The Frantics - "Werewolf" - Dolton, 1959

This is a classic tune, basically a standard amongst a certain set of bands.  It influenced The Cramps' "Don't Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk".  It was covered by Los Straitjackets.  The Ventures played it note-for-note and retitled it "The Fourth Dimension". I got in on the action too. So who were the original men behind the music?

The Frantics were based out of Seattle, Washington and were active between '55 and '65. Ron Petersen and Chuck Schoning started as a duo in jr. high, and the band grew from there. By the late 50's they were recording what would become their classic material with Dolton. The two most well-known cuts are probably "Werewolf" and "Fog Cutter", but "Straight Flush" also charted. In the 60's, the band line-up was shifting and thier sound drifted towards the RnB side of things. By '65, they disbanded. There's a great collection of info at this site for those who want to dig into it further.
Dolton was a Seattle-based label started by Bob Reisdorf and Bonnie Guitar, and was active until '67. First called "Dolphin", they changed the name after a few releases to avoid confusion with a Laurie "Dolphin" subsidiary (but they kept the fish in the logo). Aside from The Frantics, other acts included The Ventures, The Fleetwoods, and Vic Dana. Avnet scooped up the label in '63 and in '65 it was merged with Liberty. It was finally closed in '67.
Most of the other songs in The Frantics catalog seem to be of the tamer teen variety, but this one is tough and eerie. Have a listen:
 

Elliot Shavers & His Bossmen - "Toe Jam" - Checker, 1964

Today I've got another R&B stormer from one of my favorite labels, Checker. Not much info out there on this cat, but I've come across some other great tunes by Elliot Shavers "and his Blazers".   Blazing indeed, both sides of this 45 will burn up a dancefloor.  The flip, "Rice And Gator Tails", is no slouch; but this is the side that really does it for me.  Have a listen:

King Curtis - "I Never Love A Man (The Way I Love You)" - Atco, 1968

Today I've got a nice blues-soul instro from sax god Curtis Ousley AKA King Curtis. Maybe you don't know the name, but you've got to know his honking on tracks like The Coasters' "Yakety Yak" or Buddy Holly's "Reminiscing."
Born in 1934, Curtis picked up at sax at age 12. He got his professional career started as a sideman in the 50's and 60's, but by the mid 60's he was able to lead his own band recording plenty of instrumentals for Atlantic. He died tragically, stabbed to death while trying to shoo some junkies away from his apartment stoop in 1971. Curtis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 6, 2000.

Today's song was originally an Aretha Franklin tune, peep this YouTube clip for a taste of the flavor:

Atco Records released a ton of 45s and I'm sure you've come across many. From Wikipedia:

"Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who had returned to the company from military service. It was also intended as a home for acts that did not fit the format of Atlantic, which at the time was only releasing blues, jazz, and R&B/soul. The Atco name is simply an abbreviation of ATlantic COrporation."
And now, the clip!

Duane Eddy - "Rebel-'Rouser" - Jamie, 1958

I wanted to mix it up with something a little twangier this week, and then I realized the King of Twang himself has not made an appearance here yet! For shame, Mike Crash, for shame. Well, better late than never.
Duane Eddy managed to become a guitar god in the late 50's putting together simple yet rocking little tunes like this one.  Born in Corning, NY in 1938, he was already playing guitar at 5. His sonic guise was that of a twangmaster extraordinaire, playing leads on the bass strings of his guitar to great effect.  Weird factoid: a 20,000 gallon water tank was used as an echo chamber on one of his early records, "Moovin' and Groovin'" to accentuate his sound.

His follow-up, "Rebel Rouser" was the big hit, getting all the way up to #6 on the charts. Why don't we have instrumental hits anymore? Get cracking musicians!
The man has worked with everyone from Ravi Shankar to Waylon Jennings, and he just keeps cranking out the tunes. He was also the first guitarist to have a signature model, and was inducted into the Rock hall of fame in '94. He's still kicking around God bless him, doing his twang thang.

Jamie was another great label out of Philly, started in 1957 by Harold Lipsius. Today's record was their first big hit, and Duane Eddy basically made the label successful just by his record sales. Any of you diggers have certainly come across this label or one of their subsidiaries such as Phil-L.A. of Soul, Dionn and Sundi. I believe the label stopped releasing tunes in the early-mid 70's.

The Frogmen - "Underwater" - Candix, 1961

I happened upon this cool little instro while on a dig a few weeks ago and thought I'd share.
Not too much info out there on The Frogmen, but I did find this page from the April 17, 1961 issue of Billboard magazine touting the song as a breakout record in Seattle and LA.

Candix was a label based out of LA.  Founded in 1960, the only decent size hit on the label was The Beach Boys first single "Surfin'". From Wikipedia: "Candix staffers Joe Saraceno and Russ Regan are attributed with renaming The Pendletones as The Beach Boys, in an attempt to make them more marketable." Certainly today's record was another tune in the surf vein. Unfortunately, the label was just a flash in the pan, bankrupt by 1962.

As I was not able to find a picture of the Frogmen, I've selected this artist's rendering of them recording thier big hit.