Artist: The WomenfolkLP: The WomenfolkSong: "Don't You Rock 'Em Daddy-O"[ listen ] Here's a great little number from the 1964 self-titled LP by The Womenfolk, one of five they released in the 1960s. I did a quick Google search and found this cool blog post [ Tribute to The Womenfolk ] by some guy named Thomas in Washington, DC. He's got lots of information on the group, you can see the great covers of the group's other albums, and it looks like one of the original Womenfolk even left a comment on his blog! Here are some neat liner notes from the back of this LP (the only one of theirs I have so far), written by one of The Limeliters:
Frankly, I didn't quite know what to expect that night; there I was,
driving through the smog to a coffee house in Pasadena to hear a group
of five young women sing folk songs, and I must admit that I felt somewhat
dubious about the whole affair (after all, it's a long drive from Hollywood)!
I arrived, ordered my cider, looked at the inevitable forest of microphones
sprouting from the stage, and sat down to wait.
After a delay, no longer or shorter than the one appropriate to a live
recording, the lights dimmed, the off-stage announcer delivered his
introduction in rich, round tones, and out came the Womenfolk, five
young women of all shapes and sizes, each bearing a guitar. In the
recording booth I faintly heard someone say, "Tape is rolling."
Five guitars strummed in unison; five fresh, female voices filled the
room with sound; and one blasé folk singer (me) was instantly
and utterly mesmerized. That night I lost my heart, not to one woman,
but to five: to Elaine Gealer, short, cute and hilarious, who plays
a mean guitar; to Joyce James, cool, poised and velvet-voiced
and completely professional; to Leni Ashmore, the tallest, with
black hair, flashing eyes, and a delicious sense of humor; to Babs
Cooper, an All-American blonde who undoubtedly makes the best
apple pie in town when she's not singing; and to Judy Fine,
whose mournful eyes, dead-pan expression and high soprano
combine to produce the most delightfully comic effects at
the most unexpected times.
Let me hasten to add that besides being wholly feminine, witty and
charming young women, each with a clearly defined personality, they
can also sing--and play--marvelously well. Each of them has been a
solo performer, which, among other things, enables them to cope with
an unusually wide variety of material, from blues to ballads, from
spirituals to satire. And yet, within this variety, they maintain a consistent
attitude toward their material; they view the songs they sing, not as
museum pieces, but as living, modern expressions that have
relevance for our own time.
Is this beginning to sound like a love letter to five women? If it is, I can't help it;
the Womenfolk are just great, and I'm not ashamed to say it. In this age of
male singing groups lustily proclaiming their maleness to all who will
listen, one sometimes gets the impression that all women are supposed
to do is to listen admiringly, or perhaps to pluck out an occasional mournful
sound on a dulcimer, sighing gracefully the while.
Not so the Womenfolk. One of their chief attractions for me is the fact that they
are the first female singing group to arrive on the scene in many a year who
are not afraid to be themselves as women, and to state the female point of view
as artists and as people.
Since that first night in Pasadena, the Womenfolk have taken off in a big way.
Club owners have gotten the word through the show business grapevine and
are bidding for their services; they already are signed for several major
television shows, and , for my money, that's just as it should be.
Elaine, Joyce, Leni, Babs and Judy--it's a pleasure and privilege to be on
the same label with you... long live THE WOMENFOLK!!!
-- Alex Hassilev of The Limelighters
I'm starting to wish one of The Womenfolk could be our first woman president.
Artist: Edie Adams
Edie Adams
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Artist: Ullanda
False eyelashes are one of mankind's neatest inventions, don't you think?
Artist: Uzi Fuchs
I've created a slideshow so you can take a closer look:
Artist: Glenn and Brenda Derringer
I've been eating some really good desserts lately.
Artist: The Andrew Sisters w/ The Good Time Children
As the youngest of the trio of sisters who own and operate The Good Time Children Orphanage, Patty spends her days involving the children in a routine of trust-building, faith-based activities. With her husky voice, portly frame and cheerful demeanor, Patty puts the orphanage's new arrivals at ease and before long all the children love and depend upon her. They would do anything she asked of them without condition.
Though completely mute, Patty's older sister Maxine is a formidable presence at the Good Time Orphanage, and it is she who is responsible for the children's discipline. By solemnly raising her hands high above her head while rolling back her tongue and closing her eyes, Maxine can render any youngster deaf, dumb, or blind, and once she even made an uncooperative toddler named Snyder McPhearson burst into flames.
LaVerne is the eldest of the three sisters, and the children only ever lay eyes on her when the midnight rituals have reached a fiery crescendo. She appears suddenly in a plume of blue smoke and leads the chosen ones toward heaven with a fervent song. On one rare occasion, The Good Time Children watched and sang in glorious supplication as LaVerne squeezed the soul from the body of a seven-year-old girl using the white scarf that she always wears draped around her neck.
As LaVerne led The Good Time Children into a resplendent chorus, Maxine selected four young girls from the crowd by touching them gently on the lips. It was to be these four who would this very evening be making the ultimate journey.
Bessie and June came next. The two of them sang of heavenly rewards even as they helped Maxine tie ropes to the large black walnut tree from which their bodies had to be cut down early the next morning.
Finally, little Harriet Kendall danced her way across the clearing and gaily threw herself into the depths of Morgan's Pond, after Patty and Maxine had helped her tie four large stones around her waist.
The breakfast hall was all abuzz the following morning as the remaining kids at The Good Time Children Home For Orphans chattered excitedly about the previous evening's services and eagerly expressed their desire to be the next ones chosen for the final journey home.
Artist: The Womenfolk
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Artist: Thore Skogman
