Ada Shymore and The Boogie Men - My Boyfriend Gave Me The Clap!

Ada Shymore and The Boogie Men shared an idea they had about doing a song in the style of a 1920's jazz band, and when they asked us here at Big And Tall Records what we thought of the idea, we said go for it! We support our artists as much as we can, and we discovered they had a lot of things worked out already. They had a good idea for the music, Ada was working on the lyrics, but they were having trouble with what kind of arrangement they wanted to do. They knew the general sound wanted, but didn't know how to go about it. They were going to record it at our studio, and as luck would have it, our resident arranger/music historian was available to help!

Big Marv and his wife were taking a break from their catering/music service and he wrapped up the recording of Gershwin pieces. Ada approached him, and he agreed to help. Marv is a good mentor, really helps artists get their vision in their music without taking charge. We knew he'd be a good one, because Ada is very much in charge of the group! 

Didn't take them long to put it together. They got some other musicians to help, a great trombone player named 'No Slack' Quanter along with other instrumentalists to fill out the group. We watched from the control booth as the band (that had swelled to such numbers it pretty much filled the studio's stage) went through multiple takes. The lyrics are all Ada. She's not shy about using profanity, and it does seem to give the song some extra punch. She's in fine voice; yelling, crooning, growling in turn. and the band really gets in the groove!

 I'm just a working girl
Not used to diamonds, pearls
So when he was introduced
I noticed his luxury frills
He asked me what's my name
I told him it was Mame
And then he proceeded
To sweep me off my feet.

But that was a while ago
Now I'm so distraught
I thought he was my beau
Now I'm full of woe and tears
Tell me it just ain't so
He's long gone down the road
And left me a present I know

My boyfriend gave me the clap
It was just a nasty trap
The son of a bitch lied to me
Said there was no one else but me
There ain't no use, just out of luck
I picked the wrong man to fuck

I'm just a working girl
Not used to diamonds, pearls
So when he was introduced
I noticed his luxury frills
He asked me what's my name
I told him it was Mame
And then he proceeded
To sweep me off my feet.

But that was a while ago
Now I'm so distraught
I thought he was my beau
Now I'm full of woe and tears
Tell me it just ain't so
He's long gone down the road
And left me a present I know

My boyfriend gave me the clap
It was just a nasty trap
The son of a bitch lied to me
Said there was no one else but me
There ain't no use, just out of luck
I picked the wrong man to fuck
My boyfriend was no friend at all
Told me we would wed in the fall
But the no good son of a bitch
Skipped town, I've got a hell of an itch!

So now I go see the Doc
And bare my big dumb ass
And get jabbed with a shot
Then this trouble will pass

But I'll still have a broken heart
Ain't no shot for that
All the jewelry he gave me
Is fake, phony and flat
So it's back to being a clerk
Down at the local drug store
No more high and mighty ideas
I'll just walk the floor

My boyfriend gave me the clap
It was just a nasty trap
The son of a bitch lied to me
Said there was no one else but me
There ain't no use, just out of luck
I picked the wrong man to fuck
My boyfriend was no friend at all
Told me we would wed in the fall
But the no good son of a bitch
Skipped town, I've got a hell of an itch!

Big Marv Plays George Gershwin

 Big Marv continues  to surprise us with his ability in so many different styles of music. Here he plays some of his favorite George Gershwin pieces. He gives a short biography and describes the pieces below:

 Gershwin didn't think much about music until he was about ten years old when he heard a friend play a violin recital. His natural abilities took over, and with some lessons and much practice, he became a 'song plugger' in Tin Pan Alley. He sold his first song in 1917 for 50 cents! He went to work for a piano roll company and created an unknown number of rolls for player pianos in his name and others. 

 His first national hit was 'Swanee' in 1919, a song taken up by Al Jolson which created notoriety for Gershwin. He went on to write music for 18 Broadway musicals, 6 scores for films, 1 London musical, and of course in 1924 the famous 'Rhapsody In Blue', 2 operas, and pieces for orchestra. Sadly, he died of a brain tumor in 1937, at only 38 years of age.

 The Man I Love - A song that is in The Great American Songbook, along with many other Gershwin compositions. Written for other musicals but not used until 'Strike Up The Band' in 1927. 

Three Preludes -Gershwin's intention was to write a complete set of 24 Preludes and call it The Melting Pot, and he worked on different ones with these three being the main result and were published in 1926. All three are examples of American Classical Music in the jazz idiom of the 1920's.

