jim henson

Western Swing bandleader Johnnie Lee Wills remained behind in the Texas-Oklahoma area when his older brother, Bob Wills, moved his band to California in 1940.

After leaving Bob's band, Johhnie Lee formed his own group and enjoyed a great deal of regional fame.

A recording contract with Decca Records in 1941 was soon interrupted by World War II.

Post-war (and post-Decca) he had some national acclaim with a string of recordings on the Bullet label, before signing with RCA in 1952.

The popularity of the Western Swing sound began to wane in the 1950's, but via regular radio appearances in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Johnnie Lee Wills retained his status in the region throughout the decade.

- See also: A bio page at Texas Playboys.Net













Listen to:
Johnnie Lee Wills and his Boys -
The Thingamajig
(vocal by Curley Lewis and Trio)
(RCA Victor 78, circa 1952)

(click for audio)












Listen to:
Johnnie Lee Wills and his Boys - She Took
(vocal by Leon Huff and Trio)
(RCA Victor 78, circa 1952)

(click for audio)



ADDENDA, 5.2.09: Thanks to Michael Bates and his BatesLine blog for linking to this post and providing song lyrics and recording session details - -

"'The Thingamajig' was written by prolific songwriter Cindy Walker. ("You Don't Know Me" and "Dream Baby" are perhaps her two best known songs.)
"It was recorded on Feb. 3, 1952, at the KVOO studios, for RCA. (Was KVOO still in the Philtower in '52?)
"Lead vocals by Julian 'Curley' Lewis. Johnnie Lee Wills is asking the questions and singing on the trio part. Don Tolle on electric guitar, Tommy Elliott on steel guitar, Clarence Cagle on piano, C. Adams on bass, Waid Peeler on drums, Curley Lewis, Henry Boatman and James Guy 'Cotton' Thompson on fiddle.
"Don Harlan played clarinet on this session, but I don't hear it on this song. He might be singing with the trio, along with Johnnie Lee Wills and Leon Huff, the band's usual vocalist."

A brief mention of Mexican painter and caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias in a recent posting here prompted a comment from a blog visitor.

He was kind enough to provide a link to the video slideshow he'd posted at YouTube: 'An Homage to
Miguel Covarrubias'.

Here's the video for you to enjoy, full of stunning Covarrubias images. ↙



Back in April of '07 I'd mentioned the artist in the first of my weekly 'Reasons To Be Cheerful' entries...

"I found a copy of the art book, 'Miguel Covarrubias: Four Visions', and so far it's exceeded my already high expectations.
"As a kid, there was a big print of his 'Flora and Fauna of the Pacific' mural hanging in the bathroom. I knew of Covarrubias' art of the Pacific - - some of the Bali stuff, the Mexican culture stuff, but was completely unaware of the breadth of his styles, his drawings, and his commercial work.
"This book does a good job of roping it all together. SO cool.
Hey, maybe you should check out a little of his artwork - - ?"


Below are a few links to whet your appetite for more...

- 'Paintings of Miguel Covarrubias' at foto-foto.com

- 'Illustration: The Genius of Miguel Covarrubias' - - Serious eye candy at ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive

- A great overview at American Art Archives

- Another; several pages in reference to Covarrubias' illustrations for Zora Neale Hurston's 'Mules and Men'

- More 'round-up' resources at ArtCyclopedia Guide to Great Art on the Internet

- (ADDENDUM, 2/5/08) This just in: Several Covarrubias illustrations to W.H. Hudson's novel,
'Green Mansions'. Thanks to Jeffrey for providing the link to his site, Goof Button.com

Here's a 45 that Micky Dolenz recorded in L.A. a few months prior to being cast in
The Monkees, the role that would change his life.

(click on images to ENLARGE)

As it turned out, it wasn't until 1967, near the height of 'Monkeemania', that Challenge saw fit to actually release the single, cashing in on Micky's fame.

Though displaying a very similar feel to his Monkee's material, the double entendre aspects of the solo Dolenz song lyrics set this release apart just a bit from the somewhat more TV-friendly recordings.

Listen to:
Micky Dolenz - Don't Do It
Challenge 45 (recorded 1965, released 1967)
(click for audio)

See also:
The official website - MickyDolenz.Com