Celebrating International LOUIE, LOUIE Day

April 11 was selected as International Louie, Louie Day because it's supposedly the birthday of Jack Ely, who sang the notorious Kingsmen version recorded back in 1963. If true, Happy Birthday, Jack. (Thanks to the Town Crier of the Blogosphere, Mr. Bill Crider, for the tip-off.)

The history lesson above was an entry in a video contest in conjunction with the 2007 LouieFest in Tacoma, WA. As far as I know, no winner was ever announced, and no prizes awarded. Tsk. The Strychnine Five was, is, and always has been, me and Mr. Drew Bentley, now passing as a mere mortal in the suburbs of Omaha, NE. That's him singing, while I bang on my old Japanese Squier Strat.



The Sonics, of course, did the best version ever recorded, bar none. The group has reformed, and they're  still doing it. Live performances are all over YouTube, but none better than this.



You might want to turn your sound down for this one. This was LouieFest I (aka 1001 Guitars) in Tacoma in 2003. If you look real close at the 6:06 mark, you'll see a blurry Cap'n Bob Napier (white T-shirt and blue jeans), Brian Trainer (of Portland's fabled Rock Residue, similarly attired) and me (black Zorro cap and shirt, fiddling with my antique Gibson flat-top box). I believe the "thousand" guitars numbered closer to 700.

Want more Louie? Your best source for All Louie, All the Time is Eric Predoehl's The Louie Report, HERE.