Songs Of The Week, 2026: 6/20-6/26

 

The House Of Blue Lights- Ella Mae Morse & Freddie Slack
Frog Legs- Lloyd Price
Hurry Hurry Baby- Roy Brown
Chicken Shack Boogie- Amos Milburn
Early In The Morning- Papa Mali
Slide Frog Slide- Preservation Brass
Weekend Dance- Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs

 

This week's mix was inspired by a couple of things. Five of the seven songs were played on the June 19th episode of "All That Gumbo," a weekly radio show on WIOX in The Catskills, hosted by my friends Susan Shaw & Allen Vella. Every Friday afternoon from 4-6 PM, they bring New Orleans and its surrounding regions up north and on the 19th, those kids were on fire with two hours of music that kept me on my feet.

I am also reading Nick Tosches' "Unsung Heroes Of Rock & Roll" for the fourth time. If you don't know it, I suggest getting on it toot sweet. There is no book on rock and roll quite like it, and it inspired the inclusion of the Ella Mae Morse and Roy Brown tracks.

It's HERE.

Hope ya dig the music. 

A guy walks into a piano bar with a huge doberman. Within seconds, the manager stops him. “Excuse me, sir you can’t bring that dog in here.” Guy says, “You had an ad for a piano player. He’s going to audition.” Before the manager could register any of this information, the doberman is sitting on the piano bench, hind legs on the pedals, huge paws on the keys. He starts playing a gorgeous version of Billy Joel‘s "Piano Man," then he goes into a medley of standards- Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter. Then he ends the audition with a stunning version of Chopin's "Prelude In F Minor." The manager is in shock and he’s about to hire this dog on the spot when the front door slams open. It’s another doberman, who gallops to the piano, bites the neck of the doberman at the piano and drags him out of the bar into the street. The manager looks at the guy and says “What the hell was that?” Guy says, “Oh that’s his mother. She wanted him to be a doctor.”

Now that I've got you, I just wanted to give a quick plug for my sinkhole of a record business.

I don't have a lot of worthy inventory at the moment, as a few of my best sources have all but vanished from the face of the Earth.

But what I do have is pretty solid and as always, it is priced to moved.

Take a look, maybe you'll see something you just have to have.

 

Thanks, as always!

RECORDS HERE 

Take a look, maybe you'll see something you like.

 

Thanks for looking!

RECORDS HERE 

 

Some Early "Drama" From Nicole Atkins

 

 

I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that irks me about Nicole Atkins. I have friends who swear by her, dig her records, and see her live whenever they can. I've tried, and aside from a song or two, nothing ever sticks. I've also seen her live a few times, as an opener for Ian Hunter and some others I can't recall. She was fine, but I was underwhelmed and ultimately put off by her oversinging, which may be the problem, actually. Every song is sung like the finale in "Evita."

That said, here's her new single from the upcoming album "Drama," due in September on Chris Isaak's new Sun Records imprint Wicked Game Records. Atkins opened for Isaak on a bunch of shows recently and now, she's got a new deal. Way to go!

I do like this new single and will absolutely give "Drama" and Nicole another chance in September. 

If It Was Dwight Twilley, You'd Be All Over It

From 1982 and arguably his best album "High Adventure," please give a listen to Kenny Loggins and what I think is the closest he ever got to power pop. 

Actually, I've loved "Swear Your Love" since I first heard it 44 years ago, but it was only recently that I starting hearing Dwight Twilley. Close your eyes, focus your ears and damn if this track wouldn't sit comfortably on "Scuba Divers."

Da D'Addarios Do "Da Doo Ron Ron"

 

One & Done With The Mississippi Rail Company

 

 

My friends Allen Vella and Susan Shaw co-host a New Orleans radio show every Friday afternoon at 4PM called "All That Gumbo." You can dial it up on WIOX, broadcasting out of the Catskills. Last Friday's show was truly exceptional because I heard some music that really fired me. 

From a 2012 release called "Coal Black Train," give a listen to some music from the Mississippi Rail Company, recorded in the swamps of Maurice, Louisiana. This piano/bass/drums trio is/was led by Travers Geoffray and for a short time 15 years ago, it looked like this band might explode. As it turned out, the band imploded instead, with Travers stating that it felt more like a solo project with guys backing him than a band. But, an album does exist and it's a badass. And thanks to Susan and Allen, I got to hear something truly wonderful that prior to last Friday was nowhere on my radar. 

This is a power trio, and their approach to New Orleans roots music has a very rock and roll side. It's hard and it's rowdy, and the band sounds remarkably fresh playing some very familiar music. 

Travers went on to record a solo album a few years later, which started off as the follow-up Rail Company record. I'll get to that at some point after my enthusiasm over "Coal Black Train" wanes. 

In the meantime, get in on this.

 

Songs Of The Week, 2026: 6/13-6/19

 

Wheels Of Fortune- The Doobie Brothers
This Time- Los Lobos
President Rock- Lizzy
Inside Story- Eric Carmen
Thank God It's Not Christmas- Sparks
Book Faded Brown- The Band
So Long- Fischer-Z

 

Have at it! 

HERE