wacky tacky Tunes: Reg Kehoe & His Marimba Queens

For as much time as I fritter away writing this blog, I am actually terrible at using the internet to its full, time-wasting capacity; I can maneuver decently within the three or four websites on my bookmarks bar (which I only learned how to use within the last year) but the full possibilities continue to evade me.  It is a sad fact that I relate all too well with that senior citizen on the insurance commercial who saves time posting things directly to the wall of her living room and "unfriending" people face-to-face.  I regularly stare at the Google home page at a complete loss for what to do.  Furthermore, unless a newsworthy item or interesting bit of information appears in the "Top Stories" of my Facebook newsfeed, I am liable to stay completely uninformed.

Lucky for me, I had seen this little gem (part of a musical film short) as it made the rounds on social media; when a friend posted it directly to my wall, however, I knew I had to share it here.  Without even listening, I could see that between the maracas, the bevy of matching '40s gowns, an enthusiastic bass player, and a whole mess of marimbas, this was a surefire hit!  I needed a pick-me-up this week and this definitely did the trick!

"A Study in Brown" - Reg Kehoe & His Marimba Queens get HOT!!!

(See the entire film short here.)

Reg Kehoe & His Marimba Queens was a Pennsylvania-based novelty band that spent nearly two decades touring in the midwest and eastern United States.  After watching this video about one-thousand times, I was, of course, dying to find more.  Unfortunately, it appears that this performance of "A Study in Brown" was the only remaining film footage of Reg and the gang.  Well, thank heavens that it does remain - and thank heavens for internet-savvy friends!

I was so thrilled by the Marimba Queens and the frenzied, bass-slapping stylings of Frank DeNunzio, that I made a promise I really couldn't keep; I swore that I could listen to this song all day, every day, for the rest of my days.  Surely, I wouldn't want to be held to that promise; I need more than the magical musicality of the marimba.  Nevertheless, along with "Holiday for Strings," "Jaan Pehechaan Ho," and the works of Leroy Anderson, Reg Kehoe's "A Study in Brown" really rounds out the wacky tacky soundtrack-y! 

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Swing! Sister, Swing!

Why is it that all-girl bands have always been such a novelty?  Even today, outside of a classical, string quartet, we still tend to be somewhat suspect of a group of "girls" taking to the stage to perform.  Why?  I wonder.  Far be it from me to get into a serious discussion of sexual politics as they relate to the history of music; wacky tacky seldom invites such serious, thought-provoking, and potentially polarizing discourse.  However, I have a sister that has more musical talent in her little finger than most people have in their whole body and I know plenty more women who are solid senders.  And yet, there is something inherently fascinating and incredibly wacky tacky about a bandstand filled with women.  Every time I see old footage of a woman playing a saxophone, I wonder about her history and what inspired her to take up that particular instrument. 

The 1920's, 30's, and 40's saw a particular surge in all-female orchestras and while they may have never made a name as famous as their male counterparts, they had the drive and the musicianship to create some crazy rhythms.  One thing is for sure, these women took the charge to "Hurry up and send me; let me go to town," very seriously.

THE INGENUES

Musical medley from "Band Beautiful"

The Ingenues (1928)

"Can't Help Lovin' that Man of Mine"

The Ingenues (1929)

RITA RIO

"Feed the Kitty"

Rita Rio & Her Mistresses of Rhythm

Rita Rio (1939)

"I Cried for You"

Rita Rio

ADA LEONARD

Ada Leonard (1943)

THELMA WHITE

"Choo Choo"

Thelma White

The biggest take away from these clips for me is not the fact that there have always been talented female musicians, but rather the amazing vitality, pep, and perpetual motion of the band leaders.  You couldn't count on Tommy Dorsey to do much more than wave his baton or swing his trombone in a circular motion.  For Rita, Thelma, and Ada, the dance was all part of the show.

Truth be told, some of these orchestras were little more than publicity gimmicks.  Apparently, Thelma White was an actress who was handed a baton and miles of fringe and told to get groovy for the cameras.  Nevertheless, all-female orchestras existed and exhausted themselves in an effort to put out great music and put on a great show!

It is obvious that these bands were the inspiration for "Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators" from the 1959 film Some Like it Hot, so we just couldn't resist including a little boop-boop-a-doop.

"I Wanna Be Loved by You"
Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopaters
Some Like it Hot (1959)

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny