Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks

Artist: Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks

LP: It's Polka Night

Song: "Alpine Climber's Ball"

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Song: "Three Yanks Polka"

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Friday's finally here, and you know what that means—Polka Night! Though "America's Polka King" Frankie Yankovic (no relation to Weird Al) was born in West Virginia, his family moved him to Cleveland when he was just a tot and it's there that he rose to polka fame—as I learned during my visit last summer to the city's Polka Museum, where I laid eyes on Yankovic's accordion and some of his stage outfits. Frankie began "fooling around" with the accordion at the tender age of six, eventually even learning to play the thing. He nearly lost his fingers to frostbite during his service in WWII, but fortunately for polka-lovers everywhere the fingers stayed on. This 1957 Columbia LP offers a collection of Yankovic favorites, both waltzes and polkas, both with vocals and without. And one of them has yodeling! You can read about the life and career of Frankie Yankovic on Wikipedia here and in the liner notes below. And as you go twirling around the house tonight, take care not to polka your eye out!

[ Frankie Yankovic: July 28, 1915 — October 14, 1998 ]

Zondervan Records

LP: Zondervan Sampler: Echoes From the Albums

Artist: The Keller-York Quartet

Song: "He Cares"

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Artist: Gene Jordan

Song: "Stand Up For Jesus"

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Though it sounds like the name of an Afghan village liberated from the Taliban by allied forces, or maybe a vehicle driven by superheroes, Zondervan is actually the name of a Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their Zondervan Victory record label brought a wide variety of religious music to the ears of American church-goers in the 1960s. This Zondervan sampler that I found at a thrift store several months ago features "echoes" from a dozen of the label's LP releases. My favorite echoes included on the record are by The Keller-York Quartet (accompanied by accordion and organ) and Gene "Mister Marimba" Jordan. I wasn't able to find any info on the K-Y Quartet, but I did find a neat photo of the group which I've included below. As for Gene Jordan, you can buy his 23-track CD here, where you can also read all about him in the "Album Notes" section. Unfortunately, it seems Gene is no longer with us—unlike legendary two-time Best Actress Oscar-winner Luise Rainer, who turns 102 today. Her beautiful, romantic 1938 film "The Great Waltz," which is "loosely based" on the life of composer Johann Strauss (played by Fernand Gravey), was recently remastered for its DVD debut, see here. You can get DVD copies of Rainer's Oscar-winners here and here, and a trio of her rarely-seen films from the 1930s is now available here. Happy Birthday, Luise!

[ The Keller-York Quartet ]

Nancy Wilson

Artist: Nancy Wilson

LP: I've Never Been to Me

Song: "I've Never Been to Me"

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This 1977 release isn't my favorite from Nancy Wilson, but I picked it up anyhow so I could hear her take on the title track, "I've Never Been to Me." The song quickly became gay-little-13-year-old-me's favorite on the radio five years later when Charlene took it to the top of the charts, and it's still a reliable staple in my karaoke repertoire today. Frankly, I find Nancy's version a tad too overheated and breathless. For nearly 30 years I've wondered—what exactly was it this lady saw that "a woman ain't supposed to see?" Was it this? Or maybe this? Nancy? Charlene? Do tell!

Beckett

Artist: Beckett

LP: Disco Calypso

Song: "Calypso Disco"

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Originally from St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Alston Becket Cyrus (he dropped the extra "t") earned the name "the ABC of Calypso" due to (his initials, obviously, and) his infectious Caribbean rhythms that have graced both sides of 26 albums, numerous singles, and the soundtracks of several American TV shows, including "Full House." The combustible compound of musical styles found in the dyslexic title track of Beckett's 1977 "Disco Calypso" LP also put in an appearance in Peter Yates' all-star subaquatic scare-fest called THE DEEP. You can read more about Alston B. Cyrus, buy some of his music, and send him an email by visiting his website here. Though there's certainly lots to look at on the cover of "Disco Calypso," I'm especially drawn to the androgynous figure in bluejeans and ascot dancing amongst the palms.

[ Alston "Beckett" Cyrus ]

Claudja Barry

Artist: Claudja Barry

LP: 12" single

Song: "I Will Follow Him"

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Song: "Work Me Over"

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If you're like I and dozens of other Americans, one of your resolutions is to stick with a vigorous aerobic workout routine this year. The songs from this 1982 Claudja Barry single helped get me started (and sweaty and sore) this morning—they can do the same for you! Born in Jamaica in 1952, Claudja's family took her to Canada when she was just a tot. After high school she ran off to the Big Apple where she landed a part in the musical "Hair," which led her to Europe where she landed a part in the group Boney M, which led her to a solo career which produced several hit dance singles, which of course leads back to my early morning aerobic routine. You can read more about Claudja Barry on Wikipedia here, then find her full discography and see what she's up to nowadays on her official website here. Say, what did this lovely performer's boyfriends used to call her in the early '80s while wooing her with baby-talk?
Hi-lite for answer here: "Claudjagoogoo"

