Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Encyclopedia
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival
band from southern California
. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII
half-time show in 1999.
The band was originally formed in Ventura, California, in 1989 by leader Scotty Morris. The band was named Big Bad Voodoo Daddy after Scotty Morris met blues guitar legend Albert Collins
at one of the latter's concerts. "He signed my poster 'To Scotty, the big bad voodoo daddy'," Morris explains. "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."
He and Kurt Sodergren are the two original members, with the rest of the band joining later. The band has concentrated on the swing of the 1940s and '50s
, playing clubs and lounges in their early years.
scene, Scotty Morris founded Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with Kurt Sodergren. 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 3 Tonight (Baby)","I Wan'na Be Like You" and "Go Daddy-O" were featured in the soundtrack of the 1996 comedy-drama Swingers
.
. With Capitol, the band released Americana Deluxe, This Beautiful Life, and Save My Soul. The band has continued their tours, performances and album releases. The band had appeared at the 1999 Super Bowl
half-time show and the 2006 Capital One Bowl
, and also served as the house band for ESPN's ESPY Awards
for a few years. The band created a version of the opening theme for the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun
, which was used for the 1999–2000 season.
, and recorded a song for Disney's Phineas and Ferb
Christmas Vacation Special. BBVD also performed on the hit television show Dancing with the Stars, and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno
to promote their album How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, a collection of their renditions of Cab Calloway
songs in April 2009.
Live and compilations
Singles
Swing Revival
The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima, often mixed with a more contemporary rock, rockabilly or ska sound, known also as neo-swing or retro...
band from southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII
Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football...
half-time show in 1999.
The band was originally formed in Ventura, California, in 1989 by leader Scotty Morris. The band was named Big Bad Voodoo Daddy after Scotty Morris met blues guitar legend Albert Collins
Albert Collins
Albert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
at one of the latter's concerts. "He signed my poster 'To Scotty, the big bad voodoo daddy'," Morris explains. "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."
He and Kurt Sodergren are the two original members, with the rest of the band joining later. The band has concentrated on the swing of the 1940s and '50s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, playing clubs and lounges in their early years.
Early career: 1989–1996
After playing in punk and alternative rock bands during the 80s, including False Confession, part of the Oxnard, California NardcoreNardcore
Nardcore is a hardcore punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 1980s, originating in Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Early bands in the Nardcore scene included Agression, Dr. Know, False Confession, Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, RKL, Stalag 13 and Scared Straight...
scene, Scotty Morris founded Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with Kurt Sodergren. The band launched two CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Watchu' Want for Christmas? under their own label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
(Big Bad Records) before getting their big break when their songs "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)","I Wan'na Be Like You" and "Go Daddy-O" were featured in the soundtrack of the 1996 comedy-drama Swingers
Swingers (1996 film)
Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
.
Commercial success: 1997–2004
From there, they were signed by Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. With Capitol, the band released Americana Deluxe, This Beautiful Life, and Save My Soul. The band has continued their tours, performances and album releases. The band had appeared at the 1999 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
half-time show and the 2006 Capital One Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
, and also served as the house band for ESPN's ESPY Awards
ESPY Awards
An ESPY Award is an accolade presented by the American cable television network ESPN to recognize individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony. The first ESPYs were awarded in 1993...
for a few years. The band created a version of the opening theme for the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...
, which was used for the 1999–2000 season.
Live performances and return: 2005–present
Over the last few years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has played numerous Pops programs of American symphony orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony. They created a new song for the movie The WildThe Wild
The Wild is a 2006 computer-animated film directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams, produced by Clint Goldman, assistant produced by Jim Burton and C.O.R.E...
, and recorded a song for Disney's Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
Christmas Vacation Special. BBVD also performed on the hit television show Dancing with the Stars, and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
to promote their album How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, a collection of their renditions of Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
songs in April 2009.
Band members
- Scotty Morris (lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
and guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Kurt Sodergren (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
) - Dirk Shumaker (double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and vocals) - Andy Rowley (baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
and vocals) - Glen Marhevka (trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
) - Karl Hunter (saxophones and clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
) - Joshua Levy (pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, arrangerBandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
)
Discography
Studio albums- Big Bad Voodoo DaddyBig Bad Voodoo Daddy (album)Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is the self-titled debut album by contemporary swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.-Track listing:#"Jumpin' Jack" – 4:41#"13 Women" – 5:04#"Cruel Spell" – 5:21#"King of Swing" – 5:15#"Beggars' Blues" – 5:35#"Machine Gun" – 5:31...
(1994) - Watchu' Want for Christmas?Watchu' Want for Christmas?Whatchu' Want for Christmas? is the second studio album by swing group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Rock-a-Billy Christmas"#"You & Me & The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight "#"'Zat You Santa Claus"...
(1997) - Americana DeluxeAmericana DeluxeAmericana Deluxe is the third studio album by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. This album is also sometimes called Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, as the album cover prominently displays a stylized "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" logo and does not feature the phrase "Americana Deluxe" on it...
(1998) - This Beautiful LifeThis Beautiful LifeThis Beautiful Life is the fourth studio album released by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in 1999.-Track listing:All songs written by Scotty Morris, except where noted.# "Big and Bad" - 4:15# "I Wanna Be Like You" - 3:40...
(1999) - Save My SoulSave My Soul (album)Save My Soul is the fifth studio album by swing group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.-Track listing:All songs written by Scotty Morris, except where noted.# Zig Zaggity Woop Woop Pt. 1 - 2:32# You Know You Wrong - 4:47# Always Gonna Get Ya - 2:52...
(2003) - Everything You Want for ChristmasEverything You Want for ChristmasEverything You Want for Christmas is the sixth studio album by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.-Track listing:All songs written by Scotty Morris, except where noted.#Rockabilly Christmas- 3:26#Merry Christmas Baby - 3:03#Mr...
(2004) - How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway (2009)
Live and compilations
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Live (2004)
Singles
- You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby) CD Single (Interscope Records 1999)
Filmography
- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy appeared as themselves in Night of the Living DooNight of the Living DooNight of the Living Doo is a 2001 Scooby-Doo animated special. The cartoon was a comedic parody of a typical episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, complete with unlikely guests and a retro style. The special was produced by Cartoon Network and broadcast in small segments during commercial breaks of...
, a special farcical episode of Scooby-DooScooby-DooScooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
. - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy appeared as themselves in the 1996 film SwingersSwingers (1996 film)Swingers is a 1996 comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival...
, in which they played a set (including "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)") at a club that the characters visit.
External links
- Listen to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: Live In Los Angeles at Walt Disney Concert Hall 1-1-2010 npr.org Retrieved 3-15-2011, 96 minutes.