February 5, 2025: Country Funk & Bayou Grooves: A High Cotton Deep Dive

[MUSIC INTRO]

Zulu Doc: All right, ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the late start tonight. It's been a busy day for the Zulu Doc. You know, this isn't my regular job, but we're trying to get to a point where it is. My other job ran a little long today, but here we are. You're listening to 96.9 FM WHYR-LP Baton Rouge Community Radio, and it's time for another hour of High Cotton Radio. I'm the Zulu Doc, and he's DJ Unit. Unit, how you feeling today?

DJ Unit: Oh, sua, I'm well. Things are going great. Just trying to focus on love—you’ve got to love each other.

Zulu Doc: That's right. Your hair looks good. There's a lot of good hair in the studio tonight. I’d argue I have the fourth-best hair in here, which is unusual for me.

DJ Unit: Not often you rank yourself fourth.

Zulu Doc: Yeah, and I'm admitting that!

DJ Unit: That's growth.

Zulu Doc: Speaking of unexpected things, you just sent somebody to jail today, didn't you?

DJ Unit: Yeah, sometimes you have to make sure certain people spend a few days behind bars when their mistakes are, you know, unforgivable.

Zulu Doc: Do you ever think about what they feel when that door clanks shut?

DJ Unit: Yeah, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It's the best bar there is.

Zulu Doc: You know what makes me feel warm and fuzzy? When we have guests back on the show. Tonight, we welcome back The Pet Shop Boy! He reached out last week, wanting to get back in, and I said, “How about next show?” And here we are. Welcome back!

Pet Shop Boy: Thanks for having me. It's been too long! I've been working on some material—have y’all ever gotten into country funk?

Zulu Doc: We’ve played some Tony Joe White, but looking at your playlist, I see some names we don’t hear much—Bobby Gentry, Bobby Charles, Link Wray. What made you want to focus on this style?

Pet Shop Boy: Everyone here loves Outlaw Country, but this is another form of it. It blends country, R&B, gospel—diverse, old, but fresh. It’s different from Outlaw Country, and I wanted to share it.

Zulu Doc: Tell us about our first artist—Link Wray, Fire and Brimstone.

Pet Shop Boy: Link Wray was born in 1929 in Dunn, North Carolina, and passed away in 2005 in Copenhagen. He’s best known for Rumble, a guitar instrumental that was so powerful it was banned in New York and Boston for fear it would incite violence. But my favorite Link Wray song is Fire and Brimstone. Let’s hear it.

[MUSIC: "Fire and Brimstone" by Link Wray]

Zulu Doc: File that under “people you never really listened to, but should have.” What’s next?

Pet Shop Boy: Bayou Country by Grits. This song was written by Baton Rouge’s own Duke Bardwell and Luther Kent. Bardwell played in The Basement Wall, The Greek Fountains, and even with Elvis in the TCB Band.

[MUSIC: "Bayou Country" by Grits]

Zulu Doc: Damn. That was incredible.

Pet Shop Boy: It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Zulu Doc: Next up, we’ve got some Paul Pena. You know him?

Pet Shop Boy: Oh yeah, great hair. Born in 1950, he wrote Jet Airliner—you know, the Steve Miller Band song. He toured with the Grateful Dead, played bass for Bonnie Raitt, and opened for Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia.

[MUSIC: Paul Pena]

Zulu Doc: We also got a request for some Johnny Adams. Tell us about him.

Pet Shop Boy: Johnny Adams was born in New Orleans in 1932, passed away in Baton Rouge in 1998. His first major hit was produced by a young Dr. John. Later, he toured with Aaron Neville and Harry Connick Jr.

[MUSIC: "Georgia Morning Dew" by Johnny Adams]

Zulu Doc: That was smooth. Als

Transcript

[MUSIC INTRO]

Zulu Doc: All right, ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the late start tonight. It's been a busy day for the Zulu Doc. You know, this isn't my regular job, but we're trying to get to a point where it is. My other job ran a little long today, but here we are. You're listening to 96.9 FM WHYR-LP Baton Rouge Community Radio, and it's time for another hour of High Cotton Radio. I'm the Zulu Doc, and he's DJ Unit. Unit, how you feeling today?

DJ Unit: Oh, sua, I'm well. Things are going great. Just trying to focus on love—you’ve got to love each other.

