Introduction

Dennis Gould 0:00

Meanwhile Mobile Welcome to Meanwhile Mobile, the podcast that climbs into the attic of history and opens a trunk filled with hidden, lost, or forgotten pieces of the puzzle that make Mobile Alabama unique. Here's your host, Kathy Richardson.

Kathy Richardson 0:22

Thank you, Dennis Gould. And along with author Joe Cuhaj, we open that trunk and find people and stories that will surprise and sometimes amaze. Joe?

Joe Cuhaj 0:32

Let's open the trunk.

Kathy Richardson 0:36

We're rocking and rolling with Mobile's musical history. It's the Beat of the Bay Part 2. From original rock and roll to Rockabilly and Elvis, to a son of a son of a sailor, to the 2026 winner of The Voice, Alexia Jayy. At this point in the story, we're looking at America after World War II, entering the new decade of the 1950s with a post-war economic boom and a feeling of optimism and promise in the future. Mobilians were part of every musical tradition from country to rockabilly, funk, and RB, feel-good beach tunes, and music that turned you every which way but loose.

Joe Cuhaj 1:20

In part one of Beat of the Bay, we introduced you to a group from Mobile who were pioneers in the early days of rock and roll, the Treniers. And we'll get back to

Lil Greenwood

Joe Cuhaj 1:30

them in a minute.

Dennis Gould 1:31

Because in part one, we missed a revered singer who spanned musical styles and eras, recording and performing with Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, and more. Mobile native, Lil Greenwood. And with Lil, we see another link from the blues to rock and roll. Here's Lil's first single under her own name, backed by Roy Milton and his Solid Senders. From 1950, Heart Full of Pain.

unknown 1:59

"Well the sun is rising, and my heart is full of pain. Yes, the sun is rising, and my heart is full of pain. The one I love so dearly, has tossed me out in the rain."

Dennis Gould 2:40

Still backed by Roy Milton and his Solid Senders, Lil had more hits, including this one, where she was also backed by the Four Jacks vocal group, "Grandpa Can Boogie, Too."

unknown 3:00

Grandpa's in hock. Yes, but he can rock. We found out, he ain't no square. We found out that cat's in there. We found out that Grandpa can boogie too. He's been stealing men's wives. He's been ruinin' their lives. Grandpa's on the ball, and that ain't all. We found out that Grandpa can boogie too. Gramps grabbed a chick, he landed in jail. He made be old but he ain't to old to wail because he was a rockin', somebody called the law. We were right by the sea, but we can't tell you what we saw.

Dennis Gould 3:54

While Lil's recording career continued, she also had residencies at the 440 Club and the Purple Onion in San Francisco, where Lil lived for many years. It was at the Purple Onion in 1956 where Duke Ellington spotted Lil and immediately asked her to join his band, where she continued to be a singer and collaborator with the Ellington band even beyond the Duke's death when his son Mercer led the band. Here she is with the Duke, walking and singing the blues.

unknown 4:32

Walking! Walking and singing the blues. Walking. Walking and singing the blues. Walking. Walking and singing the blues. I got my walking papers, yes, you gave me the sack. I got my walking papers, yes, you gave me the sack. I had to step down and get well back.

Dennis Gould 5:20

In 1986, after the death of her mother, Lil came back to Mobile to care for her father and continued to sing locally with various combinations, sometimes with just Joe Lewis on sax, which was great. Lil Greenwood, beautiful voice, great lady. Lil passed away July 19th, 2011. For more on Lil, and there's a lot more, check out the links in the show notes.

