Sunday, December 20, 2009

TUPELO CHAIN SEX


So in 1969, Zappa recorded his classic solo record, Hot Rats with the piece, Willie The Pimp featuring Don Van Vliet on vocals, and the violin of Don "Sugarcane" Harris. Don went on to play with the Mothers and recorded the Weasels Ripped My Flesh record with them. Weasels has the track with Dons vocals and violin, the Richard Penniman (Little Richard) tune, Directly From My Heart To You. He is also on Burnt Weeny Sandwich and there is a cut called Lil Clanton Shuffle on The Lost Episodes....
Don was a pyrotechnic musician, a soloist whose ability mixed classical technique with the blues and the acute intelligence of jazz. He straddled the line between Little Richard and Bela Bartok....

Don had started out in pop music in the early 60's as part of the duo, Don and Dewey and had some hit 45's. There are rumored to be recordings of him playing with Little Richard when Jimi Hendrix was getting his road experience with the Upsetters. Frank said that he was an admirer of Dons work and tried to find him. The producer Johnny Otis told Frank that Don was in jail on a drug charge and Frank helped him get out and started to record with him. Don had a very troubled life and was plagued with addictions. This led to his departure from Zappa's touring lineup...Frank was a notoriously strict band leader.

Don recorded some classic forgotten solo jazz and blues records. One record I would love to have has Robert Wyatt on drums before his accident which left him paraplegic and one of my absolute all time favorite guitarists, the Norwegian (thanks, Svenn), Terje Rypdal.
I've only heard a few pieces from it.

Dons turbulent life found him in the late 70's and 80's playing with an incredble live band which hasn't much recorded legacy. They were a punk horn band with incredible energy and the secret weapon...Sugarcane Harris!
This is a live video from London, Ontario around 1984 of a piece called The revolution Will Be Televised.......He died in 1999 at the age of 61.

9 comments:

Svenn said...

Hello from Norway: Rypdal is Norwegian, just for the record. I agree, I would like to have that album too.

microdot said...

Thank you for the correction, Svenn...I thought Rypdal was Norwegian, but somehow, I got Sweden on my mind...
He's still one of my all time favorite musicians...he really influenced me.

Stu said...

Stumuk was part of the Tupelo Chain Sex lineup as well, so you get two Zappa connections for the price of one. (In the end, all roads lead to Frank)

microdot said...

Bill (Stumak) Nugent is alive and well and living alternately in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the San Bernadino Mountains of Southern California. He would love to hear from his fans and is always looking for new gigs with new bands. He can be reached at ftr555.comcast.net

The artist known as Stumak was on Joes Garage (Baritone Sax) and was in the movie version of Uncle Meat and yes, he was in the Tupelo Chain Sex line up.

I did not know this until just a few hours ago. I need to hear more Tupelo Chain Sex NOW!

Pote said...

Yeah i hear it 'TCS' from Thrasher skate rock long time ago and hard in search, I especially like the outside of American, off course i will support to be able listen this album, ....PLEASE Upload "Tupelo Chain Sex-4!" i needed

microdot said...

Iwill look for Tupelo Chain Sex-4...
I can't believe these guys did not get more attention in their day...

Funny you should mention Thrasher Mag...I now remember working on a cover for Thrasher in the late 80's? Early 90's? that was a Japanese back tattoo piece of a mythological Japanese warrior on a skateboard...it was fierce!

I did temporary tattoo art for films and special effects in photos and videos at the time.

Pote said...

"TCS" did you discuss how long? until I was practically little attention ...?
Maybe you better know everything .... great, I salute!!!
Ps :
TCS with the song "America" ever existed at Skate Rock Smash vol 4 in 1986 is that correct?

microdot said...

Pote, I am no expert. You know much more about these guys than I probably ever will. I learned of their existence when I read an interview man years ago about the fate of Sugarcane Harris and Frank Zappa said he thought he was playing with "some guys" called Tupelo Chain Sex.

I was a punk rock musician in New York in the late 70's through the early 90's. I never got to see them, but now, I have discovered them and I think theyu are one of the most exciting bands of their genre and era.

I looked for references and videos on YouTube, but there isn't much, but now that i do a little research, I see there is a lot to learn.
Any info that you can give me will be truly appreciated!

bigcitylib said...

Hey! The rumors re Sugarcane playing with Hendrix and Little Richard are true. I had that album. That's why I went to see TPC in the early 80s. But he was apparently nursing a heroin addiction and Stumak toured with them instead.