Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Artist: Art Young & The Country Gems, Album: The Best Of Eagle Records, Song: Little Tot

"Now she only stands about five feet four.  She's got the cutest brown eyes that I adore.  A dimple in her chin and a turned up nose but all the fellas know her by the cut of her clothes.  Little tot."  This one goes way back to 1964.  Art Young and the Country Gems cut this track as a B-side to their first single, a Johnny Cash cover called, I Still Miss Someone.  They would release a number of singles throughout the sixties with Winnipeg based label, Eagle Records.  They were later compiled as an album release in 1977 called, Autumn Leaves.  Most people who are fans of Neil Young and the Guess Who have heard the stories about their early years of playing the bar circuit in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.  Well Eagle Records was born out of that same scene.  Young record collectors who were able to bring the latest music from Britain over to Canada were advising bands on which covers to record.  This led to one of the first British invasion recordings by Canadian band, Chad Allen & The Expressions, called Shakin' All Over.  That band, of course, became The Guess Who, in later years.  Well that single was a pivotal reason for Eagle Records to start up as a label and for a number of young bands to follow suit and record music.  Super Oldies, a label out of Duluth, Minnesota, has been restoring these earlier pieces of work and bought the rights to the Eagle Record discography in 2005.  You can find this early rockabilly classic from Art Young on that compilation.  Remarkably, Art was born to deaf and mute parents with no musical ability.  He started recording in 1949 and this particular track was written for his wife, who he nicknamed, Little Tot.  It is available at http://www.superoldies.com/eagle.html.  You can hear the song, Little Tot, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x51z0BwnLPY).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!