ROUNDING UP THE RAUNCHY GUYS

At long last, the hunt for the remaining members of Country & Western's most notorious combo, The Raunchy Guys, is over. After a lengthy period evading capture, the 2 other music outlaws who were in hiding, have finally been caught.

You may recall a few months ago only 2 of the Rauncheros had been unmasked - Bullet Fritter Snakebelt aka Jim Low & Stompin Hoss aka Gordon Walker - well now I can exclusively reveal the images of the other rhyme syndicate pair.
The top photo is Big Musket Teepee aka Al Hendrickx and below him is The Bear aka Joe Jordan.
You can also see from the shocking candid photo of Bullet Fritter Snakebelt that not only was he a threat to the public, but was also a danger to himself!
At least that's one chapter of local music history we no longer need to worry about.
Time for a celebratory hoedown now!
So go tie your mules to the trough, grab a shot of red-eye, lasso a showgirl and let's get the party started!
Meanwhile, here's a reminder of The Raunchy Guys material and why it was worthwhile tracking them down to prevent such music crimes being repeated - a song called "Washboard Line", which as you'll hear, contains a well known tune that they quite clearly stole then tried to pass off as one of their own.
Shameful stuff, but let's all sing along to it anyway, while they themselves get carted off to San Quentin!
The photos were discovered in a safe belonging to The Bear.

THE RAUNCHY GUYS - HOSS PRISON BLUES - 1983

Hot diggity dang, those rootin tootin country & western critters, The Raunchy Guys, are on the loose again - go get the Sheriff!

Since their last escapade, progress has been made unmasking 2 of the posse, with these recently discovered pictures above.

The top one is Bullet Fritter Snakebelt, who also uses the alias, Jim Low.

Here you can see him in the process of mapping out one of the Raunchy Guys lily-livered exploits.

At the time, he was in one of the hideouts the gang used in the early 80's, located in Court Street and belonging to cohort, Stompin Hoss.

Which brings me to the 2nd photo - it's none other than Stompin Hoss himself in one of his many cunning disguises. Also known as Gordon Walker, Fanta, Cresta to name just a few, Stompin Hoss is pictured here at yet another of the gangs hideaways, a shack owned by The Bear.

The identity of his accomplice in shot is known to be Gwen Margetson.

Visible on the wall is more damning evidence, an actual original Raunchy Guys tablature.

So, along with The Bear aka Joe Jordan and Big Musket Teepee aka Al Hendrickx, here's a reminder of what The Raunchy Guys get up to when let loose on us music loving, law abiding citizens down at OK Dundee, an undertaking they code-named "Hoss Prison Blues", the content of which quite clearly mocks authority and the entire judicial system.

The sooner these desperados are rounded up, the better.

But before that, time for a bit of line-dancing before the Sheriff gets here..!!

 

YEE HA...IT'S THE RAUNCHY GUYS!

I was hanging out in some old ramshackle tumbledown saloon way out west recently, when this wizened old-timer slid an object over to me across the full length of the bar. "Have it" he said, "I've plenty more nuggets like this stashed away in my shack down by the creek". He then finished his plate of beans, gathered up his belongings and rode off into the sunset.
Luckily for Retro, that bar was in Westport, the creek was the Tay and the nugget was a rare recording from Dundee's dusty past.
This long forgotten sonic posse was The Raunchy Guys, 4 notorious varmints who got together to rustle up their unspeakable plans and go stampeding across the county inflicting this torture - all in the name of music.
Fortunately, their music was Country & Western, so nobody really noticed!
Anyway, the lowdown on the hoedown is as follows...
Band line-up, Al Hendrickx, guitar - Jim Low, vocal - Gordon Walker, bass and Joe Jordan, drum machine.
This track of theirs called "Johnny Cash's Boots" was recorded at Al's mums house in King Street in winter 1983.
You can tell by the lyrics and the fact they use a drum machine that they were not exactly die-hard C&W purists, and yet they did actually do gigs at Dundee's Country & Western Club.
Mind you, there is some rather fine authentic sounding twang geetar galloping along throughout.
I think the song ought to bring a smile to your face, but if not, perhaps their C&W names will... there was Big Musket Teepee - Bullet Fritter Snakebelt - Stompin Hoss and The Bear.
That's all for now y'all!
Big thanks to Sheriff Walker.

AWA' AT THE BERRIES

Have to hang my head in shame at this point and admit I never went to the berries. Looking back, I can't think why I didn't go because all my mates went, all my neighbours and all my cousins too, but for some reason it just didn't make my agenda. Perhaps it seemed too much like hard work! I can remember my mates coming back with their arms & hands all scratched, their clothes stained and then rattling all the dosh they made. Sometimes during the 7 weekies I'd go to a mates house and the mother would reply saying "He's awa at the berries" and so off I went to try somebody else.
In the 70's, the "Berry Bus" was used a lot as a derisive term for an old bus in general. For example, if you went on a bus to Blackpool or travelled to an away match and the bus you were on was shooglin' along at a crawl or if it broke down during the journey, you'd describe it as "like being on a berry bus!". So at least I can claim to having been on a few of those anyway..!!
Below is some footage of local pickers getting stuck in.
Photo by The Scotsman.Tints by GG

HANK LOCKLIN & HUMBLEBUMS - CAIRD HALL - 1970

I was flicking through an old Courier I have, dated 11 April 1970, and I spotted this review of a concert that had taken place in Dundee the previous night.
Country & Western singer, Hank Locklin with his backing band Country Fever were top of the bill. Not a show I was at but he seems to have gone down rather well judging by the FIVE ENCORES he got!
Sharing the bill were the Scottish duo, The Humblebums, featuring Gerry Rafferty and Billy Connolly, who played a selection of hill-billy music, rock, folk and "comedy".
Yeah that Gerry Rafferty is a really funny guy. Not sure what happend to the other one though!!