Professor Mikey’s OLD SCHOOL

OLD SCHOOL #5 Madison Bones

Three songs from different eras and the unique mindsets have only one commonality. They have their own particular oddball quirkiness. They weren’t intended as novelty songs and yet…pretty darn novel.Welcome to Old School #5 Madison Bones!THE MADISON TIME PART 1 Ray Bryant ComboRay Bryant was a solid jazz cat who had a modest hit with the Madison Time in 1960. Then the song realized the dream of a second coming. For this one, it was in the unlikely hit Hairspray (1988). Then it got yet another boost when the movie became a musical then came back as another movie in 2007!Here’s the video from the first movie, a rarity from a 1960 local dance show, and and instructional DVD feature because you can’t sit down!SPAZZ The Elastik BandThe Elastik Band provided a politically incorrect low for the psychedelic era in 1967. Tasteless as it is, it does enjoy a groove of sorts, a one hit wonder destined for the boneyard.ROCKIN’ BONES Ronnie DawsonWhich takes us to a Texas rocking lone star who was hitting the Billy Idol look in the ancient Fifties. Ronnie Dawson was Ronnie Dee for his first record, “Action Packed” in 1958. For his second song in 1959 he was already fretting at least his teen mortality. But like Ray Bryant, Ronnie Dawson had a fabulous second act, touring rockabilly crazed Europe in the 1980s! He’d seen the needle in the stylus and the damage done!Remember, you can hear the podcast at the top of the page. While you are there you can download this episode to cozy up next to your other podcasts. Also you can arrange to have Old School delivered directly to that app. So if you pull the email plug for a while you wit miss any episodes!The Madison Time (part 1)Ray BryantIt’s the madison time hit it You're lookin' good -A big strong line When I say hit it,I want you to go two up and twoBack with a big strong turnAnd back to the madisonHit itta(Instrumental)You're lookin' goodNow when I say hit it,I want you to go two up and twoBack double crossCome out of it with the riflemanHit itta(Instrumental)CrazyNow when I say hit I want the strong"M" erase it and back to the madisonHit it(Instrumental)Walk on you're lookin' good(Instrumental)Now then when I say hit, it'll be "T" time(Instrumental)Hit it(Instrumental)Big strong lineNow when I say hit it I want the big strongCleveland box and back to the madison(Instrumental)Hit it(Instrumental)CrazyNow when I say hit it,I want the big strong basketballWith the Wilt Chamberlain hook(Instrumental)Hit it -- 2 pointsNow this time when I say hit it,I want the big strongJackie Gleason and back to the madison(Instrumental)Hit it - and away we goNow then when I say hit, birdland 'til I say stopHit it -- how 'bout a little stiff leg there?You're lookin' goodNow when I say hit it come out of the birdland back to the madison(Instrumental)Hit it - crazyWhen I say hit it, go 2 up and 2 back double cross and freezeHit it(Instrumental)And hold it right there This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #4 Truth Teen Party KO

Four podcasts in a week. What was I thinking? But it happened and was way fun. There are so many great songs that sit silent in the years. Upcoming we will probably put these up once or twice a week, each one about the same length. But that could all change so stay tuned as we discover the wild, the wayward, and an astounding amount of creativity that just disappeared from a disposable pop culture. Every song represents a dream. How they play after emerging from involuntary time capsules is anybody’s guess. For Episode 4, we touch down in Kim Fowley’s humid and dismal Los Angeles by night. Luckily we have the Popsicles to cool us off. Then we dial it back to Chicago in the DiMaggio summer, where Lil Green has scored some pre-war weed. Finally, we end up on a mystic mountaintop with Eric Burdon’s New Animals, who have come seeking enlightened. If you meet the Buddha on the road, he’s bound to have a podcast!ENDLESS TEEN PARTY The PopsiclesKNOCKING MYSELF OUT Lil GreenCLOSER TO THE TRUTH Eric Burdon and the New AnimalsRETROFIT is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #3 Hard to Believe the Night Planet