The Treniers

Joe Cuhaj 5:54

Okay, back to The Treniers. While their records never hit number one on the charts, one of their singles has made a lasting impression to this very day. It pays tribute to another Alabamian, baseball legend and Birmingham native, Willie Mays.

unknown 6:14

What do you mean, go get it. Man, that ball is way in left field. I don't care what it field it's in. Willie plays all fields. Every time we come to the game, we talk about Willie plays all the fields. That's right. Let's call Willie and ask him. Okay. Hey, Willie! Yes. Are you Willie Mays? Yes. Whose ball was that? Where was it? In left field. Well, that's Irvine's ball. I told you that. Every time we come to the game, we gotta talk about... the next time I'm gonna sit in the grandstand. Say hey, fellas, what's your name? Say who? Say Willie. Say hey, say who? Swinging at the plate. Say hey, say who? Say Willie. That giant kid is great. When he hits the ball, it's long gone, man. Hits it farther than Campy can. Swings the bats like a little lead pipe. When they reach the ball, it's over ripe. Say hey. Say who? Say Willie. Say hey. Swingin' at the plate. Say hey, say who? Say Willie. That Giant kid is great.

Joe Cuhaj 7:17

Willie Mays gets top billing in the credits for singing the song. Even though he only makes a cameo appearance. The label reads "Willie Mays with The Treniers."

unknown 7:30

Say hey. Say who? Say, Willie. That Giant kid is great. Say Willie, what you gonna say? Say hey.

1955-The 1st Microwave

Kathy Richardson 7:48

October 28, 1955. The Tappan Stove Company of Mansfield, Ohio, introduces the very first microwave oven for home use. The machine weighed in at 150 pounds, operated on 220 volts, and sold for $1,295. That's over $10,000 in today's money. Only 35 units were sold that year, mostly because consumers didn't understand how you could cook with radio waves.

Elvis in Mobile & Vigor High School

Kathy Richardson 8:18

Meanwhile, in Mobile, parents, and in particular one high school principal are horrified as this new and radical form of music is about to invade Vigor High School in Prichard with a performance by none other than Elvis Presley. In 1955, only one year after recording his first hit single, "That's Alright, Mama", Elvis was making regular appearances in the Port City, playing the Greater Gulf State Fair and shows at Ladd Stadium as part of country singer Hank Snow's Jamboree Show. The Mobile Register barely mentioned Elvis when they reported on the show, giving him only one line saying Elvis and his sidekicks would be there. But fans knew exactly who he was.

unknown 9:11

(That's Alright, Mama)

Joe Cuhaj 9:13

And as Hank Snow's son Jimmy Rogers Snow later recalled, Elvis was chased from the stage that was set up on Lad Stadium's football field by a surge of women. One of Elvis' favorite spots to eat in Mobile was a local burger joint located at the loop in Midtown Mobile. Johnny's Drive-In. Johnny's was your quintessential drive-in hamburger and malt shop. When Elvis arrived with his band, frenzied girls would ditch their boyfriends by hopping out of their cars and swarm Elvis' car. The diner's owner, Johnny Vallis, said that he had to run Elvis out of the parking lot because there were too many people out of their cars. It was a local radio station that invited Elvis and his band to perform at Vigor High School, something Presley was still doing at the time, despite his growing fame. In an interview with Scottymoore.net, Margaret Williams Bircham, then a Vigor High School ninth grader, recalled the event. She said, "I remember the auditorium was full. We loved assembly programs because we got out of class. We had over 330 in my graduating class, so I know the auditorium held many more than that." And so it was that on October 28, 1955, Elvis, Bill, and Scotty were introduced to the students of Vigor High School at 10 a.m. Presley put on his usual hip gyrating show, belting out tune after tune, much to the chagrin of Vigor Principal J. M. Laird, who was disgusted by "the carnal gyrations."

Joe Cuhaj 10:58

Interspersed with the songs, Elvis chatted with the students and told jokes, including one that was the last straw. Elvis asked the kids, "What happened to the farmer who was milking the cow that jumped over the moon?" The answer? He was left holding the bag. The students roared with laughter, but one of the teachers rushed out and reported it to Mr. Laird, who unceremoniously shut down the show. In spite of bombing at the high school, Elvis's career skyrocketed and he began packing auditoriums.

Kathy Richardson 11:33

He made many more visits to Mobile throughout his career, including seven sold-out concerts at the municipal auditorium.

TV Report on Elvis in Mobile 1976

unknown 11:41

They came as early as one o'clock yesterday afternoon. By midnight last night, as many as 150 people were setting up camp outside the auditorium doors. This morning that number had increased tenfold. Old swivel hips can still draw a crowd. At 8:30, police carefully unlocked the doors and the rush was on. Tickets and money exchanged hands in a maddening flurry. Tommy Milham of Fairhope was the first in line. He came to the auditorium at one o'clock yesterday afternoon and spent the night on a chase lounge. What possesses a grown man to act with such wild abandon?

unknown 12:16

A wife, a nine-year-old daughter, and a 13-year-old daughter.

unknown 12:20

Are you a Presley fan?

unknown 12:22

Yes, I am.

unknown 12:24

Elvis Presley is 41 years old. He's been in this business over 20 years. Judging from this crowd here today, he could be in it another 20 years. At Municipal Auditorium, Wayne Barnett, Channel 10, Newsbeat.

Kathy Richardson 12:40

He was scheduled to perform there on April 1st, 1977, but was hospitalized with intestinal flu. The show is rescheduled for June 2nd. It would be the last time Elvis would visit Mobile. Two months later, the king was gone.

Kathy Richardson 12:58

I wonder if any Meanwhile Mobile followers were at Vigor that day or attended one of his concerts at the auditorium. Let us know. Drop us a line at meanwhile mobile @ gmail.com.

Dennis Gould 13:15

By the way, Elvis also had another favorite mobile restaurant, the Bluegill on the causeway. If you visit the restaurant today, you will see a plaque at booth number 24. His special seat. But I believe the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich is not on the menu.

Kathy Richardson 13:33

During those

Curtis Gordon and the Radio Ranch

Kathy Richardson 13:34

early days, Elvis made appearances at various local nightclubs across the Southeast. There is one in particular that's important for our story. Mobile's largest nightclub, Curtis Gordon's Radio Ranch. Curtis Gordon, the Moultrie Georgia native, always found himself just shy of getting that big break. At the age of 14, Gordon competed in a talent contest in his hometown and won first prize, a whopping $15. That was all the incentive he needed, and he set out to make a career of it, moving to Gulfport, where he took various jobs with local bands. It wasn't long before the young man moved to Mobile, claiming the city as his adopted home and joining the cast of the Dixie Barn Dance television show on WKAB TV.

WKAB TV

Joe Cuhaj 14:26

Yes, WKAB TV. It was actually Mobile's first television station before WALA. It operated on UHF Channel 48 from studios in Toulminville. Trouble was, few people could receive UHF channels. And only two years after sign-on, the station shut down, leaving the second station, WALA, as the city's predominant television station.

Curtis Gordon's Recording Career

Kathy Richardson 14:52

Curtis Gordon auditioned for RCA Victor in 1952 and was signed to a two-year contract. At the same time, he opened one of the most popular nightclubs in Mobile, the Radio Ranch on Cedar Point Road, now known as Dauphin Island Parkway. Advertised as Mobile's largest night spot, the club was so popular that many of the greats from country and rockabilly played there, including the newly crowned king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley.

Joe Cuhaj 15:22

Gordon sold the club in 1959. The building burned down a few years later, ending another chapter of Mobile Music History. Over the next two years, Gordon released 16 records on RCA and Mercury Records, none of which were hits, but some were quite memorable.

unknown 15:47

You take an M-O-B, I-L-E. That's the place that means the world to me. If you plan a vacation, you should choose Mobile Alabama, you lose your blues. The sights down there you wanna see, including a brand new Dolphin Island Beach. Mobile, Mobile Alabama, Mobile, Mobile Alabama, Mobile, Mobile Alabama, the place that means the world to me.

Joe Cuhaj 16:10

Though Gordon never reached the peak of fame that others did, his career made a comeback in the 1980s when his recordings were excavated out of obscurity during a revival of rockabilly and honky tonk music in Europe that Curtis Gordon helped pioneer.

unknown 16:24

Well, the folks down there are really fine. So make your plans and come on down. Tell your friends and we will meet, down in Mobile on Dauphin Street. Mobile, Mobile Alabama Mobile, Mobile Alabama Mobile, Mobile Alabama The place that means the world to me.

