John Lee Hooker in Frogtown: The Secret Session at Toledo's Sweeney Sound Engineering

Dig below the surface of Toledo's rich and diverse music history and you'll inevitably uncover vague references to  John Lee Hooker recording at Toledo's Sweeney Sound Engineering. While the bluesman's affinity for the Toledo-adjacent Hines Farm blues club is well documented, the link between Hooker and Sweeney Sound is far more tenuous.

Hooker's notoriously cavalier attitude regarding the signing of and adhering to binding contracts makes verification difficult, but Sheldon Brown, son of Detroit Based Fortune Records founder Jack Brown, has long maintained that John Lee Hooker’s first recording session was actually conducted under his father’s supervision at Toledo’s Sweeney Sound Engineering. The session, which reportedly produced the tracks “Miss Sadie Mae: Curl my Baby's Hair” and “609 Boogie,” went unreleased at the time. Additionally, David A Carson confirms the session in his exhaustive Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll. This is significant as historians have for years generally credited Hooker's late 1948 recording of "Boogie Chillen" at United Sound Systems in Detroit as his first session. These claims instead indicate that Hooker's first session was, in fact, in Toledo.

Information detailing the history of Sweeney Sound Engineering is similarly hazy, a lazy google search turning up a 1950 recording of Fred Harris & his Uptown Band. Ripped from the 1980 release, Vintage Toledo Blues 1950-1980 (TRH Records #8001), Fred Harris--not to be confused with the legendary Canadian TV host of the same name--apparently went on to form Fred Harris' Red Tops who recorded this jam in the studio at Toledo's WTOD radio station in 1957.

Given the willingness of Fortune Records founder Brown to travel to Toledo for a session, what other gems may have been committed to tape or acetate inside the walls of Sweeney Sound Engineering? Those with even cursory knowledge of the studio and or the owners/employees are encouraged to chime in in the comments.

Linkapalooza: 
The Bull- Fred Harris' Red Tops Organ Trio- New Song
Remembering Hines Farm, a legendary African-American mecca for the blues
Hines Farm Movie

This Machine Kills Teenage Boredom: Where Is It Now?

Ibanez Deluxe 59'er "Lawsuit" Les Paul Copy
Featuring a low price of entry and above average playability, this guitar was the ideal weapon in the war on teenage boredom. Some two decades before these gits were considered "collectable," this example came into my life wearing Grover tuning pegs, a brass nut, and a Dimarzio X2N pickup in the bridge and a Super II in the neck. In other words, massive ass kicking capability without the financial risk associated with domestic instruments. Artistic expression frustration soon revealed it possessed the almost supernatural ability to remain in near perfect tune, even after repeated aerial maneuvers and the associated hard landings. I had Lemmy sign it in gold paint marker in '85, but that had started to fade by the time it disappeared. It may or may not of had an "ULTRA 94" sticker between the pickups.

Unfortunately, it was "lost" in Minneapolis at 7th Street Entry in 1987. On tour with the Circle Jerks, the 59'er never made it back into the Necros van that night. Although the idea of this axe being haphazardly strummed by some 15-year old in a musty basement somewhere trying to play along with the Heartbreakers' L.A.M.F. LP is appealing, I'd rather have it back. In the slim chance this missive finds it's way to someone who knows of its whereabouts, do tell. The story alone will be worth the wait.

PS: They are called "lawsuit" models because Gibson sued-and won-to force Ibanez to quit using the "mustache" or "open book" headstock shape.
When lost, this Ibanez was in a generic case.
Circle Jerks, Necros, First Avenue, 7th Street Entry, Negative Approach, Punk, Touch and Go, Gibson, Fender, stolen guitar

FOUND!

Musty old Brooks leather jacket with the lining removed and the sleeves cut off. Awesome.

Danzig screened the Crimson Ghost image on the collar. I handled the Gone In Sixty Seconds logo myself. Punk outing, people shouting; you can't hack it, without a leather jacket.

Hottest Summer Ever: Jack Frost Arrested for Stealing Ice.

