First Shimmy of the Year!

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.

The Sham and the Shimmy!

The Shim Sham Shimmy at the Salt Box in Kingston is the newest addition to the Pete Pop DJ hustle. It is supposed to take place on the first Saturday of the month—but for two months it has been on the second, due to conflicting DJ schedules. Mr. Pop is a very busy man. In December it was the Benny Trokan show at Tubby’s. So for this month the event was held on the 14th, the day after Do The 45 in Beacon—another wild weekend!

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and DJ Pete Pop swing at the Shim Sham Shimmy!

For the Shimmy, Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus bring out their rockin’ stuff: early R&B, rockabilly, rock’n’roll, doo wop, rockin’ blues and all sorts of reet music. They trade off playing sets of three records the whole time. Sometimes the three records played are related in some way. Often they are not. However, the music was boisterous and folks were jumping all night long. Somehow the old building didn’t crumble to the ground!

Pete and Phast were pleased that several of their friends came by to swing; plus there were plenty of other locals who ventured up the stairs to the famous Salt Box Rumpus Room and they all joined in on the fun and excitement, which went into the wee hours of the next morning.

Here is a list of records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the December Shim Sham Shimmy:

None of these records are for sale.

Do The 45 in Style!

Princess Wow, Pete Pop, the Rock’n’Roll Nurse and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus make it with the headgear at Do The 45!

On October 11, another fantastic Do The 45 took place at Quinn’s in Beacon, NY. The September event was so successful, what with all the guest DJs, that host Pete Pop decided to invite them all back: Marty Shane, Nina Day and the inimitable Vince Vincent, along with eternal guest DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. They all played top-notch groovy jams that kept the Quinn’s folk boppin’ all night.

Among the folks at Quinn’s that night was the local celebrity Princess Wow, whose Smile Revolution Show has played in London and New York, as well as venues in the Hudson Valley.

Bella Bombora, Princess Wow, Sheba Shake and the Rock’n’Roll Nurse swing at Do The 45!

Miss Nancy baked up some sweet vittles that were gone before we could photograph them!!

Bella Bombora and Sheba Shake go-go danced, which induced many of Quinn’s elegant clientele to join them on the raised dance floor.

Toward the end of the night, after all the guest DJs left, DJ Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus traded ones. Here’s a list of all the records played by The Boog at the October Do The 45:

None of these records are for sale.

Bonus Shimmy!!

The inner workings of The Salt Box–upstairs in the Rumpus Room!

Our pals Peter Aaron and Sean McDJ have a cool night at the Salt Box in Kingston called Smash! Crash!! Bash!!!. It takes place on the last Friday of the month. At this gig, these guys plays some fabulous rockin’ records that can go from rockabilly to punk to funk, to new wave, to garage rock to who knows what. Whatever they play, it is always rockin’, that’s for sure!

For The Bash!!! on September 27, neither DJ could make the scene, due to more pressing events elsewhere, so they asked Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to step in. Instead of trying to imitate The Bash!!!, Pete Pop decided to throw a special bonus Shim Sham Shimmy. Mr. Pop called for a new Shimmy format: R&B, rockabilly, rockin’ blues, rock’n’roll, so that’s what was played at the Salt Box that night. The place was jumpin’!!! Pete and the Boog mixed it up pretty good, trading twenty-minute sets all night.

DJ Pete Pop and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus goof at the Shim Sham Shimmy!

For this event, Miss Nancy made some banana bread and sliced it up ready to eat.
Our friend Tim Broun has a dog named Rosie. Mr. Broun was coming to the Salt Box that night with his dog in tow, so Miss Nancy made some cookies in the shape of a Scottish terrier in Rosie’s honor!

We were very happy that a bunch of our friends showed up to swing…including Peter Aaron, whose other event got cancelled due to complications of the hurricane Helene. Shame about his event, but we are always happy to see him in the room—playing records or not!

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at this bonus Shim Sham Shimmy:

