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Wooly Bully – Los Straitjackets featuring Deke Dickerson

Deke Dickerson joined one of our all-time favorite bands, Los Straitjackets, on stage to perform one of our all-time favorite songs, Wooly Bully. The Jackets headlined Saturday’s lineup of bands at the 2014 Viva Las Vegas show that draws vintage fans from around the world. If classic cars, surf and rockabilly music, and pinup fashion are your thing, you must put Viva Las Vegas on your calendar for April 2-5, 2015. Meantime, as Deke says in this video, he and Los Straitjackets have a new album coming out with a tour in fall 2014. We’re looking forward to both!

Of course, it’s hard to beat the cool factor of the original song performed live in 1965 by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs as seen below. Sam’s infectious smile is the perfect contrast to the mannequin-like Cleopatras on stage with him. Check it out!

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Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass The Lonely Bull

More fantastic footage from the 1960s:  the über-cool Herb Alpert plays his first big hit, “The Lonely Bull,” in a Tijuana bullring. The story goes that he was inspired by a mariachi band revving up the crowd at a bullfight in Tijuana and adapted his trumpet playing to a tune written by collaborator Sol Lake. He called the song “The Lonely Bull” and the single became a Top Ten hit in 1962. Shortly afterwards “The Lonely Bull” became the first album ever released on A&M Records (the label he co-founded). Mix mandolin, trumpet, maracas and a surf beat, and you get pure magic!

By the way, the song has been covered many times in the last 50 years. I think one of the best covers is by the ska group The Untouchables. Listen to it here: