This next one will be taking place 9 days from now in Wynantskill, NY.
30+ years ago on December 10, 1992, The Lawn Sausages were part of a Louie Louie Marathon charity event that took place at the New Town Tavern in Troy, NY.
Flash forward to the present, and the Lawn Sausages are doing it again.
On March 27th 2022, The Lawn Sausages, RadioRadioX, Xperience Monthly & Mirth Films Present: The Return of The Louie Louie Marathon! Music from 2pm-8pm at The American Legion 1489, 111 Main Ave Wynantskill, NY 12198
$10.00 Minimum Suggested Donation
Featuring Members of: Lawn Sausages, Soul Sky, Niki Kaos, Chris Busone, Faced, Smittix, Blackcat Elliot, Northern Borne, Brother T, The Erotics, Frank Cavone, Scotty Mac, Steve Candlen,
Peggy of Troy, Brian Kane, Maurizio, The Bremners, Arya Chowdhury, Va Va Voodoos, Tony Pellegrino, Big Frank and the Bargain Bingers, Off The Record, Bill Milhizer & More to come.
ALL ARE WELCOME so if you play don’t be shy come on stage and join in!
Proceeds to benefit The Regional Food Bank. Sponsored by: The St. Andrews Society of Albany, Peak Music, Mirth Films, Rocky’s Music Studio, Corcoran’s Towpath Tavern and The River Street Beat Shop!
The Lawn Sausages added this note…
ONLY 9 days away!!!!! Come get silly and feed the hungry. The Legion is offering a pub menu for the event and we have a free kazoo for the first 100 people through the door, so you can play along. LET”S GET STUPID!!!!!!!
Last month, we lost Sandy Nelson, one of the best-known rock drummers of the early 1960s.
He was the drummer for a lot of Top 40 records, including songs recorded by friends he knew from high school – Jan Berry, Dean Torrence, Kim Fowley, and Phil Spector. In addition to working as a prominent session drummer, he also found success as a solo instrumental recording artist.
His instrumental recording “Teen Beat”, hit the #4 mark on the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1959, selling over one million copies, earning him a gold record. He followed this up with two more Top 40 hits, “Let There Be Drums”, which went to #7 on the Hot 100, and “Drums Are My Beat” (#29). His success wasn’t limited to the USA, as “Let There Be Drums” became a Top 10 hit record in both the United Kingdom and United States in December 1961
In late 1963, Nelson was in a motorcycle accident that left him with injuries that necessitated the amputation of a portion of his right leg. He learned how to play the bass drum with his left leg. As he told a reporter of The Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2017, in the long run, he “developed a little better technique.”
One of the recordings that he did after that accident was the “Boss Beat” album in 1965 which featured a great instrumental version of LOUIE LOUIE.
Sandy Nelson died on February 14 – Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas. He was 83 years old.
One week ago, we lost the singer known as Meat Loaf. His passing was announced on Facebook.
His career spanned six decades, selling over 100 Million albums worldwide and was featured in 65 movies, including “Fight Club”, “Focus”, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Wayne’s World. “Bat Out of Hell” remains one of the top 10 selling albums of all time.
As far as I can tell, Meat Loaf never released a version of the song LOUIE LOUIE. *(see update below)
… but there was a connection.
My friend and LOUIE spiritual advisor Stretch Riedle pointed out in March 2019…
NEWSFLASH! Although this was made in 1999, it was just tonight that I saw it for the first time. On Amazon Prime, I watched a video/documentary entitled “Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell (Classic Albums)“. At 40:17 Ellen Foley makes a reference to Louie Louie. Besides being one of my favorite rock artists, there is now a connection between Meat Loaf and LL. The world is saved!
…. and apparently, there’s lot more to it than I realized.
Check this out. Here’s an interview of Meat Loaf conducted by Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas.
In this mind-blowing segment, the man formerly known as Marvin Lee Aday discusses where he was on November 22, 1963, and his unbelievable story involving JFK, the Secret Service, Parkland Hospital, as well as that darned song that so many of us keep thinking about.
Did I mention unbelievable?
Anyways, the story continues. By all means if you have any more things you can add to this one, we’d love to hear from you.
My friend Clay Stabler reminded me of this special performance by Meat Loaf!
Recycling a previous post in memoriam — Meat Loaf sings “Louie Louie” to start a 1987 concert on his 20/20 World Tour. It was on the set list for most of the tour stops according to Daniel Wheway‘s “Everything Louder Than Everything Else: Meat Loaf Guide.”
On Saturday, January 22, Don Wilson, a founding member of the Ventures, died at the age of 88 at his home in Tacoma, Washington. The Ventures were formed in 1958 in Tacoma by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. Within a few years, Nokie Edwards would be recruited to join the band, followed by Mel Taylor in 1962. which would become the primary configuration for many years.
