Once upon a time, there were droves of performers who traveled the Ramada circuit, the Holiday Inn circuit, the Howard Johnson circuit, etc. Part of the hotel experience was the lounge act; sure they were cheesy, but a perfect backdrop to a glass of brandy and a cigarette.
Somewhere along the way, these entertainers became un-hip and the brunt of jokes. The lounges were converted to conference rooms and hotels suddenly got a whole lot blander.
Well, those lounge lizards will always have a place here at Retrospace. Today, we're dishing out the Lounge Act Set brought to you by the Biltmore Motor Hotel located in Union City, Tennessee at the Intersection of U.S. 51 and 45 W. Enjoy!
i\d like to see these pictures without the trading card boarders motif. nice collection
ReplyDeleteI love the Frankenstein-Amish-Beatle look of the guy in the Starlighter Quartet!
ReplyDeleteIt would be really interesting if there was a way to do a "Where Are They Now" investigation on these people? Did the lounge act work well for them?
ReplyDeleteman, those were great.
ReplyDelete@paradiddle: "Frankenstein-Amish-Beatle look" - man, you nailed that one! haha!!
It reminds me of the group who sang "California Lady" in "Track of the Moon Beast."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=225yE4sFJ2w&feature=related
Ah, when there was "entertainment" at night.
Thanks for the post.
"I sent a bottle of sparkling apple juice to your house....
ReplyDelete...didja get it ?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5MbuVk1uec
The Starlight Quartet guys looks like a Lecherous Captain Ahab on crack. Great pictures though ..
ReplyDeleteYou do realize, don't you, that the Starlighter Quartet and the Dave Bunker Show are MOSTLY THE SAME PEOPLE?
ReplyDeleteyes they are!!!
DeleteThere are not enough words in the English language to describe how incredibly great those are.
ReplyDeleteOther people might dream about what it was like to attend the first performance of "Hamlet" or a dinner party hosted by Oscar Wilde. Myself, I grieve to think I will never be able to see Julie and the Hot Nuts in action.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck is that instrument, a Zither/Telecaster?
ReplyDeleteThat instrument is a Bunker guitar (yes, made by Dave Bunker!). The "zither" part is kinda like a Chapman Stick; i.e. played by tapping rather than picking.
ReplyDelete@Lacey before they spiraled into booze, pills and women? ;)
ReplyDeleteUh, this is cruel. I have GOT to hear what these groups sound like! Especially "Solid Temptation." 1 attractive female surrounded by 3 goblins. That has got to sound deliciously insulting.
ReplyDeletewow, i'm from martin (next to union city) and have never heard of this place. maybe those fine men were way too sexy and they just had to shut it down
ReplyDeleteThe "Hot Nuts" do certainly seem to be warming their hands in the photo.
ReplyDeletethese must be fake, save for a few ones like the the Dave Bunker Show (says so right on their kit)
ReplyDeleteThe Style Coalition....sorry, but that photo is actually : "Pussycat"( a 70's Dutch band )
The Style Coalition, it certainly is Pussycat
ReplyDeletehttp://musiconvinyl.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-broken-souvenirs-pussycat.html
but perhaps they toured the States in 1977, when this song was a hit in Netherlands, but they could not use the name Pussycat for copyright reasons..?
just saying, maybe not completely fake.
Just looking through these pictues and found my Aunt and cousins pictures in the Dave Bunker Show...my Aunt and cousins work so hard while they traveled with this show and I don't think they got the credit they deserve, seems like its more about Daves guitar than anything else.. I heard them sing and perform back in the day and they were great! My Aunt has since past away and my cousins still sing occasionally! Just had to say this!
ReplyDeletethe Frankenstein Amish Beatle looking guy is the coolest guy ever.
ReplyDeleteI think there needs to be a lounge act section at http://hotelnightmares.com
ReplyDelete