13abc.com: Breaking News, Weather and Sports

Toledo Pop Festival-This Week In Toledo, Ohio, 1969:

Add caption

So Happy Together!  
Sunday, September 14th 1969
Four short weeks after Jimi Hendrix closed the generation-defining Woodstock Festival with a soul-stirring, whammy-bar laden performance of the Star Bangled Banner, Toledo fans got a homegrown opportunity to air out their freak flags courtesy of the daylong Toledo Pop Festival.Culled primarily from the S.E. Michigan/N.W. Ohio axis of high-energy rock'n'roll, the day's slightly disparate line-up featured a virtual who's who of Rust Belt axe-slingers: Brothers Wayne Kramer and the late-great Fred "Sonic" Smith from the MC5; Ted Nugent from the Amboy Dukes; The Frost's Dick Wagner, who would later go on to co-write, record, and tour extensively with the likes of Alice Cooper and Lou Reed, among others; Ron Koss of Savage Grace; Gary Quackenbush of SRC; Steve Correll of The Rationals; and, the soon-to-be-known-as “Leather Tuscadero” in the persona of one Miss Suzi Quatro, performing bass, vocal and jail-bait duties for the Pleasure Seekers, a band consisting chiefly of her brothers and sisters.

PDGB wonders if the concert promoter’s somewhat curious decision to place feel-good hit-makers The Turtles atop a bill filled largely with outfits known for their aggressive, potentially incendiary histrionics was -at least in part- a conscious decision intended to serve as a musical blow-off valve, The Turtles cheery melodies and infectious lyrics helping to ease the attendees transition from frenzied jam kick-outing to the parking lot slough that awaited them. Then again, maybe they just needed a big name to sell some tickets.

Either way, we’re sure the inevitable twenty minute-plus live rendition of “Happy Together” didn’t go unnoticed, reshuffling the synapses of numerous first-time psychedelic users so completely that even now, some forty-years later, the simple act of hearing said melody errantly whistled by passerby is capable of triggering intense psychotic episodes of such severity that even immediate medical attention followed by years of therapy can't guarantee the return of normal brain activity. Way to go Boomers!
Held at Toledo Raceway Park (which we assume is the Horse racing facility of approximately the same name that still stands in North Toledo today) the $5.00 admission ($4.25 Advance) was an unbelievable bargain, even adjusted for inflation.
If you attended the Toledo Pop Festival and have a recollection you'd like to share about it -or any like event/concert/happening in the N.W. Ohio/S.W. Michigan region- click that comment button and tell it!

Isn't That the Banjo Player's Porsche?

1. Q: How are Kenny G and a Ginsu knife alike?     A: They're both sharp as hell all the time, and that's never gonna change.

2. Define Perfect Pitch: A violin, from 10 paces, straight down the toilet without touching the seat.

3. A musician comes home after a gig and finds his girlfriend tied to the bed, bruised, naked and gagged. In a panic, he removes the gag and asks, "What happened?" His girlfriend replies: "While you were out, your agent came over and...." Interrupting her, he says: "You're kidding? My Agent? He came to see me? What did he say?!"

4. Q: How can you tell when your female lead has arrived at the rehearsal studio?     A: She fumbles for the key for over ten minutes, and when you open the door, she still doesn't come in right.

5. Q: How do you turn a loud guitarist down?     A: Put some sheet music in front of him.

6. Kenny G gets into an elevator. After a few floors he turn to the businessman next to him and says "Hey man, this place is really rockin'."

7. Q: Why did Bach have so many children?     A: His organ didn't have any stops.

8. Q: What's the difference between a trampoline and a viola?     A: You take your shoes off when you jump on a trampoline.

9. Two DJs meet at a gig. They finish a set each. After much mutual praising, they decide to hang out. One DJ suggests there's a great movie in town. The other replies, "Let's call ahead, find out who the projectionist is."

10. Q: What's the difference between a musician and a pizza?       A: A pizza can feed a family of four.

11. Q: What's the difference between a trombone solo and a buzz saw?       A: Vibrato.

12. Q: What's the difference between a rock guitarist and a jazz guitarist? A: The rock guitarist plays 4 chords for 10,000 people...

