R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders
Encyclopedia
R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders are a string band
playing songs from, and in the style of, the 1920s. Their three 33⅓ rpm albums
, all recorded in the 1970s on the Blue Goose label
, were titled R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders (1974), R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders No. 2 (1976), and R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders No. 3 (1978); the latter two have been reissued on the Shanachie label as Chasin' Rainbows (No. 2) and Singing In the Bathtub (No. 3).
As a novelty, they issued a number of 78 rpm 12-inch single
s for Blue Goose, long after the format was obsolete. The most familiar is probably R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders' Party Record (1980), with the double-entendre "My Girl's Pussy
" on the "A" side and the single-entendre "Christopher Columbus" on the "B" side.
Robert Crumb
was the band's frontman and album cover
artist. As of 2006 he was no longer much involved with the group; the band at that time included Robert Armstrong
(vocals, saw, guitar), Bob Brozman
(vocals, various steel instruments, guitar, ukulele), Al (Allan) Dodge (vocals, mandolin), Terry Zwigoff
(saw, cello, Stroh fiddle
, and mandolin), and Tony Marcus (vocals, guitar, and fiddle).
String band
A string band is an old-time music or jazz ensemble made up mainly or solely of string instruments. String bands were popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and are among the forerunners of modern country music and bluegrass.-String bands in old-time music:...
playing songs from, and in the style of, the 1920s. Their three 33⅓ rpm albums
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, all recorded in the 1970s on the Blue Goose label
Blue Goose Records
Blue Goose Records is a record label setup in the early 1970s by Nick Perls.While on Blue Goose' sister label Yazoo Records Perls compiled rare 78 rpm recordings made in the 1920s by such singers and guitarists as Charlie Patton, Blind Willie McTell, the Memphis Jug Band, Blind Blake and Blind...
, were titled R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders (1974), R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders No. 2 (1976), and R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders No. 3 (1978); the latter two have been reissued on the Shanachie label as Chasin' Rainbows (No. 2) and Singing In the Bathtub (No. 3).
As a novelty, they issued a number of 78 rpm 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
s for Blue Goose, long after the format was obsolete. The most familiar is probably R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders' Party Record (1980), with the double-entendre "My Girl's Pussy
My Girl's Pussy
"My Girl's Pussy" is a song by the British bandleader and clarinetist Harry Roy. The song was recorded in 1931 by Harry Roy and His Bat Club Boys.-Lyrics:"My Girl's Pussy" is a song by the British bandleader and clarinetist Harry Roy...
" on the "A" side and the single-entendre "Christopher Columbus" on the "B" side.
Robert Crumb
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb —known as Robert Crumb and R. Crumb—is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded...
was the band's frontman and album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
artist. As of 2006 he was no longer much involved with the group; the band at that time included Robert Armstrong
Robert Armstrong
Robert Armstrong may refer to:*Robert Archibald Armstrong , Gaelic lexicographer*Robert Armstrong , American professional baseball player*Robert Armstrong , film actor...
(vocals, saw, guitar), Bob Brozman
Bob Brozman
Bob Brozman is an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist.He has performed in a number of styles such as Gypsy jazz, calypso, Blues, ragtime, Hawaiian and Caribbean music. Brozman has also collaborated with musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds such as India, Africa, Japan, Papua New Guinea...
(vocals, various steel instruments, guitar, ukulele), Al (Allan) Dodge (vocals, mandolin), Terry Zwigoff
Terry Zwigoff
Terry Zwigoff is an American filmmaker whose work often deals with misfits, antiheros, and themes of alienation. His fiction films are the features Ghost World , Bad Santa , and Art School Confidential...
(saw, cello, Stroh fiddle
Stroh violin
Stroh violin, Strohviol, or Strohviol, is a trade name for a horn-violin, or violinophone—a violin that amplifies its sound through a metal resonator and metal horns rather than a wooden sound box as on a standard violin. The instrument is named after its designer, John Matthias Augustus Stroh, an...
, and mandolin), and Tony Marcus (vocals, guitar, and fiddle).