FIVE OF THE HARDEST SHAKERS WE KNOW: PREPARE TO BE THROTTLED (MUSICALLY).

Curtis Knight (center) with most of The    

Squires, including Jimi Hendrix (far left). 

Sometimes we require a good solid round of musical ravaging, do we not? As in, these five instrumentals from the Shakers Era will ravage you, Dear Reader. By “Shakers Era” we mean the largely underappreciated early rock ‘n’ roll and R&B that prevailed, roughly speaking, from the appearance of Elvis to the British Invasion. (Give or take: 1952 to 1954 to 1964 to 1966.) In those 10 to 12 to 14 years can be found some of the rowdiest strains ever produced in American music, much of it driven by shrieking saxophone or crunching guitar, or both. Most of the Shakers musicians would never achieve stardom; a handful who “cut their teeth” in this era would “make it big” but often enough “making it big” equated to soggy crooning as compared to the teeth-rattling properties of these formidable records.

Collectively, these five groups played surf, R&B, rockabilly, and hard rock from the earliest recording (1958) to the latest (1966). Yes, you will recognize some of the names. You may have a hard time reconciling a shaker such as “Buzz Saw” with the mushier output-to-come by its musicians: among them Glen Campbell and Seals and Crofts. Upon hearing “Hornet’s Nest,” you may remark that you had no idea there was a Jimi Hendrix before the Jimi Hendrix Experience shocked the world, but there was, and he played in a wild group known as Curtis Knight & The Squires. From the Grammy-winning Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Duane Eddy to the relatively unknown proto-punk group The Fender IV to the double trumpets of Frank Motley right here in Washington, D.C., all these records will fulfill the prophecy: namely, you will be shaken, throttled, ravaged, ravished, and picked apart until your bare bones rattle together simply while you wear a huge smile on your face.

Before you queue-up the music, we suggest that you situate yourself in a semi-dark enclave with appropriate libations at your fingertips. We doubly suggest that you invite your Sweetie Pie to join you. You may jump up, you may get down, you may be scared into each other’s arms. It is always more fun to be ravaged in the presence of a loved one, is it not?

intro: Behold the rock ‘n’ roll shaker “Peter Gunn” released by Duane Eddy in 1958 or 1959.

26-word song review: Twangy guitar will surely rescue us (right?) but no, it’s a ruse, the guitar crunches us instead, while saxophone drills gaping holes in the earth’s mantle.

how to dress for this song: In layers, that can be shed, as you flee.

after hearing this song you resolve to . . . . . build a funeral pyre for all the “with strings” albums that you own.

sub genre(s): Rockabilly. Hard rock. Tenor excess.

notes. Henry Mancini wrote the original “Peter Gunn” and recorded it with legendary shaker musician Plas Johnson on tenor sax. The Mancini version, of course, provided theme music for the television show of the same name but the Duane Eddy rendition goes well beyond Mancini, well beyond raunchy, to reach the upper levels of the registry known to humankind. Eddy’s 1986 remake of the song won him a Grammy, which we will not hold against him.

discography: Duane Eddy. “Peter Gunn” A-side b/w “Yep!” B-side. London Records, London American Recordings HLW 8879. United Kingdom, 1958 or 1959. (Also released on the Jamie label in the USA, in 1959 and1960, under the heading of Duane Eddy “His Twangy Guitar” and The Rebels). Likely personnel may have included all or some of the following: Duane Eddy (guitar); Steve Douglas (saxophone); Corkey Casey (rhythm guitar); Buddy Wheeler (electric bass); Jimmy Simmons (upright bass); Al Casey (piano); and Mike Bermani (drums). Compositional credit: Henry Mancini. Sources of information: Discogs; 45cat; Wikipedia pages for Duane Eddy and “Peter Gunn”; Only Solitaire Herald; Jazz Messengers.

intro: Behold the R&B shaker “Space Age” released by Frank Motley in 1959.

26-word song review: 3 minutes of sheer rocket fuel. 2 trumpets shrieking in the same cat’s mouth. 1 drummer thumping away in the wake of his own echoes. Blastoff.

how to dress for this song: In a helmet!

after hearing this song you resolve to . . . . . jettison your ballast.

sub genre(s): R&B. Washington, D.C. R&B. Extraterrestrial exotica.

notes: Part of the vibrant R&B scene in Washington, D.C., Frank Motley became one of the few American musicians adept at playing more than one horn simultaneously, alongside Rahsaan Roland Kirk and George Braith. Notably, Motley and his band backed transgender singer Jackie Shane in the Toronto-area hit “Any Other Way” from 1963, a slower piece that we highly recommend.

discography: Frank “Dual Trumpet” Motley and His Crew. “Space Age” A-side b/w “Everybody Wants a Flattop” B-side. DC 45-0415. Washington, D.C., 1959. Likely personnel: Frank Motley (dual trumpets); Curley Bridges or Jimmy Crawford (keyboards); and Thomas ‘TNT’ Tribble (drums); remaining musicians unknown. Compositional credit: Frank Motley and Lillian Claiborne. Sources of information: Discogs; 45cat; Wikipedia.

intro: Behold the rock ‘n’ roll shaker “Buzz Saw” released by The Gee Cees in 1961.

26-word song review: As the needle cuts through the disc, as the disc cuts through the turntable, so do the teeth of the music cut through us unrepentant scoundrels.

how to dress for this song: With safety goggles.

after hearing this song you resolve to . . . . . cut through brick with a butter knife.

sub genre(s): Rockabilly. Hard rock. Powertool grind.

notes: Apparently, Glen Campbell, Jim Seals, and Dash Crofts had been bandmates in the widely beloved shaker group The Champs, before leaving that group to cut this record. “Buzz Saw” would hardly predict the slower-paced material that would follow from Campbell and, separately, the duo Seals and Crofts. We wish this brief intersection had continued.

discography: The Gee Cees. “Buzz Saw” A-side b/w “Annie Had a Party” B-side. Crest 45-1088. Hollywood, California, 1961. [Also released by the same label as “Buzz Saw Twist.”] Likely personnel: Glen Campbell (guitar); Jerry Kolbrak also known as Jerry Cole (guitar); Jim Seals (Saxophone); and Dash Crofts (drums); other musicians may have been drawn from another group, The Champs, but are unknown. Compositional credit: Glen Campbell. Sources of information: Discogs; 45cat; Wikipedia pages for Glen Campbell and Jerry Cole.

intro: Behold the rock ‘n’ roll shaker “Mar Gaya” released by The Fender IV in 1964.

26-word song review: We consider this a punk record ahead of its time, we consider this a great punk record, for the sheer locomotion and irreverence of the musicians.

how to dress for this song: With a fedora, pince-nez, smoking jacket, and pocket watch.

after hearing this song you resolve to . . . . . weigh the benefits of the Atkins diet versus the Keto diet.

sub genre(s): Surf. Proto punk. Beach loco.

notes: According to “Google Translate” the phrase “mar gaya” means “died” or “petered (out)” in Hindi; “strong sea” in Haitian Creole, and “mar gaya” in Esperanto.

discography: The Fender IV. “Mar Gaya” A-side b/w “You Better Tell Me Now” B-side. Imperial 66061. Los Angeles, California, 1964. Likely personnel: Randy Holden (guitar); Joe Kooken (guitar); Mike Port (bass); and Bruce Miller (drums). Compositional credit: Randy Holden. Sources of information: Discogs; 45cat; Wikipedia. 

intro: Behold the R&B shaker “Hornet’s Nest” released by Curtis Knight and The Squires in 1966.

26-word song review: Okay, yes, the angry hornets, because their nest was poked, but who set them off, okay, yes, it was Jimi Hendrix, that would explain a lot.

how to dress for this song: In a beekeeper’s suit.

after hearing this song you resolve to . . . . . swarm!

sub genre(s): R&B. Hard rock. Apian blues.

notes: There are lots of disputes involving the Knight / Hendrix recordings that we choose not to fathom.

discography: Curtis Knight & The Squires. “Hornet’s Nest” A-side b/w “Knock Yourself Out” B-side. RSVP 1124. New York, 1966. Likely personnel: Curtis Knight (guitar); Jimi Hendrix (guitar); Marion Booker Jr. (drums); Ace Hall or Napoleon Anderson (bass); and Nate Edmonds (organ). Compositional credit: Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Simon. Sources of information: Discogs; 45cat; Wikipedia; Early Hendrix.

Steve Douglas, saxophonist on “Peter Gunn”

Frank Motley with two trumpets and His Crew. 

that’s all folks!