MP3:
1. White Silver Sands (2:46)
(A-Side of OJ Records 45 #1002 - released in 1957)
2. Fat Charlie (2:23)
(A-Side of OJ Records 45 #1002 - released in 1957)
3. Love Is My Business (2:19)
(A-Side of OJ Records 45 #1006 - released in 1957)
4. Mad Witch (2:35)
(B-Side of OJ Records 45 #1006 - released in 1957)
Beloved Southern entertainer Bro. Dave Gardner (1926-1983) had a style that lay somewhere between Andy Griffith and Lenny Bruce. He is best remembered for a series of hit comedy albums released by RCA Victor from 1959 through 1963, but his first recordings were as a singer on these four sides cut for Memphis-based OJ Records in 1957. This very recording of "White Silver Sands" actually cracked the Billboard Top 40, and the song stayed in Dave's stand-up act right up to the end, though the real gem here is the strange minor-key romp "Mad Witch" in which our protagonist is made to play horsey with the Devil's red wife. To my knowledge, except for "Mad Witch" which has been reissued on a couple of obscure European rockabilly compilations, these tracks have been unavailable for close to half a century.
The first four RCA albums have been issued on CD by all-comedy label Laugh.com which is also now distributing a DVD of one of Bro. Dave's last live performances.
- Contributed by: Perry Amberson
Images: A-Side #1002, B-Side #1002, A-Side #1006, B-Side #1006
Ah, wow!
Posted by: Listener Kliph | July 09, 2007 at 01:08 AM
cliff gleaves did a rocknroll/rockabilly version of this tune "love is my business", but whoa! this guy..thanks for the tunes!!
Posted by: johnny rankin | July 10, 2007 at 09:15 PM
MAD WIIIITCH...FAVORITE TUUUUUUUUUNE...BRAIIIIIIIIN.
Posted by: Rev. Frost | July 12, 2007 at 09:50 AM
Oh, man. I grew up listening to Brother Dave. (It's what my father handed me when he realized I had stumbled upon his Richard Pryor albums a little too soon, shall we say.) This is a great find. Many thanks.
Posted by: Widgett Walls | July 22, 2007 at 10:50 PM
What makes 'White Silver Sands' for me is the strange juxtaposition of instruments; the coronet followed by the organ is pure Suthern.
Posted by: lcs | May 23, 2009 at 03:32 PM