Here now is one of those records that seems to have slipped through the sands of time. But when you unearth it, you're in for a choice slab of rockin' funk that's a guaranteed hip-shaker. The record in question is today's entry into the It's Great Shakes files, "Bang Dangin' Time" by Woody Guenther and Cheaters. It's a recent find for me at the Indy show and it's definitely one of my fave finds of the year.
In trying to find information on this record, a Google search turns up the entry in Larry Grogan's "Funky 16 Corners" blog. Flick over there to read it and it turns out that Larry couldn't find any information either. What little is known is that the record was released in April of 1968 on the Shout label, which was a subsidiary of the better-known Bang label. Another clue is provided by the songwriter credit which lists one "James Shaw." At first, I thought that it was Mighty Hannibal, but further research indicated that there's more than one James Shaw out there. (See the comments section for Larry's entry. When you do, note that the last entry is from someone who claims to be the drummer of the band.)
But we all know that it's what's in the grooves that count, right? Well, this one's got grooves to spare and then some. Backed up by a smokin' band that includes piano, guitar, sax and horns and with a great rhythm section with some serious tambourine shakin', the lead singer mounts off about "We're gonna bang dang until the break.of day/Girl, I'm never gonna let you get away" as female chorus shout "BANG DANGIN!" in the background. What else do I need to say? This one moves and shakes all the way to the fade-out, so do yourself a favor and check out this rather obscure funkster. You'll no doubt be a happier person once you discover this lost gem of a 45!
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