Joe Cuhaj 16:25

Bluegrass and gospel are well represented in the music of southwest Alabama, and there are few groups of this genre who have achieved the international renown, longevity, and impact of the Sullivan Family.

The Sullivan Family

unknown 17:06

I can hear the comin', I can hear the whistle blow. I can hear the train a callin', callin' children get on board. Let's get on board, all God's children, all of God's children get on board. Can't you hear the train a callin'? All the children get on board.

Joe Cuhaj 17:21

Florence and James Arthur Sullivan lived in a rural area of Washington County near the town of St. Stephen's and had ten children. After a near-death experience in 1940, Arthur joined the Pentecostal ministry and taught his children to love and play gospel music at the church. Two of the couple's children, Enoch and Emmett, learned guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, and formed a group called Brother Arthur and the Boys, who played at local churches and on local radio. By 1950, all members of the family were involved with the group, and their fame began to grow. The Sullivan's began appearing with bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, played the grand old Opry, appeared on Ernest Tubbs's Midnight Jamboree radio show from Nashville, and were regulars on the WALA TV show, The Friendly Variety Show, hosted by radio personality and singer Jack Cardwell. In 1957, they signed a recording contract with Sandy Records and released their first single, I Can See God's Moving Hand, which made it to the top 100 billboard chart.

unknown 18:49

I can see God's moving hand. I can see God's moving hand to bring his people all together. I can see God's moving hand.

Joe Cuhaj 19:14

The group began touring North America, building their following and receiving glowing accolades. The Sullivan's participated in the Alabama State Council on the Arts Apprenticeship Program, teaching young musicians traditional folk music. They received the Alabama Folk Heritage Award in 2005 and were inducted into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 1993.

Dennis Gould 19:54

You're

Contact Us at meanwhilemobile@gmail.com

Dennis Gould 19:55

listening to Meanwhile ...Mobile, the podcast that climbs into the attic of history and opens a trunk filled with hidden, lost, or forgotten pieces of the puzzle that make Mobile Alabama unique. You've heard from us. Now we'd like to hear from you. Have a mobile memory you'd like to share? Was there a segment you enjoyed? Or maybe you just want to say hi? Drop us an email at meanwhile mobile at gmail.com. Or better yet, leave us a voice fan mail. Visit our website www.meanwhilemobile.com. Click the fan mail link at the top of the page and start recording. Be sure to include your name and where you're from. We'd love to hear from you.

Kathy Richardson 20:41

There is one group that had its roots in mobile, but found

The Swingle Singers

Kathy Richardson 20:45

their fame in France. The Swingle Singers.

Kathy Richardson 21:01

Their style has been described as a complex blending of classical music and swinging jazz rhythms. Ward Swingle was born in Mobile in 1927. Like many artists, it was Ward's father who insisted his children learn to play instruments, and by the mid-1940s, the trio were playing in big bands. After a stint in the Air Force, Ward attended the Cincinnati Conservancy of Music, then moved to Paris with his fiancee, violinist Francoise Demarest. It was a long and winding road from there to finding the right combination of singers with the musical skills to pull off such a feat as creating a Jazz Bach album. It was the birth of the Swingle Singers. Their album, Jazz Sebastian Bach, was released in France in 1963 with little fanfare or success. When the single Contrapontus Nine from Box Art of Fugue was sent to radio stations in the U.S., it became a hit. One month after the record's release, the Swingle Singers were in great demand, touring the U.S., performing on numerous television shows, and performing at the Democratic National Convention in New York, even holding a concert for President Johnson at the White House. One year later, in 1964, the Swingle Singers won their first two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Choral Performance. After a number of member changes, the group still performs today as the Swingles.

Dennis Gould 22:48

One of my sisters got that Jazz Sebastian Bach album and played it constantly. I loved it then and still do. I have it on my phone. Great driving music.

Fred Wesley

Joe Cuhaj 23:58

That is the unmistakable sound of trombone great, Fred Wesley, soloing on the James Brown record, "Doing it to Death."

