First Rock and Roll Song Ever? Tell Us...

The staff at Monahanssong recently started debating which song deserved credit among all the many that are out there as "The First Rock and Roll Song Ever". Many of the usual suspects surfaced, so there was consensus that "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets deserved consideration, as did "Saturday Night Fish Fry" by Louis Jordan which was featured in this blog in August 2012.

Our further research shows that there is heated debate through the years as to what song deserves the honor, and even the criteria for judging is not fully agreed upon. We are never afraid to wade into debate and would invite you to join the fray...

What song do YOU think deserves credit? Let us know and we will publish the list as well as provide you with a selection of experts choices as well as our own pick for "The First Rock and Roll Song Ever." #monahanssong

Interview: "Little Mike" Markowitz, Little Mike and the Tornadoes.

Monahanssong caught up with "Little Mike" Markowitz in Jacksonville, where he was playing a two night gig with his Tornadoes at Ragtime. Mike and his band were (and still are), a consummate workhorse blues bar band that earned a major league east cost reputation for high energy "Chicago Style" blues. The band, who plays more local dates now describes themselves as a "working class band" that always played the blues with a rock n' roll edge to it. No argument there... Little Mike and the Tornadoes latest release "Forgive me" will be critiqued in our next post. The also have a must attend event coming up in Jacksonville on February 23rd!

 

Monahanssong: You write a lot more than you get credit for.  Most of the songs on your latest CD “Forgive Me” have original lyrics. What is your writing process? Lyrics firs,t then the music, or otherwise?

Little Mike: It varies. Usually a melody or bass lines will come to me and then I find words to it. Sometimes everything comes at once. There is no deliberate process; I never try to write a song. They either come or they don’t.

Monahanssong: My impression over the years of seeing and listening to you play harp is that you are all about wood Hohner harmonicas. A lot of people are playing resin (plastic) harps today. Give me your thoughts on that…

Little Mike: I’ll be honest: I don’t know what a resin harp is! I only use the Hohner Marine Bands.

 

Monahanssong: You know some of the Delta and Chicago guys soaked their wood harps overnight in the old days. They had to shave off the swelled wood to play, and the harps were ruined when they dried again, but they got great sound.  Modern harp players have had pedal or amp reverb for a long time and that replaced the need, but did you ever try it? Regardless, how do you get your unique sound?

Little Mike: I tried a petal for a tour or two trying to be modern,but for the last 25 plus years I use a harp, astatic mic, and a Fender Bassman which has no reverb, but 4 ten inch speakers. It sounds just the way I like it. I don’t soak the harps or anything else. I try to get my tone from using my diaphragm rather than my throat. I also tongue block to get that big fat sound that I like.

Monahanssong: Your amp rang a bell the other night when I saw the band. I think you have had it a long time.  Am I correct that the one you are using now doesn’t owe you a dime?

Little Mike: I owe it! My Fender Bassman has been with me longer than my wife. At least 30 years and it is the best sounding amp I ever had. It has more than 1,000,000 miles on it!

Monahanssong: You have a new CD, “Forgive Me” being released this month, and a rather special event coming up in Jacksonville on February 23rd. Tell us about it.

Little Mike: We will be having our official CD Release Party for Jacksonville at European Street  (5500 Beach Blvd.) with special guest harmonica wizard Willie Green. You can find info about Willie at: http://williegreenblues.com/

 

Event Link:  https://www.facebook.com/events/328895597209901/

Our release, “Forgive Me”, is our 9^th nationally distributed recording dating back to 1988. It has a very traditional sound and is all original. People who like real blues will love it. Our website is: http://littlemikeandthetornadoes.com/fr_home.cfm

Professor Longhair: "Big Chief" (1964,1980)

It is Carnival Time! Mardi Gras & Fat Tuesday are happening and there is no better way to mark the event than featuring the great music of Professor Longhair.

Professor Longhair (Henry Roeland Byrd), also known as Roy "Bald Head" Byrd and also as Fess was born on December 19, 1918 in Bogalusa, Louisiana. He did not learn to play piano (self-taught) until he was in his 30's and even then it was on a piano with missing keys. Many say this helped him shape his style of playing which has Afro-Cuban influences and is also referred to as "rumba-boogie". This really comes through in "Big Chief" which was written by the great Earl King but covered by Longhair in 1964. Much was made of the addition of horns to the composition and it was a New Orleans hit for many years. It is stll a Mardi Gras favorite much like his other signature songs like "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" and "Tipitina".

