WESN Show #35 - Nov. 21, 2019

You Keep Me Hangin' On

Inmates, morticians, night owls and rockers unite!   A collection of 1960's rock, pop and a little bit o' soul from downstate Illinois.  Plenty of covers in this show:  Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and others.   

Plus we hear a "Sloopy" song from Decatur that came out six months before the McCoys' bubblegum smash hit "Hang On Sloopy."

ARTIST	TRACK	LABEL	YEAR	TOWN / CITY
Freddie Tieken & The Rockers	Little Latin Lupe Lou	IT	1965	Quincy
The Inmates	Around and Around (live at ISU's Wright Hall)	Reaction	1966	Bloomington-Normal
The Intruders	The World You've Created (In Your Mind)	Claremont	1966	Rockford
The Nite-Owls	Come On Back	Rembrandt	1966	Carbondale
Bobby Lee	Everyday	Decca	1961	Peoria
Bill Keen & The Tradewinds	Don't Call Me	Lesley	1961	Bloomington-Normal
Paul Bearer & The Morticians	Barbara	- no label -	1965	Paw Paw
The Holidays	I Want To Do It	Dixie	1966	Springfield
The War Lords	I've Got It Bad	Thor	1966	Bloomington-Normal
The Vanguards	Roll Over Beethoven	- no label -	1966	Mendota
Jim Friis & The Valiants	Bop A Lena	Allstar	1963	Rockford
John Mark	Tribute To Tobin	Big J	1962	DePue
The Staccato's	Moondog	Kandy Kane	1964	Peoria
Dean Carter Sound	Mary Sue	Tell	1967	Danville
Lee Rust	Did You Ever Kinda Wonder	Rofran	1965	Bloomington / Springfield
Dave Scherer & The Castels	Sloopy Can Penguin	Loki	1965	Decatur
The Kokays	Talken Girl	Milam	1965	Peoria
The Changing Times	You Keep Me Hangin' On	Thunder	1967	Bartonville
The Other Side	Lawdy Miss Clawdy	Motion	1969	Peoria
Willie Guitar Taylor & The Dark Cloud Band	Forty Going North	M.S.R.	1968 / 1971	Decatur

Extras

 

WESN Show #34 - Nov. 14, 2019

STARDAY-DIXIE-NASHVILLE : Downstate "Custom Series" Singles 1957-1967

A selection of 45s by downstate Illinois musicians released by Starday Records as part of their custom pressing series.   

Starting in the mid-1950's any group or singer could send Starday their recordings.  In exchange for $115 and the publishing rights, the record company would provide the artist with 300 copies of their own single to send out to radio stations or to sell.  On the early releases, artists often used their own label names.  Later on Dixie and eventually Nashville were used for these vanity pressings.

ARTIST	TRACK	LABEL	YEAR	TOWN / CITY
Bobby Mack	Waiting For You To Call	B-Mac	1958	Peoria
Art Buchanan w/ The Pioneers	Queen From Bowling Green	Dixie	1960	Wayne City
Bill & Ben and the Arkansas Travelers	The Sun Shines Brighter	Traveler	1958	Champaign-Urbana
Carl Trantham w/ The Rhythm All Stars	Deedle Deedle Dum	Starday	1958	Peoria
The Beck Brothers	Just Like You	Mid West	1960	Colchester
Carl Trantham w/ The Rythm All Stars	Where There's A Will (There's A Way)	Lincoln	1957	Peoria
Bobby Mack	Who Put The Blues In Your Heart	Dixie	1959	Peoria
Art Ontario	It Must Be Me	Dixie	1959	Wayne City
Lyle Keefer	A Fool Doesn't Know	Lincoln	1959	Elmwood
The Beck Brothers	Screamin' Mamie	Mid West	1959	Colchester
Howard Mayberry w/ The Sangamon Boys	This Just Can't Be Puppy Love	Dixie	1961	Decatur
Ray King	I'm An Old Pipe Liner	Nashville	1963	Pekin
Junior Garner w/ The Sangamon Boys	Blind Date	Dixie	1961	Decatur
Jim Durdel	Bright Lights Uptown	Nashville	1962	Arthur
Bill & Ben & The Arkansas Travelers	My One Mistake	Nashville	1961	Champaign-Urbana
The Casuals	It's Gonna Work Out Right	Nashville	1964	Decatur
The Holidays	Concussion	Dixie	1964	Springfield
Bobby Mack	Tell You What I'm Gonna Do	Nashville	1967	Peoria
Jim Wheeler & The Country Playboys	Hughes Ramble	Gen-Nell	1964	Danville
Gene Pierson	Engineer Mountain	Nashville	1963	Springfield
Marguerite Sanders	Second Fiddle To An Old Guitar	Star	1967	Sullivan
Junior Garner	Go On And Live With The Devil	Nashville	1963	Decatur

Extras

Art Buchanan (aka Art Ontario)

