This summer I was hired to DJ at an out-of-town, day/evening gig. It was a little like DJing a wedding. I didn't know many people there and wasn't sure what the crowd would want to hear. But it was my job to entertain them, and I did. I brought tons of 45s with me that day and ended up playing fairly well known stuff (well known to me anyway). Some of these records I play at regular club shows close to home (Boston/Cambridge), but most don't see daylight too often because I always think everyone's heard them too much already. But for an event like this you need to try to read the crowd and give them what they like (e.g., stuff they know or stuff that sounds like other records they know).
I know--this is all basic DJ info, so why bring it up now? Well, I realized the day after that show that I had kept all the records I'd played in one box, in the exact order I'd played them. I'm usually not that neat. I always start out with my records organized into logical groups, but by the end of the night everything's all over the place. Because I'd kept everything in order after this particular gig--possibly the only time in my DJ career that I'll do that--I decided to type up a list the next day over my late-morning coffee. (I think I was procrastinating about something more important that also needed to get done that morning.)
Here, preserved in digital amber, are my sets from that day. It's kinda interesting to me to read through it again now. (I'm a bigger Ricky Nelson fan that even I knew.) Maybe it will be interesting to you also. Some of these are requests. Most of the records are originals, although I do spin repros when necessary. The event went from early afternoon--a hot, sunny day--until late at night, and there were several band sets interspersed with the DJ sets.
1.The
Ventures/Instant Mashed (Dolton)
2. Wanda
Jackson/Mean, Mean Man (Capitol)
3. Dale
Hawkins/Susie Q (Checker)
4. Glen
Glenn/Everybody’s Movin’ (Era)
5. The
Cotillions/Surf Twist (Alley)
6. The
Seeburg Spotlite Band/Slow Down (Seeburg)
7. Bo
Diddley/Road Runner (Checker)
8. Guitar
Jr. /The Crawl (Goldband)
9. The
Delroys/Bermuda Shorts (Apollo)
10. Chuck
Berry/Back in the U.S.A (Chess)
11. Ann
Cole/Got My Mo-Jo Working (Baton)
12. Edgar
Blanchard/Let’s Get It (Ric)
13. Gary
U.S. Bonds/Not Me (Legrand)
14. Jim
and Monica/Slippin’ and Slidin’ (instro side) (Betty)
15. Gene
Vincent/Git It (Capitol)
16. The
Trophies/Somethin’ Else (Nork)
17. Freddie
Cannon/Tallahassee Lassie (Swan)
18. Fabian/Got
the Feeling (Chancellor)
19. Sandy
Nelson/Let’s Go (Polydor International)
20. The
Rivieras/Let’s Have a Party (Riviera)
21. Arthur
Alexander/A Shot of Rhythm and Blues (Dot)
22. Joe
Tex/Ain’t I a Mess (Anna)
23. Googie
Rene/Wiggle-Tail, Part 2 (Class)
24. Big
Buddy Lucas/Bump Te Bump (Lawn)
25. John
Fred and His Playboys/Shirley (Paula)
26. The
Blue Dots/Saturday Night Fish Fry (Ace)
27. Lavern
Baker/Jim Dandy Got Married (Atlantic)
28. Joe
Turner/Flip, Flop, & Fly (Atlantic)
29. Varetta
Dillard/Promise Mr. Thomas (Savoy)
30. Noble
“Thin Man” Watts/Hot Tamales (Baton)
31. Big
Sandy/Have Love Will Travel (HipShakin’)
32. Mike
Waggoner & The Bops/Guitar Man (Vee)
33. Larry
Williams/Slow Down (Specialty)
34. Clyde
McPhatter and the Drifters/What ‘Cha Gonna Do (Atlantic)
35. Ray
Sharpe/Linda Lu (Jamie)
36. The
Jive-a-Tones/Wild Bird (Fraternity)
37. Ricky
Nelson/Hello Mary Lou (Imperial)
38. Roy
Clark/Wildwood Twist (Capitol)
39. Bill
Haley and His Comets/Rock the Joint (Roller Coaster)
40. Billy
Lee Riley/Pearly Lee (Sun)
41. Ricky
Nelson/Believe What You Say (Imperial)
42. The Belairs/Mr.
Moto (Arvee)
43. Al
Casey/Guitars, Guitars, Guitars (Stacy)
44. Roy
Montrell/The Mellow Saxaphone (Specialty)
45. Little
Richard/Heeby-Jeebies Love (Specialty)
46. Larry
Dale/Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (Atlantic)
47. Joe
Houston/Shtiggy Boom (RPM)
48. Ritchie
Valens/Come On, Let’s Go (Del-Fi)
49. Johnny
O’Keefe/Real Wild Child (Brunswick)
50. Jack
Kitchen/Hot Rod Boogie (Repro)
51. Link
Wray/Turnpike U.S.A. (Swan)
52. Gene
Summers/Alabama Shake (Capri)
53. Jerry
Lee Lewis/Lovin’ Up a Storm (Sun)
54. H.B.
Barnum/Tia Juana (Imperial)
55. Don
and Dewy/Justine (Specialty)
56. Big Al
Downing/Georgia Slop (Columbia)
57. The
Chancellors/Little Latin Lupe Lu (Soma)
58. The
Pastel Six/Twitchin’ (Downey)
59. The
Rivingtons/The Bird Is the Word (Liberty)
60. Hand
Ballard and the Midnighters/Sugaree (King)
61. The
Royal Lancers/Good, Good Lovin’ (Hi Mar)
62. Johnny
Knight/Rock & Roll Guitar (Morocco)
63. Dick
Dale/Shake-N-Stomp (Deltone)
64. Gene
Vincent/Right Now (Capitol)
65. The
Champs/Midnighter (Challenge)
66. Dick
Holler and the Holidays/Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love) (Comet)
67. Harold
Dorman/Uncle Jonah’s Place (Sun)
68. Little
Bob/I Got Loaded (La Louisianne)
69. Johnny
Guitar Watson/Looking Back (Escort)
70. The
Five Royales/Catch That Teardrop (Reissue)
71. The
Velvettes/Needle in a Haystack (V.I.P.)
72. Baby
Jean/If You Wanna (Reissue)
73. The
Everly Brothers/I’m Not Angry (Warner Brothers)
74. Jerry
Lee Lewis/Money (Sun)
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