Devo live is a hard charging example of the de-evolution that threatened to zap the 80s into something caring and generous. Hang on to your red helmets! Be Stiff 🌎 Planet Earth DEV0Mersey inspired Glenda Collins was a small part of the British Invasion, a bundle of pop protest from Joe Meek’s quirky stable. Here she is, slamming the nukes in favor of ending world hunger. It’s Hard to Believe it GLENDA COLLINS
Bombs and missiles are here to stay It's hard to believe it, but I do They hit the moon with mice and men One day they'll send 'em back again It's hard to believe it, but I do How can they spend a million on a rocket head When there's millions on Earth in need of bread? It's hard to believe, but they do We're all in for a shock and soon When we find living creatures upon the moon It's hard to believe it, but I do I don't need a telescope to see What our future on Earth is gonna be Don't you disguise it, no, no, not for me I put my plea for all it's worth Let's first make this a better Earth I really believe it, yes I do I really believe it, yes I do I really believe it, yeah yeah, don't you? It's hard to believe it, but it's true I really believe it, yeah yeah, 'cause it's true I really believe it, yes I do Minimalistic and sullen, the Brits who shortened their name from “Troglodytes” wowed both side of the Atlantic in 1965 with “Wild Thing.” Here they are less than a year later, so successful they don’t want to do their own yard work. Lead vocalist Reg Presley, a big influence on Iggy Pop, left us in 2013. Night of the Long Grass THE TROGGSPreview week for Old School, the new podcast from Retrofit, continues tomorrow with some down to earth spaciness. Remember you can hear the episode through the player at the top of this page. Even easier, click on “listen through your podcast app” at the top right and this episode can be stored with your other podcasts. You can also access previous episodes of Apple iTunes, Stitcher, and Tune In! Thanks so much for checking it out! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #2 Hold On to Your Lunacy

Here’s another edition of Old School which dropped for the first time on Retrofit yesterday. This week while we introduce this new podcast feature the Professor Mikey lesson plan calls for an episode a day Tues-Fri then take Super Bowl Weekend off!No real schedule is set, it’s pretty much play and see, but at least once or twice a week sounds about right. Thoughts? Lemme know.Hold on to Your Life PSYCHOTIC PINEAPPLEJanitor of Lunacy NICOIs You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby? BUSTER BROWN This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

OLD SCHOOL #1 Are You Ready?

Introducing a new Retrofit podcast feature straight from the Old School!This show began as a one-song one-off crafted for college radio audiences as well as truants. These listeners craved the deep dope that reeked of obscurity and cool. From the funky halls of this way back institution you could be the first kid on your block to hear something from 40 years ago that rang with spirit and originality. Or perhaps there’s a sample in it that collected mold on the sound shelf until a master DJ dripped it from a beaker into a beat track. Scholars and Professor Find Musical Common GroundFor the podcast version of Old School, the plan is to tell short stories about two or three songs, then actually play these rare wonders in real time. Radical, right? It’s all done in the name of music education. Total class time: around 12 minutes but since I get to write the rules I’m keeping them short.The sound closet I’m pulling from covers over 50 years and is stacked with albums, CDs, cassettes, videos, reel-to-reels. Lots of genres, scattered promos, unintentional rarities, lost vinyl that hasn’t felt a needle in decades. It’s an expanding universe. The Retrofit newsletter continues with articles, photos, and other feature podcasts. The Old School podcasts will arrive in your mailboxes just as your newsletters do. Hopefully it will be that surprise bolt of inspiration from the Fifties through the Nineties you were needing. Thanks for tuning in and please oh please share with friends! This is how your desert island joint gets found bobbing around in the podcast ocean.You can subscribe to it as you do your other podcasts and it will show up in that cue. In case you want to hear them in sequence or whatever.The goal is to keep it surprising and lively, to offer a take as to why the work was created, and why it didn’t make the standard forever cemetary hit lists. It’s not a countdown or programming based on sales. Please comment, offer suggestions, and send Professor Mikey on scavenger hunts into the unknown. Once again, we open the Old School, the detention hall of the forgotten, the obscure, the unknown, the diamonds in the rust! Are you Reddy?This week on our first Old School podcast!Thank you for reading RETROFIT. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

