Curio Cabinet / Song Curio

It's Flashback Friday! Soak up some pre-weekend inspiration with these curios about innovators who blazed trails and broke molds.
 

The "fastest girl drummer in the world" was also one of the most innovative. Viola Smith passed away in 2020 at the age of 107 after a lifetime as a trailblazing drummer. As a teenager in Wisconsin, her father dreamed of having an all-girl jazz orchestra. Viola, being the youngest girl, got saddled with keeping the beat. Soon after, she started playing drums live and taking lessons from professional players. In 1938, she co-formed the Coquettes, a women's orchestra with Smith as the starring soloist. On tracks like Snake Charmer, Smith shows off her impeccable range, combining a jazz drum kit with orchestral percussion instruments like mallets, timpani, and dual concert bass drums surrounding her head—no doubt giving the song the intended exotic feel the title must have imparted at the time. Take a listen back to Snake Charmer, and hear what all the fuss was about when Viola Smith sat down behind a drum kit and let the fireworks fly.

Image credit & copyright: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 

Written by: Esther P.
 

It's Flashback Friday. In honor of National Stand Up To Cancer Day, here are some curios about people and organizations who have done just that.
 

Sick days? Not in Shostakovich's vocabulary. The composer completed his 15th String Quartet in E-Flat Minor while hospitalized on May 17, 1974 for lung cancer and a heart condition. The great 20th-century Russian composer, who had suffered through a lifetime of sickness and censorship from the Stalinist regime, holds none of his melancholy back in one of his final compositions. In instructions to the Beethoven Quartet's performance of the piece, he wrote: "play the first movement so that the flies drop dead in mid-air and the audience leaves the hall out of sheer boredom." Hyperbole aside, Shostakovich's meditation on mortality can be heard in the beautifully haunting tone of the piece. Take a listen to Yo-Yo Ma, Gideon Kremer, Daniel Phillips, and Kim Kashkashian perform the first movement, the Elegy, and don't follow the flies, or the people out of the exits—stay put for this one. It's too good to miss.  

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His name was Prince Buster, B-u-s-t-e-r. Although this legendary Jamaican singer and songwriter passed away on this day in 2016, his pioneering sound ensured that his music can never be forgotten. Along with artists like Stranger Cole and Duke Reid, Buster was one of the first pioneers of ska music. This upbeat, distinctly Jamaican genre, characterized by a walking bass line with off-beat rhythms and plenty of horns, helped make Prince Buster the first Jamaican artist to have a top 20 hit in the UK. That 1967 hit was Al Capone, a song about the famed New York crime boss, who was a popular figure in Jamaican media at the time. The song is mostly instrumental, featuring just seven lines of lyrics, including the bluntly-recited spelling of Capone’s name in an MC style. Buster’s backup group, the All Stars, which included music greats like Baba Brooks on trumpet and Ernest Ranglin on guitar, gave the song its distinctly danceable melody. If the rumors are true and ska is due for a resurgence in the states, we’re hoping Al Capone makes it to the top of as many playlists as possible.

[Image description: Prince Buster, wearing a black hat and leather jacket, performs onstage with lights in the background.] Credit & copyright: Yerpo, image cropped for size.
 

It's Flashback Friday! In honor of National Food Bank Day, enjoy some curios that are all about helping others.
 

Folk legend or cocaine-addled conductor: who is Casey Jones and how did the Grateful Dead decide to write about him? The real-life Jones, who was, in fact, a conductor, died in a train accident in 1900. With one hand on the brake and the other pulling the whistle, Jones is credited with sacrificing himself to save the lives of everyone in his wake. Overbooking at the depot and mechanical failure led to the fateful crash. Engine wiper Wallace Saunders eulogized Jones in a ballad that was sold, adapted, and mythologized among Vaudeville artists. Never copyrighted, the original lyrics are lost, but they probably didn't include anything about cocaine. That was an invention of the Dead in their 1970 single, Casey Jones, a bouncy song about, well, drugs. Robert Hunter, who wrote the song, insists the hit single's origins were spontaneous: "It just suddenly popped into my mind: 'driving that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones, you better watch your speed.' I just wrote that down and I went on to whatever else I was doing." Suuure. If Casey Jones were alive, he might take issue with being mislabeled a coke addict!  

