Shuggy Ray Smith – “Ruth from Duluth”
This little tune, purportedly released in December of 1965, is about a “little pretty girl” from Duluth who “eats corn on the cob through a picket fence.” Enjoy.
This little tune, purportedly released in December of 1965, is about a “little pretty girl” from Duluth who “eats corn on the cob through a picket fence.” Enjoy.
From the album Yust Try to Sing-a-long in Swedish with Doug Setterberg & Stan Boreson, Golden Crest Records, undated (circa 1962).
Local music fans will recognize this tune as the inspiration for the Hoot Owls song “Scandinavian Hot Rod.”
Circa 2007, Fred Tyson performs “I’m a Free Man” at the Red Lion Lounge … and forgets most of the words.
Number One Common
Secrets Lies and Alibis
(Jan. 1)
Available on Bandcamp
Tangier 57
Last Night Never Happened EP
(March 7)
Available on Bandcamp
Two Many Banjos
Trouble in Paradise
(April 23)
Available on CD Baby
Former Duluthian Gus Watkins has released this new video under his band name, Bijou Noir. He’s returning to Duluth Aug. 10 for an album release show at Blush.
The video was shot this summer in pre-World Cup Croatia, where Watkins has been living off and on since 2017. Joseph Hyrkas is the director.
As the 2018 Head of the Lakes Fair gets underway, PDD presents a scattered list of bands that have played the festival in the past. Because … nostalgia.
Matt Farley of Danvers, Mass. has been producing slapped-together novelty songs under clumsy pseudonyms since roughly 2004. The emphasis is clearly on quantity over quality; his website notes he has released 19,000 songs. He purportedly made $23,000 off his music in 2013.
We need to unearth some Duluth-based songwriter history. The current reference librarians at the Duluth Public Library are unable to track down the lyrics to a song about Duluth by Biz White, a female librarian during the 1980s and ’90s.
Here’s the conversation:
I was visiting with friends yesterday and one of them said he had been trying to find the lyrics to a song written about Duluth. It was written by Biz White, who used to work at DPL, and he thought it may have been for a Playhouse production. Some of the lyrics he remembered were, “Oh Duluth, your granite hills rise,” and “Oh Duluth, your heartless hills.” I was hoping you had some ideas.
Thanks,
Kim
Help! Does anyone have these lyrics recorded?
Duluth-based bluegrass band Glen’s Neighbor recently released its third album, Ice Cream. The video for the single “Explore, Dream, Believe, Imagine” is directed and animated by Shane Nelson.
Duluth rapper Bryan Wick, aka Dubz, once again enlists the services of Arizona-based Priceless Video Productions on this video for a track from his 2017 release Throw it on My Tab.
It’s officially summer, now, and the PDD Calendar is stuffed with every ding-dang concert from here to eternity (or at least, like, Tower or somewhere). Of course, the usual suspects like Bayfront Festival Park and Big Top Chautauqua are in there, as are smaller series like Bayside Sounds, Chester Creek Concert Series and Summer (Mostly) Thursdays. Here’s a peek at some of the upcoming sure-to-be outdoor-music highlights.
Official music video for Gaelynn Lea‘s “Lost in the Woods” from her forthcoming album, Learning How to Stay, which will be released on Sept. 7. Preorders available through GoFundMe.
Another new video by Duluth artist Ingeborg Von Agassiz featuring found footage.
New video by Duluth artist Ingeborg Von Agassiz.
