Today’s selection is a two part unhinged, proto-punk number from Ft. Worth, Texas. The Elite were a four piece, headed up by Rodger Brownlee on guitar and vocals, Eddie Deaton on lead guitar and Bob Barnes on bass, I was not able to dig up the name of the drummer as of yet. The groups recording of “My Confusion,” put them on the map in the Ft. Worth scene, along side the heavier acts of the day, Larry and The Bluenotes, The Cynics etc.
“One Potato/Two Potato,” a Texas take by the Paschal High School based group, borrowed from the “PAPA OOM MOW-MOW” theme from the Minneapolis group the Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird.” This track by no means is a cover, however borrows considerably from “Surfin’ Bird.”
The Elite were known for the their unusual stage antics including opening up for themselves, under a band alias, decked out in biker gear with Nazi helmets and sunglasses. They would stage a fight in front of their audience in which the other three members would rip off Bob Barnes clothes. They were also known for smashing their instruments and equipment, on stage, in the manner, The Who would have been doing in the same time period.
This disc is one of my favorites, with the trashmen take and then the instrumental on the flip with it’s top layer of thick, slow, greasy guitar work. These cuts pop up on the Ft. Worth Teen Scene comps. These guys are still around and in 2009 played the Ponderosa Stomp Showcase at The Continental Club, with The Excels. Dig it.
The footage above is from a short documentary that Norton Records put out in conjunction with their Ft. Worth Teen Scene in 2008. Teen-A-Go Go
LISTEN: The Elite – One Potato
LISTEN: The Elite – Two Potato