Below: the Grateful Dead's more traditional take on Casey Jones' story. Maybe they were feeling guilty.  

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These festival-goers really should have taken it easy. On this day in 1972, the three-day Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival kicked off near Griffin, Indiana. Around 50,000 people were expected to attend, and the festivals’ promoters prepared as such. Unfortunately, over 200,000 rowdy music fans showed up for the festival, which promised performances from Black Sabbath, Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac and other rock legends. Though some bands cancelled as the festival descended into mayhem due to bad weather, lack of security and prolific drug use, The Eagles did perform several songs, including their iconic hit Take it Easy, which had just been released in May of that year. The laid-back, feel-good song features steady guitar strumming meant to mimic the sound of tires on the open road. The Eagles’ set was a success, but it unfortunately didn’t calm the enormous crowds at the Erie Canal Soda Pop festival, who trashed the venue, swam drunk in the nearby Wabash River (resulting in three drowning deaths) and eventually burned down the music stand. Even the Eagles’ “sweet love” can’t save everything.

[Image description: A black and white photo of a dense, seated crowd at an outdoor music festival with a partially-constructed tent near the center.] Credit & copyright: Sonny Brown/University of Southern Indiana
 

Things weren’t looking so green for British alt-rock band Supergrass on this day in 2007. Bass player and vocalist Mick Quinn was undergoing surgery for a broken back after sleepwalking out of a window, forcing the band to delay a planned homecoming gig in Oxford. Long before this unfortunate incident, Supergrass had launched onto the UK alternative scene with their 1995 debut album, I should Coco. It included their most successful single, Alright, which was featured in the movie Clueless and peaked at number two on the UK Singles chart. The undeniably summery tune features 1960s-inspired echoey guitar strums and a poppier sound than most of the band’s other fare. The song’s colorful music video famously featured scenes of Supergrass members driving a four-poster bed down winding roads. Luckily, Quinn’s 2007 injuries, which included two broken vertebrae, were able to be repaired. Supergrass broke up three years later, in 2010. Their 2020 reunion tour sure sounded alright though.

[Image description: A black and white photo of Gaz Coombes, Danny Goffey and Mick Quinn of Supergrass with their arms around one another’s shoulders.] Credit & copyright: Keira Vallejo, image cropped for size
 

It's Flashback Friday! Around the world, the end of summer is marked by fairs, festivals, and religious ceremonies. In that spirit, enjoy these curios highlighting celebrations from throughout the calendar year.
 
Every March, Iranians celebrate Nowruz, marking the new year in the Iranian calendar. Nowruz, which literally translates to "New Day," always starts on the first day of spring. Festivities will stretch over the next 13 days, and, in many places, will include the classic song Molla Mammad Jaan. Said to have been written in the Afghan city of Mazar-i Sharif, the tune has been adopted to celebrate the festival wherever the Iranian calendar is used. With longstanding ties to the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, it's no wonder that Nowruz isn't just for Iranians. So take a listen, read up on some customs, and party like it's 1378! (That's 1999 for you Gregorian calendar users.)  

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Sometimes, achieving fame and fortune is all about being in the right place at the right time. That was undoubtedly the case for 17-year-old Eva Boyd (Little Eva), who topped the U.S. billboard charts on this day in 1962 with The Loco-Motion. Before her music career, Boyd took a job as a nanny for a New York couple. That couple just happened to be the husband and wife songwriting duo of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, who were responsible for 1960s hits like Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Take Good Care of My Baby. One day, King wrote a melody that reminded Goffin of a train, spurring him to write train-themed lyrics for it. After the couple saw Boyd dancing with their daughter to the tune, they asked her to record its demo. Goffin and King hoped that popular singer Dee Dee Sharp would sing the real version. But their producer, Don Kirshner, heard something special in the slightly-gravely, matter-of-fact sound of Boyd’s voice over the thumping beat. He dubbed Boyd “Little Eva”, and the song was released as her first single. Soon, Boyd was busy teaching everyone a “brand new dance.” What a way to lose your nanny.

[Image description: A black and white promotional photo of Little Eva dancing, wearing a patterned dress with a black belt.] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
 

It's Flashback Friday! In honor of the 19th Amendment’s ratification on August 18, 1920, enjoy these curios featuring accomplished women!
 

