|
February
2000 (#9.3)
by Eric
Predoehl
written February 20, 2000,
tweaked on July 14, 2000 (all rights reserved)
(spot the typos, win a prize!!)
Greetings, and welcome to another edition
of the LOUIE REPORT online, the newsletter that tracks
information about the song "LOUIE LOUIE" and the upcoming documentary about
the song, THE MEANING OF LOUIE.
My name is Eric Predoehl, and I am the producer/
director of this project, as well as the writer/webmaster
for this report.
THE MEANING OF
LOUIE, the epic documentary, continues to
be produced, and is about 75% completed. Together, with
my creative partner, Mr. Jesse Block, we have
shot a lot of incredible footage that will hopefully
amaze, entertain, and enlighten all that see the completed
piece. We continue to seek completion funding, and having
gone as far as we have, we're not about to act quickly
on any rash proposals.
In the meantime, I am also a writer and
segment producer for an upcoming international television
show that will be known as BLUES EXPRESS. In December of 1999, I was involved
in producing a live event that was videotaped for this
television show, which included such artists as Otis
Rush, Long John Hunter, Joe "Guitar"
Hughes, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown,
Roy Gaines, Sonny Rhodes, Frankie Lee,
and Joe Louis Walker, among others. I was honored
to be a part of this team, and am convinced that this
show will be an enormous hit when it finally gets released.
Shot completely on digital Betacam, the standards on
this show are top-notch. While you probably won't hear
much about the show before the fall of 2000, you're
more than welcome to check out the official website
for the latest updates on this show at BluesExpress.com.
LOS ANGELES ROOTS
MUSIC
Those familiar with the career of Richard
Berry, the man who wrote "Louie Louie"
will certainly recognize the significance of the Central
Avenue district. It was at the Central Avenue area
in Los Angeles that some of the greatest jazz, and rhythm
& blues recordings emerged, and Richard Berry was
certainly part of that scene. In 1998, the University
of California Press released an extensive book on
the jazz elements of that community, titled simply "Central
Avenue Sounds- Jazz in Los Angeles."
One year later, Rhino Records took the cue from this book, and
released a companion 4-CD box set of the same name.
As Richard Berry wasn't really considered a jazz
artist, his music isn't acknowledged in either collection.
That being said, the Rhino box set is a superb showcase
for the great recordings from this community, and features
such artists as Nat King Cole, Charles Mingus,
Slim Gaillard, Lionel Hampton, Jelly
Roll Morton, Dexter Gordon, and Art Tatum,
among others. As with many Rhino box sets, this collection
is tastefully assembled by people that truly love this
music, utilizing rare photographs, archival graphic
elements, and intelligent liner notes.
One artist that received first class treatment
on this collection was Richard's old friend, Big
Jay McNeely, the piped piper of the saxophone. Big
Jay will actually be performing at a very special show
in Long Beach, California on Saturday, March 4th,
sponsored by the Doo
Wop Society of Southern California. A very special
guest that evening will be the legendary disc jockey,
Mr. Hunter Hancock, a man who first brought rhythm
& blues to the airwaves of Los Angeles back in the
1950's. Hunter Hancock was actually the first person to play the song
"Louie Louie" on the radio back when Richard
Berry released the song back in 1957. For
more information on this very special show, I encourage
you to view the Doo Wop Society webpages at http://www.ElectricEarl.com/dws/.
Of course, if you decide to attend, be sure to tell
them that "LOUIE" sent you, and keep your
eyes open for a guy running around with a broadcast
quality video camera that night, as I'll probably be
attending this event. If you appreciate this type
of music, and can attend, I highly recommend that you
support this event, as this ensure that these types
of activities will continue. For
more information call (562) 493-9058 or fax (714) 841-5665.
LOSSES
More good people have left the world of
the living.
Anyone familiar with the Wand/Scepter
label, the label that broke "LOUIE LOUIE"
on a national level, will recognize the pop group The
Shirelles, who often toured with The Kingsmen
during the 1960's. Doris Kenner-Jackson, a founding
member of the group, passed away due to complications
of breast cancer on February 4th. The Shirelles
had a string of hits including "Tonight's
the Night," "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," "Baby
It's You," "Soldier
Boy," and "Dedicated
to the One I Love."