Joe Cuhaj 23:58

Fred Wesley was born in Georgia, but his family moved to Mobile soon after. His first taste of music came from the jukebox from a club next door and his grandmother, who played classical piano. He was also influenced by his father, who was a choir director at Central High School in Mobile, and a big band leader. Wesley took piano, trumpet, and trombone lessons in school. After graduation, he briefly toured with Ike and Tina Turner before enlisting in the Army. When he was discharged three years later, Fred married his girlfriend, Gerda Young, and played in several bands in Huntsville before returning to Mobile, where he was offered a job as the first black milkman in the city. In 1968, he returned to the Trombone when he was offered a job playing in the James Brown band.

Joe Cuhaj 24:52

After a series of disagreements with the Godfather of Soul, Wesley left the band in 1975, only to find his footing when George Clinton offered him a job playing with the funk collective of artists Parliament Funkadelic, better known as P Funk.

unknown 25:15

("We Want the Funk. Gotta Have that Funk")

Kathy Richardson 25:15

Another James Brown alumni from Mobile is the band’s legendary drummer, John Jabo Starks.

John Jabo Starks

Kathy Richardson 25:41

Starks was part of a dynamic drum duo along with Clyde Stubblefield. While Stubblefield's style was more funk-proof, Starks laid down what has been described as a steady, blues-infused groove. Together, the duo have been recognized as the architects of modern funk drumming and are the most heavily sampled musicians in hip-hop history.

Kathy Richardson 26:06

Born just north of Mobile in Jackson, Starks was raised in Mobile and taught himself how to play. He credits his signature style to the driving rhythm he heard while attending church services in Mobile. Before he made it big with James Brown, Jabo Starks cut his chops by playing drums for legendary blues and RB musicians at the Harlem Duke Social Club in Prichard.

Joe Cuhaj 26:41

Of course, we can't talk about Mobile music without talking about

Milton Brown

Joe Cuhaj 26:45

Bubba. And of course, Parrotheads would never forgive us. But you can't talk about Jimmy Buffett without talking about Mobile's legendary songwriter, Milton Brown.

Milton Brown 26:56

My great-grandfather came over here, I think it was probably the 1860s, 1870s, and my family's been here and been a part of Mobile ever since he moved his family here.

Joe Cuhaj 27:12

Writing country music was not what Milton's parents envisioned for him. My mother raised us on opera, classical music, the music of Broadway. My dad and my mother would go to New York just to go to plays and stuff, and she raised us on that. When I first came home from the University of Alabama with my, not just country, but bluegrass, my mother's comment was, I think they gave me the wrong baby at the hospital. Milton's career began simple enough with a pawn shop guitar and a small band of friends.

Milton Brown 27:52

When I got to Alabama, some of my fraternity brothers had a little band together and they told me, if you're gonna play with this, you got to have an instrument. I went to downtown Tuscaloosa in a pawn shop. I bought a guitar for $10. I think the strings cost more than the guitar. I don't remember. But anyway, that was my first guitar. And so I was backup artist for a fraternity band. We thought we were pretty good. We entered a contest. We were sailing along, we thought we had it won. Until a guy got up and did his own little shtick. He ended up with his "golly." You know it was Gomer, and he blew us out of water. I mean, we were lucky to take second, but it was Jim Nabors [and it was] at Alabama.

Joe Cuhaj 28:47

Milton's big break as a songwriter came when he received a phone call from Don Davis, a steel guitar player from Mobile, who hosted a live morning television show on WKRG, the Alabama Jubilee.

Milton Brown 29:01

Don Davis, who had the Alabama Jubilee show, liked one of my songs and he said, Hey, let me let me pitch that to E.T. That's what they called Ernest Tubb by his initials. I didn't hear anything back. And then Margaret got a call and she put a hand there's somebody here that says she's Mrs. Ernest Tubb. So I took the phone and she said, Milton, E.T. loves your song. He'd like to record it with Loretta Lynn if he can have publishing. I said, sure.

Joe Cuhaj 29:37

The song was titled, I Won't Cheat Again on You If You Won't Cheat on Me.

