Hepcat Black and His Pink Cadillac - Vol. 1: Baby Blue on a Hepcat Saturday Night!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.

And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for

 HEPCAT BLACK 

 AND HIS 

 PINK CADILLAC 

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:

CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO.
AT 8 SEC. MARK, CLICK TO

START SECOND VIDEO!

"Rave On" - Buddy Holly

(June/July 1958, highest chart pos. #37 Hot 100,

#54 Cash Box/#79 Music Vendor)

That was rock 'n' roll legend Buddy Holly opening the show with "Rave On,"

a song first recorded by one of his Lubbock neighbors, songwriter & musician

Sonny West. Bruce Springsteen loves "Rave On," calling it "one of the

greatest rock and roll songs of all time," and it's way up there on

Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

 HOWDY! 

 Hepcat Black's my name. 

 Hep music's my game. 

I'm a cool cool kitty, but let's get one thing straight
between us, Gus. I ain't from New York City!
I just pulled up in my Pink Cadillac to
spin some cool tunes for ya. Old school
rock 'n' roll, R&R revival, rockabilly,
psychobilly, country, outlaw -
it's all good, understood?

You're tuned to Helpcat Black & His Pink
Cadillac here on S-P-M-M, my first full

show as a member of The Shady Bunch.
The next platter I'm takin' for a spin on
my turntable is a song by Canadian
country singer Hal Willis who lived
in Nashville. In 1956 Hal and his gal,
wife Ginger, toured with a rising star
by the name of Elvis Presley. As it
turned out, Hal was no slouch in the
 rock 'n' roll department either, and
 Hepcat's got proof. This cat thinks
Hal has great taste in automobiles.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Listen now as Hal Willis sings about-- "My Pink Cadillac!"

"My Pink Cadillac" - Hal Willis

(November 1956)

Hal Willis right there, taking us for
a joy ride, not in his pink cadillac,
mind you, but in My Pink Cadillac!

Hey, if you're just tuning in, I'm cool
kitty Hepcat Black playing the best of
rockabilly and rock 'n' roll here on
S-P-M-M, the number one station
for a rock 'n' roll nation. Now
here's a rockabilly band from
Dallas - Gene Summers
And His Rebels.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Gene has a thing for his gal and her-- "Straight Skirt!"

"Straight Skirt" - Gene Summers And His Rebels

(February 1958)

You heard right, friends and neighbors. Gene Summers can't get his mind
off his baby and her straight, tight skirts. Isn't it exciting enough that
she works as a mathematician at NASA? (BA-DUM-BUMP)

Hepcat Black on the radiator... uh, I mean... on the radio
here on S-P-M-M... the station with personality.

Now here's Kieron McDonald, a feller
from the land down under, Australia.
Hepcat says he sounds just like
a natural born long tall Texan.

START VIDEO NOW!

Kieron was influenced by rockers

of the 50s, and right now, he and

his billy band are gonna play a

ditty named after this kitty--

"Hepcat Saturday Night!"

"Hepcat Saturday Nite - Kieron McDonald
(from 2009 album It's A Gas! Vol. 2)

Killer rockabilly from the outback - Kieron McDonald there with a song

for cruisin' or boozin' downunder-- "Hepcat Saturday Nite." Kieron and

his combo, which includes some of the best musicians in Melbourne,

are keepin' traditional Rockabilly, Rock’n’Roll and Hillbilly Bop

alive and kickin' with great tunes like that one.

Next we have Wanda Jackson, the
purty little lady with powerful pipes.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

In the mid 50s, Wanda became a

pioneer of rock 'n' roll and earned the
title Queen of Rockabilly. Let's take
the plunge into Wanda's whirlpool
and listen to her flex her vocal
vortex doin'-- "Funnel of Love!"

"Funnel Of Love" - Wanda Jackson

(June/July 1961, B side of "Right Or Wrong")

Circlin' the drain there with "Funnel Of Love," a song written
and originally waxed by the lady you just heard - rockabilly queen
Wanda Jackson. Shucks, I'd like to meet Wanda in the tunnel of love.
FYI, "Funnel Of Love" is the killer B side of Wanda's 1961 single
"Right Or Wrong," the latter covered by Ronnie Dove in 1964.

Our next rock 'n' roll & rockabilly pioneer,
Mr. Gene Vincent, is the cat's meow.

START VIDEO NOW!

In the spring of '58 Gene and his group
The Blue Caps released "Baby Blue."
If you're following the simulcast of my
show on YouTube, you're in for a treat.
Here are Gene and the guys performing
the song in a flick that was screened at
drive-ins that summer-- Hot Rod Gang!

"Baby Blue" - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps

(Apr. 1958, uncharted, scene from Aug. 1958 film Hot Rod Gang)

One of the greats of early rock 'n' roll there - Gene Vincent - along with

his group The Blue Caps, doing "Baby Blue" in the 1958 drag racing

movie Hot Rod Gang, originally released on a double-bill with the

juvie delinquency flick High School Hellcats starring Yvonne Lime.

Good golly, miss Molly, I'm all outta time!

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Speaking of hellcats, you've heard of Cat Stevens, Bobcat Goldthwait,

Tiger Woods and "Deaf Leopard." (See what I did there?) Well, to play

us off, here is another cool kitty, John Cougar, with a little ditty about

Jack and Diane. Stay tuned. Coming up next on the flip side of news,

it's my buddy Jerry Blavat and Geator Gold. Now don't have a hissy...

because, before you know it, I'll be back, and that's a fact, Jack,

or my name ain't Hepcat Black. So long, everybody!

