he is a swell guy to boot!
(Fred ‘n Fae photo borrowed from the Broadcast Professionals Hall of Fame. Sorry about the odd mixed up shot that serves as the still screen of the video.)
April 1st, 2011 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Lawmen
Taylor’s Supper Club act The Lawmen, from their first LP dated 1969. They were all
actual Jefferson County lawmen and clearly an entertaining act! From left to right in front,
Sheriffs John Ray, Bo Cottrell & John Grout!
Here is sample from The Lawmen, Live At Taylors: The Lawmen
(Special shout out to John Grout’s daughter Suzanne who just commented on the
Taylor’s post this very afternoon!)
As a followup, Wayne Yaffee (of KEZW’s “Afternoons with Wayne Yaffee“) points out:
“The Lawmen weren’t the only local officers who performed music. Anyone remember
the Denver Police Department’s “Squad IV”? They were 4 Denver cops who had a rock
band as a community outreach.”
He sent along this cool scan of a signed Squad IV record. Thanks Wayne!!
March 1st, 2011 / 5 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Sad day
Still choked up over the passing of Denver guitarist Ricky Kulwicki Tuesday night. His band The Fluid played incredibly focused original songs that merged the influences of the Stones, Stooges and Sex Pistols in an era where everyone else seemed lost. We were lucky to be blessed with a few reunion shows in 2008 & 2009 to remind us of what a mighty 100 watt, powerhouse band they were.
February 17th, 2011 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Taylor’s Showtime
The Taylors lp Showtime, recorded live sometime in the ’60s at Sammy Toole’s Taylors
Supper Club.
Taylors Supper Club was a Las Vegas-style nightclub on West Colfax during the ’50s, ’60s &
’70s. The Taylors music style was much like Martin & Lewis. They contrasted the straight
vocals of Buddy Greene with the comedy stylings of Kenny Smith & Frankie Burg.
Here is Frankie Burg on the closing cut of this LP, where they find dark humor in the
Kingston Trio’s folk hit.
Listen: Taylors – Tom Dooley
January 23rd, 2011 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Elway is back!
“You’re a damn good team with a lot of class!”
In honor of John Elway’s return, here is a rare treat, Tony Mandarin & The Mile High
Rockers rockabilly tribute 45 from the long-ago year of 1977, on Stofer Records no less!!
It even came in both blue & orange.
Side A: Bronco Rock
Side B: Mile High Rock
Nice to have you back!
January 6th, 2011 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Don Roth Trio
Great cartoon of the cocktail-lounge act, the Don Roth Trio from their album from the
early 1960s.
Recorded at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs by Bud Edmond, the chief engineer
at KCMS Radio Station in Manitou Springs.
December 23rd, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Fluid
Denver’s mighty 1980’s Sub Pop Records band, The Fluid. From left to right:
John Robinson, Matt Bischoff, Garrett Shavlik, Rick Kulwicki, & James Clower
Song from one of their Sub Pop 45s: The Fluid – Tomorrow
Photos taken by KRK for Flipside Magazine, 1989.
November 21st, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
KIMN Classics
KIMN Boss Radio Classics lp from 1965, with songs dating back to 1958.
KIMN 950 1965 DJ roster. Here is a clip of Hal ‘Baby’ Moore.
Clip borrowed from the outstanding KIMN Radio Tribute Page by Joe Wicks.
November 13th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Fogcutters
Denver band The Fogcutters from 1966. They later moved to the west coast and became
The Fantastic Zoo who also released records in the ’60s.
Here is their first 45 from 1965. As pointed out above was featured on an episode of ’60s
TV show The Fugitive:
October 27th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Diddy Wah Diddy
In 1965, before Captain Beefheart’s avant-garde explorations and before they even recorded, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band were already the best Rolling Stones-style rhythm & blues band in California. On this reputation, the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles sent the Magic Band for a month-long residency to Denver’s own Whiskey A Go Go in the fall of 1965.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band 1965
The building that housed Denver’s Whisky A Go Go was originally a dinner club called The Sultan’s Table. In 1965 it became the Whisky A Go Go, then The Batcave, The Posh and The Bird. In 1967 it opened as Barry Fey’s famous Family Dog psychedelic nightclub, where Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band played yet again that year. (The location is now Denver’s most well-known adult nightspot PT’s Showclub!)
Left to right: Don Van Vliet, Alex St. Clair, Doug Moon, Jerry Handley, Rich Hepner
While in their 1965 residency at the Denver Whisky A Go Go, the Magic Band noticed the exceptional blues guitar playing of Rich Hepner. Hepner was playing in Denver high-hair band The Fantabulous Jags at The Pussycat A Go Go on Sante Fe, just down the street from The Whisky.
The Fantabulous Jags
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band recorded two 45s for A&M Records with Rich Hepner, the first being one of the best 60s garage (or 60s punk) records, the now-famous Diddy Wah Diddy. Hepner left the band after these two singles.
Beefheart’s version seems to be a stomping rearrangement of the Bo Diddley song from ten years before. Here are audio-only snippets of both to compare:
Bo Diddley – Diddy Wah Diddy (1956)
Captain Beefheart – Diddy Way Diddy (1966)
Colorado’s Rich Hepner must have influenced the Beefheart arrangement, perhaps even unconsciously, as it clearly resembles the version by Colorado’s biggest rock band of the early-1960s, The Astronauts, who released many albums on major record label RCA Victor. Diddy Wah Diddy kicks off side two of the LP AOK-Astronauts Orbit Kampus. Snippet:
Astronauts – Diddy Wah Diddy (1964)
This makes the Astronauts recording from 1964 the first ’60s punk version of this classic song. Captain Beefheart’s amazing version only missed becoming a national hit because yet another band, Boston’s The Remains, had similar chart action covering the song at the same time! Here is a snippet of their 45:
The Remains – Diddy Wah Diddy (1966)
As you can hear, The Remains’ version bears little resemblence to the Astronauts or Beefheart versions. To finish, here is one last link to a video of Australian band Running Jumping Standing Still in 1966 covering the Beefheart Diddy Wah Diddy arrangement that seemed to start with Colorado’s own Astronauts in 1964:
Beefheart photos borrowed from the Captain Beefheart Power Station.
October 9th, 2010 / 3 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Showmen
“Their magnanimous effervescence is exuded from every constituent of each’s singularity”
Boulder band The Showmen. The photos are from 1966. In the top photo, the members are (from left-to-right): Doug Hays, Rick Malm, Gary Reed, Lynn Poyer & Ray Burroughs conducting. (Crick Streamer not shown)
September 25th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Pogo Poge RIP
Sad to hear about the passing away of KIMN Radio’s famous DJ
Pogo Poge at 86 years old.
He once pogoed on his pogo-stick from Boulder to Denver! He spent
two weeks in a snake pit! Here is a quick one minute clip of Pogo on
KIMN talking about The Hollywood Argyles.
(Audio clip borrowed from DonMueller.net)
September 13th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
