Tag Archives: Doo Wop

First Shimmy of the Year!

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DJ Pete Pop swings at the Shim Sham Shimmy!

On January 4, The Shim Sham Shimmy rolled into the Salt Box in Kingston, NY. Folks, this is the fun one, the one that rocks, the one that swings, the one that bops the one that everyone is talking about. At the Shim, DJs Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus spin fantastic 45s: R&B, Blues, Soul, Surf, Rock’n’Roll, Rockabilly, Jump Blues and all kinds of nasty, jumpin’, rockin’ and swingin’ trash. On this particular night, things got so hectic that we forgot to take but one photo! You know it was a grand affair when drinks got spilled and glasses got broken!

Although The Shim Sham Shimmy is supposed to take place on the first Saturday of the month, it moves around from time to time. For example, the February Shim will take place on February 8—the second Saturday. With any luck it will return to the first Saturday in March. Stay tuned.

At the Shimmy, Pete and Phast trade mini-sets of three songs each. Sometimes the three songs are related; often they are not. Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the January Shim Sham Shimmy:

None of these records are for sale.

Rock ‘n’ Ramen on a Saturday Night!

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DJ Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus hang in front of Quinn’s after another successful DO THE 45!

April’s Do The 45 was a unique one. Host DJ Pete Pop called for a mostly fifties music hustle: rockabilly, R&B, doo wop, blues, twist, etc. He called it The Shake ’n’ Twist Edition. Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, who has somehow become a regular DJ at these events, was able to dig deep into his boxes and pull out some choice biscuits.

This Do The 45 was scheduled for Friday the 12th. However, due to some technical difficulties in the Quinn’s kitchen, the establishment couldn’t open that night so The 45 had to be moved to the Saturday. DJs Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus had to wait twenty four hours before they could deliver their explosive sounds at Beacon’s favorite rock ’n’ ramen joint. Right as the Quinn’s folks were ready to call it a night, a bunch of folks walked in and Mr. Pop and Mr. Phast ended up going an extra hour, alternating record playing. Go-Go dancers Bella Bombora and Sheba Shake were lined up to exhibit their fabulous dance moves, but Miss Sheba was already booked that night for a gig in Newburgh and couldn’t swing—so Miss Bella danced alone.

The electric Bella Bombora swings at the DO THE 45!

Although some folks still came out for the gig, many of the regulars couldn’t make the scene. The many folks who came for Quinn’s famous ramen noodles stayed extra long to dig the boss sounds. Miss Nancy made her signature vegan brownies and a new dish—chocolate chip cookies! Those things disappeared pretty quickly.

Speaking of sweet things, while at Quinn’s, The Boog sampled a desert item: Choco Monaka. It’s a sort of vanilla ice cream sandwich in a waffle crust with a thin layer of chocolate. Yummy!

Here’s a list of all the records played at the April Do The 45 by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus:

None of these records are for sale.

Non-Stop Doo Wop Hop!

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Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Lenny Kaye goof at the Doo Wop Hop! Photo by Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner.

The DOO WOP HOP was held on Friday December 12 at Teddy’s Bar & Grill, during a DYNAGROOVE event, and it was most likely the best one yet. It featured the fabulous record playing of our pal Lenny Kaye. He and DOO WOP HOP host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus have known each other now for exactly 40 years, having met when Lenny was guitarist with the great Patti Smith and her (at that time) trio playing at the Whisky A’ Go-Go in Hollywood in November of 1974. They have kept in touch ever since and last week they had a few laughs spinning their best Doo Wop records for some very close friends and fans and the groovy Teddy’s clientele. Lenny still plays guitar for Patti Smith, and he and The Patti Smith Group are gearing up for some holiday shows, but Mr. Kaye found time to gather a box of old 45s and make the scene at Teddy’s.

Lenny Kaye and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the Doo Wop Hop. Photo by Nancy "Jeannie" Garnder.

Lenny Kaye and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the Doo Wop Hop. Photo by Nancy “Jeannie” Garnder.

One of Lenny’s all time favorite songs is “I’ll Be Forever Loving You” by Jordan and the Fascinations. He played it, and also played a version of the song by a girl group, The Juliettes. The Boog played the original version by The El Dorados. Who can say which was the best, when the song is so good you couldn’t hurt it if you beat it with a stick (as our pal Doc Savage used to say all the time)! It is obvious that we will have to track down the versions by Lola Dee, The Marcels and The Bel-Aires. Are there other versions out there?

Oh, yes, it is December, so a few seasonal tunes were mixed into the fun. Santa done got hip, indeed!

All night long, fabulous group vocal after fabulous group vocal was played—then another! Is there any other music better than Doo Wop? The writers of the Boogaloo Bag think not. With any luck, the next DOO WOP HOP will take place sooner rather than later—the last one was more than two years ago.

In order to honor the great Doo Wop performers, Ruben Guevara’s wonderful Doo Wop-styled patriotic anthems were played at the beginning and at the end of the night. Here’s a list of all the songs played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, who even snuck in a couple vocal groups from Jamaica:

 

None of these records are for sale. Roll your curser over the song titles to dig some hot links to cool jams!