Hey, it’s Monday again. The circle of life. This was $3.00. I probably got it for the Beatles tune, along with some other songs I liked. Looking at the cover, I had a pretty good idea of what this record sounded like. It reminded me of a resturant in Houston I went to as a kid that had peanuts. I believe it was called Ruby Red’s. You used to be able toss your empty shells on the ground. Then one day, they reversed policy and we stopped going. They were kind of dicks about it. Then they closed.
Mickie Finn’s was the brainchild of one Fred Finn, who began the Finn Empire with a night club in San Diego when he was 22 years old. Due to the high cost of moving his musical equipment, San Diego was chosen as his location. The theme of his club was Gay 90’s, Roaring 20’s, and Swinging 30’s. This was in 1960. The club was a success and led to regular performances in Las Vegas, records, and a television show in 1966. Additionally, they opened a second night club in Beverly Hills on Restaurant Row.
Fred was joined by his wife, Mickie, who sang and played banjo (additional banjo duties were also handled by Red Watson and on this album, Don Van Paulta). The couple divorced in 1973 but Fred’s second wife, Cathy, took over the reigns. The band continued in Vegas after the closure of the night club in 1974 . This lasted until 1988 with several encore performances. I am not sure what happened after this. Some sources point to retirement after some work out of Florida after 1990 (my money would be on Branson). I also believe that both Mickie and Fred are still alive (they were both born in 1938).
Website for the Mickie Finn Show
This album I imagine was riding the brief success of their TV show. It sounds just as it looks, full of barrelhouse piano with a mix of dixieland, ragtime, and swing. It’s what the Simpsons would call “pianie”.
This was released in 1967. What else can I say on a Monday? I liked “Lady Godiva”, “Cabaret”, “Sail Along Silvry Moon”, and “Red River Valley”. Other than that, if you do not like or can not stomach old timey music, this is not for you. At the very least, the songs are short. Also, Fred can play the keys off the piano.
For a sample, I went with a track from on of my favorite musical movies, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. I wanted to go with the Beatles “With A Little Help Form My Friends” but it skipped and I was too lazy to clean it.
Satisfactory enough. I mean, if you can’t figure this out before you buy it, you must struggle then with the obvious.