31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Thirteen - Darla Hood - Witches Brew

WITCH'S BREW

DARLA HOOD

A little doo wop-ish number from Darla Hood, who became a child star as "Darla" in Our Gang, aka the Little Rascals. Throughout the 1950's she recorded several singles for Ray Note and Acama Records, on which this was released. I love that she lists the ingredients for a proper witch's brew.

31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Twelve - Maurice Burkhart - At the Devil's Ball

AT THE DEVIL'S BALL

MAURICE BURKHART

We went from dancing in our bones to dancing at the devil's ball and managed to travel further back in time to 1913. The cartoon accompanying the song is Betty Boop in Red Hot Mama from 1934.

31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Eleven - Lee Morse - Tain't No Sin To Dance Around in Your Bones

TAIN'T NO SIN TO DANCE AROUND IN YOUR BONES

LEE MORSE

A real nice one coming from one of the most recorded female singers of the 1920's...tain't no sin to take off your skin and dance around in your bones.

31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Ten - Ethel Waters - Jeepers Creepers

JEEPERS CREEPERS

ETHEL WATERS

I love this! I had not heard this version of the song until today. The internet says varying things about who recorded it first but really it doesn't matter. I would guess that Louis Armstrong and Ethel recorded it around the same time, but I don't know, so who cares. Listen and enjoys, it's creepy fun!

31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Nine - Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peek-A-Boo

PEEK-A-BOO

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES

I thought of this one because of the line in it - Golly jeepers/Where'd you get those weepers?/Peepshow, creepshow/Where did you get those eyes? - which was found to be too similar to lyrics in the 1938 song Jeepers Creepers, which is super creepy. To remedy the situation, Siouxsie and co. gave co-writing credits of Peek-a-Boo to the writers of Jeepers Creepers. This song is cool and I love the effect of Siouxsie using a different microphone for each line. 

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31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Eight - Kay Martin - Swamp Girl

SWAMP GIRL

KAY MARTIN

Kay Martin is fascinating! Not only was she a nightclub performer and maker of "party rock" albums, she eventually left that business we call show for the hotelier life as proprietor of the Kay Martin Lodge in Reno, Nevada. This song comes off her 1958 record Kay Martin and Her Bodyguards, which was released on Roulette Records.

31 Days of Halloween 2017 - Day Seven - Gene Maltais with the Flat Duo Jets

VOODOO WOMAN

GENE MALTAIS WITH THE FLAT DUO JETS

Known for having quite the wild act among the Rockabilly circuit in the late 1950's, Gene Maltais teamed up with psychobilly-ers Dex Romweber and drummer Crow Smith (aka the Flat Duo Jets) to record this number on Norton Records in 1994.