Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Get some midweek mojo

Good morning, young rockers, will you please go out there and make something happen today? For you, for your hit-starved countrymen, for your music-depraved world?

Not to go transcendental on you, but historically there have been some strange musical forces at work on this day. Forces that offer hope. Events that warrant closer scrutiny. My friend Natasha, the psychic lady, consults the tarot cards. We review the music charts -- and they are off the charts on February 11:

Way back on Feb. 11, 1946, Al Dexter placed the nation on a boogie woogie full alert when "Guitar Polka'' crossed the charts for a No. 1 hit. Four years later Red Foley put Blue Lick, Ky., on the map for good with "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy'' -- his first of three No. 1 songs that year.

On this day in 1962, Joey Dee and the Starliters were shimmy-shaking "The Peppermint Twist'', and exactly eight years later the Shocking Blue made it to the summit with "Venus.'' Shocking Blue? Not even Lady Natasha could have predicted a Dutch group would rock like that. There's definitely something gurgling on this day.

Polyester alert: On this day in 1978 the Bee Gees topped the charts with 'Stayin' Alive.''

Birthdays? We give you Vincent Eugene Craddock, aka Gene Vincent, of "Be-Bop-a-Lula'' fame (1935), "Monster Mash'' maestro Bobby "Boris'' Pickett (1938), Brazilian bossa nova baron Sergio Mendes (1941) and sweet rocking Sheryl Crow (1962).

(As one-hit wonders go, we loved Bobby Pickett, who would get up at Oldies shows and declare, "Now I'm going to do a medley of my hit.'')

Mix these in blender (disco is optional), hit the puree switch and ... drink at your own risk.

1 comment:

  1. The twist craze was the beginning of dancing with girls. How could a boy know what that would lead to?

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