In 2019, jazz lovers mourned the loss of a star whom Dizzy Gillespie once called his "protégé": self-described "trumpetiste" Clora Bryant, who emerged as a bebop and West Coast jazz pioneer in the 1940s. On tracks like This Can't Be Love, Bryant led her own quartet as a singer and soloist. Her hardscrabble contralto voice compliments the lyrics of a cynical person who might have just found the greatest love of her life. In contrast, her solo comes out swingin' smoothly with variations on the jazz chorus. While Bryant is often overlooked by jazz historians, her contemporaries were far more effusive with praise. "She has the feeling of the trumpet. The feeling, not just the notes," Gillespie remarked. Despite battling sexism all her life, Bryan shined as a soloist for the U.S.'s leading all-female swing ensemble, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, and emerged as a band leader in the '50s. In 1989, she became the first American jazz artist to perform in the U.S.S.R. If Bryant's legacy on wax is any indication, jazz trumpet aficionados who love a swingin' good tune will be grooving to her for many years to come.
 

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Image credit & copyright: Loomis Dean / LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images
 

In a world of rotating idols, it’s hard to have staying power. K-pop star Somi (also known as Ennik Somi Douma or Jeon So-mi) has managed to sustain a years-long career in an industry notorious for constantly pushing new talent. After spending time as a member of K-pop group I.O.I, Somi went solo in 2019 with the release of her smash hit, Birthday. On August 2, more than a year after the release of her last single, What You Waiting For, Somi released her much-anticipated comeback, Dumb Dumb, as a digital single. The song’s music video gained over 10 million views in its first 24 hours. Although some have compared the single unfavorably to Birthday, citing its run-of-the-mill dancy pop beat, others have praised its playful lyrics about a girl pretending to be shy to gain a boy’s attention. Undeniably catchy as only a K-pop song can be, Dumb Dumb was co-written by Somi herself, alongside Teddy Park, founder of THEBLACKLABEL, and producers R.TEE and 24. They clearly make a winning team, as the song’s music video has now racked up over 45 million views. Don’t be a dumb dumb, give it a listen below!

[Image description: K-pop singer SOMI singing into a microphone.] Credit & copyright: railroad 철동야 연예인직찍, image cropped for size.
 

It's Flashback Friday! On this day in 1961, construction on the Berlin Wall began. Take a look back at the social changes (both good and bad) of the 1960s with this 60s-themed curio.
 
Here's a man who really could get no satisfaction. Amid civil unrest in 1968, Mick Jagger was starting to find his voice as a lyricist who could embody an anti-hero. He was inspired to write the confrontational Street Fighting Man after 25,000 people marched against the Vietnam War in London's Grosvenor Square. The song captures the fervor of a protester who leads with his fists. Backed by an acoustic Rolling Stones, with beats influenced by Martha and the Vandellas' Dancing in the Street, Street Fighting Man has been called the Stones' only protest song. In spite of its unusual place in the band's repertoire, the song has been a staple of their live shows for nearly 50 years. Because what can a poor protest song do, except be sung with aplomb by a rock 'n' roll band?

 

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Image credit & copyright: Marcel Antonisse/Anefo/Public Domain
 

Open up, everything's waiting for you...including an MTV concert. On this day in 1997, MTV aired “Fleetwood Mac: The Dance”, a reunion concert that many people (including a few Mac members) assumed would never happen. At the time, Fleetwood Mac was a band defined by internal turmoil. Among other problems, members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had a tumultuous romantic relationship which ended with allegations of cheating. Yet, in the late 90s, Fleetwood Mac seemed to set aside their differences, reuniting for a new album, The Dance, and a tour to promote it, in addition to their MTV special. The reunion even featured the song Go Your Own Way, from 1977’s Rumours. Lindsey Buckingham had written it as a message to Stevie Nicks, whom he accused of infidelity. It’s unique tune features a constant eighth note on base, to create tension. Initially criticized by radio DJs for having a “weak beat”, the song’s show-stopping guitar solo and impassioned lyrics were more than enough to make it popular with audiences. In later years, even Nicks came to embrace it as a song about individuality, rather than just a bad breakup. Water under the hit single, as they say.