Milton Brown 29:42

What a horrible title.

unknown 29:52

You love to put me down each time you're out with your girlfriends. They ask you if I treat you bad. You say that all depends. Well, don't you know they realize that you've been slipping round. They know how you carry on when I go out of town. You've got no room to criticize with words you know will hurt. I'm still counting lipstick stains on your dirty shirt. People pass me on the street and shake their heads in pity. While I wait at home, you've got a girl in every city. Yes, I'll admit it. What you say is true, but I only run around because you do it too. If we could have what we once had, how happy we could be. I won't cheat again on you if you won't cheat on me.

Kathy Richardson 31:03

When asked about his songwriting process and whether the music or lyrics come

Every Which Way But Loose

Kathy Richardson 31:08

first, his answer is always the same. First, there is a phone call. That's how his most famous song was born, with a call from his co-writer, Steve Dorf.

Milton Brown 31:18

I get a phone call from Steve, and he said, Milton, we got an opportunity. Clint Eastwood is doing a movie and he doesn't like anything that's been presented to him for the title song for the movie. Do you want to try to write it? I said, of course. What's it called? He said, "Every Which Way but Loose." I said, that'd be great. He said, What's it mean? Steve said that it didn't, he and Snuff had no clue every which way but I mean you had to be a Southern to be turned every which way but loose. And I told him and he said, Can you write it? And I did, and Snuff wrote the music.

unknown 32:02

Every which way but loose, you turn me, every which way but loose. Inside the fire's burning me, in my mind you just keep turning me.

Milton Brown 32:16

Steve played it for Snuff, and he called Clint. They rode out to the Warner's lot. Clint met him in a room that had a piano in it. Steve played out "Every Which Way But Loose" on a piano. There wasn't any full orchestration, anything. And Clint said to Steve, play it again. He did, and Clint said, "That's it!" And I did three of his movies in a row.

Kathy Richardson 32:53

Milton was definitely Clint Eastwood's man, penning the title song for Clint's next two movies, "Any Which Way You Can" and "Bar Room Buddies", a duet featuring Eastwood and Merle Haggard.

unknown 33:04

While you're turning me, every which way but loose...

Kathy Richardson 33:10

Along with WALA meteorologist John Ed Thompson and two other friends,

Jimmy Buffett

Kathy Richardson 33:15

Milton started a recording studio, Product Sound, in the late 1960s. The studio was located above a dentist's office in the loop. Quite by chance, a young woman walked into the studio asking Milton if he could help her boyfriend.

Milton Brown 33:38

This gorgeous girl walks into Product Sound. I'm sitting at the controls. "Hi, I'm Margie Wasicek. And my boyfriend..." - they said fiancee, she corrected me. She said, we weren't engaged yet. But she said, "My boyfriend wants to record. Let me tell you about him." She told me about him. "And could I bring him in to meet you?" Absolutely. When Jimmy walked in, the Buffett smile. I don't know if you ever noticed it, but the it lit the room up. I remember thinking, I hope he can sing. Because everything else was there.

Kathy Richardson 34:15

Milton had Jimmy record a few demos and then he shopped them around to different record companies. But nobody wanted to sign Jimmy to a contract. They liked the songs, but said Buffett wasn't their style.

Milton Brown 34:27

It wasn't until I took him to Nashville, Buzz Kayson and I met at a restaurant in Nashville, wrote Jimmy's contract out on the back of a nap.

unknown 34:38

It's a hell of a time to be thinking about heaven. Didn't you forget the golden rule? You've been acting like Jesus owed you a favor. But he's a little smart for you to fool.

Kathy Richardson 35:12

Jimmy Buffett recorded his first album, "Down to Earth," for Barnaby Records. It’s safe to say that that disk wasn’t a huge hit. In fact, it only sold around 400 copies. But it was the break Jimmy Buffett needed to get his foot in the door. And the rest is history.

Joe Cuhaj 35:25

Milton Brown was Jimmy Buffett's agent for three years. Up to the time the singer would become a worldwide phenomenon, earning 10% from the deal. Today, Milton jokes about the money Jimmy still owes him.

