Waxletes – Central KY’s Sporting Life at 45 RPM

Who’s in your Vinyl Four? Thumbing through my Lexington / central KY music collection it dawned on me how many sports related 45s I had randomly accumulated through the years. I’m sure there are many more that I have missed. Give ’em a virtual whirl and don’t put too much thought into my rating system – I sure didn’t! Be sure to click the song titles links to listen!
[2020 Shawn Chambers / Lexingtunes]

BASKETBALL

It will come as a surprise to no one that the vast majority of sports songs in the Bluegrass region are dedicated to the UK Wildcats basketball team. With the exception of the rarer Pat & Preston cut, most of these are readily available in the area.

Ben Ferrell –   The Kentucky NCAA Champs / Talkin’ Bout Kentucky (not sports related)    1978
Lexingtunes has already spun the Ben Ferrell tale with his involvement in the 60s garage band the Dimensions. Here Ferrell slips comfortably into a style he had polished on his full-length LP “Talkin’ Bout Kentucky” and brings his musical talent to a sports record.

The 1978 release “The Kentucky NCAA Champs” is a clear nod to the now immortal Joe B. Hall squad who offed Duke in the Nat’l Championship game. Ferrell’s banjo laden track covers the same ground later explored on the Josh Logan cut about another Hall squad. Roster shout outs abound and Ferrell can’t seem happier to sing “Silk and Steel, King and Kong.” The cut was Lemco studio produced with Phil Copeland on board and the sound is rich.
Rating – Cut Down the Net

 

Bill Kelly –  Wildcat Strut / Funky Cat Fever  1982
Since moving to Lexington in 1980, Bill Kelly has made his mark on stage with his countless Elvis tribute shows as well as over the airwaves as a radio personality.

There is no clear A or B side designated on the label, but giving the timing of the release to cover a current hit as well as instrumentals typically relegated to the B side, the vocal side warrants first examination.

“Wildcat Strut” is a clear attempt to cash in on the Stray Cats’ hit, but it is a convoluted attempt at best. The lyrics are plodding and for someone with such a commanding stage presence as Elvis, there is little to explain Kelly’s hushed don’t-wake-the-baby vocal delivery, which morphs into a “who’s singing this song, anyway” scenario with the presumably backing vocals seizing control. The random overdubbed cat howl adds nothing. Undoubtedly the story behind the record is probably more interesting than the release.
Rating – Flagrant Foul

In this case, take a marker and write* a big ‘A’ on “Funky Cat Fever” as it is clearly the superior side. There is no information about Bill Kelly’s involvement on the instro side, but it is still credited to him. An updated take of the “On, On U of K” classic it kicks off quickly with a killer bass line that will have the listener checking to see if a “Seinfeld” rerun is coming on. This gives way to a solid Stars On 45 style beat with synth and more slick bass. Big Blue Nation needed more of this and less poor-man’s-Weird-Al type parodies.
Rating – Slam Dunk

 

Josh Logan / Mike Wilson    –    Wildcat Fever  /  Biggest Barn In the World       1982?
Cartersville, Kentucky, native Josh Logan (born Larry Childers) certainly needs no introduction to any country music fan from the central Kentucky area. Logan has been active continuously since the early 1970s and continues to record today. Prior to breaking onto the national scene for Curb Records in 1988, Logan took a stab at his own UK basketball tribute record.

“Wildcat Fever” is straight country with nice banjo and some unexpected (but very solid) harmonica work. This is obviously the work of well-seasoned musicians. Logan manages to effortlessly blend in the entire 1981-82 basketball roster amidst steady praise of the Joe B. Hall led squad. Easily one of the top efforts for Big Blue. Bonus points for the demented Wildcat in the Hat label design. Rating – Buzzer Beater

The flip “Biggest Barn In the World” from Mike Wilson is clearly inspired by Andy Griffith’s classic 50s era “What It Was Was Football.” Wilson’s recitation even employs the line “what it was was basketball” and several other borrowed themes and proceeds to tell of a bumpkin’s experience in Rupp Arena. Had he been given the chance Wilson’s delivery could possibly have killed it at Renfro Valley in the early 80s, but modern listeners will likely find it less amusing. Good for a one time listen, though.
Rating – Missed Free Throw

 

Pat & Preston  –  27 and 2 / Don’t Let It (not sports related)    1966?
Local longtime folksters Pat Horine and partner in musical crime Preston Webber offer up the earliest sports-themed tune in the Lexingtunes collection with their delivery of a Wheeler-Hart composition “27 and 2.” This turning-point loss to Texas Western in the 1966 NCAA Championship is explored fully in what would surely have been an epic folk tale in medieval times. Baron Adolph Rupp and crew failed to cut the net despite the stellar 27-2 record. Pat & Preston are on point with their signature folk sound and the verses are well written with few of the tired tropes found in later local sports records.
Rating – Final Four

Starters  –  Tonight It’s Gonna Be Kentucky / They Call It Kentucky (not sports related)   1983
This is a bit of an anonymous disc with a Nashville address that is trying very hard to become an anthem. Every time the singer exclaims “Tonight It’s Gonna Be Kentucky” it feels like a montage is about to begin. The song never quite hits the mark and there is a bit too much 80s electro cheese. Just when it seems a guitar solo might rip it loose a spaced out keyboard shoots down the mothership. The Starters behind this are unknown but it was clearly professionally recorded and given the Pabst Blue Ribbon reverse side of the pic disc (bonus points) it might have been a promotional giveaway. Great for decoration.
Rating – Benchwarmers

Sultans  –   You Don’t Have To Call Me Kentucky / It’ll Be Easy (not sports related)   197-?/198-?
Far better known in their hometown of Louisville, the Sultans recorded many great sides for the Tilt and Jam labels in the 1960s. Known as a vocal group, this later reformation of the Sultans went well beyond their usual Cardinal territory to offer up a sincere tribute to the Wildcats.

