The Incredibly Strange Creatures Of Rock & Roll

Ron Thompson & The Broughams were northeast Nebraska rock & roll pioneers with Ron Thompson on guitar, dick Allison on bass, Allen Reynoldson on drums & Denny Volk on piano.  One of their singles was Dream World Of Love B/W Tiki Guitar was released on the Dreem label in Kansas City.  Although their other single Switchblade B/W Hot Night was released on the Minneapolis Soma record label 1959 it is insanely hard to find.  Somehow these two singles gained them national attention and are still regarded as some of the finest early Midwest rock & roll recordings.  No argument there. Switchblade has been featured on multiple 1960's instrumental compilations including Crypt Records Strummin' Mental.  The songs begins with a blood curdling female scream, launches into music dominated by an open D guitar tuning with another scream in the middle.  The song is punctuated by a deep male voice grumbling "Get The Point".  If the opportunity ever...

The Sentinals were a surf band from San Luis Obispo from the early 1960's who played music with a heavy R&B or Latin influence with the exception of their single The Bee B/W Over You on the Point record label (Point 5100). The same 45 was released the same year on the Westco label by base player Kenny Hinkle as Kenny Hinkle's Friends as a limited edition extremely rare yellow vinyl.  Today this 45 is nearly impossible to find but thankfully Lux Interior included it in the aforementioned Forbidden City Dog Food Tape. Kenny Hinkle's Friends - The Bee

Once at a Cramps show in Philadelphia at a renovated burlesque club called the Trocadero I caught a pre-show song playing over the PA prior to The Cramps taking the stage.  It was some 1960's garage rocker that kept repeating Shake, Shake Baby.  When I returned home I was on a mission to find the artist so I posted my dilemma on the Garagepunk.com forum and received my answer.  The song was Shake, Shake Baby by The American Teens released in March 1966 on Pennsylvania's Swan record label (Swan 4246). The most interesting and coolest information about this song is that it was produced by F.L. Wray Sr., composed by Vernon Ray & arranged by non other than Link Wray himself.  Other than an eye for talent I often wonder if there is another connection between the two but since I know nothing about The American Teens (biographically) the connection will remain a mystery. If anybody knows more about this band I would love to hear about it. The American Teens -...

Staying with the Screaming theme we now move on to The Scream by Oliver Cool. 1960's beat poet Rod Mckuen recorded many spoken word records under his own name but also recorded under several pseudonyms including McFadden & Dor (Rod), Oliver Twist and Oliver Cool.  McFaddden & Dor recorded a hilarious novelty LP Songs Our Mummy Taught Us spoofing classic horror films.  McKuen recorded another novelty LP in 1962 as Oliver Twist on the Spiral record label which spoofed the countless twist songs that were flooding the market at the time.  The Theory is that people have confused Oliver Twist with Oliver Cool both released the same year. The Scream was released in November 1962 on the Brand record label written by Jerry Capehart and presumed to feature Glen Campbell on guitar.  Some believe that Eddie Cochran played guitar on this session instead since the song sounded eerily similar to Cochran's own song "The Scream but there is no historical proof to su...