Misplaced Misunderstood

The Misunderstood
Rick Moe, Rick Brown, Tony Hill, Steve Whiting and Glenn Campbell

Psychedelic rock greats, The Misunderstood, from near-by Riverside, CA.

Drawn in September of last year and found again yesterday.

Wolf Man's Willys

The Wolf Man's '41 Willys gasser. Drawn between appointments while sitting at work. Jan. 20-22

What About Us?

Like the Coasters asked, 'what about us', Pop Hall of Fame?

More ignored founding fathers, pioneers and influential artists from unpopular genres like rockabilly, garage glam and doo-dah.

Charlie Feathers
1932-1998

Link Wray
1929-2005

The Sonics
Andy Parypa, Larry Parypa, Jerry Roslie, Bob Bennett and Rob Lind

T. Rex
Marc Bolan, Mickey Finn, Bill  Legend and Steve Currie

The Bonzo Dog Band
Clockwise from left: 'Legs' Larry Smith, Rodney Slater, Neil Innes, Vivian Stanshall, Dave Clague and Roger Ruskin-Spear.
Difficult to see: Vernon Dudley Bohey-Nowell, Dennis Cowan, Sam Spoons, Joel Druckman, and the Rawlinsons

Pete Johnson
1904-1967
Our new Epson scanner rotates this drawing slightly every time I try to scan it. Roll 'em, Pete.

Ramones Rumored Return

Wigs all around: Meet the new Ramones [l-r] Rici, Pauly, Marky and Gigi.

   Marky Ramone is rumored to be adopting some new brothers to play with. Founding Kiss members, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have been in talks with Ramone about touring under the Ramones' name. Simmons commented, "After going over the figures with Mark, it looks like we could make even more money being another band." Kiss will still be touring this summer with stand-in members [rumored to be earning minimum wage] while Stanley and Simmons work as Pauly and Gigi Ramone. Former Cars front man, Ric Ocasek will also be joining the family as lead vocalist.

The Original Syd and Nancy

Syd and Nancy
C. Earnhart 2013

Paul and Art

Simonon and Garfunkel
C. Earnhart 2013

Ignored Pioneers, Part 2

Some other Little Richard-style rockers. Honorable mention to Tony Harris and Big Al Downing.

S.Q. Reeder, Jr.
Eskew Reeder
ESQUERITA!
1935-1986
Some people think Little Richard was doing a toned-down Esquerita impersonation. If he was, it must have been hard for him to control, more than a couple of Richard's Specialty sessions begin with Art Rupe begging him to "please, slow it down".
Blue Cap, Paul Peek used his pull as clapper boy and got Eskew signed to Capitol Records who actually released, Esquerita!, one of the rawest albums of the 50's, just maybe a few years too late in style. Despite it's greatness, I doubt "There's a hole in my heart and my love leaked out" got much air play. 
The liner notes to S.Q.'s 1959 LP say, "...Esquerita stoutly insists on his right to wear what he calls "Esquire-ita" outfits: generally a lace-ribbed jacket-shirt with a fist-sized rhinestone brooch at the top button, and wraparound, close-fitting sunglasses splashed with smaller rhinestones. An oversized wrist watch and band hold tightly onto one chopping arm and his long hair sails skyward."



Larry Williams
1935-1980
Lloyd Price's valet and the author of  "Slow Down", "She Said Yeah", "Bony Moronie", "Short Fat Fanny", Dizzy Miss Lizzy", 'Bad Boy" and several others. When rock music was young and dumb Larry was the man. Another old pal of Little Richard's, Larry ended up producing Richard's Okeh sessions in 1966 and '67 and ten years later almost killed him over a drug deal. William's was found shot in the head in Los Angeles home. His songs have been covered by everyone from Bill Haley to The Jam.    

Don Harris
1938-1999
and
Dewey Terry
1937-2003
Don and Dewey were also more successful as songwriters with Dale and Grace's 1963 #1, "I'm Leaving It Up To You". The Searchers' and Premiers both recorded "Farmer John" and The Olympics' "Big Boy Pete" in 1960. The duo's own recordings for the Specialty label, like "Justine" and the Sonny Bono penned, "Koko Joe" were a little too crazy for the radio. The pair also backed-up former label mate, Little Richard for his 1964 comeback.



New Drawings

Bela Lugosi's Waiting

My 44th birthday drawing, black ink and brush 10/1/12. October 20th will be Bela's 130th birthday.

Some other early October birthdays...

The guy I consider to be the Godfather of British Rock, Eddie Cochran. Born Oct. 3, 1938 in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

 10/6/12

Johnny Ramone

Oct. 8, 1951

10/8/12

FREE! The Who's John Entwistle coloring page

Oct. 9, 1944

10/4/12

The Iggy Back Ride [Glam a la King]

The previously mentioned, Bowie and Iggy meet Nixon.

7/9/74 - David Bowie, on tour in America and Iggy Pop, on the loose from the recently disbanded Stooges, visit with President Nixon during his final weeks in the oval office. The photo op comes to an abrupt end after Mr. Pop leaps onto the President's back and the Secret Service leap into action. Pictures of the meeting were canned and all charges were dropped to avoid any further embarrassment to Nixon and the White House.

60 Years Too Late [Hey! You're Not Stuart Davis]

 Singer

'67 Coronet Interior

Two studies for Stuart Davis-style cubist paintings. The designs are from around 1997 and were finally computer colorized in 2012.

Aladinstein

Sketchbook pencil drawing 2011

Idea stolen from Kat Thompson.

The Beards and the Airplane did fly

The King down in Monterey
2011 pencil sketchbook drawing

An abandoned idea for a fictional history of rock, where in Elvis discovers psychedelia, Bowie and Iggy meet Nixon and REM are cloned for exploitation after an unreported 1989 plane crash kills the original band members.

Black Magic Woman, Kill! Kill!

Rapa Nui Sketches

Ahu Ko Te Riku

Ahu Vai Uri

Ahu Tahai

June 6, 2004

Preachin' the Blues

The Devil and Robert Johnson

24"x 48" acrylic on canvas

C. Earnhart 1997

Sather collection

Detail of the above painting, a more animated version of the drawing style carried over to the Leadbelly painting. Warner Brothers cubism with hot rod flames that make me cringe a little seeing them now.

A sketch for the never-started second painting, The Ascent of Blind Willie Johnson. A second version was also drawn with the Rev. Gary Davis in Johnson's place.

Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters led me to listening to a lot of folk blues all through out the 90's. I haven't really listened much in the last ten years or so but here are a few that are still favorites of mine...

I Got Mine - Frank Stokes
Love in Vain Blues - Robert Johnson

Death Letter - Son House
Paul and Silas in Jail - Washington Phillips

Lord, I Just Can't Keep From Cryin' - Blind Willie Johnson

New Orleans Streamline - Booker White

Stack O'Lee Blues - Mississippi John Hurt

Tupelo Blues - John Lee Hooker

Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues - Skip James

I Heard the Angels Singing - Rev Gary Davis

Where Did You Sleep Last Night? - Leadbelly

Abandoned Sketchbook Pages

The original sketch of the 'Victor's Secret' idea, much creepier with B.B. King's head.

Unfinished Blind Lemon

About 2008?