[Image description: The members of Fleetwood Mac stand shoulder to shoulder. From left to right, they are: Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham.] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
 

We’re all excited, but take a deep breath! Candian R&B sensation The Weeknd caused quite a stir with the August 6 release of his newest single, Take My Breath. The disco-pop track is filled with references to disco’s hayday, from the Donna Summers-esque synth riffs to the constant arpeggiation of chords. It was written by a tried-and-true team, including The Weeknd himself, Canadian rapper Ahmad Balshe and Swedish record producers Oscar Holter and Max Martin, the latter of whom also worked with The Weeknd on one of his biggest hits, Blinding Lights. Take My Breath’s music video also seems to be a modern tribute to disco, with its high-energy club scenes and The Weeknd’s strutting dance moves under near-constant strobe lights. Unfortunately, the video couldn’t be shown before IMAX showings of Suicide Squad, as originally planned, due to epilepsy concerns. No worries, though, the song’s official audio can be listened to below, strobe-light free.

[Image description: The Weeknd holds a microphone while performing on stage with purple lighting in 2015.] Credit & copyright: Kayla Johnson/Image cropped for size.
 

Fire up your PCs, it’s time for a concert! On August 2, Epic Games, developer of the wildly popular game Fortnite, announced that pop star Ariana Grande will headline their in-game Rift Tour concert series from August 6 to 8. The event, which players will need to log in for an hour in advance, will feature Grande’s a live broadcast of Grande’s music “sung” by her in-game avatar, accompanying special graphics, and limited-edition player items. Epic Games hasn’t announced which songs will feature in the concert, but it’s hard to imagine that Grande’s set won’t include her first number-one single, Thank U, Next. The mellow tribute to Grande’s ex-boyfriends, with its famously feathery-soft vocals, was released in 2018. It quickly went viral, thanks in part to its music video filled with celebrity cameos and based on scenes from popular movies like Mean Girls and Legally Blonde. The song debuted at number one of the Billboard Hot 100 and broke the record for most streams received by a song in a single day for a female artist on Spotify. Seems like the perfect tune to perform in one of the world’s most popular video games!

[Image description: Ariana Grande, wearing a black costume and white cat ears, performs at a concert under streaming lights.] Credit & copyright: Berisik Radio.com/Public Domain
 

It's Flashback Friday! To celebrate the discovery of the Hale-Bopp Comet on this day in 1995, enjoy this space-themed curio!
 

Themed music is Sufjan Stevens' jam. In 2001, he released Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle based on the Chinese zodiac. Two years later, he embarked on an ill-fated project to record an entire album for each of the 50 states. To date, he has only finished two: Michigan and Illinois. "The whole premise was such a joke," Stevens says now. "And I think I maybe took it too seriously." All the while, he was amassing a massive catalog of Christmas covers, which was released as a five-CD box set in 2006. 11 years later, Stevens' hunger for themes is still going strong. In 2016, he released Planetarium, a concept album about all things space, with collaborators Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James McAlister. All the planets are covered, as well as other galactic concepts like Sun, Tides, Moon, Halley's Comet, and Black Hole. Even the dwarf planet Pluto gets its own track! Listen to Saturn, the first single off the album. Synthesizer sounds soaked in delay swirl in the background while an auto-tuned Stevens sings enigmatic lines from the perspective of the Roman god (and cannibal) Saturn. Far out!  

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Image credit & copyright: Joshua Higgson

It's Flashback Friday! In honor of both World Snake Day and Guinea Pig appreciation day, enjoy this animal-focused curio!
 
Bryan Adams may seem like an unlikely hero for horse girls everywhere, but the gravelly-voiced Canadian rocker earned that title when he lent his voice to the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimaron soundtrack. Released in November 2002, the animated film follows a horse who is separated from his herd. Adams' songs provide context for the film's most important scenes. None is better known than "Here I am," which introduces the film's main character. Like many soundtrack tunes, the song was a joint effort. The lyrics were penned by Adams, American musician Gretchen Peters and famed German composer Hans Zimmer. The song was arranged by Ed Lajeski who has a background in musical theatre. Lajeski's arrangement compensated for several scenes which needed to take place during the song. He wove in long instrumental sections to seamlessly back up Adams' vocals. The song's hopeful, spirited feel—with some sections meant to mimic a prancing horse—earned it an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Award and a Golden Globe nomination. It was even used to promote Canada's hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Talk about a song with a colt following!

Image credit & copyright: A&M Records
 

Written by: Maria C.