"Jack & Diane" - John Cougar

(Sept./Oct. 1982, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Can We Be Frank With Each Other, Vern? ...or Would You Rather Be Ernest?

Hey there, Vern. Guess who?

I'll give ya three stabs at it

and the first two don't count.

That's right, it's me, your old buddy

Ernest P. Worrell!

Hey Vern, you look a little green around the gills today,
know what I mean? Git hold of a bad batch of moonshine?

Guess what, Vern. I'm back to spin more hep cat tunes
and sip Meller Yeller while I watch you paint your barn.

Taint none of my beeswax, Vern, but it
looks like you missed a spot over yonder.

Alrighty then, it's time for me to stop fiddlin' around and
start playing some grade A rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll!

 TED DAIGLE 

Ted Daigle is one of the founding fathers of Canadian country.
Ever since the mid 50s Ted has been promoting country music as a

performer, as a radio personality and as a music and program director
at stations across Canada. My first spinner is "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby,"
first recorded in 1956 by rockabilly singer Warren Smith. The song-
writing credit on this one went to Johnny Cash, but Smith claimed
the song was actually written by George Jones and sold to Cash.
Taint here nor there. Let's listen to Canadian Country Music
Hall Of Famer Ted Daigle with his 1961
cover of "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby."

"Rock 'N' Roll Ruby" - Ted Daigle

{1961, B side of 'When She Said

You All (Aka "Yo-All")'}

 JOHNNY CARROLL 

 AND HIS HOT ROCKS 

Now here's a good old Texas boy, Johnny Carroll. Johnny and his Hot Rocks
band also did a cover of "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby" on their second single
released in May 1956. A year later Johnny and his posse exploded
in the teenage crime musical movie Rock Baby - Rock It
singing "Rockin' Maybelle" (aka "Rockin' Maybel")
followed  by another ripsnorter, "Sugar Baby!"

"Rockin' Maybelle"/"Sugar Baby" - Johnny Carroll

And His Hot Rocks (from May 1957 film Rock Baby - Rock It)

 JOHNNY RIVERS 

"It Won't Happen With Me" was originally recorded in 1961 by
The Killer - Jerry Lee Lewis. The song begins with the lines:

You say you could fall in love with Elvis

And you love to hear Jacky (Jackie) Wilson sing

In 1964 Johnny Rivers sang the song on an album recorded
live At The Whisky À Go-Go. Johnny updated the song by
dropping the reference to Jackie Wilson and inserting
the hottest band in the world - The Beatles:

You say you could fall in love with Elvis

And you say you like to hear The Beatles sing

Johnny also changed the title to "It Wouldn't Happen With Me."
Wait for it, Vern-- Heeeeeere's Johnny!

"It Wouldn't Happen With Me" - Johnny Rivers

(from 1964 album Johnny Rivers At The Whisky À Go-Go)

 EDDIE COCHRAN 

Up next is rock 'n' roll and rockabilly great Eddie Cochran. Eddie first
performed a song he co-wrote, "20 Flight Rock," in the comedy film
The Girl Can't Help It released to theaters just before Christmas in
1956. The following spring, "20 Flight Rock" hit the street as a
single but failed to chart. Let's have a look and a listen as
Eddie takes the stage and wows the crowd in the movie.

"20 Flight Rock" - Eddie Cochran

(scene from Dec. 1956 movie

The Girl Can't Help It)

SONG STARTS AT 35 SEC. MARK!

 KITTY WELLS & RED FOLEY 

Now let's go way back and listen to an old school country record requested
by Shady Del Knight. In the mid 50s, when Shady was just a tadpole,
his pappy played this one around the house. It's a duet featuring a
couple of country music pioneers, Kitty Wells and Red Foley,
singing a song about cheatin' hearts. It's called "One By One."

"One By One" - Kitty Wells And Red Foley

(May/June 1954, highest chart pos. #1 Country)

 TOMMY ROE 

In the fall of '58 rockabilly singer Robin Luke went top 5 with "Susie Darlin'."
Tommy Roe is another boy who can really croon a tune. Early in Tommy's
career, before he switched to bubblegum pop, Tommy rocked and rolled

with the best of 'em. In the fall of '62 Tommy cracked the top 40 with
 a cover of "Susie Darlin'" that made a run at the top 10 in Australia. 

"Susie Darlin'" - Tommy Roe

(Sept./Oct. 1962, highest chart pos.

#35 Hot 100/#21 Canada/#13 Australia)

 BUDDY HOLLY 

Hard to believe it's been more than 60 years since that plane went down
and we lost music legend Buddy Holly. In late 1957 Buddy and his band

The Crickets, hit the top 3 on the pop chart with "Peggy Sue," a rockin'
little record listed as one of The Greatest Songs of All Time and one of
the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Hey, Vern, I'll bet you never

heard the "enhanced" version of "Peggy Sue" that I'm fixin' to play.
It's the original with extra instrumental backing tracks added to
the mix, including acoustic & electric guitar, piano, snare drum,
cymbals and tambourine. Here's the new "Peggy Sue!"

"Peggy Sue" (new enhanced ver.) - Buddy Holly

(Nov./Dec. 1957, highest chart pos. #3)

Hey, guess what, Vern...

I'll be back real soon with another batch of tunes
for your high school hop or heartland hoedown.

Till then don't take any wooden nickels,

and don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Know what I mean, Vern?