Zulu Doc: That's right. Your hair looks good. There's a lot of good hair in the studio tonight. I’d argue I have the fourth-best hair in here, which is unusual for me.

DJ Unit: Not often you rank yourself fourth.

Zulu Doc: Yeah, and I'm admitting that!

DJ Unit: That's growth.

Zulu Doc: Speaking of unexpected things, you just sent somebody to jail today, didn't you?

DJ Unit: Yeah, sometimes you have to make sure certain people spend a few days behind bars when their mistakes are, you know, unforgivable.

Zulu Doc: Do you ever think about what they feel when that door clanks shut?

DJ Unit: Yeah, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It's the best bar there is.

Zulu Doc: You know what makes me feel warm and fuzzy? When we have guests back on the show. Tonight, we welcome back The Pet Shop Boy! He reached out last week, wanting to get back in, and I said, “How about next show?” And here we are. Welcome back!

Pet Shop Boy: Thanks for having me. It's been too long! I've been working on some material—have y’all ever gotten into country funk?

Zulu Doc: We’ve played some Tony Joe White, but looking at your playlist, I see some names we don’t hear much—Bobby Gentry, Bobby Charles, Link Wray. What made you want to focus on this style?

Pet Shop Boy: Everyone here loves Outlaw Country, but this is another form of it. It blends country, R&B, gospel—diverse, old, but fresh. It’s different from Outlaw Country, and I wanted to share it.

Zulu Doc: Tell us about our first artist—Link Wray, Fire and Brimstone.

Pet Shop Boy: Link Wray was born in 1929 in Dunn, North Carolina, and passed away in 2005 in Copenhagen. He’s best known for Rumble, a guitar instrumental that was so powerful it was banned in New York and Boston for fear it would incite violence. But my favorite Link Wray song is Fire and Brimstone. Let’s hear it.

[MUSIC: "Fire and Brimstone" by Link Wray]

Zulu Doc: File that under “people you never really listened to, but should have.” What’s next?

Pet Shop Boy: Bayou Country by Grits. This song was written by Baton Rouge’s own Duke Bardwell and Luther Kent. Bardwell played in The Basement Wall, The Greek Fountains, and even with Elvis in the TCB Band.

[MUSIC: "Bayou Country" by Grits]

Zulu Doc: Damn. That was incredible.

Pet Shop Boy: It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Zulu Doc: Next up, we’ve got some Paul Pena. You know him?

Pet Shop Boy: Oh yeah, great hair. Born in 1950, he wrote Jet Airliner—you know, the Steve Miller Band song. He toured with the Grateful Dead, played bass for Bonnie Raitt, and opened for Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia.

[MUSIC: Paul Pena]

Zulu Doc: We also got a request for some Johnny Adams. Tell us about him.

Pet Shop Boy: Johnny Adams was born in New Orleans in 1932, passed away in Baton Rouge in 1998. His first major hit was produced by a young Dr. John. Later, he toured with Aaron Neville and Harry Connick Jr.

[MUSIC: "Georgia Morning Dew" by Johnny Adams]

Zulu Doc: That was smooth. Also, quick shoutout to Maison Dufresne, an amazing old-school music collector.

Pet Shop Boy: Speaking of Louisiana legends, next we’ve got Bobby Gentry.

Zulu Doc: She was huge in the ’70s. One of the highest-grossing acts in Vegas, so big she bought the Phoenix Suns. She’s still alive, but nobody knows where she is.

[MUSIC: "He Made a Woman Out of Me" & "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobby Gentry]

Zulu Doc: I wouldn’t mind buying Bobby Gentry a steak dinner.

Pet Shop Boy: I think we all would.

Zulu Doc: We have a caller—Chuck Spicer! Chuck, you’re live. What do you think of tonight’s show?

Chuck: Loving it. Hack’s got a great taste in music.

Zulu Doc: You got a request?

Chuck: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain—the Willie version.

[MUSIC: "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson]

Zulu Doc: That was a beautiful request. We’re wrapping up with Bobby Charles—Louisiana guy, great songwriter.

[MUSIC: "Street People" by Bobby Charles]

Zulu Doc: And that wraps up another High Cotton Radio. Thanks to The Pet Shop Boy for curating this amazing playlist. Any final words?

Pet Shop Boy: Just thanks for letting me share the music!

Zulu Doc: Until next time, y’all be good. See you next week.

[OUTRO MUSIC]