Composer and arranger Carl Stalling was the visionary behind the kaleidoscopic music beating at the heart of the classic cartoons produced under the aegis of Warner Bros. Studios during the middle of the 20th century. Frenzied and impassioned, his work broke new ground by following the visual trajectory of the on-screen action instead of the... [+] Read More

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He was born Barret Hansen, being the proud owner of a master's degree in music from UCLA under that moniker, but he's far better known to millions of radio listeners as "Doctor Demento." In 1995, he celebrated his 25th anniversary of broadcasting the greatest novelty records of all time, both new and old. In that time, he's elevated the novelty... [+] Read More

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In the 1930s, at the height of the Depression, rural Americans desperate for a laugh tuned in their radios to enjoy the cornball musical antics of the Hoosier Hot Shots. Their odd-sounding blend of a slide whistle and clarinet as the two lead instruments, the solid rhythm of the washboard, and their bizarre song lyrics made them the top novelty... [+] Read More

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Composer, bandleader and inventor Raymond Scott was among the unheralded pioneers of contemporary experimental music, a figure whose genius and influence have seeped almost subliminally into the mass cultural consciousness. As a visionary whose name is largely unknown but whose music is immediately recognizable, Scott's was a career stuffed with... [+] Read More

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Best known for his work with Spike Jones and his own Natural Seven sides for Capitol, Red Ingle was a true multi-talent. A fine musician, a great comedic singer and gag writer, a human sound-effects machine, an excellent cartoonist and caricaturist, and consummate arranger, Ingle truly lived up to the oft-bandied-about description,'he can do it... [+] Read More

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One of the most eccentric vocalists ever to hit the jazz scene, Slim Gaillard became a legendary cult figure thanks to his own privately invented jive dialect "vout," a variation on hipster slang composed of imaginary nonsense words ("oreenie" and "oroonie" being two other examples). Gaillard's comic performances, laid-back cool, and supremely... [+] Read More

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For someone of Steve Allen's versatility and staggering capacity for work, jazz occupies a small yet significant portion of his biography. Yet despite his crowded agenda, Allen can still spin out facile, competent, bop-and-cocktail-flavored piano in fast jazz company -- nothing particularly original but always pleasurable to hear. He started to... [+] Read More

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After 60-plus years of being an American comedy institution, the history of the Stooges is well documented elsewhere. What's not commonly known, however, is that the final lineup (consisting of Larry Fine, Moe Howard, and Curly Joe DeRita) made comedy records, primarily for the children's market that had brought them belated television fame in... [+] Read More

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