It is another of many classic Atlanta recordings made by Paul in the early ’60’s.
Ernie Phillips is featured from Atlanta, Georgia in the first hour of the WAKE overnight show from Saturday, August 31, 1963. The music on this mostly unscoped recording is of particular interest. It’s a Hootenanny weekend, and every other song is a Hootenanny song.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‘hootenanny’ as “An informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience.” For the most part, that’s what gets played here. What is truly surprising is that a respectable number of these songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100! I suppose it’s reasonable to say that American Folk Music enjoyed a peak in popularity in the early ’60’s. Depending on your age and “cultural roots”, you
may find a number of these tunes familiar.
As for Mr. Phillips, his performance is typical of smaller market overnight guys in the early ’60’s: Casual, self-deprecating and sometimes, honestly confused!