Their first album, “Walk, Don’t Run” in 1960, became a big hit record that launched a very successful career that included unprecedented popularity in Japan and Hong Kong.
With over 100 million records sold, the Ventures are the best-selling instrumental band of all time. The Ventures had 14 singles in the Billboard Hot 100. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
While they were not the first rock band from Tacoma, they were the first rock band from Tacoma to sell millions of records. Of course, as a rock band from that town in the early 1960s, playing LOUIE LOUIE seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do.
The Ventures released their version of the song on their album “The Ventures a Go-Go” in 1965.
In 1967, The Ventures took it one step further, and provided lessons on how to play LOUIE LOUIE on their instructional album “Play Guitar With The Ventures, Volume 7.”
Don Wilson played with the Ventures from 1958 until his retirement in 2015.
He was the last member of the original band.
Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Don Wilson.
We lost Ronnie Spector, the leader of the girl group the Ronettes and the voice behind such immortal classics as “Be My Baby” and “Walking in the Rain.”
Another beautiful soul with an amazing voice taken away by awful cancer.
As I was reading bits and pieces about Ronnie’s life I found a quote that definitely caught my attention..
“…Ronnie Spector, whose vocal on ‘Be My Baby’ (Blaine’s greatest musical moment) is the singer’s equivalent of Lynn Easton’s drumming on “Louie Louie.”
– Dave Marsh (page 105 of the book “Louie Louie – The History And Mythology Of The World’S Most Famous Rock ‘N Roll Song; Including The Full Details Of Its Torture And Persecution At The Hands Of The Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover’S FBI, And A Cast Of Millions; And Introducing For The First Time Anywhere, The Actual Dirty Lyrics“)
(Disclosure: Dave is a friend and supporter of the LOUIE documentary project)
Here’s a cool clip of Ronnie singing “Be My Baby” with Grace Slick and Belinda Carlisle, accompanied by the late Clarence Clemons.
I knew about Ronnie Spector working with George Harrison with her Apple Records single “Try Some, Buy Some/Tandori Chicken,” but I had no idea he also wrote the song “You” for her which he wound up recording himself.
"'You' was originally written for Phil Spector's wife Ronnie. I wrote it and laid down the track with Leon Russell. I tried to write a Ronettes sort of song." pic.twitter.com/bMalnp4Duf
Here’s things from Ronnie’s official Twitter account…
Ronnie appreciated her fans… and shared a special birthday wish.
Wow another birthday in the books! If I could have one birthday wish, it would be for us to be kinder to each other. If someone is not smiling, give them yours! I always have my lipstick on and am ready in case someone comes up to me while I’m shopping and asks… pic.twitter.com/TVz7wJnhGB
It was great that the Ronettes were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame by Keith Richards in 2007
14 years ago The Ronettes were inducted into The Rock Hall of Fame. Here with Keith Richards, who inducted us. So proud that in March 2007, my sis & Cuz, The Ronettes stood on stage for the first time in 41 years, held hands as we always did in the 60’s, as we took our final bow pic.twitter.com/eA7mOqzQJS
2021 was a great year for music documentaries. For many of us, it felt like a godsend to find these treasures after the extremely difficult and challenging year of 2020.
Billie was the powerful film about Billie Holliday, built upon previously unheard audio interviews conducted by Linda Lipnack Kuehl, who was working on a comprehensive biography on Billie Holiday before her untimely death in 1978.
Tina was the gut-wrenching and life-affirming story of Tina Turner, tracing her turbulent life with Ike and her incredible rebirth.
Spark Brothers was the love letter for those of us that have loved the music of Sparks for many years. This documentary was a beautifully rendered reminder of the tenacity of Ron and Russsell Mael, two very creative brothers that are still generating great music in the 21st century.
Cool Daddio: The Second Youth of R. Stevie Moore is a documentary that was created a few years ago, but was finally made available to the public in 2021. Like Sparks, Mr. Moore has also been a very prolific musician that continues to create a wealth of engaging music in semi-obscurity, and this documentary provides a wonderful means of sharing his story
Paul McCartney 3, 2, 1 is the six-episode documentary series on the world’s most popular living musician, as interviewed by producer Rick Rubin at a recording studio, often accessing the original multi-tracks of Paul’s most famous recordings.
The Beatles – Get Back documentary assembled by Peter Jackson is the proverbial 800 pound gorilla of 2021 music documentaries. This 8 hour documentary is the monster assembled from the 60+ hours of film footage and 150 hours of audio recorded for what became the LET IT BE album and documentary feature film of the same name, both released in May 1970.
There’s a wealth of articles, columns and commentary on this particular project, as there should be. After all, it’s an 8 hour documentary of the famous musicians in the world creating music before your eyes.
