Double Bass Dick Smothers

[LiptonJigglers]

It does if you're doing it correctly...

 

[GretschWretch]

I thought maybe he had a musical life outside of the act. I met Bill Daily once, Howard on the Bob Newhart Show, and he was extremely proud of the fact that on one of his gigs Ray Brown came by and said some nice things about his bass playing.

The actor who portrayed Mr. Green Jeans on Captain Kangaroo also was a bass player.

 

[HolmeBass]

They were a comedy duo parodying the late 50s-early 60s folk singer trend, ended up more successful than most of the people in the scenes they were riffing on. They obviously did it with love though -- the variety show they hosted in the late 60s repeatedly got them in hot water (and eventually the show got canceled) for having comedians and folkies doing controversial material.

And they could play folk music straight too. Did a pretty good job, the musicianship served the material.

Their show had a lot of heart and courage for a variety show on network TV. It wasn’t going to last forever. :-(

 

[rickwolff]

I was playing at the Lake Geneve Wisconsin Playboy Club at the same time as the Smothers Brothers. We invited Tommy to join us in smoking a joint (which he accepted) but when it was passed to him he said "I don't really need this, I'm just doing it to be sociable'.

He also asked us what the most common word in the English language was. He said the answer was 'Ear'. He then took a drag on the joint and as he passed it he said 'ere.

 

[Opus_Pocus]

Pewmas in the Cravises!

back when comedy made you laugh

I guess you had to be there

 

[mikeoso]

I guess you had to be there

Well, it helped. A lot of their material was topical, working both with what was going on politically and the current cultural set.

 

[Bruce Calin]

I rented him a bass for a performance in Mpls. back when. He was a very nice guy and a decent player from what I recall.

 

[DWBass]

Not a virtuoso but he could certainly play. I used to watch that show when I was a kid. Surprisingly, I wasn't into bass back then.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Take it, Tom!

One of the most poignant (if not the funniest) routines I have ever seen in my life ...and I think about it and laugh at nearly every gig I do, because a bandleader will inevitably tell someone "take it!" at some point during the night.

 

[Ric Vice]

They were pioneers in opening up broadcast television to current music acts they were also constantly butting heads with the censors at CBS
when Pete Seeger sang Big Muddy. I believe it was pulled from the broadcast. It was pulled off the broadcast.

 

[Ben Esparza]

They really pushed the envelope when it came to guests on their show and, as Tom has said on many occasions, they were sacked due to the controversy. One of their biggest decisions that led to their cancellation was having Pete Seeger as a guest. Apparently, Pete Seeger had been black balled or black listed due to his political views, which in the Eisenhower/McCarthy era were deemed Communistic. I did see a clip of the Big Muddy performance and I'm sure that put the nail in the coffin. BRAVO...we need more people to be outspoken about these injustices to this day and to hell with the consequences.