Friday, May 17, 2013

40 Year Itch : Tricky Dick and The Birth of Sampling


The Watergate scandal inspired "the King of Novelty",  Dickie Goodman,  to record one of his "break-in" records, "Watergrate". With a Mad Magazine sense of humor, Goodman had been blending snippets of hit songs that seem to be answering questions from a reporter since 1959's "Flying Saucer". "Watergrate" hit #42. In 1975 Goodman's "Mr Jaws" would hit #4. You could argue these were among the first records to "sample" other artists.


Earlier in the year, Goodman wrote and produced "Superfly Meets Shaft", a blaxploitation-inspired novelty tune that hit the Top 40 in May of 1973.






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