Life After Buddy Podcast

It has happened every February 3 since 1959. Waking to the news of one of rock music’s earliest tragedies, the plane crash that claimed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper near Clear Lake, Iowa.The whole story is in this special Retrofit podcast that you can access on the player above. If possible, click on that button that saves this episode to your podcasts. That way you can hear it in pieces and I’ll get some podcast numbers!Holly was 22, Valens 17, J. P. Richardson the Bopper 28. Richardson got his seat on the plane from Waylon Jennings. Bob Dylan saw their penultimate show the night before at Duluth, Minnesota.I saw Buddy Holly two or three nights before he died. I saw him in Duluth [Minnesota], at the armory. He played there with Link Wray. I don’t remember the Big Bopper. Maybe he’d gone off by the time I came in. But I saw Richie Valens. And Buddy Holly, yeah. He was great. He was incredible. I mean, I’ll never forget the image of seeing Buddy Holly up on the bandstand. And he died – it must have been a week after this. It was unbelievable.Bob Dylan (to Kurt Loder, March 1984)So many ironic threads run through the tragic conclusion to the Buddy Holly story. Here’s some visuals to go along with the audio. PS the music never died!Rave on!Chuck Berry and Alan Freed introduce Ricardo Valenzuela in Go Johnny Go! (1958) The Bopper on Clark’s American BandstandRETROFIT is a reader-supported publication. Become a free or paid subscriber! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

New Year’s Revolution

The first two years of the Roaring Twenties 2.0 have been twin bears, haven’t they? Why, this time last year we were downright giddy about booting 2020, like it would all go away like a bad dream. As we get ready to do the same with 2021, we hope for the best with far fewer pretenses about the future that seems determined to swallow us.But wait! Professor Mikey, a firm believer in the healing and hopeful aspects of musi, is off on another holiday musical expedition, this time to discover the heart of everybody's favorite midnight party.  What is a Lang Syne?  And how Auld is it?  What do Bing Crosby, Spike Jones, and Blind Lemon Jefferson have in common?  Do New Year's Resolutions really work?  Is the best New Year's duet of all time sung by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas?  And what's Carl Sagan doing in here? Don’t say he is back to tell us not to look up!These and other timely questions are answered in this full hour celebration of New Year's music. Plug in and buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy year. Get ready for  Blues classics like Smokey Hogg's "New Year's Eve Blues" from 1948, a New Year's Eve 1970 appearance by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, an absolute wacko resolution romp with the City Slickers and many, many more.  The genres melt into each other, the human condition gets a good going over, and we all resolve to be better next year!Happy New Year, push play, and be sure to click and download New Year’s Revolution to your podcast player!PlaylistWhat Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? King CurtisHappy New Year Spike Jones and His City SlickersLet's Start the New Year Right Bing CrosbyHappy New Year Blues Blind Lemon JeffersonAuld Lang Syne John FaheyAuld Lang Syne Frank Sinatra/Dean MartinAuld Lang Syne The Beach BoysAuld Lang Syne The CucumbersNew Year's Resolution Otis Redding/Carla ThomasWhat a Year for a New Year Dan WilsonA Glorious Dawn Carl Sagan Happy New Year Lightnin' HopkinsNew Year's Eve Blues Smokey HoggNew Year's Resolution Blues Roy Milton Solid SendersRETROFIT is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.New Year's Resolutions Scary Gary AlanWhat Are You Doing New Year's Eve Nancy WilsonThe Closing of the Year The Musical Cast of Toys feat. Wendy & LisaAuld Lang Syne Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