Number One - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso (Fast- Well rhythmic, and decisive) - Gershwin's use of traditional Italian tempo and descriptive terms shows how he was intent on writing serious pieces in a classical tradition. The prelude shows influence of Cuban syncopated rhythms, and well as harmonies that while sounding more commonplace to modern ears, were very revolutionary in the 1920's.

  Number Two - Blue Lullaby - Andante con moto (Walking pace, but with motion) - Written in C-Sharp minor, a bluesy prelude. In the second playing of the theme, there is a middle voice that needs to be brought out. Gives the impression of 3 hands playing.  Left hand has some difficult stretches of a tenth, a large hand definitely an asset. Gershwin must have had big hands! Has a middle section with the melody in the bass register of the piano.

Number Three - Spanish - Agitato (Agitated) - Agitated indeed! It's a puzzle for most people why Gershwin named it 'Spanish'! The three preludes ends with a flourish, a very difficult piece with hand crossings and leaps. Written in E-flat minor, the key of E-major has a battle that it finally wins in the end.

In my Modern Music class when I was in school, our teacher started out with two American composers that he said influenced modern music as much as Stravinsky or anyone else; Scott Joplin, and George Gershwin. We had to learn selected Scott Joplin pieces, and the same with Gershwin with the 3 Preludes as mandatory. Both composers taught us about rhythm and technique that stemmed directly from classical composers, as both Joplin and Gershwin knew the classics.

Tugboat Jackson - A Wet Sidewalk Don't Make It Rain

 

Tugboat's refurbished resonator guitar

Our resident blues philosopher Tugboat Jackson's latest laments the liars looking to control the truth to gain power. Tug himself has said, like many others, that whoever controls what is perceived as truth has control over everything else. Tugboat plays a resonator guitar, one he found at a flea market. It was in pretty rough shape but he found a luthier who knew how to work on them. Tugboat shows off his skill on his refurbished guitar to good effect with an intro and an ending. 

In his retirement Tugboat keeps cranking out songs that may make the listener think. His chops seem to be none the worse for wear with age, matter of fact they're getting better. But he doesn't spend all his time thinking up lyrics for his blues songs. He's married, got grown children and grandchildren he loves to spoil, likes  to go fishing (and really doesn't care if they're biting or not). Tugboat and his wife are planning on doing some traveling, sightseeing, and visiting some of the blues men that worked with his Father, the few that are still alive.

 If a lie is told many times
If a lie is told so many times
When political hacks
Use alternative facts
It hides their underlying crimes

Look outside, see it's rainin'
Look out and see it's rainin'
A man with a phone
Says its dry as a bone
Power he's tryin obtainin'

I'll keep singin' the same refrain
A wet side walk don't make it rain
To think it does alters what's true
The lie will keep growin' in you

Keep all the people ignorant
Gotta keep em' all ignorant
Folks that way you see
So easy to create reality
Make it all done deliberate

Liars say the more learnin' folks got
They say the more learnin' folks got
Makes it harder to control
Gotta keep 'em in a hole
Be careful what ya let be taught

Those who tell you what is true
Have control over me and you
So beware of the big lie
Or your freedoms will fly

I'll keep singin' the same refrain
A wet side walk don't make it rain
To think it does alters what's true
The lie will keep growin' in you

Un Grupo de Mexicali - Adiós Amor

 After two political songs, mostly about President Trump, Un Grupo de Mexicali goes back to their heritage and plays an original composition, a love song about a man who has to leave his beloved. As usual, the group plays splendidly and has a special guest singer,  Miguel Cervantes, a singer that performs in many different genres.  The group has kept busy with performances in Mexico since their U.S. tour was cancelled, and they were finally persuaded to get into a studio in Mexico to send us a much anticipated new song!

Te miré bajo la luna
Tu sonrisa era fortuna
Mis manos en tu piel
Todo era tan cruel
Tan fiel

El reloj no se detiene
El destino nos sostiene

Adiós amor
Mi corazón
Te dejo con esta canción
No es por falta de querer
Es el camino que debo hacer

Eyes like the deep sea
Laughter is free
The world to me
But the wind takes my hand
And drags me like a man

Distance my destination
It is my devastation

Goodbye love
My heart...
I leave you with this song
Not for lack of love so strong
It's the path where I belong

Adiós amor...

Mi corazón...
 

