Funny, I thought of your book for precisely that reason when I read that line.

Hec or any other music historian types, can y'all point me to a good source for music trends across the American South, circa 1965? I can access the overall Billboard charts, but I'm very specifically looking for what would've enjoyed popular radio airplay across the region.

Yes, this is me being exceedingly picky for something that might make it into one or two lines of text.

Hec or any other music historian types, can y'all point me to a good source for music trends across the American South, circa 1965?

Stax soul, baybee! Also James Brown, Ray Charles, Motown. On the country side of the dial you're smack in the classic countrypolitan era Patsy Cline, Roger Miller. Might have a few early tracks comingout of Bakersfield by then (Buck Owens, Merle Haggard). The British Invasion has already happened and a lot of American response bands are going on. You'd have a fair amount of frat rock in the south - one offs like The Gentrys ("Keep on Dancing") or Swinging Medallions ("Double Shot of My Baby's Love").

By '65 you're well into Beatlemania, plus bands like Beach Boys but they'd get less play in the south.

I'd look at the Billboard Country charts and R&B charts for 1965, instead of their Hot 100. In 1965 there were still lots of odd crossover pop hits - by which I mean Frank Sinatra and Doris Day and Dean Martin were still having hits.

By '65 you're well into Beatlemania, plus bands like Beach Boys but they'd get less play in the south.

That's exactly what I was thinking-- thank you!

In 1965 there were still lots of odd crossover pop hits - by which I mean Frank Sinatra and Doris Day and Dean Martin were still having hits.

Yeah, that's what was striking me as not quite right. I mean, in larger cities like Atlanta, I'm sure there was a bit more blending of the genres, with the country club types still hanging onto the Frank/Doris/Dean charts (also, Anne Rivers Siddons' DOWNTOWN is set in Atlanta, circa 1965 and she references the Brit Invasion and the response bands a great deal-- and of course, she draws the book's title from Petula's song) but I'm thinking of what you'd pick up up on the AM stations driving across the Delta region. I guess I'm trying to figure out what kind of balance you'd have between the Stax and the country.

Just to clarify the above: because of things you'd written in the book about Rain Dogs, I'd assumed that you felt that both were great and that Rain Dogs might have the edge based on something you said in the book.

Anyway, here's a recording and pictures of my Nashville reading from last week. Me = not pretty.

I guess I'm trying to figure out what kind of balance you'd have between the Stax and the country. Thanks!

One of Ray Charles most famous albums was of him doing country hits. So lots of southern blacks grew up listening to country music because it was so pervasive. There was also a Billboard chart for jukebox play, which is almost a separate realm. You could have a huge hit on jukeboxes that only got marginal radio play - and there were also lots of regional radio hits.

How did they measure jukebox play? Just survey the jukebox owners?

Just to clarify the above: because of things you'd written in the book about Rain Dogs, I'd assumed that you felt that both were great and that Rain Dogs might have the edge based on something you said in the book.

Exactly so. Rain Dogs is Tom's most perfect album. He takes huge chances in a wide range of styles and nails them all. Whereas in Swordfish there are a couple places where he pulls back a bit from the risk-taking. Though I also note that Swordfish gets extra credit because it was unprecedented - it was flying without a net. With Rain Dogs he already knew that Swordfish had been well received and he was moving in the right direction.

How did they measure jukebox play? Just survey the jukebox owners?

I'm not certain. Might've been some sort of meter in the jukebox that would be checked when the owners came around to collect the change? Probably something to do with royalty rates for the songs? Or maybe they just tracked what singles were being added to jukeboxes instead of actual play. Not sure how it worked.

can y'all point me to a good source for music trends across the American South, circa 1965?

You might want to try Robert Gordon's It Came From Memphis and Peter Guralnick's Sweet Soul Music. Nick Tosches has one book that touches on the 60s, too, but I can't remember which one.