RetroRanch Rootin’ Tootin’ Christmas

In the wake of Gene Autry's 1949 holiday success with "Rudolph, the. Red Nosed Reindeer," the genre of fantasy Christmas in the Wild West got a huge shot in the saddle.  Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesterYule, when the new sheriff in town wore red suspenders, herded reindeer, and had spurs that went jingle jangle jingle bells.  Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, and even little Miss Gayla Peevey launch into a holiday hoedown sure to unhinge some maverick memories and make room for new ones.  Always time for a plug before we get the fire going. Subscriptions to the Retrofit newsletter are free for now, so that should fit in with most budgets. Click the little doodads to find out more. Also my book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Old West" is still out there, Pony Express should get it to you by Twelfth Night.Now let’s saddle up and take to a tinsel trail full of rowdy rarities, seasonal sensations, and St. Nicholas nuggets.  Load your Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot air rifles a get ready for visions of sagebrush sugarplums! Happy Holiday trails, it's the all new RetroRanch Christmas!Playlist: Artist. “Title” Album. Label, Year.* Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Gene Autry Sings Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town. LaserLight, 1949* Buck Owens and His Buckaroos. "Jingle Bells" Christmas with Buck Owens and his Buckaroos. Sundazed, 1965* Tex Ritter. "Christmas Carols by the Old Coral" I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus. Viper, 1945. * Bill Monroe. "Christmas TIme's A-Coming" Hillbilly Holiday. Rhino, 1951. * Ernest Tubb. "I'll Be Walking the Floor This Christmas" Blue Christmas. Decca , 1964. * Jody Levins. "Jingle Bells Boogie" Rockabilly Xmas. Buffalo Bop, 1954* Brenda Lee. "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" Rockin' Little Christmas. MCA, 1956. * Michael Landon. "Santa Got Lost in Texas" Bonanza Christmas on the Ponderosa. RCA, 1962. * Lorne Greene. "Stuck in the Chimney" Bonanza Christmas on the Ponderosa. RCA, 1962. * Johnny Horton. "They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose" Christmasville USA. Mapletone, 1959.* Buck Owens and His Buckaroos. "Santa's Coming in a Stagecoach" Christmas with Buck Owens and His Buckaroos. Sundazed, 1965* Gene Autry. "Santa's Coming in a Whirlybird" Here Comes Santa Claus. Varese Saraband, 1957* Sonny Cole. "Santa to the Moon" Rockabilly Christmas. Buffalo Bop, 1958* Jimmy Dean. "Little Sandy Sleighfoot" Billboard Greatest Country Christmas Hits. Rhino, 1957* Eddy Arnold. "Will Santa Come to Shanty Town?" Christmas with Eddy Arnold. RCA, 1962. * Ferlin Husky. "Lonely Christmas" Christmas All Year Long. Capitol, 1967. :* Hank Thompson. "Gonna Wrap My Heart in Ribbons" Hillbilly Holiday. Rhino, 1965.* Gayla Peevey. "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time. Rhino, 1952. * Jimmy Boyd. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" Christmas with Jimmy Boyd. Philips, 1952* George Jones. "My Mom and Santa Claus" Hillbilly Holiday. Rhino, 1961. * Loretta Lynn. "To Heck with Old Santa Claus" Hillbilly Holiday. Rhino, 1967. * Little Joey Farr. "Big White Cadillac" Rockabilly Xmas. Buffalo Bop, 1958* Tennessee Ernie Ford. "Christmas Dinner" Christmas on the Range. Capitol, 1951. * Johnny Cash. "Christmas As I Knew It" Christmas with Johnny Cash. Sony Legacy, 1963Thank you for reading RETROFIT. This post is public so feel free to share it.RETROFIT is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

