|
05 Jul 07 - 07:47 PM (#2095150) Subject: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph From: BK Lick Boots Randolph, a saxophone player best known for his 1963 hit "Yakety Sax," died July 3 in Nashville, Tennessee. One obituary (with photo) can be found here (click me). Listen to "Yakety Sax" on YouTube here. Wikipedia article here. —BK |
|
05 Jul 07 - 08:06 PM (#2095168) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph From: Peace "Boots Randolph and the Carroll County Car Strippers." Best name for a group ever. |
|
05 Jul 07 - 10:13 PM (#2095243) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph From: GUEST,Art Thieme July 21st, 1960 ---- That was the first time I ever "heard" Boots Randolph! When I was younger, I spent some wondrous summers working in my uncle's factory in Evansville, Indiana. One hot day I met a 58 year old blind singer from Butler County, Kentucky named Lee O.B. Quiggins singing on main street in downtown Evansville about 3 blocks from the Ohio River. I thought he might have some good songs. Truth be told, Lee was not a great singer, and he played his old Martin D-18 in a strange staccato style. He picked out mostly the melody line of the song using a thumb pick that had a flat pick stuck between his thumb and the thumb pick. Very few chords were strummed. He also had a bad nervous twitch in his voice. But I was always looking for new songs---so that night I took my heavy old Webcor reel-to-reel tape recorder up to his room at the rather rundown transient serving Lincoln Hotel--on Fourth Street -- I think it was. My aunt and uncle had very little tolerance for my forays out to record people I found, and when they heard Lee Quiggins, well, they named him the Unwashed Baritone and laughed about it (and at me) the rest of that summer. I was pretty pissed off, to say the least. ------ -----I think that was the summer I tried to convince unc's factory workers to start a union---something Uncle Bud never really forgave me for. (Actually, I always thought he had moved from De Kalb, Illinois to southern Indiana to try to avoid the unions. But I digress. Now, BOOTS RANDOLPH was a local star back then in Evansville---at a real tough dive called the Blue Bar on the street level of that hotel. Lee's room was on the second floor---and the din from the bar during one of Boots' sets was unbelievable. Making any tapes of Lee was close to impossible---until Boots Randolph's set was over with. So we had to hurry to finish before the next set started... When I heard Lee up close that night I realized that these tapes weren't going to live up to my expectations---so I cut the session short, gave Lee some cash, thanked him, and left. Ever since that night Boots Randolph and his Yakety Sax have had a warm place in my heart. I hope he rests in peace. Those tapes deteriorated over the years. I did manage to dub off a cassette sometime in the 1980s. With the help of the Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 that Jerry and Mudcatters sent me I was able to put Lee onto a CD----something that I'm sure would've boggled his mind. I know that because it does that to MY mind--and that's for sure. Thanks so much to all you Mudcatters. And farewell to Boots!! Art Thieme |
|
06 Jul 07 - 03:10 AM (#2095362) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: goatfell yakty sax was one of the theme tunes for Benny Hill |
|
06 Jul 07 - 03:11 AM (#2095363) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: goatfell So sorry to here that he's away. RIP |
|
06 Jul 07 - 03:57 AM (#2095396) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: catspaw49 Great post Art.
In school I was so inspired listening to the "greats" like Coltrane and Webster that I laughed off Boots as a commercial buffoon........ah, the know it all attitude that can only be seen in youth. I wanted to be Plas Johnson perhaps, but never Boots. |
|
06 Jul 07 - 06:24 AM (#2095472) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: BanjoRay Yakety Sax was a superb record - it's a real pity the pathetic Benny Hill ever got hold of it. Boots Randolph was brilliant. Ray |
|
06 Jul 07 - 11:15 AM (#2095650) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: katlaughing Thanks for the story, Art. We'd like more, always more! RIP, Yakety Sax. kat |
|
06 Jul 07 - 11:30 AM (#2095660) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: SINSULL Mea Culpa, Spaw. I was mesmerized by Miles Davis and sent Yakkity Sax back when it arrived as a monthly offering from Columbia Records - a reel-to-reel tape. I hated it. In retrospect, I wish I had it now. RIP SINS |
|
06 Jul 07 - 11:36 AM (#2095668) Subject: RE: Obit: Homer Louis 'Boots' Randolph (3 July 07) From: GUEST,Art Thieme To me Boots only stayed in my memory from the incident I recounted above. That BLUE BAR really was a low-life place. But Mr. Randolph was a pro who had staying power--I'll give him that--and a bit more. Art |