Goggle Eyes Brown And The Oglers - Mind Your Business

 Goggle Eyes Brown and the boys have recorded another cover of a Big And Tall Records artists' song. This time it's Melvin Peckerwood's song Mind Your Business. We at Big And Tall Records enjoy it when one of our artists does a cover of another artists song. Everybody always stays above board with it, the cover group always asks permission, and it's always an interesting take on the same material. Of course, Goggle Eyes changes the song to more their style, but it works! 

As we've said in another post, Goggle Eyes Brown and The Oglers have pretty much quit touring, only play local gigs once in a while. So that gives them the freedom to do more recording. Here's Goggle Eyes telling like it is:

Yeah man, we're all gettin' too damn old to keep tourin'. It's a rough life, a new venue every night, different motel, different food and all. If we were one of them big budget bands, we'd have us a tour bus, a big tour bus! Big 'nough for a bed for us each, our own cook, and all that happy shit. But man ,ya'll know how much one of them big things cost? And how much to run? Shit, we'd have to be on the road all the time to try and keep our old gray heads 'bove water, and we'd still go broke! Naw, we're happy to slow down, give us more time to write songs and practice! Don't give a damn how good ya are, still gotta practice and rehearse, 'specially new material!

So there you have it, from Goggle Eyes himself. Next time we have some time with him, we've got to ask him how he got that name! His eyes don't look so goggly to us!  

When I'm mindin' my business 

And some nosy dude 

Sticks his big nose into my space 

And begins to get rude 

I'll tell him 

 

Mind your business 

Keep yer self out a mine! 

Or we're gonna have an issue 

Each and every time! 

 

 When you're talkin' to friends 

Enjoying each other 

And some pain in the ass 

Starts being a bother 

This guy just don't learn! 

 

Mind your business 

Keep yer self out a mine! 

Or we're gonna have an issue 

Each and every time! 

 

What's your problem? 

Say you got no friends? 

Well, you sure won't have 

If you don't make amends 

 

Sittin' playing some cards 

Havin' fun drinking suds 

And then a butt hole 

Starts acting like he's a bud

 I HATE that! 

 

Mind your business 

Keep yer self out a mine! 

Or we're gonna have an issue 

Each and every time! 

 

My girl and I are sitting, 

Getting ready to smooch 

And then some shit head 

Wants some money to mooch! 

Don't ever DO that! 

 

Mind your business 

Keep yer self out a mine! 

Or we're gonna have an issue 

Each and every time! 

What in hell's wrong with you? 

Go bother somebody else before I brain you! 

 No! You can't be my friend! No! NO! 

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

 

 

Goggle Eyes Brown And The Oglers - She's So Fine!

Now we come to this group, a hard group to pin down, as the personnel changes so frequently, and the name of the group almost as often. Musicians drift into the group when they need a gig, that is in fact why the group was formed. Some out of work rhythm and blues men got together and played local joints until they could get better gigs. They're all seasoned musicians, and play off the cuff as well as any other experienced band. This incarnation of the group seems to be more or less permanent, as all of them are getting up there in age and don't travel as well as they did, plus with age comes health issues. Billy Gort, their magnificent big bass player is pushing 80, has had two heart attacks and an open heart surgery to boot. But he keeps going, still one of the best in the business. He's also the de facto business manager of the group and takes care of gig bookings. They're the house band of a modern take of an old juke joint out in the country, and they play 3 times a week. When they get hoppin' they can play for a long time at a stretch! 'She's So Fine!' is one of their standard pieces, and has never really been written down, music or lyrics. And when their hot, the lyrics get changed as they go, some times quite profane and vulgar! We managed to tone them down a few notches for this first recording, at least language wise! The lyrics below are somewhat of an estimation, but you get the idea! She's So Fine! 

Got a butt so fine 

Got a butt so fine 

Got a butt so fine, worth more than a dime 

To have a butt so fine! 

 

Got some tits so fine 

Got some tits so fine 

Got some tits so fine, it must be a crime 

To have some tits so fine! 

 

Got a face so fine 

Got a face so fine 

Got a face so fine, it’d make me do time 

To have a face so fine! 

 

Got some feet so fine 

Got some feet so fine 

Got some feet so fine, it must be a crime 

To have some feet so fine!