This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And today I take you to a small joint somewhere in the South Side of Chicago, or in the middle of Harlem, or any big city up north. Christmas was last week and within a few days the year 1952 will start. It's cold, mid winter and the streets have snow and when we enter that crowdy and warm bar there's only two things on our minds - a good whiskey to get warm and some good music. And while you order us a drink - my turn later tonight - I take some nickles and pick out what was popular in these days in December of '51.
And that jukebox, I let it start with the sensation from Atlantic that everyone wants to hear. Definitely the most popular song on the jukebox - here are the Clovers with Fool Fool Fool.
01 - Clovers - Fool, Fool, Fool
02 - John Lee Hooker - I'm in the mood
I'm in the mood for love and that was John Lee Hooker on Modern. And that great blues shouts through the joint, the guitar easily sounds over the noisy crowd. And whether it's the whiskey or the temperature in here but my feet start to thaw and my nose that got wet from the freezing air has started to tingle. This is a nice place to get drunk and the people in here, some I know somewhat and most I don't, but they're friends as soon as we entered.
But now it's someone else who put a nickle in the slot of the jukebox and it's Dinah Washington's voice coming through the place - it's her current hit Cold Cold Heart.
03 - Dinah Washington - Cold Cold Heart
04 - Peppermint Harris - I Got Loaded
(jingle)
05 - Griffin Brothers Orchestra Feat. Tommy Brown - Weepin' and Cryin'
06 - B.B. King - Three O'Clock Blues
The Three O'Clock Blues of B.B. King was that and and man that cat can hit the guitar and as I'm sipping my whiskey away in that crowdy bar I can see everyone well apreciates this blues. Now before that, I selected Weepin' and Cryin' and that was Tommy Brown backed up by the Griffin Brothers and I also had put a nickel in the slot for I Got Loaded of Peppermint Harris.
And I notice a nice Christmas leftover on the panel of the juke box, well the title sounds like that, but I've heard it before and actually it's got nothing to do with that. Let's give that a spin. Here is Roy Milton with the Best Wishes.
07 - Roy Milton - Best Wishes
08 - Roy Brown - Bar Room Blues
The Bar Room Blues - a nice rocking honker and shouter of Roy Brown and some started to dance in the small room that's actually too crowded for a good dance.
And well the music is on me today, so I put a nickel in the slot again, for Big Joe Turner's latest hit. Here is The Chill Is On.
09 - Big Joe Turner - The Chill Is On
10 - Ella Fitzgerald - Smooth Sailing
A wonderful jazzy song with Smooth Sailing of Ella Fitzgerald with that hammond organ sound in it. It was new this week on the juke box adn I hope they're gonna leave it in for a few more weeks.
Well the next one is the flip of the Best Wishes that I selected before. Now Best Wishes is may not a christmas song but someway I think it won't stay much longer in this juke box. So I decided to play the flip once more, before it's gone. Roy Milton with Short Sweet and Snappy.
11 - Roy Milton - Short Sweet and Snappy
12 - Charles Brown - Seven Long Days
Wow and how this gloomy blues hits this smoky and noisy bar. This is Charles Brown at his best with Seven Long Days. I just got a drink offered by someone who complimented me on my choice of music so I'll do my best to please everyone. So let's play the T99 blues of Jimmy Nelson, that I noticed on the selection board.
13 - Jimmy Nelson - T-99 Blues
14 - Clovers - Needless
(jingle)
15 - Five Keys - Hucklebuck With Jimmy
16 - Arthur Crudup - I'm gonna dig myself a hole
I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole and that was Big Boy Arthur Crudup whose guitar blues had a hard time sounding over the crowd that's noisy but friendly and cheerful - also to a white guy from a far away country. I come here more often but people keep on asking me where I come from and wonder what I'm doing here in this black neighborhood so far from that remote country that I'm from.
Well - I always say the music and that's right, well actually more white guys come over here to visit record stores and find the blues they won't find in places in their own area. But they stay out of joints like this one, and here's where the music falls in its place.
Well on the jukebox panel I just spotted a group that I never heard of before. The John Godfrey trio with Hey Little Girl and it's a bit of a lucky shot but let's just try it.
17 - John Godfrey Trio - Hey Little Girl
18 - Big Joe Turner - Chains Of Love
Well Big Joe Turner ends today's show of the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman, you'd nearly forgotten that my visit to that juke joint was just virtual, to show you what were the most popular songs of the end of 1951. I used Billboard's lists of most played in jukeboxes of December 1951 to put together this show, and I hope you liked the choices that the real jukebox operators made.
You can let me know what you thought of it, and if you liked the format, 'cause I intend to do that more often, randomly pop in places somewhere in the history of Rhythm & Blues. And to show we're back in modern times again, I'll tell you that you can let me know by sending me e-mail - rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com is the address. Or review today's playlist and see what's on for next time on my web site, do a google search for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and the site will show up first.
As for now, byebye and I pop in that bar back again, 'cause it's cold here, outside. See you next time here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!