Milton Brown 35:38

I met with his mother with Pete. It was her birthday party, and Lulu had her first restaurant on the Causeway. I sat at the table with Pete's on her birthday, and I told her, I said, you know, I figure Jimmy's made about what? $800 million now. That means he owes me $80 million. Pete said, "Milton, promise me you won't say that to Jimmy, he'd have a heart attack." Later, Jimmy and I talked about it and I told him what his mama had said. She had passed by then. But when I told him what his mama had said, he said, "I wouldn't have had a heart attack. My lawyers would be ." But he didn't owe me a dime.

unknown 36:26

Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, and I know. It's my own damn fault.

Joe Cuhaj 36:38

Milton and Jimmy were the best of friends until the singer passed away in 2023.

Dennis Gould 36:48

The beat of the bay has continued down through the years

And There's Many More

Dennis Gould 36:51

with talented musicians like songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman.

unknown 36:54

This kiss!

Dennis Gould 36:57

Sisters Shelby Lynn and Alison Moore.

unknown 37:00

It's not dark yet.

Dennis Gould 37:05

Rick Hirsch of Wet Willy.

unknown 37:07

Keep on smilin' through the rain...

Dennis Gould 37:12

Robbie Fleming and Harold Floyd, side men with Clarence Gatemouth Brown. Lisa Zangi, keyboard player with country music's Doug Stone.

unknown 37:21

A little bit of you goes a long long way with me.

Dennis Gould 37:26

Lisa Mills making her mark in Mobile, the U.K., and now living in Germany. Phil and Foster. Lots of accomplished jazz performers like Joe Lewis, Chip Harrington, and more. And today's international stars, The Red Clay ...and the 2026 winner of the voice, Alexia Jayy. But there's one more musician songwriter we

Jerry Powell

Dennis Gould 38:13

want to talk about. A highly recreational man, Jerry Powell.

Jerry Powell 38:25

Elvis and Jerry Lee. I can hear him singing that rock of the rock and roll.

Dennis Gould 38:33

In a career spanning seven decades, Jerry Powell has done it all. Guitarist, singer, songwriter, jingle writer, band leader, recording engineer, voiceover artist, actor, to chart-topping beach music artist today.

Jerry Powell 38:48

I still call myself the geriatric idols.

Dennis Gould 38:52

In a future episode, we'll tell the whole story of Jerry Powell's life as one of Mobile's most talented musicians. But for this episode, we'll just hit a few highlights. From his first recording with the Catalinas, "I Know," in 1965, to more than a decade of six-night-a-week gigs at nightclubs and hotels in Mobile and around the country, to building a recording studio, Southern Sound, Jerry Powell produced jingles and did voiceovers for local and national TV and radio commercials.

Jerry Powell 39:26

It seems like every day there's more news about gigantic banks gobbling each other up. Kind of makes you wonder if the real purpose of banking gets lost. At the People's Bank and Trust, we know what it means to be a real comedian.

Dennis Gould 39:40

It was in the early 80s when Jerry and his go-to session piano player Tim Lovelace wrote an old convention song.

Jerry Powell 39:47

I still love to hear to hear those old convention songs.

Dennis Gould 39:53

Recorded by the cathedrals, it was the number one gospel song of 1984.

Jerry Powell 40:12

Along with my journey in the mid-70s of playing Six Nights a Week and having a studio, I was signed as a songwriter with Treaty Publishing, which,