13. A Classical conductor reluctantly books a jazz saxophonist for a solo spot in a modern concert piece. To his surprise, the saxophonist turns up early for each and every rehearsal with his pencils sharpened, music in order, and plays flawlessly. He even stays back after rehearsals to ask important questions of the conductor in regards to interpretation of the score, always carefully marking his parts. Finally, after the final dress rehearsal, the conductor walks up to the jazz saxophonist and says, "I have to admit I had serious misgivings about using a non-classical musician, but your performance so far has been impeccable; always here early, looking after your music, a real example for the rest of the orchestra. You've certainly changed my mind about jazz musicians." To which the saxophonist replies, "Well Man, it's the least I can do seeing as I can't make the gig."

14. Kenny G goes into a Burger King: "Give me two Whoppers." Employee: "OK. You're good looking and you sound great."

15. Q: What's the definition of a gentleman?       A: Someone who can play bagpipes but doesn't.

16. Q: Why is a bassoon better than an oboe?       A: The bassoon burns longer.

17. Q: What' the difference between a dead snake in the road and a dead banjo player in the road?       A: The snake was on it's way to a gig.

18. Q: How many female lead singers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?       A: One, she just holds it while the world revolves around her.

19. A conductor sees a disturbance in the back of the orchestra, so he stops the rehearsal to find out what's going on. The last chair viola points to one of the bass players and says, "He...he just grabbed one of my tuning pegs and detuned the string!" The conductor is pretty irritated, but he says, "Okay, don't do it again, but we'll talk about it later." A little while later, he sees that something's going on again, so he stops the rehearsal again and says, "What the hell's the matter now?" The violist responds, "He, he...he won't tell me which one!!"

20. In my first year of college, an accordion-player friend of mine drove up from home to visit me. He arrived quite late on a dreary Friday night, and after getting settled I asked him where he parked. To my dismay, he informs me he parked on a nearby dimly-lit street notorious for car break-ins. I asked him if he brought is accordion, and he said he did, but he left it on the back seat of his car. Upon hearing this, we rushed down to his car to move it, but it was already too late; Someone had broken in and left two more accordions.

21. Two American guitarists were part of an international music act traveling by train across Europe. Several hours into the trip, one of the Russian members stands up and boasts, "In Russia, we have so much fine vodka I can afford to just throw it away." To illustrate his point, he takes a bottle of the finest Russian vodka and throws it out the window. Never to be outdone, a member of the French contingent holds up a bottle of the finest Champagne and retorts, "Well in France, we have so much of the finest Champagne, we can afford to just throw it away," and proceeds to throw the bottle out the train window. The first American guitarist accepts the challenge and, without saying a word, picks up the second guitarist and throws him out the window.

22. Q: What do a Yngwie Malmsteen guitar solo and premature ejaculation have in common?       A: You know its coming and nothing you can do is gonna' stop it.

23. Q: What's the least-used sentence in the English language?       A: "Isn't that the banjo player's Porsche?"

This collection of comedic gems was compiled from too many sources to bother mentioning. If you've got a few of your own, get busy with the comment button A.S.A.P. and share 'em with your fellow Pizza Don't Go Bad readers.

Gary Louris-This Week In Toledo, Ohio, 1973:

Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris graduates from Toledo’s St. Johns High School. In a bold career strategy that can only be described as genius, Louris doesn’t even own an electric guitar until after receiving his college diploma, potentially saving thousands of music admirers and witless bystanders from the shrill cacophony of yet another drooling adolescent tunelessly fumbling with his six-string penis in public.

The prolific songwriter’s decision to hone his craft in semi-obscurity was a wise one, evidenced not only by his vast catalog of passionate and melodic country/rock rock/country tinged-tunes, but also by the sheer number of A-list performers (Dixie Chicks, Kelly Willis, Nickel Creek-among others) that have come calling in recent years, all in hopes that at least some of the secret ingredients comprising G. Louris’ special sauce will stick to their fingers.

In addition to Louris's recently released and critically acclaimed solo work, "Vagabonds," the highly anticipated "Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology,"is slated for a July 7th release.

-toke!