Earl Bostic and His Orchestra–Lester Leaps In (King)
Bobby Lee Trammell–Sally Twist (Atlanta)
Huey “Piano” Smith and His Clowns—Don’t You Know Yockomo (Ace)
Cora Woods–Ooh La La (Federal)
Chuck Wiley–Shake Up the Dance (United Artists)
King Curtis & His Orchestra–Rockabye Baby (Groove)
Googie Rene–Big Foot (Class)
Eddie Kirk–Hog Killin’ Time (King)
Fabian–Got the Feeling (Chancellor)
The Champs–Sombrero (Challenge)
Eddie Bo–Hey Bo (Apollo)
The Bey Sisters and the Duke Anderson Orchestra–Sugar Cookie (Jaguar)
Lee Dresser and the Krazy Kats–Wiggly Little Mama (Robin)
Joe Houston and His Fabulous Tenor–Hush Your Mouth (KEM)
The Coasters–Teach Me How to Shimmy (Atco)
The Exceptions–Down by the Ocean (Pro)
Ko Ko Taylor–(I Got) All You Need (Checker)v
The Empala Six–Empala Rock (Blue Moon)
Albert Collins–Sno-Cone (Part I) (TCF-Hall)
The Creations–Shang Shang (Jamie)
Professor Longhair–Looka No Hair (Deltone)
Lula Reed–Puddentane (Federal)
Rusty York–Shake ’Em Up Baby (King)
The Roaches–Rat Fat (On Rye) (Guyden)
Count Popeye–Nosey Rosey (Kent)
Jimmy McCracklin—What’s That (Pt. 1) (Mercury)
The Sisters–Ooh Poo Pa Doo (Del-Fi)
Rico Rodriques–Luke Lane Shuffle (Blue Beat; UK)
Owen Gray–Dolly Baby (Aladdin; UK)
Harvey–Mama (Chess)
J.B. Lenoir–Do What I Say (Vee-Jay)
Bobby Bland—Don’t Cry No More (Duke)
Hollywood Hurricanes–Have Love Will Travel (Prima)
Rudy Greene–Juicy Fruit (Ember)
Lattimore Brown—Chick, Chick, Chicky Chick (Zil)
Roger & the Gypsies–Pass the Hatchet Part 2 (Seven B)
The Marathons–Peanut Butter (Arvee)
Elvis Presley–Mystery Train (RCA-Victor)
Wanda Jackson–Rock Your Baby (Capitol; Canada)
Hank Blackman & the Killers–Itchy Koo (Brent)
The Fabulous Playboys–Nervous (Daco)
Sil Austin (vocal by Lester Young)–Say Lou (Mercury)
Bob Riley–Big Dog (York)
The Rocking Brothers – Jason and Wilbur–Rock It (R and B)
The Carnations–Scorpion (Tilt)
The Debelaires with Al Allen & the Skyscrapers–The Wa-Wabble (Lectra)
Diane and the Darlettes–The Wobble (Dunes)
The Ly-Dells–Doing the Wiggle Wobble (Roulette)
Tony Conn–Like Wow (Decca; USA)
Mac Rebennack–Storm Warning (Rex)
Earl Bostic and His Orchestra vocal by Clyde Terrell–I Got Loaded (King)
Jack Bedient and the Chessmen–See the Little Girl (Fantasy)
Willie Loftin & the Discords–Bad Habit (Smoke)
Billy Adams and the Pedal Pushers–Bicycle Hop (Koko)
The Concertones–Just One More Time (Legrand)
Owen Gray–Running Around (Blue Beat; UK)
Willie Wright and His Sparklers–Gibble Gobble (Federal)
Al Duncan–Bawana Jinde (Stacy)
Ivory Joe Hunter and his Ivorytones with orchestra–I Got to Learn to Do the Mambo (Atlantic)
Kai Ray–I Want Some of That (Norton)
Little Walter (Washboard Sam)—Diggin’ My Potatoes (Checker)
Piano Red–Comin’ On (RCA Victor)
Jerry McCain–Juicy Lucy (Jewel)
The School Belles–Cool It Baby (Dot)
The Hot Dogs–Shave, Shine and Shampoo (Crest)
The Twilighters—Scratchin’ (Chess)
Dusty Springfield–Do Re Mi (Forget About the Do and Think About Me) (Philips)
The Apaches–Hey Sorrento (Mercury)
J.L. Tri Five–Oh Baby (Varbee)
Hot Lips Page and His Orchestra–Let Me In (RCA Victor)
Big Mama Thornton–Swing It on Home (Arhoolie)
Lenny Welch–Changa Rock (Cadence)
Roy Montrell and His Band–Oooh-Wow (Specialty)
Smiley Lewis–Down the Road (Imperial)
Leon Peels–Cottonhead Joe (Whirlybird)
Ola V. Harper–Resisting (Jewel)

None of these records are for sale.

June swoon at Do The 45!

Rainbow over Beacon!

On June 14, another fantastic Do The 45 took place at Quinn’s in Beacon. Host DJ Pete Pop and his regular guest DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus were delighted when so many of their lovely friends showed up to bop to the slop that they presented—all on 45 RPM records, mostly original pressings. It had rained earlier in the evening, and as folks were showing up to Quinn’s a rainbow appeared over Beacon! Surly a sign that the night would be a gas.

And it was!

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and DJ Pete Pop swing at Do The 45!

As usual, Pete Pop played some fantastic records. Also as usual, Go-Go dancers Sheba Shake and Bella Bombora induced much dancing around by the folks who were in attendance. Pete Pop‘s fabulous videos had folks fascinated and much merriment took place. Our pal Stuart Millman showed up, and whenever he does, the Do The 45 DJs play more rockabilly 45s than usual in order to keep him coming back! He’s a rockabilly cat from way back and the DJs dig it when he’s in the house so they can show off their boss rockin’ jams.

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

None of these records are for sale.

Rock ‘n’ Ramen on a Saturday Night!

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.