Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
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| Big Bad Voodoo Daddy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin |  California, United States |
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| Genre(s) | Swing | |
| Years active | 1989–present | |
| Label(s) | Interscope, Vanguard | |
| Website | http://www.bbvd.com | |
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O" and "You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight". The band went from a regular Wednesday night gig at the Derby in Hollywood, playing for a few hundred people, to playing the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.
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[edit] Detailed history
The band was originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by leader Scott Morris. He and Kurt Sodergren are the two "original" members, with the rest of the band joining later on. The band concentrated on the swing of the 1940s and '50s, playing clubs and lounges in their early years.
The band launched two CDs, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Watchu' Want for Christmas? under their own label (Big Bad Records) before getting their big break when their songs "You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three Tonight (Baby)" and "Go Daddy-O" were featured in the 1996 comedy Swingers.
From there they were signed by Capitol Records. With Capitol the band released Americana Deluxe, This Beautiful Life, and Save my Soul. The band has continued their tours, performances and album releases, with one high point being their appearance at the 1999 Super Bowl half-time show.
Over the last few years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has experienced great success playing on the Pops programs of American symphony orchestras.
Most recently, the band played during halftime of the 2006 Capital One Bowl.
The Kings of Swing
The name Big Bad Voodoo Daddy may seem odd or even vulgar in the least to some people in today’s society, but to aspiring guitarist Scotty Morris, this seemed to be the destined title for his new musical group. In 1989, the sparks of a developing retro swing group were being ignited into flames by leader Morris in his Ventura, southern California home. As the founder of the group, Scotty had the vision of creating a new group to enter the colorful California music scene; one with a conglomeration of jazz, swing, and blues influences. After attending a concert by legendary blues musician Albert Collins, Morris reveals that this meeting was clearly destined as he explains that “’He signed my poster 'To Scotty, the big bad voodoo daddy.’ I thought it was the coolest name I ever heard on one of the coolest musical nights I ever had. So when it came time to name this band, I didn’t really have a choice. I felt like it was handed down to me." ( Scotty Morris- Voodoo Daddy Scores a Gold). Thus, the name endured and the rest is history. Morris then went on to join with drummer Kurt Sodergren, the other founding member of the group. Eventually, the other members fell into place, including Dirk Shumaker on string bass, Andy Rowley on saxophone, Glen Marhevka on trumpet, Karl Hunter on saxophones and clarinet, and finally Joshua Levy on piano. Together, these California natives generated a sound described as 40’s and 50’s swing revival; a jazz influence resurfaced to a new age of punk rock.
Their first album was completed in 1994 as a self-titled independent swing revival record. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy launched their musical careers by performing at humble nightclubs in Ventura such as Nicholby’s and the Majestic Ventura Theatre. To paint of vivid picture of just how small scale these locations are, the Ventura Theatre is known for being the ideal Homecoming and Prom locations for local high- schools. This is a tremendously long way from one of their most accomplished feats; a performance at the Super Bowl Half-time show. But, every band must have its beginning and for jazz band BBVD, they began performing live in 1991 in a small Ventura theatres which they habitually packed with local loyal fans. These boys loved the comfort of playing locally and one member admitted that, “ It’s great to know that you’re playing in front of people you buy your groceries with and do your laundry with…”( City Fathers Grove with Voodoo Daddy). Furthermore, these seven members that comprised the group were all legitimately regular boys. For instance, Kurt Sodergren works as a pharmetucicalist in Thousand Oaks. Also, lead guitarist Scotty Morris has a very laid back job working owning and managing a surf-shop in Port Hueneme with his brother. He is characterized as one of the best guitarists in the area, without needing thorough practice. Their self-titled album was released in 1994 and produced major hits such as “You and Me and The Bottle Makes Three Tonight (Baby)”. These swing dance inspiring tunes escalated up the charts and became popularized even outside the small southern California county. One of their major accomplishments of their career includes a cameo appearance on the widely popular movie, Swingers, which was released in November of 1996. In the movie, they did a live performance of their hit “Go Daddy-O” at a local club in Los Angeles. Swingers starred blockbuster actors such as Vince Vaughn and proved to be a profoundly pivotal point in this young band’s career.