Reds, Greens, Blues Christmas

Here’s a joyful holiday podcast that mixes the Reds, the Greens, and mostly the Blues of Christmas music. The lowdown dirty blues, often referred to as “the devil’s music” offers a stark flip side to Bing Crosby. By tradition, the Reds of Christmas was less about wrapping paper and Santa suits and more about the pills it might take to drive an old Ford a few hundred miles in the snow to the next gig. Greens? Mistletoe and cash always registered, but there’s also killer side dishes like mustard and collard greens that go great with ham and turkey. But the Christmas blues was hard to shake….but quite possible to cure on that day of all days. Out of December despair we get some humor in the form of hope.From the get go, Christmas blues was a lament. The holidays arrived in a time of no money, no sugar plums, and worst of all, no love. Love was lost, gone, forgotten, and really missed. If this Santa Claus guy could bring you anything, then why couldn’t he come down the chimney with that gift that returned itself, that one person who had made previous holidays so merry and bright.Let’s join some cold hearts by the fireplaces for a few glimpses at the ghost world of Christmas past. But first we have to leave the mistletoe on the tree and deal with what happened last year. The sleigh ride begins with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, circa November 1962. The Cuban Missle Crisis had happened a month before, but it was the least of Hank’s problems, where it’s “Christmas Time for Everybody but Me.”Ella Fitzgerald is the fine wine of Christmas. The first lady of music was part jazz singer part comet, but we know the blues and jazz often got to share a seat. Such star power in this song. Written by Count Basie, Eddie Durham, and Jimmy Rushing--orchestrated by Frank De Vol, from 1960s Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas with “Good Morning Blues.”It’s Christmas morning 1947. 1946 was great, but since then the needles have fallen off the tree and the mood has changed. Somebody got a Cadillac last year and used it to get away. Harry Crayton sings in front of Doc Bagby’s orchestra. He wants to know what went wrong, but more important, he wants his ride back. Uber doesn’t happen for a few Christmases yet.The roots of Boogie Woogie can be traced back to African American communities of the 1870s, probably in the piney woods of northeast Texas. It got its name around 1913, ascended in popularity in the 20s. The evolution continued into a country boogie which evolved shortly after World War II. Fast forward to Detroit, 1950, where Sugar Chile Robinson let it rip on the Christmas boogie.In this next glimpse of Christmas unmerriment, J. B. Summers tells us how bad it can get. Santa needs to fix the current situation and fix it quick. J. B. has been good, but times have been bad. “I Want a Present for Christmas” was recorded in Philadelphia just before Thanksgiving of 1949.Santa has the toughest job in the world. Especially when he’s trying to get his deliveries made and he keeps stopping at houses that want to raise a holiday toast and give the jolly old elf and little Christmas Cheer. The reindeer are waiting and Santa’s getting sloshed. Clyde Lasley and the Cadillac Baby Specials inventory a liquor store on “Santa Came Home Drunk.”Curiosity sent Sonny Boy Williamson II snooping around the house, one thing led to another.Samuel Lightnin’ Hopkins believed his greatest gift did not come at Christmas, but at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas when he was 8 years old. That would be around 1920. The gift? An appearance by the legend Blind Lemon Jefferson. After that, Lightnin’ believed “the blues was in him.” Here he is at 40, recorded in 1953 in Houston Texas.Double entendres show up in the blues more often than bottleneck slide guitars. I’m not about to point any of them out, but I can tell you this is Victoria Spivey and her Chicago Four with a scratch classic from Depression Christmas 1936. Victoria stands her ground on “I Ain’t Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus.”Lowell Fulson was west coast all the way. He confuses those who dig for his fabulous blues recordings because he sometimes recorded as Lowell Fulsom with an m he transposed to avoid contract problems. Born in Atoka, Oklahoma, he migrated with his family to California in the 40s. He had lots of hits and played into the 90s. So instead of moaning at midnight, this holiday tune is just a simple wish. But Lowell Fulson just wants to spend Christmas with you.Bobby Nunn found success in the world of Doo , where he starred with the Robins and the Coasters. As a solo act he could rock the blues. If there were a video for this one, Bobby would be lit in dark dark blue while the rest of the world is going about decking the halls and fa-la-la-ing. But not poor, poor Bobby. December 25th is just another long lonely day. He is in Hollywood in 1953 but it isn’t enough for Bobby Nunn, who can barely hear the Christmas Bells.Charles Brown also spent his winters in sunny LA. He developed his sound in the blues club circuit, which took the lead from the crooning velvet of Nat King Cole. Brown first recorded his Christmas classic in 1947 in a trio known as Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers. He was so smooth, and a major influence on the likes of Johnny Ace, Ivory Joe Hunter, and Ray Charles. Here we catch up with him when he’s home for the holidays in 1954 and the song is becoming a standard. Why not, it’s all about diamond rings, paradise, and good music on the radio. Who could ask for more?Most of Jimmy McCracklin’s holidays were spent in the city by the bay, San Francisco. Jimmy wrote almost a thousand songs in his time, recorded 30 albums, and four of them went gold. So naturally, his jump blues take on the holiday was the other side of lonely, the side where you party all night long. The party mood continues with Jimmy Butler whose stocking was packed with double meanings. No explanation needed. From 1954 it is “Trim Your Tree.”From 1950 Jimmy Liggins and His Drops of Joy get in the mood with one condition. Forget the food, the jewelry, the cars. This is not the time of year to be flying solo. How about a little mistletoe? “I Want My Baby for Christmas.”Jimmy Witherspoon was born in Arkansas and got ou his break during World War II, singing with Teddy Weatherford’s band on Armed Forces Radio broadcasting from Calcutta India. He logged several successful European tours, and got famous for his style of blues shouting. Here we drop in on a rough Christmas. Jimmy checks his balance--15 cents--and tries to pawn his radio. And! Jimmy rhymes the song title “How I Hate to See Christmas come around” with “brings me down.” Christmas blues with Jimmy Witherspoon!Christmas 1950, blues great Floyd Dixon has those Empty Stocking Blues. And he’s not talking about them being filled with candy and fruit. This is more about two empty stockings that used to walk around the Christmas Tree. Remember Bobby Nunn? Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers back up Floyd who wants these stockings filled.Laying a finger aside of our noses, we get back to the sky with a duet that could be called “Baby It’s Cold Inside.” There was no snow on the ground in LA in 1950 when the Nic Nacs with vocalist Mickey Champion recorded “Gonna Have a Merry Christmas.”This was a tough Christmas, but if the Blues comes down your chimney, music can always help. Hope you’ve enjoyed the Reds, Greens and Blues for Christmas, and that Santa brings your baby back to you. Have mercy, and a fabulous holiday!THE TRACKS Artist. “Song” Album. Label, (Year) Time * Stanley Jordan. "Silent Night" Yule Struttin'. Blue Note, 1990. 04:06* Hank Ballard. "Christmas Time for Everybody But Me (1962). 24 Greatest R&B Christmas Hits. Gusto, 2009. 02:55* Ella Fitzgerald. "Good Morning Blues (1960)" Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.Verve, 1960. 04:05* Harry Crafton. Bring That Cadillac Back (1947) 100 Christmas Blues. Holiday Classic Records, 2011. 03:39* Sugar Chile Robinson. Christmas Boogie (1950) Christmas American Blues. Big Eye Music, 2009. 01:59* J. B. Summers. I Want a Present for Christmas (1949) Blues, Blues, Christmas Vol 1.Document Records, 2006. 03:04* Clyde Lasley & Cadillac Baby Specials. Santa Came Home Drunk (1967) Bummed Out Christmas. Rhino, 1989. 03:09* Sonny Boy Williamson II. Santa Claus (1969) Blue Yule. Rhino, 1992. 03:49* Freddie King. Christmas Tears (1961) Blues, Blues Christmas Vol 3. Document, 2013. 03:29* Lightnin' Hopkins. Merry Christmas (1953) The Stash Christmas Album. Stash Records, 1985. 02:46* Victoria Spivey. I Ain't Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus (1936) Blues, Blues Christmas. Document, 2013. 02:25* Lowell Fulsom. I Wanna Spend Christmas With You (1967) Amp Up the Holidays.Capitol EMI, 2001. 02:42* Bobby Nunn. Christmas Bells (1953) Rhythm and Blues Christmas. Ace, 2018. 02:44* Charles Brown. Merry Christmas Baby (1954) Merry Christmas Baby. Big Town, 1977. 03:35* Jimmy McCracklin. Christmas Time (1961) Cool Blue Christmas. Contrast Records, 2017. 02:20* Jimmy Witherspoon. How I Hate to See Christmas Come Around (1948 The Chronological Jimmy Witherspoon 1947-48. Classics, 2003. 03:19* Floyd Dixon w/ Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. Empty Stocking Blues (1950) Jingle Blues. House of Blues, 1998. 02:58* The Nic Nacs w/ Mickey Champion. "Gonna Have a Merry Christmas (1950)" Bam-A-Lam The R&B Recordings 1950-62 . Ace, 2008. 03:21 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe

