Stagger Lee Saturdays - John Cephas and Phil Wiggins

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins (official wiki AMG) first met in the mid-70's, and played together till Cephas died this March. This delectable take on Stag is from their 1986 album Dog Days of August.

The guitar sparkles; the harmonica makes my heart speed up a little. Cephas' vocals duel with the harmonica for notice, and alllllllmost win out.

Lyrically, there's not much here we haven't heard twenty times before, but there's a joy in distillation of everything good about a song. This is classic Stag, bluesy, folky, violent and dark and dangerous.

December's coming up, folks. Are you ready for Christmas music? It's starting soon.

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins - Stagger Lee
mirror 1 -- mirror 2
Buy via the official Cephas Memorial Website

Silly Sundays - Bowser and Blue - Polka Dot Undies

Boswer and Blue (official wiki AMG) are a Canadian comedy duo, and a real favorite of Dr. Demento, the king of novelty records. I should warn you that, despite that art to the right there, Bowser and Blue aren't really Lou Reed and Jim Belushi playing incognito. This song does, however, include contributions from a sizeable percentage of 80's stalwarts Katrina and the Waves.

This is one of the best of the many many parodies of Bob Dylan out there, with a twist. This one belongs to what I like to call the "Hello Operator, Give Me Number Nine" school of comedy. (You'll hear more of these songs on Silly Sundays to come, I'll bet.)

This song makes me uncontrollably happy, and it can still make me giggle like an eight-year old. Thanks, Bowser and Blue.

Bowser and Blue - Polka Dot Undies
mirror 1 -- mirror 2
Buy from Bowser and Blue

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Mickey Gilley

Here's another piano-based version of Stag for your edutationment purposes. Mickey Gilley is a country singer, now a resident of Branson, MO. Here's his 1986 take on Stag, wherein Mickey shouts out Stag's story and pounds his piano, just like his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis.

This version also features Steve Cropper (of "Play it, Steve" fame) on guitar.

Mickey Gilley - Stagger Lee
Buy from GEMM