Screamin' Jay Hawkins was a very
colorful figure in the world of rhythm and blues. Years
ago, I remember seeing him carried onto the stage of
the I-Beam in San Francisco in a coffin, and he put
on an amazing show. Like many others, I loved his music,
but really embraced it after seeing the Jim Jarmusch
movie "Stranger Than Paradise." While I'd never heard him
cover "LOUIE LOUIE," he certainly added a
rather unique approach whenever he interpreted anybody
else's songs, be it "Ol'
Man River" or Paul McCartney's "Monkberry
Moon Delight."
In the world of comic strip art, I was
also very bummed to hear of the deaths of Gil Kane,
Charles Schulz, and Don Martin. A lot
of other great people left us, but I don't want to turn
these pages into an obituary column, as there's more
than enough sadness to go around.
MORE WEBPAGES YOU
SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
The Kingsmen have finally launched
their domain-based webpages, with big thanks to Millie
Besey and the staff of the Kingsmen Fan Club.
Their new website is LOUIELOUIE.ORG.
If you ever feel like checking out "the
artist known as Louie Louie," who sounds remarkably
like "the artist formerly
known as prince," then you should check
out the LOUIELOUIE.COM
site. Louie Louie, the artist, plays in Las Vegas
on a regular basis.
But of course, for the most extensive,
unbiased (??) LOUIE LOUIE news, LOUIELOUIE.NET
will always be your best source!
Did I mention that the Regents
have a new website yet? The Regents were another
one of those rockin' bands based out of the Pacific
Northwest in the early 1960's, and they continue to
reunite whenever they damn well feel like it. Check
out their official website at: http://www.theregents.net.
My friend Steve Propes just launched
a website dedicated to digging underneath the surface
of so-called "oldies radio." Steve's a virtual
encyclopedia of music, and I encourage you to check
out his site at: http://sites.netscape.net/stevepropes/homepage.
If you can't get enough rock and roll
trivia and tasteless jokes on a regular basis, you should
sign for the Punmaster list, provided by my friend
David Gross, who does a little bit of work for
the Grateful Dead organization every now and
then. Sign up at http://www.punmaster.com/.,
and tell him that LOUIE sent 'cha!
Of course, I have plenty of URLs you can
check out on my various links pages if you'd like to
do more surfing.
LETTERS TO LOUIE
In this addition of the LOUIE REPORT,
I've decided to just open up the mail box, and let the
world see a few of letters I've received. Some of the
answers I've provided may be slightly recycled, but
I figured there might be some newcomers that would appreciate
this information.
Kenn
E. Thompson wrote:
"I'm amazed
at the history of Louie Louie. I've been unable to
find the other recordings. Has a compilation of Louie
Louie recordings been made?"
And I answered:
To date, there have been four different
LOUIE LOUIE compilations commercially available for
sale to the public:
Two "BEST
OF LOUIE LOUIE"
(VOLUMES ONE AND TWO) collections from Rhino
Records,
One "THE
LOUIE LOUIE COLLECTION"
(which is sometimes referred to as THE BEST OF THE NORTHWEST
LOUIE LOUIES) collection
from Jerden
Records, and.....
"THE FIRST
LOUIE LOUIE SPANISH COMPILATION" from
Louie Records, Madrid.
There are also some CD-R LOUIE LOUIE collections
floating around, but these are non-commercial archival
recordings that shouldn't even be mentioned.
"Was the
radio program recorded?"
The infamous 1983 KFJC radio marathon
that lasted for 63 hours with over 800 versions, followed
by a ten hour sequel with newer material, has been recorded
and archived for the ages , but it is not available
to the public at this point in time. Organizing this
moment in history is something that is still a work
in progress, and I have no idea when it will be released.
Perhaps someday, with a grant from some outside source,
some serious time can be spent cataloging these archives,
and the recordings might be released to the public.
In the meantime, the original air logs have been transferred
into a database, and comprise a majority of the LOUIE
LOUIE discography that I have created. Certainly, the
45 minute jam featuring Richard Berry (author
of the song), and Jack Ely (original vocalist
for the Kingsmen) deserves to be heard, and with
any luck, you'll hear it soon.
"In your
list I see Jack Ely playing with the Courtmen.
Did they ever record anything noteworthy? Does he
still perform today?"
Jack Ely did record a good handful
of records, often under the name of "Jack E.
Lee," sometimes with the Courtmen, the
Squires, and sometimes as a solo artist. He was
on all sorts of different labels- Bang, RCA
Victor, K-Tel, and some others I can't remember
right now. Maybe someday, I'll try to pester Jack into
creating a comprehensive discography of his work. Jack
Ely & the Courtmen did reunite in August of
1999 in Seaside, Oregon, partially as a benefit for
a Seaside resident that died in a brutal attack in Africa.