“You Don’t Have to Call Me Kentucky” clocks a curious start for a Sultans record with a fiddle intro followed by a rousing bit of piano thumping. It doesn’t take long for the classic vocal stylings the Sultans are remembered for to emerge. The lyrics hit many instantly recognizable Wildcat themes. There is an obvious nod to Cawood Ledford and “moving to the right across the dial” puts the boys into the bonus and they keep on heaping praise. The cut has high production values and while there is an occasional drift into cornpone territory any UK diehard or Sultans fan will likely find lots to love here. Release date is still uncertain, but seems late 70s to early 80s.
Rating – 3 Pointer

Roberta Sylva  –  Champions / Champions   1985
A bit of a mystery is Roberta Sylva who was tasked with recording one of the most generic sports songs of all-time. Kind of the musical equivalent of say the Washington Generals. It is labeled a Triple Q production but sadly none of those Qs stand for Quincy. This is a dishonorable mention at best as the release is from North Carolina and no idea where Roberta is from, but the theme is clearly the NCAA Championship held at Rupp Arena in 1985.

“Champions” starts off innocently (and hopefully) enough with a synth and electro-beat that is reminiscent of Sylvia’s “Nobody” from a couple of years prior, but quickly falls apart into a vague celebration of some random unspecified team. Oh, also they are “champions”, which the singer is contractually obligated to remind the listener countless times. They are “going all the way to Lexington town / cause we got the groove and the beat and we’re number one bound.” Woah, slow down Robert Frost. Unless one of the Qs stands for Queen (spoiler alert – it doesn’t) than leave well enough alone with the generic rah-rah songs.
Rating – Quit

The flip is identical. Poor Roberta, she never had a chance. Tread lightly.

Other Basketball – Chris Lewis had a Lemco (?) release from the early 80s “Big Blue Fever / Now You Got a Big Wildcat”, which I have not heard. I seem to remember a 101 label thing with a UK band on one side and possibly Cawood Ledford on the other side. I seem to have lost my copy. I’m sure there are other basketball songs to add in the future to this list.

 

BASEBALL

It would seem likely that given the love of the Reds that there would be at least a song or two about the Cinci team. Heaven forbid anyone ever give props to the college squad.

Frank Hamilton      Cincinnati’s Rose / Sing Along With Me (not sports related)    1974
Frank Atkins           Cincinnati’s Rose / Cincinnati’s Rose Soundtrack      1985

Frank Hamilton Atkins has already been given a Lexingtunes tribute HERE so this will be brief. The original Pete Rose tribute record from ’74 boasts a solid country rockin’ sound with original and well spun lyrics from Atkins. In 1985 as Rose chased down the ghost of Ty Cobb, Atkins added a verse and reissued the single; however, the sound is more electro. Bonus points for the baseball label design and using the phrase “belly-slide”.
Rating 1974 version – Triple.
Rating 1985 version – Ground Rule Double.

FOOTBALL

The vinyl years were not the best times for the UK football team and this cut below is about the only one that springs readily to mind. Commonly found, but less so with the picture sleeve.

Dorothy Rowen  / Studio A Band  –   We Believe / We Believe (instrumental)   197-/198-?

Dorothy Roughen from Hamilton, Missouri, was a staple on the Lexington nightclub circuit working countless crowds at the Campbell House and Springs Inn from the 1960s onwards. In addition to her full- length LP for Lemco, Dorothy cut this football single under her usual stage name of Rowen.

The vocals on “We Believe” come hard charging onto the field with a bold and brassy sound to rival the backup marching band – “we know darn well / you’re gonna give ‘em hell”.  No fumbles here from Ms Rowen and the original pressing smartly included a decent picture sleeve. The B-side instrumental is solid and adds more rah-rah to the fan experience. Since this is the only classic local football record reviewed it obviously gets top marks!
Rating – Gatorade Dump on the Coach

HORSE RACING:

Lexington is perhaps better known for horse breeding than racing so this really could just be a bunch of Barry White 45s to capture the mood. There are several racing related cuts that come out of Louisville, but I had to cheat a bit and pull one from an LP to fit the bill for the Lexington area.

Rockcastle River Company –   Ruffian (LP Cut)    1976
Pat Horine strikes twice on the list with one of the only horse racing themed songs that instantly springs to mind. Partnered with Greg Austin, Nick Heyl and Brian Moore, the boys are first out of the gate. Much like his earlier days with Pat ‘N Preston, Horine still delivers a soft sound and just the right amount of sadness to tug every last heart string. “Ruffian” spins the tale of the champion filly and the Belmont Race that shocked and saddened a nation. Best listened to with a shot of bourbon handy.
Rating – Champion

Honorable Mention – David Bryan with his 1982 “Kentucky Days” and the horse racing and crowd sound effects.

WRESTLING:

No idea how or why this record exists, but, hey, you’re welcome.

Leapin’ Lanny & JD Miller         The Policeman Is Your Friend (non sports)
Charlie Beatty                             Leapin’ Lanny Can Fly          198-

Released on the seemingly one-off Lilo Records label, the A-side is a non-sports cut with Lanny Poffo teaming up with JD Miller (who once released a full length LP on Lemco)  while the B-side track by Charlie Beatty is most certainly the only wrestling related cut from the central KY area. Sadly, I sold this years ago to a wrestling fan and honestly have no recollection as to the sound etc. Maybe someone will share a clip for future review.  Rating – For Dave Brown, this is Lance Russell saying “Bye bye everybody”

*don’t actually write on your label – what are you a juvenile delinquent?