Fess would fade away for many years and would work as a custodian to help make ends meet before claiming fame again.

How did the "new Longhair" happen? He got on the roster for the 1971 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival which led to his playing the Newport Jazz Festival in 1973. He would play at a party Paul and Linda McCartney were throwing on the Queen Mary in 1978 which was recorded and released. His fame was ensured with the release of the album Crawfish Fiesta (1979), which was a big seller for Alligator Records,

To us, the whistling, which is part of many of his songs, really stand out on his 1980 version from Crawfish Fiesta, and is therefore our favorite. The song is about the African-American tradition of dressing as decked out Indians for their Mardi Gras Parade. Indians used to hide slaves and this is a nod to their heroism. The "Big Chief" is the leader.

Me got fire, can't put it outHeap fire water gonna make me shoutI'm goin' down an-a get my squawMe might buy a great big carI'm gonna do ev'rything I couldMe Big Chief, I'm feeling good
Me Big Chief, I got um tribeGot my squaw right by my sideMy Flagboy, he just went byMy Spyboy, he's full of fireMe whole tribe is havin' funWe gonna dance 'til mornin' come
In 1980 he would pass away during the filming of a documentary he was starring in.Crawfish Fiesta shipped out to stores the very day he died.

He lived his last years as a very famous man in New Orleans and today, 32 years after his death he is justly worshipped as a founding father of New Orleans R&B. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Two versions here. The 1980 Crawfish Fiesta version of "Big Chief" and the original from 1964:

Ed Sheeran: "The A Team" (2011)

UPDATE: Since this post was published, Ed Sheeran's "The A Team" went as far as #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Well done. A great song with a meaningful story. Nice to see it have legs in the U.S.!!


(Originally posted July 2012)




"The A Team" is a song by English singer-song writer Ed Sheeran .The song was sung by Sheeran, following a last minute performance at an event for the homeless. "The A Team" became a top 10 hit in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The U.S.? Nobody noticed...
You may have seen him perform at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics singing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here".

Jimmy Wayne: Sara Smile (2009), Hall and Oates (1976)

An amazing story here, so pay attention...Jimmy Wayne (Barber) was born on October 23, 1972 in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. His father abandoned Jimmy and his sister who were in and out of foster care or sometimes in the streets when their mother would disappear or do time. Jimmy would eventually move in with an elderly couple down the street from where he lived after mowing their lawn. He would complete high school and get an associates in criminology while working as a prison guard. He learned some of his songwriting skills from an inmate. Years later he would try his luck and moved to Nashville.

His songwriting caught on and the DreamWorks label signed him up with a debut album in 2003 that made it to #7 on the country charts. The album featured "Stay Gone" which was inspired by his sister Patricia who, according to a Wikipedia entry said: " Everything would be better if her husband would just stay gone." 

His next album would do even better, reaching #4 on the country charts.

In 2009, Jimmy Wayne released Sara Smile which was the title song and cover. Daryl Hall and John Oates originally did the song (reaching #4 on the charts in the U.S.) and provided backing vocals for Jimmy on the song.

The song  was written about Hall's girlfriend, flight attendant and future songwriting collaborator Sara Allen.

"Sara Smile" as a single would reach as high as #31. Many country critics panned it for not being a country song. One wonders why it did not cross over to other charts.

The song is exceptional for a cover, and Jimmy's vocals absolutely nail the sentiment conveyed in the lyrics:

Baby hair, with a woman's eyes,
I can feel you watching in the night,
All alone with me, and we're waiting for the sunlight,
When I feel cold, you warm me,
And when I feel I can't go on, you come and hold me,
It's you, and me, forever...

According to the Great American Country (GAC) Blog:

“I’ve had a lot of friends who… I lived in group homes with that ended up dead,” Jimmy said during a press conference at Monroe Harding, a Music City facility for at-risk kids. “When I worked in prison as an officer, I had a lot of friends come in as convicts. I had a foster brother who I spent half of my life with come in as a convict. It was a very hard experience seein’ that stuff.”

In 2010, Jimmy completed a 1600 mile walk between Nashville and Phoenix called "Meet Me Halfway" to promote awareness of homeless youth. He broke an ankle but made the trek. He continues to champion foster care issues.

Three versions to peruse here. The first is the official video of Sarah Smile by Jimmy Wayne. The second is a banjo free gem that doesn't pander as much to country with Daryl Hall sitting in. The third is the original cut by Hall and Oates off of their first self titled album.

Special thanks to Trish Norton Lindsay for the suggestion.