Hoosier Hot Shots

Trackimage Playbut Trackname Playbut Trackname
I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones) 03:19 Tools
I Like Bananas, Because They Have No Bones 00:00 Tools
Sioux City Sue 00:00 Tools
I like Bananas because they have no bones 00:00 Tools
Like A Monkey Likes Cocoanuts 00:00 Tools
Everybody Stomp 00:00 Tools
From The Indies To The Andies In His Undies (78rpm Version) 00:00 Tools
Connie's Got Connections In Connecticut 00:00 Tools
San 00:00 Tools
Rural Rhythm 00:00 Tools
If It Helps Win The War 00:00 Tools
My Bonnie 00:00 Tools
Sweet Sue 00:00 Tools
From The Indies To The Andies In His Undies 00:00 Tools
Goofus 00:00 Tools
I Just Wanna Play With You 00:00 Tools
She's Got A Great Big Army Of Friends 00:00 Tools
What Is So Rare 00:00 Tools
Dude Cowboy 00:00 Tools
Noah's Wife 00:00 Tools
One-Eyed Sam 00:00 Tools
'Tain't Nobody's Business What I Do 00:00 Tools
Bow-Wow Blues 00:00 Tools
Toot Toot Tootsie 00:00 Tools
I Like Bananas 00:00 Tools
I Like Mountain Music 00:00 Tools
Hoosier Stomp 00:00 Tools
Moving Day In Jungle Town 00:00 Tools
I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate 00:00 Tools
Connies Got Connections In Connecticut 00:00 Tools
That's Where I Meet My Gal 00:00 Tools
The Girl Friend Of The Whirling Dervish 00:00 Tools
Down In The Valley 00:00 Tools
Oakville Twister 00:00 Tools
Hot Lips 00:00 Tools
Divorce Me C.O.D. 00:00 Tools
Take Me Out To The Ball Game 00:00 Tools
Diga Diga Do 00:00 Tools
Red Hot Fannie 00:00 Tools
Meet Me By The Ice House Lizzie 00:00 Tools
Hound Dog 00:00 Tools
He'd Have To Get Under Get Out And Get Under 00:00 Tools
It Ain't Nobody's Biz'ness What I Do 00:00 Tools
Is It True What They Say About Dixie 00:00 Tools
Who's Sorry Now 00:00 Tools
Moving Day In Jungletown 00:00 Tools
Back In Indiana 00:00 Tools
Black Eyed Susan Brown 00:00 Tools
The Band Played On 00:00 Tools
Shake Your Dogs 00:00 Tools
Put On Your Old Red Flannels 00:00 Tools
I'm Looking For A Girl 00:00 Tools
The Coat And Pants Do All The Work 00:00 Tools
Whistlin' Joe From Kokomo 00:00 Tools
Moving in Jungletown [Alternate Version] 00:00 Tools
Are You Havin' Any Fun 00:00 Tools
She Broke My Heart In Three Places 00:00 Tools
Skeleton Rag 00:00 Tools
When You Wore A Tulip 00:00 Tools
He's A Hillbilly Gaucho 00:00 Tools
BREEZIN' ALONG WITH THE BREEZE 00:00 Tools
Everybody Loves My Baby 00:00 Tools
Willie Willie Will Ya 00:00 Tools
I've Got A Bimbo Down On Bamboo Isle 00:00 Tools
My Blue Heaven 00:00 Tools
You're Driving Me Crazy 00:00 Tools
Way Down In Arkansas 00:00 Tools
Cuddle Up A Little Closer 00:00 Tools
She Was A Washout In The Blackout 00:00 Tools
Swing Little Indians Swing 00:00 Tools
Avalon 00:00 Tools
Ida (Sweet As Apple Cider) 00:00 Tools
Farmer Gray 00:00 Tools
WAH-HOO 00:00 Tools
The Guy Who Stole My Wife 00:00 Tools
Beer Barrel Polka 00:00 Tools
THERE'S NO ROMANCE IN YOUR SOUL 00:00 Tools
Jingle Bells 00:00 Tools
St Louis Blues 00:00 Tools
Swanee 00:00 Tools
Bye Bye Blues 00:00 Tools
They Go Simply Wild Over Me 00:00 Tools
Ha-Cha-Na 00:00 Tools
Ain't She Sweet 00:00 Tools
The Coat And The Pants Do All The Work 00:00 Tools
Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You) 00:00 Tools
That's What I Learned In College 00:00 Tools
I'll Soon Be Rolling Home 00:00 Tools
Running Wild 00:00 Tools
Them Hill-Billies Are Mountain Williams Now 00:00 Tools
Pretty Baby 00:00 Tools
Farewell Blues 00:00 Tools
That's Where I Meet My Girl 00:00 Tools
Oh By Jingo 00:00 Tools
The Coat and Pants Do All the Work and the Vest Gets All the Gravy 00:00 Tools
Hold 'Er Ebner 00:00 Tools
Look On The Bright Side 00:00 Tools
Margie 00:00 Tools
Pick That Bass 00:00 Tools
'Taint Nobody's Business What I Do 00:00 Tools
Down Home Rag 00:00 Tools
Big Noise From Kokomo 00:00 Tools
Wabash Blues 00:00 Tools
It's A Lonely Trail 00:00 Tools
No No Nora 00:00 Tools
The Pants My Pappy Gave To Me 00:00 Tools
I Want A Girl 00:00 Tools
Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia 00:00 Tools
Sam The College Leader Man 00:00 Tools
The Kitten With The Big Green Eyes 00:00 Tools
Someday 00:00 Tools
When Lightnin' Struck The Coon Creek Party 00:00 Tools
Meet Me In The Cow Shed 00:00 Tools
The Girl Friend Of The Whirlin' Dervish 00:00 Tools
With A Twist Of The Wrist 00:00 Tools
Skeede-Waddle-Dee-Waddle-Do 00:00 Tools
Shirley 00:00 Tools
Keep An Eye On Your Heart 00:00 Tools
Sweet Sue Just You 00:00 Tools
The Man with The Whiskers 00:00 Tools
Swinging With Dora 00:00 Tools
Beatrix Fairfax Tell Me What To Do 00:00 Tools
How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm 00:00 Tools
You Said Something When You Said Dixie 00:00 Tools
In An Old Dutch Garden (By An Old Dutch Mill) 00:00 Tools
The Sheik Of Araby 00:00 Tools
Since We Put The Radio In The Henhouse 00:00 Tools
Wah-Hoo! 00:00 Tools
Ma She's Making Eyes At Me 00:00 Tools
No More 00:00 Tools
O-Hi-O 00:00 Tools
Some Days You Can't Make A Nickel 00:00 Tools
Is It True What They Say About Dixie? 00:00 Tools
The Musket Came Down From The Door 00:00 Tools
There's A Tear In My Beer Tonight 00:00 Tools
Sweet Georgia Brown 00:00 Tools
You Two Timed Me Once Too Often 00:00 Tools
COAT AND PANTS DO ALL THE WORK 00:00 Tools
The Flat Foot Floogie 00:00 Tools
From The Indies To The Andies In His Undies - 78rpm Version 00:00 Tools
When There's A Tear In The Eyes Of A Potato 00:00 Tools
Toot, Toot, Tootsie 00:00 Tools
When Johnny Brings Lelahani Home 00:00 Tools
You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do) 00:00 Tools
From The Indies To The Andes I 00:00 Tools
Galaxy News Radio 00:00 Tools
NO ROMANCE IN YOUR SOUL 00:00 Tools
Washboard Stomp 00:00 Tools
I Like Bananas, Because They Have No Bones [1935] 00:00 Tools
Ida 00:00 Tools
Mister Sandman 00:00 Tools
This Is The Chorus 00:00 Tools
Meet Me Tonight In The Cow Shed 00:00 Tools
Since We Put The Radio Out In The Henhouse 00:00 Tools
From The Indies To The Andies In His... 00:00 Tools
Sweet Jennie Lee 00:00 Tools
I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones) (1935) 00:00 Tools
The Girlfriend Of The Whirling Dervish 00:00 Tools
When You Wore A Tulip, And I Wore A Big Red Rose 00:00 Tools
Nobody's Sweetheart 00:00 Tools
Tiger Rag 00:00 Tools
Mr Sandman 00:00 Tools
Ever So Quiet 00:00 Tools
Meet Me By the Icehouse, Lizzie 00:00 Tools
My Wife Is on a Diet 00:00 Tools
Are You Havin' Any Fun? 00:00 Tools
The Martins and the Coys 00:00 Tools
meet me by the ice-house lizzie 00:00 Tools
THEM HILLBILLIES ARE MOUNTAIN WILLIES NOW 00:00 Tools
Sweet Sue, Just You 00:00 Tools
Virginia Blues 00:00 Tools
St. Louis Blues 00:00 Tools
SOME DAYS YOU CAN'T MAKE A DIME 00:00 Tools
Texas Blues 00:00 Tools
Hillbillies are Mountain Willies now 00:00 Tools
Windmill Tillie 00:00 Tools
My Little Bimbo Down on the Bamboo Isle 00:00 Tools
MT BLUE HEAVEN 00:00 Tools
(Back Home Again in) Indiana 00:00 Tools
At the Darktown Strutters' Ball 00:00 Tools
Heartaches 00:00 Tools
You're Driving Me Crazy! (What Did I Do?) 00:00 Tools
Annabelle 00:00 Tools
She Broke My Heart in Three Places 1944 00:00 Tools
WE LOVE BABANAS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO BONES 00:00 Tools
When Lightnin' Struck The Coon Creek Party Line 00:00 Tools
What's The Good Word, Mr. Bluebird? 00:00 Tools
IF IT HELPA WIN THE WAR 00:00 Tools
The Covered Wagon Rolled Right Along 00:00 Tools
Wabash Charlston 00:00 Tools
The Flat Foot Gloogie 00:00 Tools
Meet Me By The Icehouse Lizzie 00:00 Tools
Let's Not and Say We Did 00:00 Tools
I Ain't Got Nobody (and Nobody Cares for Me) 00:00 Tools
Barn Dance Polka 00:00 Tools
Fit as a Fiddle 00:00 Tools
A Hot Dog, a Blanket and You 00:00 Tools
You'd Be Surprised 00:00 Tools
Down in Jungle Town 00:00 Tools
I like bananas, because they have no 00:00 Tools
Nobody's Sweetheart Now 00:00 Tools
Divorce Me C.O.D 00:00 Tools
I Like Banana's (because they have no bones) 00:00 Tools