movie put them on the map as musical artists and they became nationally known for their outlandish uniforms consisting of pinstriped suits and brimmed hats. Always in costume for their live performances, their appearance brought forth a sense of realism to their jazz music, perpetually inspiring audiences to swing dance in the crowd. They were eventually signed by Capitol Records where they went on to release a total of three more albums. In May of 1998, their first single was played on the radio. To augment their increasing fame, Bid Bad Voodoo Daddy was featured as the soundtrack to gymnast Carly Patterson as she represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics. Competing Carly went on to capture the gold in style while performing her routine to the hit “ Mr. Pinstripe Suit”. The band members were astonished as they watched from their televisions at home in Ventura. The actual inspiration for this successful song came from a real New York man leader Morris met while on tour. He was blown away by this encounter and revealed that, “He was just the coolest guy, he took me to all the most insane old-school places, he always had a cocktail in his hand, and he smoked Export cigarettes. I literally wrote it in a hotel room of the Holiday Inn in Times Square. So it's pretty classic that it's gone from that to Carly winning the gold." (Voodoo Daddy Scores a Gold). Also occurring at this same point in time for this bustling band, was the release of their self titled album as a live CD and DVD. This live CD was well received by the public who adored the band for their notoriously amazing live performances. With respect to their live music, leader Scotty Morris describes that, “It’s always been a live thing. We have been selling out shows for 10 years and we feel the time is perfect for something like this. It’s what our fans have been begging us to put out for years. The energy of our live show was captured perfectly.” One of their proudest moments came at their live performance at the Derby in Hollywood. In addition, they made an appearance as the house band on the show “Last Call with Carson Daily” which proved to be a monumental step for this mounting band. Unarguably, the band’s most notorious performance came at the Super bowl in 1999 when they performed at the monumental half-time show with millions of Americans watching. In retrospect, leader Scotty Morris admits that, "To be recognized by your hometown is the coolest thing" Morris said before the 20-minute event. "I'm choked up by it."( City Fathers Grove with Voodoo Daddy). Even today, seventeen years later, the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy continue to amaze audience with their inspiring live performances, reviving an age of jazz and swing music.
Sources: Devenish, Colin. "Voodoo Daddy Score a Gold." The Rolling Stones (2004): Fischer , Blair R.. "Really Randoms: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy." The Rolling Stones (1999): Locey, Bill. "Out and About." The Ventura County Star (2000):
[edit] Band members
- Scotty Morris (vocals and guitar)
- Kurt Sodergren (drums and percussion)
- Dirk Shumaker (string bass)
- Andy Rowley (baritone saxophone)
- Glen "The Kid" Marhevka (trumpet)
- Karl Hunter (saxophone and clarinet)
- Joshua Levy (piano)
- Anthony Bonsera (trumpet)
- Alex Henderson (trombone) (also part of the Brian Setzer Orchestra and worked with Poncho Sanchez)
[edit] Discography
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Big Bad Records, 1994) - Also known as Party of 5
- Watchu' Want for Christmas? (Big Bad Records 1995)
- Americana Deluxe (Interscope Records 1998) — This album is also sometimes called Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, as the album cover prominently displayed a stylized "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" logo and did not feature the phrase "Americana Deluxe". However, the liner notes and the band's website clearly show that the true title is indeed Americana Deluxe.
- This Beautiful Life (Interscope Records 1999)
- Save My Soul (Vanguard Records 2003)
- BBVD Live (2004)
- Everything You Want for Christmas (2004)
[edit] Trivia
Before forming Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Scott Morris was the bass player of a "Nardcore" punk band called False Confession in the mid-1980s.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy also did a guest appearance in the 2001 adult swim special, Scooby Doo: Night of the Living Doo. They played themselves, performing the music for the "big musical chase scene"