Jerry Brown, Purvis Pickett, and Bodine Brown

Jerry Powell 40:23

you know, was the top country publisher in Nashville. That I would drive up there and turn in songs for them, you know, as a staff writer. I made several journeys and my uh contact up there, a guy named Jan Crutchfield, he said, Man, these really are good songs. They're most of them are like love song and stuff, like most songs are. He said, I want something different, you know. And and he kept stressing that and I'd bring in more songs up a few weeks later. Well, you know, I want something really different. So finally I said, I'm gonna give him something different. What's about the most bizarre thing I can think of? So I wrote a song. I said, Well, it's a love song. It's about a woman who plays her armpits. Well now, Bodine Brown, she is a friend of mine, but she's about as feminine as Frankenstein. She's just a little bit funky and she's put on a few pounds, but she's fun to be around. We actually put it out on a little 45, but we didn't have any distribution. Anyway, it kind of set dormant. I had a guy came in the studio and he says, I'm doing this song, uh I'm entering it in the great Dr. Demento novelty song contest. And I said, Oh, okay, good. He records the song and I asked him, I said, You know, I've got a song that I've had for years. I said, I I might like to enter that thing. We had an extra application thing. So I put it on a reel to reel. Long story short, I I didn't have time to go to the mailbox the next day and it was like the deadline or something. So a friend of mine came by the studio and said, Would you mail this for me? I don't really honestly think anymore about it. A couple of months later I got a call. I used the name Purvis Picket and the Punkabillies, a name I made up at the waffle house in Theodore. I answer the phone and this guy says, "Is this is Purvis Picket?" And I said, "Speaking." And he says, "This is Dr. Demento." And I said, Hey Doc, how are you? I'm thinking, why is he calling me and then it dawned on me and he says, "I call it congratulate you out of thirteen hundred songs, you're the grand prize winner." And I said, Oh man! He said, "You are Purvis Picket, the writer in the performance?" I said, Yeah, that's me, Purvis. He says, "We're gonna bring you out here for a week and uh put you on the show and all." So long story short they fly me out there and after all these years in the music business, I mean really working hard and writing these beautiful songs and all this stuff. I remember I'm looking out the plane and I'm flying over the Grand Canyon. I thought, my lord, the Grand Canyon, something I've never seen before. And I'm going to California, a place I've never been before. And why? Because I played my armpit on a recording. Make it hurt. Well, there ain't too much you don't expect from good old Bodine Brown, cause she's fun to be around.

Dennis Gould 44:08

Now, fast forward to 2009. After years of recording and playing in bands, Jerry Powell begins performing alone. Well, sort of. He records backing tracks on which he plays all the instruments. Playing places like the Grand Hotel, the Battle House, Butch Cassidys, and others. A fan encourages Jerry to write a beach music song. Now beach music is not Jan and Dean or the Beach Boys. It's an upbeat style of RB or soul music that originated on the Carolina coast in the 40s and 50s. People dance the shag with beach music. Well, Jerry finally writes and records "Carolina Shore." Here it is, sung by the late great Chris Miller.

Dennis Gould 44:59

Now while Jerry sent CDs of Carolina Shore to DJs and entertainment writers, like so many stories about pop music, the response was until nine years later, 2018, when a guest DJ on an online beach music station plays Carolina Shore. And it begins to climb the cash box beach music chart and ultimately hits the top, number one for 13 weeks. Several more tracks from Jerry's album, "Highly Recreational Man," have made the top 10 on various beach music stations. And as we record this podcast, his latest single, "Nights on Ocean Drive," is climbing the charts. Jerry Powell continues to create and perform music that proves he is a highly entertaining recreational man. And he's "fun to be around."

Kathy Richardson 45:48

As you

Milton Brown on Mobile Talent

Kathy Richardson 46:00

see, Mobile's musical roots run deep in the South Alabama clay. Take it from the man who knows, Milton Brown, who wants his legacy to bring attention to not only the past, but also the city's musical future.

Milton Brown 46:14

The next thing I would like to do would be for people to recognize that Mobile, Alabama is like an oasis of talent, has yet to be recognized. There's opportunity here.

Kathy Richardson 46:27

Thanks to Barry Silverman, Roy Hoffman, and

Conclusion

Kathy Richardson 46:33

the Spring Hill Avenue Temple for the clips of Milton Brown from a video recorded and produced by Andy Palileo.

Dennis Gould 46:41

Meanwhile, Mobile is produced at Soundworks in Mobile, Alabama, by Kathy Richardson, Joe Cuhaj, and me, Dennis Gould. No generative AI has been used in the research, writing, or recording of this podcast. Visit us on Facebook for additional information about this and upcoming episodes and links to related material. For comments, questions, or ideas for future podcasts, contact us at meanwhilemobile @ gmail.com. Please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. But more importantly, tell just one person about Meanwhile ...Mobile. Word of mouth, more than any other form of promotion, is how creative works get noticed and sustain themselves. Thank you very much for listening.