With 2020 upon us I thought I’d share one of my favorite songs of 2019. It’s a hilarious mashup of classic American Cinema and Bossa Nova. It also makes me smile every time I listen to it.  

T. Hanks, not to be confused with the former bosom buddy, is an Australian Producer and DJ. He’s a talented artist who deserves much more attention.

https://tthanks.bandcamp.com/

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Happy new year everyone!    

The novelty song can be traced back to Tin Pan Alley in the late 1800’s. With increased copyright protection, songwriters and publishers worked together for their mutual benefit. As a result, the music publishing industry grew, with the largest publishing houses dominating the music business for nearly 80 years.
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“I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” was written by John Rox (born John Herring) and sung by a 10 year old Gayla Peevey. It’s a classic example of the genre and nonsensical enough to sell millions of copies. 

​Although the Troggs are considered the godfathers of garage and punk rock, two genres I adore, it was this song that made me fall in love with them. Originally recorded and produced by Larry Page (former manager of The Kinks) in the same 20 minute session as their cover of “Wild Thing,” “With a Girl Like You” is a playful number that perfectly captures naivety and youthful love. 

Charles Kofi Amankwaa Mann (aka C.K. Mann) was born in 1936 in Cape Coast, Ghana. In 1965, after his group the Ocean’s Strings disbanded, the owner of a local movie theater and night club asked him to front his newly formed resident band, The Carousel 7. Soon after, C.K. Mann & Carousel 7 signed with regional record label Essiebons and released their first album, Party Time with “Ceekay.”

“Asafo Beesuon” is from C.K. Mann & Carousel 7’s second album, Funky Highlife. It’s a monster song from a monster record with a limited pressing in Africa. This version is actually “Asafo Beesuon” plus the entire first side of the album- mistakes and all.
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I love this track and version, from its classic Osode influenced drumming, to the interplay between the organ and bass (1:46), to the shimmery guitars set against the cascade of vocals. It’s a rare track from a rare album and fantastic mix of Highlife and Funk. It’s also one of my all-time favorite songs.

WLW in Cincinnati is one of the oldest and historically important radio stations in US history. At one point it was the only station in the world to broadcast at 500,000 watts. Some notable performers who have made their way through its doors were Merle Travis, Rosemary Clooney, Jean Shepard, Doris Day and Al Michaels.

Barbara Cameron isn’t a name most folks are familiar with. In 1943, the Dayton Ohio singer replaced Doris Day at WLW. She soon gained a reputation as a talented vocalist and shared singing duties with Rosemary Clooney on WLW’s Moon River radio show. Through her work at WLW, Cameron recorded a number of singles for the legendary King Records, and the less famous Fraternity Records. She then married Joe Kolter (eventual executive at Warner Brothers), moved to Los Angeles in the early 60’s, and wrote and recorded the The Road Runner Show theme song.
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I adore this song. It’s a seamless mix of rockabilly and country, with early 60’s pop sensibilities. It doesn’t do justice to the vocal talents Cameron possessed, but it’s a song that perfectly matched the show and is terribly hard to forget.