Melvin Peckerwood And The Mama's Boys - The Magic Finger

 Another song from Melvin and The Boys about number 47. Not complimentary at all about the Chief
Executive, one of the band members spoke to us on the phone about the bands political awareness:

 "There comes a time when what artists produce reflects their own time, or it doesn't. Our band does play in classic rock style usually, but that doesn't mean we can't make social commentary within that form and tradition. Rock and Roll was originally a form of protest, so we think our recent songs about the present administration are fitting. 

"With many people now conditioned to short soundbites of news relayed by blaring headlines, people's collective memories are short.  It was only a year ago since Trump went through his trials that ended up in 34 felony convictions, and many have forgotten all about them. When (and if) the MAGA regime loses power, a constitutional amendment should be worked on that would prevent a convicted felon from running for president. He fomented a failed insurrection, and was convicted of 34 felonies, yet he still was allowed to run, and the feeling of the country at that time gave him a thin margin of victory. He's been dismantling our entire way of life piece by piece, leading this country to despotism. All in the name of his over-inflated ego and sick mind!"

The man has such small hands
But he's got a magic finger
He uses it on any woman
And complains they all just linger

He doesn't use a pencil or pen
To sign his filth to law of the land
He uses the dirty magic finger
From his grubby, fat little hand

Ink it up! Spit on it!
Make it nasty like you can do
Shove it in! Make it spin!
Do the nasty like you can do

The magic finger was found guilty
In court in a long tedious trial
Where a jury of his peers did find
The woman he truly defiled

He acted the spoiled snot that he is
The Judge tried to take it in stride
But the disgust that people showed in court
Wasn't really something that they could hide

It will not fail! Leave the hangnail!
Let the pussies suffer a lot!
He's just a big ass! With no class!
He treats women like a harlot!

No jail time was pending at all
Just a wallopin' big fine
But if you get elected
To collect they'll have a hell of a time!

The office has its privileges
How in the world does he even rate?
Others say we'll just have to bide our time
Cuz he can't run again in '28

But the magic finger don't discount
He's such a genius, he always wins
He'll wiggle the crusty, stinking thing
And change the law and run again!

But he really ain't got no choice
But to use the magic finger slim
Outside of his big fat nasty mouth
It’s the biggest thing he can put in

Boxcar Bertha - Ballad Of The Broken Guitar

The latest from Boxcar Bertha, a woman that rode the rails for 30 years seeing the country as what was once called a hobo but is now labeled a freight hopper, is Ballad Of The Broken Guitar.  This is an account that evidently happened to her while on the rails because she sings the story in the first person. It is a tale that lead to confrontation, assault, and death. That the song hit very close to home was evident at the recording session, as Bertha had to take some time between takes to collect herself. A few days after we got the song on file, we called her and made sure she wanted to release it, as there is a possibility that she incriminated herself in a death. But she assured us that was not the case, and that she wanted to go ahead with the release. She emailed us the following:

I thought long and hard about recording this song, but it was something I needed to do. What happened has haunted me these past years, and it was time to deal with it. It happened early on, about six months after I went on the road. I was still learning my way, met some good folks and some not so good. The man that confronted and ultimately assaulted me was someone I had never met before. People told me after fact that he never really was 'right' in the head, and he was getting worse and worse from drug use. He had a history of assaulting and abusing women and I was determined to not be one of his victims. 

I didn't go into it in detail in the song, but his intention early in the morning was to rape me as well as smash my guitar. Once I got him off me and hit him with my guitar, I got the upper hand. I hit him with the body of the guitar, so it pretty much just broke apart without causing much damage outside of stunning him. But I hit him once with the neck of the guitar, a solid piece of wood with a steel rod called a truss rod that helps keep it stable and for fine tuning.  Yes, that's what I used on him, hit him just right with it over and over, a few time between the eyes, knocked him cold and he quit breathing. Hard to believe a guitar neck can kill someone, but it's the truth. I've never been in such a rage before then or since. Kind of zoned out, don't remember much about it until it was over.

I remember the others there told me to high tail it, they'd take care of burying him. I was determined to contact authorities, but I was advised to not do that. It would cause more trouble than it was worth. The man had no relation, at least none that cared about him. So I skeedaddled and lived with the thought of being a murderer.