EIGHT FREAKIN’ HOURS!!!
As with all artistic endeavors, there is no universal consensus on any of this, and especially this documentary.
At last.. I bring to you, the full video of the memorial for our friend Mike Mitchell of the Kingsmen, which took place on September 26, 2021 in Portland, Oregon.
Here tis…
This video production was created in conjunction with our good friend and associate producer David Jester of Pro Video Productions, PDX.
David Jester at studio 2021
David’s got a long history with Mike and the Kingsmen, and here’s his story..
The first time I met Mike Mitchell was in 1983, when I was hired by Monte Von Struck to produce “LOUIE LOUIE” for MTV…
I had only been producing videos for 5 years and I was a little starstruck that I was working with the Kingsmen.
The band’s casual demeanor put me at ease and they let me know they were willing to do anything I asked them to do to make a good video…
I recorded 16 takes at the Toga Party from all different angles…
The band must’ve been pretty burnt out by the end of the day but they were still cordial and having fun..
Mike was very nice to me even though I kept requesting “one more take”…
He was always a super gentleman and as I recorded them many more times over the coming years, he was one of the nicest guys that I ever met…
He always made me feel like I was a special friend and that really meant a lot to me…
Over the years the Kingsmen performed for free, at several benefits that I helped to produce, including one for Gary Ewing…
Mike was always a fun guy to hang out with and I’m going to miss him a lot…
The original four founding members of the Kingsmen, circa 1993 Portland, Oregon.
From left to right: Jack Ely, Bob Nordby, Lynn Easton and Mike Mitchell
Here’s a photo of the video team with the event producer – Terry Currier of Music Millenium / Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Terry is holding the LOUIE LOUIE plaque (2nd one) that was removed from the studio location (Burnside && 13th) after vandals almost stole that one too …
David Jester, Terry Currier and Eric Predoehl at Music Millenium – Sept 29, 2021
Here’s David’s 1983 music video of the Kingsmen – the Delta House clip!
Last week we lost Keith Allison, formerly of Paul Revere & the Raiders. Like Gail Harris (of the Fabulous Wailers), I can’t recall either one of them being involved with any specific LOUIE LOUIE recording, but as a member of their respective bands, I have no doubt they probably participated in some of the live performances of that song.
Here’s the official word on Keith’s passing, direct from his Facebook page:
Keith Allison
August 26, 1942 – November 17, 2021
It is with deep sadness we announce the untimely passing of Keith Allison on the evening of November 17, 2021, at home in Sherman Oaks, California.
Born Sydney Keith Allison on August 26, 1942, in Coleman, Texas, and raised in San Antonio. Keith Allison was a multi-talented songwriter, musician, singer and actor with a long list of credits. Keith knew everyone, and everyone loved Keith.
Keith Allison recorded and performed with some of the biggest names and acts such as Roy Orbison, Ringo Starr, Sonny & Cher, The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, Chuck Berry, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Monkees, Boyce & Hart, Harry Nilsson, Alice Cooper, Rick Nelson, The Crickets and Johnny Rivers just to name a few. He also appeared in many movies and TV shows as an actor and musician.
Keith Allison has been entertaining since the late 50’s where he was in local bands and club performances with Clarence (Gatemouth) Brown, Doug Sahm, Augie Meyer performing in the Keith Allison Combo. Moving into the 60’s Keith was Musical Director and Guitarist for Ray Peterson from 1962-1965. In 1964-65 Keith was a member of The Crickets along with his cousin drummer Jerry Allison.
Keith’s success took off when he arrived in Los Angeles in the mid-sixties. It was at a taping for Dick Clark’s “Where The Action Is” at the Whisky A-Go-Go that really put Keith on the map, when the camera panned catching him in the shot, and the audience swore Paul McCartney was at the taping. The phone rang off the hook at Dick Clark Productions, “if not McCartney, then who was that?”. Keith was invited back to be a part of “Action” becoming a permanent cast member along with friends Paul Revere & The Raiders.
Keith contributed to a lot of memorable music including The Monkee’s self-title debut, ‘Headquarters’, ‘Head’ and co-writing “Aunties Municipal Court” with fellow Texan Michael Nesmith on ‘The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees’. Keith played Guitar and Harmonica on Sonny & Cher’s “The Beat Goes On”. In 1967 Columbia Records signed and released the album Keith Allison ‘In Action’.
Most notable, Keith was a member of Paul Revere & The Raiders from 1968 to 1975 on bass, guitar, organ, vocals and writing credits. Keith co-wrote with Mark Lindsay “Freeborn Man”, considered one of the top bluegrass songs of all time, recorded and performed live by scores of artists.
In 1971 Keith scored the film “Where Does It Hurt?” starring Peter Sellers, as well as wrote and sung the title song. In 1974 and 1975 Keith toured with Johnny Rivers on bass and guitar. In 1976, recorded “Sail Away” with Harry Nilsson and played on Nilsson album produced by Steve Cropper.