Jim Durdel

Ray King

WESN Show #33 - Halloween 2019

Monsters, Murders, Nightmares and A Dog Named Spookie

ARTIST	TRACK	LABEL	YEAR	TOWN / CITY
The Staccato's	Nightmare	Kandy Kane	1964	Peoria
Jimmy Friis & The Valiants	Serpents and Spiders	Ridge	1964	Rockford
The Echos	Haunted	Sage	1960	Mattoon
Ronny & Johnny	Massacre	Lucky	1960	Danville
Eldon Rice	Hillbilly Swampman	White Label	1965	Carrier Mills
Russ (Big Daddy) Blackwell	The Little Monster	Vincent	1968	Rockford
The Holidays	Pearl Diver	Dixie	1963	Springfield
Dean Carter	Shadow of Evil	Big Beat	196?	Champaign-Urbana
Keith Dorrough & The Thunderbirds	Windy City	Royce	1964	Oblong
Howie Thayer & His Psycho-Electric Happening	Movin' Groovin' Fairy Tale	Psychedelic Sounds	1968	La Moille
Kookie Cook & The Satalites	Space Monster	Big Beat	196?	Danville
Lloyd Haun	Morbid Melody	Bonny	1971	Bureau Co
The 12th Knight	Death Row	Big Beat	1972	Danville
Dave Scherer & The Castels	My Dog Spookie	Talmont	1965	Decatur
Brillo & The Firebirds	Calling Red Rover	Golden Voice	1969	Macomb
Ron Carroll	Harold, You're So Weird	Co-field	1976	Metamora
North Bridge Company	Strange Land, Strange People	Sand "G"	1968	Peoria
The Lancers	Gore	IT	1965	Quincy

Sound effects heard during this show were from a found ¼ reel to reel tape simply labeled "Halloween Sounds." 
Sources unknown.  Courtesy of Reverberation Vinyl.

Extras

The Holidays

Jimmy Friis & The Valiants

The Echos

  

  

WESN Show #32 - Oct 3, 2019

Concert Series: The Country Blues Comes To Central Illinois

Memphis Blues Caravan

March 22, 1974  Illinois Valley Community College  Oglesby, Illinois

• Memphis Piano Red - "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie"
• Memphis Piano Red - "Home At Last"
• Memphis Piano Red - "You Don't Have To Go"
• Memphis Piano Red - "Mother-In-Law Blues"
• Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - "Corrina Corrina"
• Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - "Yellow Yam Blues"
• Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - "President Kennedy Stayed Away Too Long"
• Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - "Rats In My Kitchen"
• Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon - "Holy Spirit, Don't You Leave Me"
• Furry Lewis - "Mary Tell Blues"

The Memphis Blues Caravan performed two shows in downstate Illinois in 1974:
March 20: Illinois State University & March 22: Illinois Valley Community College 
(The performances heard on the show were recorded by Greg Steil at IVCC.  Some of Greg's recordings were used on the Memphis Blues Caravan Vol. 1 CD however Greg was not credited and the date and venue info in the liner notes was incorrect.)
_____________________________________

Larry Johnson

May 21, 1971  Illinois State University Normal, Illinois

• "Ragged and Dirty"
• "How Long Blues"
• "Got The Blues (Can't Be Satisfied)"
• "Nobody's Business If I Do"
• "Saturday Blues"
• "Pick Poor Robin Clean"

For more information on the New Friends of Old Time Music concerts at Illinois State University see the NFOTM page.

WESN Show #31 - Sep 19, 2019

Downstate Garage Pt. 2

ARTIST	TRACK	LABEL	YEAR	TOWN / CITY
Lee Rust	Try, Try To Leave Me	Rofran	1966	Bloomington / Springfield
The Jades	You Have To Walk	Clark	1967	Herrin
The Warner Brothers	Lonely I	Dunwich	1966	Peoria
Dave & The Squires	The Girl Of My Dreams	Radex	1965	Lena
Inner Sanctum	Can't Make It Without You	Thunder	1968	Virden
The Night People	Ain't Gonna Happen	Tuggie	1967	Olney
One-Eyed Jacks	Die Today	Lakeside	1966	Champaign-Urbana
The War Lords	Real Fine Lady	Thor	1966	Bloomington
The Vectors	It's Been A Day Or Two	St. Lawerence	1965	Macomb
Barry Ebling & The Invaders	Sunny Day Rain	Norman	1967	Granite City
Beggars Opera Co.	Escape	Golden Voice	1968	Farmington
The Cobblestones	Flower People	Mobie	1967	Bloomington
The Komons	Caught In The Trap	Feature	1966	Rockford
The Marauders	Just Times Between Us	Heads	1966	Granite City
The Cliques	Ballad Of A Destitute Man	Custom	1967	Champaign-Urbana
Suburban 9 to 5	Walk Away	Golden Voice	1967	Peoria
Nickel Bag	The Woods	Rembrandt	1966	Carbondale
The Intruders	Not That You Know	IT	1966	Pittsfield
North Bridge Company	Crying All Alone	Sand "G"	1968	Peoria
The Ravins	Andy	Syndicate	1967	Gibson City
The Wylde Heard	Stop It Girl	Phillips	1967	Peoria
The Starlites	Wait For Me	Zap	1965	Danville
The Explorers	Blue Flavored Lollipop	Sandy's	1968	Quincy
The Unknowns	Modern Era	Marlo	1966	Belleville
The Changing Times	Big Boss Man	Thunder	1967	Bartonville

(See Show #14 for more Downstate Garage)

Extras

The War Lords

The Vectors

Nickel Bag

The Unknowns