Nuns on YouTube:

[ "I Will Follow Him" ]

 [ Claudja Barry ]

Juluka

Artist: Juluka

LP: Universal Men

Song: "Unkosibomvu - The Red King"

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Struggling teenage South African street musicians Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu "met cute" in Johannesburg when Mchunu challenged Clegg to a guitar-playing contest. The two quickly became buddies and formed Juluka, but they were banned from performing in local clubs because of South Africa's strictly-enforced policy of racial segregation. Interesting trivia: according to unnamed sources, there was a musical sequel to a popular 1971 kids movie proposed in the late '70s in which several lucky tykes would find golden tickets inside their chocolate Juluka bars, thereby winning a guided tour of Mchunu's family farm in Natal where they would also learn about the evils of apartheid. Unfortunately, things fell apart in the writing stages and the film was never made, though the design for the golden tickets was recycled for the cover of Juluka's 1979 debut LP. You can read a little about Zulu musician Sipho Mchunu here and read a lot about British-born anthropologist and musician Johnny Clegg here. And please don't tape this song, because it will die.

[ Johnny Clegg + Sipho Mchunu = Juluka ]

Otis Williams and the Midnight Cowboys

Artist: Otis Williams and the Midnight Cowboys

LP: Otis Williams and the Midnight Cowboys

Song: "I Wanna Go Country"

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Song: "Hello Darlin'"

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Not to be confused with Otis "Big Daddy" Williams of Texarkana and The Temptations, this perhaps somewhat lesser-known Otis Williams was born in Cincinnati and had several chart hits with The Charms in the middle of the 1950s. Though known primarily for singing doo-wop and soul, Otis headed to Nashville in the early '70s to try his hand at country music—and why not? Things hadn't turned out so badly for that other black country singer. For the picture on the back of his self-titled 1971 country western debut, Williams assembled a phony all-black backing band, calling them The Midnight Cowboys after the X-rated film about male hustlers that was in theaters two years before. Unfortunately, the record was not a hit, as the space Americans had allotted for famous black country singers had already reached full capacity. Visit The Real Mr. Heartache blog here to read more about Otis Williams, to find additional details about the making of this record, and to listen to samples from a few more of Otis' songs. As it just so happens, my full name is actually Alex Ottis Williams, so this guy and I are practically related!

Daddy Dewdrop

Artist: Daddy Dewdrop

LP: Daddy Dewdrop

Song: "Diggin' On Mrs. Jones"

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This 1971 Daddy Dewdrop LP is one of the neat things I found at Red Onion Records & Books in Washington, DC last month. Daddy's real name is Dick Monda, and when you see his photo below, as a man and fully grown, you'll understand why Mrs. Jones wanted him to keep mowing her lawn. You can read about Daddy "Dick" Dewdrop on Wikipedia here, and click here to see a 2011 video interview with Dick Monda on Swoop's World Radio.

[ Daddy Dewdrop ]

The Members

Artist: The Members

LP: Uprhythm, Downbeat

Song: "Working Girl"

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Here's a catchy little ditty from a 1982 US-only release by the British group The Members. The record was evidently released in England a year later, but the title was changed to "Going West" and the guys all changed their clothes too, with the group now resembling a set of scruffy 007 impersonators. You can read all about The Members here, find pictures from the "Uprhythm, Downbeat" LP included below, and see more neat photos of the group on their website here. Say, what would you call all the people in the world who were never actually in this particular band?
Hi-lite for answer here: "non-members"

Hiromi Go

Artist: Hiromi Go . 郷 ひろみ

LP: 7" single

Song: "Hadaka-No Venus (Naked Venus)"

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I figured I'd wrap the year up with my favorite of the singles Aki smuggled out of Japan for me after visiting his family in Nagasaki a few weeks ago. Hiromi Go (whose real name is actually 原武 裕美) released "Naked Venus" during a phase of reckless experimentation with his public image—in this case testing the appeal of combining the razzle-dazzle of disco with generous dashes of Perseus and Peter Pan. Hiromi first began working under the guidance of talent agency/teen idol manufacturers Johnny & Associates until eventually taking his career into his own tender-yet-capable hands. In 1999, Hiromi became known as the Japanese answer to Ricky Martin after covering the closeted Puerto Rican's smash hit "Livin' La Vida Loca"—though Hiromi's version is inexplicably titled "Goldfinger 99." (Well, there may be some explanation, but I'm not looking it up.) You can read more about Hiromi Go on Wikipedia here, and go here to visit his official website. Happy New Year!