From 1975 to 1977 Keith was on guitar and band leader for ‘Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart’ and on Capitol Records album and live album “Live In Tokyo” while touring with them in Asia in 1976.
In 1977 Keith played Guitar on Ringo Starr’s “Bad Boy” followed by 1978 as musical director for Ringo Starr’s TV special “Ringo”. In 1980, Keith wrote and recorded four songs for the film “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” starring friend Dennis Quaid.
In the 90’s Keith went on to act in several popular television shows such as “Blossom”, “7th Heaven”, and “The Wonder Years”. In 2003 Keith played Captain James J. White in the film “Gods and Generals” starring another friend Robert Duvall.
In 2007, Keith was inducted as a member of Paul Revere & The Raiders into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
In 2015, Keith was inducted as an Ambassador of the Buddy Holly Foundation along with Don Everly, and was presented with a replica Buddy Holly J45 guitar presented by Jerry Allison.
In 2016, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Keith played guitar and sang with The Crickets for their final performance.
Since 2000, Keith has been a permanent guest member of the Waddy Wachtel Band.
Keith is survived by his wife Tina Stern of 40 years, Son Ryeland Allison, Daughters Allison Gonzalez (Husband Rob) and Brenda Meck (Husband Rich), Sister Cherri Hicks (Husband Don), Judith Allison & Don Reo, eight grandchildren Zephyr, Skyler, Gavin, Adrian, Madeline, Isabella, Makyla, Mercedes, and six great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Keith’s Life will be announced at a future date.
_____
Keith was originally scheduled to appear at the Mike Mitchell memorial that took place on September 26, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, he was not feeling well enough to attend this event, and sent a video message instead
This may have been the last video Keith ever shared before his untimely passing.
Here’s the video of the Mike Mitchell memorial, cued up to Keith’s special message at 16:34. This is actually an unlisted and not-quite-final version of the memorial that will soon be replaced, so please don’t share the YouTube URL for this one, as it will be removed soon.
We are saddened to report the passing of Gail Harris, a dynamic female vocalist from the Pacific Northwest. Like Rockin’ Robin Roberts, she was a singer that sang regularly with the Fabulous Wailers as part of their revue show.
The Wailers had begun as an instrumental band like many of the original NW Sound artists. With the addition of “Rockin’ Robin” Roberts, they set out to imitate the R&B revues that were popular at the time…one band backing several featured singers. Obviously, the main attraction was “Rockin’ Robin,” but soon, the group added a “girl singer” from Puyallup named Gail Harris.
Jivetime Records discussed how prior to joining up with the Wailers, Ms. Harris had appeared in several talent contests and on The Bar-K Jamboree, a weekly live radio show hosted by country music artist Buck Owens, who was then pursuing a radio and television career in the Northwest.
Buck Owens wanted Gail Harris to become a regular member of his “gang” but Harris’s first love was R&B, and she was already pursuing her dreams by diligently practicing songs by her favorite R&B artists and honing her stage presence in front of a mirror and for her family. From the beginning of her 2-3 year stint with The Wailers, she must have blown the bobby socks and tenny-runners off every largely teenaged audience. Gail could be compared to both Little Brenda Lee with the clarity of her voice and bravado and the sustained, sexual growl of early recordings by Tina Turner. Gail’s love of R&B made Ike and Turner 1960 hit “I Idolize You” one of her signature songs, and blew the house down every time she performed it.
It didn’t hurt that Gail Harris also looked well beyond her actual age and could be just as demure and charming off stage as she was ravaging onstage while singing. Gail performed “I Idolize You” with The Wailers on their groundbreaking live album, The Fabulous Wailers at The Castle. The record is still one of the NW Sound’s most important albums. It set high standards that other of the early 1960s bands would try to emulate, but only a handful could achieve. The live album also included her interpretation of the Jimmy Davis penned “All I Could Do Was Cry” made famous by Etta James. The live album was rounded-out with four numbers sung by “Rockin Robin” Roberts and two by Kent Morrill. The album was recorded by Seattle legend Joe Boles and produced by Ormsby, Morrill, and promoter/DJ/entrepreneur Pat O’Day. The album was an immediate regional hit when it was released.
Gail Harris didn’t release a lot of records, but what she recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the Wailers was fantastic!
I’m grateful I was able to see her perform at Kent Morrill’s memorial, which I was able to capture on video.
My thoughts go out to her family and friends.
– E.P. of LouieLouie.net
UPDATE: I didn’t realize Gail Harris was also sometimes known and marketed as Gayle Harris. As her Facebook page used “Gail” rather than “Gayle, we shall use that as the definitive spelling.
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