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.

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.

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.



Ignored Pioneers

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is back at it again, currently trying to decide if Randy Newman is more rockin' than Kraftwerk or Chic. Oooh, what about the Captain and Tenille?
The hall could easily avoid a lot of criticism by changing their name to the more accurate, Pop Music Hall of Fame. Instead, they clutch onto their misnomer and show us annually how little they know about rock music. Face it guys, you are all about the most popular music, whether you think it sounds cool or not. The hall knows damn well they will be inducting Christina Aguilera long before Arthur Lee and Love are ever considered. They don't dig The Sonics, like me and you, they don't get it.
Here are some more caricatures of the ignored, some of rock's founding fathers who have been left out of the hall for over 25 years now. I guess they figured they had all their bases covered with the induction of Jelly Roll Morton?

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
1905-1974
Arthur's 1947 release of "That's All Right" was Elvis' first record for Sun in July of 1954. Elvis also recorded Crudup compositions, "My Baby Left Me" and "So Glad You're Mine". Unfortunately, Crudup's royalties were not collected in his lifetime.



Mr. Blues, Wynonie Harris
1915-1969
Wynonie hit #1 in the R and B charts with "Good Rockin' Tonight" in June of 1948. "Bloodshot Eyes", "Good Morning, Judge", "Down Boy Down", "Blow Your Brains Out" and many more great songs done before Elvis was King.



Roy Brown
1925-1981
The composer and first recording of "Good Rockin' Tonight" in September of 1947. Chosen as Elvis' second release for Sun Records in September of 1954. Roy finally did hit the #1 spot with "Hard Luck Blues" in 1950. Hard luck was right though, soon after Roy was blackballed for trying to collect his royalties from King Records.



Amos Milburn
1927-1980
Amos had a #1 R and B hit with "Chicken Shack Boogie" in December of 1948 and a #2  with "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" in 1953. The Rolling Stones covered Amos' 1946 tune, "Down The Road Apiece" on 1965's The Rolling Stones, Now! LP.  

Roy Hall
1922-1984
Roy's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" was released by Decca in September 1955. Roy's after-hours club in Nashville, The Music Box, was where a under-age Jerry Lee Lewis played piano 'til dawn. "Three Alley Cats" from 1956 is my favorite.



More to come...

Three 50's Rockers

Brian Holden

1939-1991

The original Ziggy Stardust.

Jalacy Hawkins

1929-2000

What walks on two feet and looks like a goat? It's that crazy Screamin' Jay in a bright yellow coat. I got to see Jay twice around 1989-91 with Bo Diddley Jr. playing guitar.

Wanda was born in 1937.

I've seen her perform quite a few times from 1995 up until a couple of years ago and she still sounds incredible.

A few more scans of rock and blues caricatures from about 12 years ago.

Johnny Come and Get Me...

Jeffrey Lee Pierce

Illustration by Chris Earnhart Oct. 2011

You Remind Me

OUTSIDERS

Chris Earnhart 2010

One of my favorite bands. I first heard their music through the Tell-Tale Hearts in 1984 then the Pebbles' The Continent Lashes Back comps. In the early 90's I recieved a cassette of the early singles and self-titled debut lp from Mr. Ron Swart, who supplied the tunes for the original Pebbles comps. Thanks, Ron.

Their amazing second album, CQ can heard at http://psychedelic-rocknroll.blogspot.com/

CQ is really an over-looked masterpiece of the psychedelic era.

You also can't go wrong with the singles collection, Strange Things Are Happening.

No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones

"I don't think about that stuff. I just think about who's doing what to me and what I'm going to do about it."
Joe Strummer on politics, 1977

"Although they are talented musicians, they seem to have dug themselves into an unoriginal Who hole out of which it may be difficult for them to climb."
Caroline Coon on The Jam, 1977

The nutty sound of 1979 in '82.

This was the Modern World

The Creation

The Animals

John's Children

The Who - 44 Years Before The Super Bowl

Small Faces
I found a used copy of the 'Early Faces' LP in 1984 and bought it because Kenney Jones was in The Who. They have been one of my favorite bands since then.
Their over looked masterpiece, 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake' was the first CD I bought, a few years later.

The Kinks
'Something Else' is another record you should own.

The Who
Half of them will be playing the Super Bowl half time show, this weekend. I think they should play 'A Man in a Purple Dress' in place of the best-of-medley. That would be punk rock.
'Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy' was my first record, it deserves a better CD release. It's a powerful collection of their first five years. I didn't hear another album like it until finding the U.S. version of the first Clash LP.

Sun Record Company 1955-56

Black Monk Time

Monks
Dave Day, Larry Clark, Gary Burger, Roger Johnson, Eddie Shaw
The best uberbeat group I have ever seen.

Three Great Guitars

Mr. Guitar, the mighty Link Wray is excluded from the Rock Hall of Fame.
Being 'King of the Surf Guitar' hasn't helped Dick Dale qualify either.

Forever Changed

The Doors are in the Hall of Fame, but no love for Arthur Lee and Love.
Well, my little man [who is soon going to be three] goes by the name Arthur Lee.

We're all normal and we want our freedom.

A duo of rock 'n' roll trios

Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley and Bill Black
Sun Records 1954

Drummer, Jerry Allison and bassist Joe B. Maudlin have been stricken from the record by the Rock Hall of Fame, hmmm. Sorry, Niki Sullivan.

Jesus Loves The Stooges [More Than Johnny Burnette]

The Stooges
illustration 2010

So, The Stooges are being inducted into The Rock Museum thing this coming March and I just so happen to have been working on a drawing of them last month. The week between Chrismas and New Years is a little slow for tattooing, believe it or not.
The colors are 1970's kitchen favorites. An iron-on after it's time.

For some reason, the Hall of Fame still hates Johnny Burnette & the Rock n Roll Trio. Go figure, rock critics don't even have hind sight.

The above illustration is one of dozens of rock caricatures I did sometime in the late 90's. Recently dug up from thee garage, I will be adding more as I scan them.

futurerocklegends.com has a complete listing of all the artists passed up for induction. Those squares still don't get Link Wray either.

Saved From Uselessness, Almost

I saw the Blasters again, a few months ago. Phil Alvin still sounds incredible, the last of the Big Joe Turner school of blues shouting. Here is the poster I was inspired to make for The Blasters' Chicago-area shows in Nov. 2009. It was replaced with another poster when Billy Boy Arnold was added to the bill.

Missing Link

Linoleum block print 2006