Evening Eclectic February 10, 2019 The Birth of Loud

Tonight’s show is inspired by a new book by Ian S. Port The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll.  Ian will be in town next Saturday at the Savannah Book Festival talking about this book.  He will be presenting from 11:20 am-12:15 pm at the Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall.

He opens the book with two contrasting bands that appeared at the 1964 TAMI (Teenage Awards Music International) show and that is why we opened with:

The Beach Boys – boy next door types all dressed is blue striped shirts holding  white objects with voluptuous curves featuring the name Fender

Rolling Stones  - appearance was one of Bemused insouciance  perhaps a carnal fantasy dressed in dark clothes – and the Secret weapon to produce nasty tones  Keith Richard’s 1959 Les Paul Gibson which he found in the back of a guitar shop in London in the cherry sunburst pattern

Paul Bigsby former motorcycle mechanic and racer who built steel guitars made a solid body guitar from a design of country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist Merle Travis.  This may have been what was used by Leo Fender – owner of a radio service center in Fullerton CA who designed an electrical pick-up for lap steel guitars and designed amplifiers for guitars for the development of his first mass produced solid body guitar – the Telecaster.   Lets listen to some Merle Travis.

Fenders were used by some early blues players such as Muddy Waters and his electric Chicago Blues so lets listen to some Muddy Waters.

Then the scene jumps back to begin the story of Lester Polsfus of Waukesha, WI who performed around Milwaukee area as  Red Hot Red before moved to Chicago and building his reputation as a guitarist with his new stage name Les Paul.  He performed with big bands and wanted to have a louder guitar.  Electric guitars were available but were acoustic and when amplified produced feedback.  He had the thought that a solid body guitar would be the answer.   Les Paul used an Epiphone guitar and started experimenting at the Epiphone factory where he created several versions of "The Log", which was a length of common 4x4 lumber with a bridge, neck, strings, and pickup attached.   But the revolution of Les Paul was multi-tract recording.  He hit is big in the early 1950s with the back to back hits of Lover and Brazil.  They may sound a little dated today but they revolutionized the recording industry.

Les Paul also worked with Gibson to develop the Les Paul signature model solid body electric guitar.  The use of this guitar by bluesmen like Freddy King influenced many of the rockers in Great Britain to want the Les Paul Gibson – including Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.  In fact Freddy King pictured with his cherry sunburst pattern Les Paul signature Gibson on the album cover of  “Lets dance away and hide away” was a huge influence.  So lets hear something from that album.

Bob Dylan and his Stratocaster revolutionized folk music at the Newport Folk Festival in 17 minutes with Mike Bloomfield  playing three works including Maggie’s Farm  and Like a Rolling Stone.  People describe it as “I Thought Dylan was abandoning us”.   This was at about the same time of the release of the TAMI film so lets hear some more Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones.

At this same time The Beatles revolutionized music but they played Rickenbachers.  Ian Port in his book tells the story about the interaction between the two Southern California guitar makers Rickenbacher and Fender and the tale of how Fender tried and failed to have the Beatles switch to Fenders.

Ian S. Port writes about more than the well-known stars.  He paints the picture of a hard working mother and musician whose needs to get her child away from an abusive husband - Carol Kaye.  Kaye was an upright double bass player who sometimes played some of the early electric basses.  One day she was asked to fill in for an absent musician on the new Fender Precision bass and she fell in love with it and ran out to by two for herself.  She developed a reputation around the studios for her skill with the Fender bass and became Kaye was the sole regular female member of The Wrecking Crew, a group of uncredited studio musicians who played on a large number of hit records from Los Angeles in the 1960s.   Throughout the decade, while at the time unknown to the public, Kaye played bass on a substantial number of records that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100.    She appeared on sessions by Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, The Temptations, the Four Tops and The Monkees.    She played electric bass on Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"  Boots album Reprise, while Chuck Berghofer played double bass. She also came up with the introduction on fellow session player Glen Campbell's hit "Wichita Lineman". According to the New York Times, she played on 10,000 recording sessions.   Kaye later said that during the 1960s she would sometimes play three or four sessions per day, and was pleased that so many of them created hit records.  Beach Boys sloop john B “Pet Songs”     “Good Vibrations”- single song which took over $16,000 to record and 12+ sessions  strong bass with words cut to reveal more of the bass.  Most successful beach boys song.