Jack is fairly selective with his musical gigs, having
walked away from the madness of the music business to
be with his family and horse ranch, both of which give
him enormous gratification. Nonetheless, Jack will perform
at an occasional event, if it seems like something he'll
have fun doing, as he really enjoyed getting together
with his old friends The Courtmen.
For more information, go to the Jack
Ely & the Courtmen information webpage,
or email Billy Truit at: billytruitt@psinet.com.
"Has the
song ever been requested on the luxury liner -- the
one they used the song to apply for the job? That
story alone would be worthy of a movie."
According to Mike Mitchell, original
guitarist for the
Kingsmen, who's still with the band, they did
NOT get the job
on the luxury liner. Years later, the Kingsmen did appear
in an Annette Funicello beach movie titled "How to Stuff A Wild Bikini."
"By the way,
has a movie, not just a documentary, but a movie,
a fictional account of the real story every been made
or considered?"
There have been various attempts to create
a fictional movie based on the LOUIE LOUIE story, sometimes
attached to big names, including one that is currently
in development, but I have no idea how far along it
is these days.
"I recently
read an interpretation of Don McLean's 'American
Pie' - explaining how 'the court room was adjourned, no verdict
was returned' is in reference to Louie Louie."
That's actually something I'd never heard
before, but it would make perfect sense. I understand
Madonna recently re-recorded the song, but I
haven't heard it yet.
"The tune,
not the lyrics, but the music ... I've read the pattern
came from a Mexican song. Is that true? Is the turn
the predecessor of such great songs as "Wild
Thing?" What have
other great musicians said about it's influence on
their lives? Is the song still requested today? Did
anyone get royalties from the religious rendition
... 'let my people go'?"
The song LOUIE LOUIE was inspired by a
few other songs, not just one in particular. LOUIE LOUIE,
in turn inspired quite a few other songs, including
"Wild Thing,"
"Beg Borrow & Steal,"
and some people believe, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." In terms of anyone receiving
royalties from "LOUIE LOUIE" for the use of
the song "Let My People Go,"
I sincerely doubt this is part of the publishing deal,
but there are many other songs making plenty of money
for publishing companies, including the iconic "Happy
Birthday to You."
"Has anyone
ever written a tabulation of the elementary solo?
:-)"
Probably.
Phil Milstein of American Song-Poem Music Archives, wrote:
"In the new
book 'Lost In The Funhouse,'
about Andy Kaufman, there's a passage that
says that he was, for a time, quite obsessed with
Louie Louie, played it over and over. However, I can't
find that passage again, so you're on your own."
I haven't read the book or seen the movie
yet. If anyone cares to xerox the pages that feature
what Phil's talking about, that would be greatly appreciated.
Send me email when you've got it ready to ship.
Hogie in North County San Diego
sent me this charming little email:
"Next to
Louie, Louie, HEY JOE is in position for one
of those classic ubiquitous reports...
Didn't every band
in L.A. or overseas play a version of HEY JOE at some
time? My collection includes Leaves, Standells,
Byrds, Cryin Shames, Music Machine,
Spirit, Fever Tree, Jimi Hendrix,
Frantic, Love, Shadows Of Knight,
and Deep Purple. There is a certain cryptic
history attached to this song, similar to LOUIE LOUIE,
although not with the mystique of the 'dirty' words....
Ever ponder doing A HEY JOE REPORT?
Hey Joe Forever!!"
Maybe after I finish the LOUIE LOUIE documentary,
I'll consider it.
That's the LOUIE LOUIE news for now. I'll
have more to report in another month or two.
My thanks to
everyone that's ever written to me with LOUIE LOUIE
information. I wish I could acknowledge everyone
that's ever provided me with some wonderful tidbits,
but unfortunately, if I were to do so, this webpage
would be a full-time job. I do appreciate all sincere
comments, and words of support.
Keep those emails coming!
me gotta go now.....
ERIC PREDOEHL
All images & words copyright
1999-2001 Eric Predoehl / OCTALOUIE, LLC, except as
noted. All rights reserved. The term "LOUIE LOUIE"
is a registered trademark of RMB, Inc, a company owned
by The Kingsmen, the band recognized for turning
the song into the monster icon heard all over the world.
|
