Blog Country 148 - Uganda

 

I had no problem finding plenty of music from Uganda the landlocked East African country but more of an issue finding some decent tunes. I'm still not sure that I managed.

Needless to say Ernie had no such problems with his Odyssey and many other posts containing Ugandan music.

Uganda famously was the home of the self proclaimed King of Scotland Idi Amin. I'm sure that he turned his hand to performing songs but I'm not going to subject you to them. On the other hand  one of our Guyanan contributors is happy to give him his place

Let's start with Akasheko a song by the legendary Afro Pop star Sister Charity. It has to be said that she shakes her bootie a lot more than you would expect from a lady of the cloth.

Sister Charity is followed by Joel Sebunjo one of Uganda's most recognised young folk/world music artists. His offering is Owino.

Joseph Mayanja, commonly known by his stage name "Jose Chameleone", is a Ugandan AfroBeat artist and musician. He sings in Luganda, English, and Swahili. I'm not sure  whether Bolingo Ya Nzambe  comes under the first or the third.

I struggled to find out much about Lady Mariam until I stumbled upon this piece by Viberate. I have no information on the song Mpanggudde.

From 1968 we conclude with Freddie Kigozi & the Hodi Boys with Mega Jukira

The next Blog Country is yet another African one but one which I have a bit of music from so it should be easier than today was.

Sister Charity - Akasheko

Joel Sebunjo - Owino

Jose Chameleone - Bolingo Ya Nzambe

Lady Miriam - Mpangudde

Freddie Kigozi & the Hodi Boys - Mega Jukira

Mighty Sparrow - Idi Amin

Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers

 

 2026 Charity Shop Purchases #26 - Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers - Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers

Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers first came to my attention when I picked up a copy of their 2011 album Starlight Hotel from the much missed Record Library in Langside Library. I was particularly taken with the song If I Can't Trust With a Quarter ( How Can I Trust You With My Heart?)

Further along the way I picked up 2014's World of Strangers attributable solely to Zoe and featuring the brilliant Mama Needs a Margarita.

My car was in for it's MOT last week so I took the opportunity to pop into Oxfam and came away with three pretty good purchases with an Americana feel.

One was 2009's Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers from 2009 here It seems to be attributable to Continental Song City. The opener You Only Believe Me When I'm Lying is the one which catches the ear. 

It also looks like it may have been signed by Zoe, which is nice.

Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers - You Only Believe Me When I'm Lying

Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers - I Used to Call My Heart a Home

Draining The Swamp

 

Our dear friend Ernie recently shared a number of new albums from Promoland  (jammy get) which he very kindly brought to our attention.

He also highlighted Swamp Dogg's latest album Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlive here which he very kindly forwarded to me. He rightly highlighted the cover of the Jenny Lewis song Acid Tongue which for me was very much the pick from a very good bunch.

This got me thinking of all things Swamp Dogg and two tunes very quickly sprung to mind.

The first is also a cover this time Sam Stone a song written by the late great John Prine. It first came to my attention via a Kent compilation A Soldier's Sad Story here. If you don't have this you should rectify that immediately.

Finally, for today, I give you  They Crowned an Idiot King from his 2007 album Resurrection. Written about George W Bush but arguably even more relevant today.

Swamp Dogg - Acid Tongue

Swamp Dogg - Sam Stone

Swamp Dogg - They Crowned An Idiot King

The Rough Guide To Americana

 

Number 47 in my quest to post 50 Americana Compilations and one that I am surprised has not featured before is The Rough Guide to Americana

From 2001 on World Music Network it is  a pretty good stab with the selected 20 artists here

I have albums by and/or seen 16 of the 20 artists. There are only three acts that I am not familiar with Utah Carol, Cowboy Nation and Western Electric. Tempted as I was to feature them they are not that good and any of the others would do more justice.

It was a pretty hard task to select 3 from the other 17 but I have gone for Dave Alvin, the late great Neal Casal and Nadine.

Numbers 48 and 49 are accounted for but I'm still sweating over the elusive 50th one!

Dave Alvin - Railroad Bill

Neal Casal - Me and Queen Sylvia

Nadine - So That I Don't Miss You

Saturday Shuffle 157

 

We start Saturday Shuffle 157 with some Trash.

In case you think that our standards have dropped worry not as it is good Trash courtesy of the New York Dolls.

Raw Soul was a great Mojo compilation from 2004  - Mojo Music Guide Vol 3 - Raw Soul to be precise here. From it I give you Maxine Brown with Baby Cakes.

I once had a ticket to see Desmond Decker. I turned up, he didn't which is a shame as I never got to hear 007 (Shanty Town)

Hopefully everyone will turn up for next Saturday's Shuffle - same place, same time. No trash. Baby Cakes optimal.

New York Dolls - Trash

Maxine Brown - Baby Cakes

Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town)

Bellshill Bands - Lightships

 

This series might be shorter than I  first thought after, despite their Bellshill associations,  having to rule out The Vaselines for geographical reasons

I think that Lightships count given that they are a band formed by Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub fame There is however a debate as to whether it is an actual band or a recording project.

There has only been one album recorded namely 2012's album Lightships, on Stephen Pastel's Geographic label (re-released in 2022), alongside a 10 inch single Fear and Doubt.

Gerry continues to perform as a solo artist from time to time but to the best of my knowledge there have been no other releases. I would be delighted to be proved wrong.

Lightships - Sweetness in her Spark

Lightships - The Warmth of the Sun

Lightships - Sunlight to the Dawn

The Blues Collection - Peetie Wheatstraw

 

Confession time - I'd never heard of Peetie Wheatstraw until now which may go some way to explaining why The Devil's Son-in- Law weighs in at number 82 in The Blues Collection.

He was born William Burch on December 21st 1902 in Ripley, Tennessee and adopted the name Peetie Wheatstraw from early African American Folk tradition. Coincidentally he died aged 39 on the same date in 1941 in East St Louis.

He was quite prolific recording 161 songs which was only surpassed by Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy,Lonnie Johnson and Bumblebee Slim.

All but two of his records were issued under the names "Peetie Wheatstraw, the Devil's Son-in-Law" and "Peetie Wheatstraw, the High Sheriff from Hell"

It seem appropriate then that the two songs I have selected are Devil's Son-in-Law (Chicago 1931) and Gangster's Blues (New York 1940)

More Blues Collection artists soon

Peetie Wheatstraw - Devil's Son-in-Law

Peetie Wheatstraw - Gangster's Blues