James Jamerson  from Edisto Island, South Carolina, Jamerson moved with his mother to Detroit, Michigan in 1954 when he was 17 and began playing in Detroit area blues and jazz clubs. He continued performing in Detroit clubs after graduating from high school, and his increasingly solid reputation started providing him opportunities for sessions at various local recording studios. Starting in 1959, he found steady work at Berry Gordy's Hitsville U.S.A. studio, home of the Motown record label playing double bass as part of the Funk Brothers – the uncredited back up artists for all Motown recordings.  But, in the early 1960s, he switched to playing an electric Fender Precision Bass for the most recordings.   He is reported to have played on some 95% of Motown recordings between 1962 and 1968. He eventually performed on nearly 30 No. 1 pop hits including “My Guy” mary wells   “stop in the name of love”  sugar pie honey bunch   

Of course you cannot tell this story without including “God” – Eric Clapton.   Ian Port tells the story of the evolution of Eric Clapton as a Les Paul Gibson player and his famous recording of the album John Mayall  & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton.  Just remember to “Let God be God”.

We are going to close as Ian Port closes with Jimi Hendrix with his big hit “Hey Joe” and the performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock which changed the meaning of this song.

I hope you have enjoyed tonight’s show, inspired by a new book by Ian S. Port The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll.  Remember, Ian will be in town next Saturday at the Savannah Book Festival talking about this book.  He will be presenting from 11:20 am-12:15 pm at the Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall.



  • 9:57pm Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys on The Best Of The Beach Boys (Capitol), 1963
  • 10:01pm It's All Over Now by The Rolling Stones on 12 x 5 (ABKCO Records), 1964
  • 10:12pm Lonesome Road Blues by Merle Travis & Joe Maphis on 50 Years Of Bluegrass Hits Vol. 3 (find label), 1992
  • 10:16pm Mannish Boy (Live) by Muddy Waters on Muddy (Columbia/Sony), 1980
  • 10:24pm Lover (Instrumental) by Les Paul on The Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition (Capitol), 2005
  • 10:27pm Brazil by Les Paul on The Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition (Capitol), 2005
  • 10:36pm Out Front by Freddie King on Let's Hide Away and Dance Away (Gusto), 2004
  • 10:43pm Maggie's Farm by Bob Dylan on Bringing It All Back Home (Columbia/Sony), 1965
  • 10:47pm Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan on Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia/Sony), 1965
  • 10:56pm Surfer Girl by The Beach Boys on Endless Summer (Capitol), 1963
  • 10:58pm Time Is On My Side by The Rolling Stones on 12 x 5 (ABKCO Records)
  • 11:03pm San-Ho-Zay by Freddie King on Let's Hide Away and Dance Away (Gusto), 2004
  • 11:03pm Sshe Loves You by The Beatles on Live at the Hollywood Bowl (Calderwood Records), 2003
  • 11:06pm A Hard Days Night by THe Beatles on LIve at the Hollywood Bowl (Calderwood Records)
  • 11:15pm These Boots Are Made for Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra on Boots (Boots Enterprises), 2006
  • 11:18pm Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell on 20 Greatest Hits (Capitol/Nashville), 2000
  • 11:23pm Sloop John B by The Beach Boys on Pet Sounds (Capitol), 1966
  • 11:29pm Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys on Endless Summer (Capitol), 1974
  • 11:38pm My Guy by Mary Wells on 16 Hits from the Early 60's (Motown Records)
  • 11:40pm Stop! In the Name of Love by The Supremes on Number 1's: Diana Ross & The Supremes (MOTOWN), 2003
  • 11:46pm Steppin' Out (Stereo Instrumental) by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers & Eric Clapton on Bluesbreakers (Deluxe Edition) (DECCA), 1966
  • 11:49pm Hideaway by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers & Eric Clapton on Bluesbreakers (Deluxe Edition) (Decca), 1966
  • 11:53pm Hey Joe by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (Columbia/Sony), 2010
  • 11:56pm Star Spangled Banner (Live At Woodstock) by Jimi Hendrix on Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (Sony Music), 2010
Comments
8:32am, 5-11-2021
Wow, nice content! I would love to see more of this because it is so interesting how you guys came up with songs and albums.
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