Our legal advisors told us it was a story with no available witnesses (imagine trying to find a witness among a group of freight hoppers 30 years ago, many of them most likely dead) and no corpse and no possibility of finding any remains. Who knows where he was buried. So now Bertha's conscience is a little cleaner. She's been told it was all done in self defense, as who knows what would have been her fate otherwise. She could have been the one ended up in a hobo's grave. We have suggested to her to see a therapist, but that will be up to her. It is a powerful, very dark song.

 You choose life as a freight hopper
There’s things you learn really quick
Travel light, and learn how to fight
Even if you need a big stick

Carried a small bindle with me
Had most things I needed to be
Always felt home, no matter how far
As long as I had my guitar

Used to play ev’ry night ‘fore bed
By myself, but not always
Most like a song, and sing along
But this one night a man turned crazed

“Quit thumpin’ that goddam thing!
We all wanna crawl into bed!
Git it quick through, I’ll bust it in two!
Right over yer goddamed head!”

Folks came to my defense right then
But I quit playin’ you all see
He's got the right, call it a night
He don’t want to listen to me.

I took my bedroll farther down
But I had a real fitful sleep
Tossin' and turn, stomach to churn
Not very restful nor deep

It was a good thing ended up
I saw a dark shadow slinkin'
Laid really still, ready to quell
Guitar hater I was thinkin'!

Under the stars, it was him!
Tried to get my guitar near me
I had the hunch, beat him to the punch,
Grabbed it as he lurched over me

So here's the thing, my dear friends
Wasn't much I could do instead
I wrestled the thing from his hands...
AND SMASHED IT OVER HIS HEAD!

He stepped back more surprised than hurt
He come back to his wits real fast
That's when I used the guitar neck...
Kept beating on him 'til he passed...

Was sad for a long time after
Was really unhappy, a wreck
I left the rest to bury him…
But I kept that guitar neck!

Carried a small bindle with me
Had most things I needed to be
Always felt home, no matter how far
As long as I had my... guitar...

Amos Carter - Boogie Woogie Hoedown

Amos Carter is back with his Boogie-Woogie band with a song that was co-written with Delmar Gentry, Boogie Woogie Hoedown. This departs from Amos' usual style in that the song is in a minor key, a little odd for a song about a successful night's performance by the band.  Amos and his drummer Kelly Greenway wrote the lyrics, while Delmar wrote the music. Delmar recorded the song as his studio and sent the file along to us with a little info about the recording and the song:

It took us a while to get the song finished, as Amos wasn't too pleased with the music being in a minor key. Actually, was quite against it. We tried other tunes, other arrangements, but came up with nothing. Amos only had the piano, drums, and guitar along with his double bass available for the recording. That didn't do much for his disposition as well. But the more we worked, the more he warmed up to the idea of the music. I told him the first thing I thought of when I read the lyric was that he wasn't really enthused about playing for what was obviously a country music crowd. Hence the tune came to me in a minor key. So there's a different feel to it, and he finally agreed. The smaller ensemble really helped bring the song home as well. I'm telling you, just those four guys could really get going!

So we'll see how Amos' fans react. Like the lyrics say, boogie woogie is a cousin to country, blues, all kinds of other genres.

We got a request for a gig
Some corn pone folks in a barn
I tell 'em we don't play country
Gotta be honest and forewarn

We don't play pop, no metal rock
Don't play rap or hip hop no way!
Don't play techno, don't know how
Boogie woogie, that's what we play!

So a dude tells us...

Play a boogie woogie hoedown
With folks drinkin' beer have no fear
Hit the beat, make it real low down
The booze will deaden their ears!

Me and the band think it over
We end up sayin' what the hell!
Tried to tell 'em, they don't much care
We practiced and it went well

The band asked me what did I say?
Boogie woogie is cousins with 'em all
Country and blues and rock 'n roll
We can play them in a barn or hall!

So we told em'...

We'll play a boogie woogie hoedown
With folks drinkin' beer have no fear
We'll hit the beat, make it low down
Hope the booze will numb their ears!

So we played that night in a barn
That was full of many a folk
When we laid down the boogie beat
They all come alive and awoke

The boards on the floor of the barn
Creaked and groaned from all of the feet
Kept things movin' all through the night
With their stompin' out of the beat

Want us back again to...

Play a boogie woogie hoedown
They all had a real good time
Paid us well, and a big ol' tip
Joint ended up really prime!

Boogie woogie hoedown
Gonna get so low down
Take all of 'em downtown
And it all starts at sundown!

My name is Amos, and by golly
I just might be famous!