THE UBIQUITOUS SIXTIES SONG - "Hey Joe"

 

Rich here. I'm guessing any Baby Boomers reading this remember the iconic Sixties song, "Hey Joe." Almost every garage band worth its salt (including my own band) covered "Hey Joe," and dozens of recording artists released their own versions of the song, including some major groups like The Byrds, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Deep Purple. 

 

"Hey Joe" started out in the early '60s as a somewhat traditional acoustic  folk-blues "murder song" narrated from the viewpoint of a jilted lover who vows revenge. Within a year or so of its first recorded version, the song caught on with some of L.A.'s biggest bands of the time, not least because David Crosby introduced it to his band, The Byrds, who were the headlining band at the Whiskey A-Go-Go. The song's popularity with other bands and artists quickly spread beyond the confines of Southern California.

 

There's a lot of controversy about who actually wrote "Hey Joe." Dino Valenti (aka Chet Powers) of the band Quicksilver Messenger Service claimed he wrote it, as did cult folk artist Tim Rose, but it was first copyrighted by folksinger Billy Roberts, who was also the first artist known to record the song. However, singer/songwriter Niela Miller (who was Billy Roberts' former girlfriend) . . . claimed that Roberts 'stole' the melody and chord progression from her 1955 song "Baby, Please Don't Go to Town." According to Miller, all Billy did was write some new lyrics. 

 

Although the song's popularity seemed to die out in the Seventies, in the Sixties "Hey Joe" was one of the most ubiquitous songs of the era with many artists giving their own unique spins on its arrangement. Here are several distinctive ones:

 

The first recorded acoustic version by Billy Roberts from 1961-62

The definitive Southern California rock version by The Leaves (1966)

 

Jimi Hendrix's psychedelic version (1966)

The Soul version by Wilson Pickett (1969)

 

BONUS Tex-Mex version by Willy Deville (1992)

SCORPIO TUBE - "White Birches" (1970)

 

It's 1970 in L.A. and the name of the band is Scorpio Tube.

One single is all they have with this A side called "White Birches," and an even wilder B side titled "Yellow Listen." 

 

This tune was suggested by my pal Underground Artist, Gary Wray.

It never hurts to go check out some of his wild art while you're listening to the sounds of...

SCORPIO TUBE - "White Birches" 

CHICKEN COUPE DEVILLE - "Twang Bang Deluxe" (1998)

 

Chicken Coupe DeVille came out with this album titled "Twang Bang Deluxe" in the year 1998.

When it comes to modern day Rockabilly, these fellers know what they are doing!!

This doesn't happen very often but I actually couldn't find the very cool "I Seen Her First" that I wanted to play for you on YouTube. Maybe it offended the Grammar Police!

So I made a video myself using a Kodak Flashcube commercial public domain video I found on the Internet Archive.

I think it worked out pretty good. 

See if you agree! 

CHICKEN COUPE DEVILLE - "I Seen Her First"  

TRACY BONHAM - "The Burdens Of Being Upright" (1996)

 

Tracy Bonham's first album came out in 1996, and was titled "The Burdens Of Being Upright."

What can I say? Tracy is just whatever is more awesome than amazing!

SO talented.....and she's on tour right now.

If one of her show's is close to you, I highly recommend you try and attend! 

TRACY BONHAM - "Mother Mother" 

HUGH MASEKELA "Grazing In The Grass" (1968)

 

I don't know what it was with horses and grazing in 1968, but after "The Horse" was number two in May, Hugh Masekela came out with his monster instrumental hit "Grazing In The Grass" which was number one in July of 1968 for two weeks.

You couldn't turn your radio on for fifteen minutes without hearing one of these two songs back then, often back to back.

The really odd thing is that unlike "The Horse" which was an instrumental version of a song with vocals, the instrumental "Grazing In The Grass" was released the following year with vocals by The Friends Of Distinction" which made it to number three in 1969.

Talk about recycling! 

HUGH MASEKELA "Grazing In The Grass"  

CLIFF NOBLES & CO - "The Horse" (1968)

 

Sometimes the story is more interesting than the song, and I think that's the case with the hit "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co.

Cliff Nobles was a singer, and in 1968 he released his second single titled "Love Is All Right," and it didn't generate any interest at all, but the flip side which was just an instrumental version of the A side caught fire. The funny thing is that since there were no vocals, Cliff Nobles didn't even perform on his biggest hit song.

"The Horse" made it to number two on the charts, and stayed there for three weeks, It was only beat out by Herb Alpert's massive hit, "This Guy's In Love With You."

Cliff & Co tried to do it again, but "The Mule," and "The Camel" just couldn't do it for them!

CLIFF NOBLES & CO - "The Horse" 

TOOTER BOATMAN & THE CHAPPARALS - "The Will Of Love" (1958)

 

William McCon Boatman Jr aka Tooter Boatman was from Mineral Wells, Texas, and his band was called The Chaparrals. He recorded mostly between 1957 and 1963.

He should really be in the 27 Club because he had only been 28 for a couple of months when sadly he was killed by a hit and run driver. 

If you've never heard Tooter and the boys before, then you're in for a treat! 

TOOTER BOATMAN & THE CHAPPARALS - "The Will Of Love"