Mistletoe Jam

Already we are rolling up for the mystery tour of the holidays. Music is a big part of it. In malls, on the radio, there’s a perpetual playlist out there that is part audio truffle, part marshmallow world nostalgia. Then there are tunes that may have been intended to trigger comfort and joy but over time have entered the realm of forever monotony. For this hour however, Bing Crosby and Brenda Lee can waltz their way out to the tunes of Mariah or the Mannheim mainstream. In this Old School Mistletoe Jam, a disgruntled Miles Davis records under protest, a “Police” man records incognito, we ride alongside the first song ever about sidewalk surfing, and find mistletoe in Vietnam. Push play on this page or click the link above to stash it in your podcasts: Here’s your JAM!!Santa Came Home Drunk (1960) Clyde Lasley and the Cadillac Baby Specials I Want a Rock and Roll Guitar (1960) Johnny Preston Santa Claus (1965) The Sonics There Ain’t No Sanity Claus (1980) The Damned I Want to Spend Christmas with Elvis (1956) Debbie Dabney Yulesville (1959) Edd “Kookie” Byrnes Happy Holidays (1983) Smegma Santa and the Sidewalk Surfer (1963) The Turtles Christmas Day (1960) Detroit Junior Santa’s Beard (1988) They Might Be Giants Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern) (1962) Miles Davis, Bob Dorough One Christmas Catalogue (1984) Captain Sensible Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto (1968) James Brown Christmas in Vietnam (1966) Johnny & Jon Yo Ho Ho (1980) Klark Kent (Stewart Copeland) Soul Christmas (1994) Graham Parker, Nona Hendryx This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit professormikey.substack.com/subscribe