Goggle Eyes Brown and The Oglers - Ragtime! (featuring Big Marv on the piano)

Been a stretch since Goggle Eyes Brown and his Oglers have been around!  What was a catch-all group for many years is now solidly consistent, so much so they were on tour for a few months. They were back in the area to rest up when Big Marv found out and went to see them.

Big Marv is a mover and shaker here at Big And Tall Records since we made him an associate as well as an artist. He's running over with ideas, but his band The Hodads are down in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, so he's without a band. He's been wanting to do some ragtime for us, and he's known Goggle Eyes and the band for years, although they've never played together before. Big Marv ran an idea for a ragtime song by them, and they jumped at the chance! Goggle Eyes usually does the piano playing, but he moved off  the bench and in front of the microphone as the lead singer so Big Marv could play with them. The result is RAGTIME! The song has a little bit of history of the genre as well as some good music! 

Most of us in  the office went to the studio to watch them record it, and Goggle Eyes and Marv recruited us to sing the responses to RAGTIME! in the song. Goggle Eyes doesn't sing very often. He says his voice is too weak for the stuff they like to play. But it fits the spirit of this song very well! Big Marv is a little ticked at us for giving him credit at the end of the title, but goggle Eyes and the gang (as well as all of us!) thought it was the right thing to do as it pretty much was his idea! He denies that he wrote the song, gives credit to the whole band by calling it a group effort, but we've got our suspicions! 

Ragtime has played a big part in both Big Marv and Goggle Eyes' band from early in their careers. Marv won a ragtime playing competition when he was but 13 years old growing up in New Orleans, and Goggle Eyes started out with a Ragtime band many years ago. We hope to hear more from Goggle Eyes and his band in Ragtime or any other kind of music they play. And big Marv? Well, looks like ya can't hold the guy back, he loves to play!

Long ago, when it was new 

Ragtime took the country by storm 

Not all folks liked it 

Some said it would do people harm 

 

It grew up in saloons, 

Of places black men could go 

 Denied entrance to other places 

They made their own places to go

 

 Ragtime, (Ragtime!) I say, Ragtime.(Ragtime!) 

Back when Scott Joplin was king. 

Ragtime, (Ragtime!) I say, Ragtime.(Ragtime!) 

Maple Leaf Rag was the thing 

 

It was somethin' new and different, 

Started by the black man,

 Whites didn't know how to do it 

They all became a fan of 

 

Ragtime, (Ragtime!) I say, Ragtime.(Ragtime!) 

Get your toe tappin' in time to Ragtime! 

 

They called them piano thumpers, 

In the brothels of Saint Louis

And in all night cafes 

In towns like Sedalia Missouri

 

Two thumpers would have a play off 

To see which one of them was master 

They'd take turns thumpin' 

And play louder and faster. 

 

Ragtime, (Ragtime!) yeah man, Ragtime (Ragtime!) 

They gave no challenger slack. 

Ragtime, (Ragtime!) yeah man, Ragtime (Ragtime!) 

Whether a masterful player or a hack 

 

After time it got to be mainstream, 

White man started playin' it too. 

The rhythms were infectious 

And became a hit through and through 

 

Ragtime, (Ragtime!) yeah man, Ragtime (Ragtime!) 

They gave no challenger slack. 

Ragtime, (Ragtime!) yeah man, Ragtime (Ragtime!) 

Whether a masterful player or a hack