It’s night time in the Big City

an elderly man looks at his wife’s empty pillow

a nervous thief stands in a doorway

Welcome to Theme Time Radio Hour. Leave your iron at the door, ’cause tonight we’re gonna be playing music of the highest caliber. We’re gonna shoot from the hip and put another notch on our barrel.

The Singers and Songs

Junior Walker and the All Stars: Shotgun

“We’re gonna start things off with a record that starts out like a gun shot… one of the funkiest records ever to come out on Motown.”

Tennessee Ernie Ford: Shotgun Boogie

“..known as ‘The Old Pea Picker’ because he always use to say ‘Bless your pea-pickin’ heart.'”

Albert King: The Hunter

“The least known of the three Kings of the blues: B.B., Freddie, and Albert.”

The Valentines: Guns Fever (Blam Blam Fever)

The Clash: Tommy Gun

“A song written by Mick Jones and Joe Strummer. Joe explained that he got the idea to write Tommy Gun when it occurred to him that terrorists, like rock stars and movie stars, probably enjoy reading in the press about their so-called triumphs.”

Wanda Jackson: This Gun Don’t Care Who it Shoots

“The Atomic Fireball”

Robert Jefferson: I Got My Equalizer

“Well usually I have a story about the people we play, but I know nothin’ about this fella, except that he’s a little bit dangerous.”

Johnny Cash: Don’t Take Your Guns To Town

Los Lobos: La Pistola Y El Corazon

Al Dexter And His Troopers: Pistol Packin’ Mama

The Hurricanes: Pistol Packin’ Mama

“(Syd Nathan) was called Little Caesar because he was short, fat, and ruled his label like a dictator… but nonetheless he knew what people wanted to buy and he knew there wasn’t that much distance between the white audience and the black audience. He took Al Dexter’s song and handed it over to The Hurricanes and it came out something like this. Actually, it came out exactly like this!”

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins: The Big Guns

Jerry Irby And His Texas Rangers: Great Long Pistol

“Here’s an old friend of Theme Time Radio Hour. It’s that practical joker, Jerry Irby. Shoot ’em up!”

Vernon Green and the Medallions: Don’t Shoot, Baby

“Be careful, you don’t want to get hit in the Pompatus”

Richard and Linda Thompson: Shoot Out The Lights

“You ever heard Rumble, Richard?”

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(Complete episode Notes available at The Bob Dylan Fan Club)

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