Saturday, September 1, 2012

Mink Deville: "Spanish Stroll": (1977)

Willy "Mink" Deville (William Paul Borsey Jr.) was born in Connecticut in 1950. He had a wonderful way of matching American and Spanish rhythms to rock and roll. "Spanish Stroll" was the lead single from the band's first album "Cabretta" (known simply as "Mink Deville in the U.S.). The song features back up singers (The Immortals) that he discovered at a reggae concert at Max's Kansas City. Listen and you can hear why his songs are referred to as being "Spanish-Americana". No argument here. His time as a house band at CBGB's comes through as well. If you have never heard of Mink Deville you should check into some of his other work. His cover of "You Better Move On" (1961) by Arthur Alexander may be the best version ever. Mink had a 35 year career that ended with his death at the age of 58.

Funny that, in my research, I suspected that some people might have Mink Deville confused with Lou Reed. I found a lyric site crediting him for writing this song!

Hey Mr. Jim, I can see the shape you're in
Got your finger on your eyebrow
And left hand on your hip
Thinking that you're such a lady killer
Think you're so slick!
Alright, slick







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