There'll Be Some Changes Made 00:00 Tools
Toot Toot, Tootsie 00:00 Tools
Since we put a radio out in the henhouse 00:00 Tools
The Coat and the Pants Do All the Work (and the Vest Gets All the Gravy) 00:00 Tools
How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree) 00:00 Tools
We Love Bananas Because They Have No Bones 00:00 Tools
What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry? 00:00 Tools
She Broke My Heart In Three Pieces 00:00 Tools
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The Hoosier Hot Shots were an American quartet of madcap musicians who entertained on stage, screen, radio, and records from the mid-1930s into the 1970s. The group initially consisted of players from the U. S. State of Indiana. Beginning on local Indiana radio in the early 1930s, the Hot Shots went on to a successful national radio career on National Barn Dance on WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois and a successful and prolific recording career, before moving to Hollywood to star in many feature-length western movies. The Hot Shots' core personnel were multi-instrumentalists, playing brass band instruments as well as their standard instrumentation of guitar (Ken), clarinet (Gabe), string bass (various), and a strange, homemade instrument known both as the "Wabash Washboard" and "the Zither," played by Hezzie. It consisted of a corrugated sheet metal washboard on a metal stand with various noisemakers attached, including bells and a multi-octave range of squeeze-type bicycle horns. Trietsch constructed this instrument himself as well as a series of slide whistles he played in addition to the washboard. The washboard, along with other artifacts from the band, is now in the collection of the Indiana State Museum. The Hot Shots' repertoire focused on swing and jazz standards and originals, especially those with a comedic element. Powered by a frantic and seemingly freewheeling instrumental virtuosity, grounded in the musical comedy of vaudeville, the Hot Shots were nevertheless able to cover both comic and more serious material, although some of their more serious recordings retain whimsical ornamental elements, capable of evoking a subtle musical irony. The lineup consisted of the following members: Ken Trietsch (September 13, 1903 - September 17, 1987) Hezzie Trietsch (born Paul Trietsch) (April 11, 1905 - April 20, 1980) Gabe Ward (born Charles Otto Ward) (November 26, 1904 - January 14, 1992) Frank Kettering (January 1, 1909 - June 9,1973) Gil Taylor (born Gilbert Ossian Taylor) Nate Harrison (born Nathan Harrison) (August 19, 1907 - August 10, 1995) Billy Keith Milheim The story of the Hoosier Hot Shots begins in the first years of the 20th century on the Trietsch family farm near Arcadia, Indiana, about 20 miles north of Indianapolis. The Trietsch family grew to be one of four girls and five boys, two of which—Kenneth and Paul—were to become the nucleus of the Hot Shots. Growing up in rural Indiana and aided by the example of a banjo-playing father, Kenneth, Paul and the other Trietsch children developed a keen interest in music and developed their various talents. An ensemble featuring father and sons toured the American and Canadian vaudeville circuit for several years. After the family act broke up, Ken and Paul went to work with another vaudeville group called Ezra Buzzington's Rube Band. It was while touring with the Rube Band that they met another Hoosier, Charles Otto Ward, known to his audiences as Gabriel Hawkins. "Gabe" became the third Hot Shot. When the crash of '29 effectively ended vaudeville they, like other vaudevillians, looked to radio and landed a job at WOWO in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. One day they arrived late for a performance and the announcer greeted them with "Hey, you Hoosier hot shots, get in here!", and the name stuck. [edit]Developing their style in Chicago In 1933 they moved to Chicago's WLS, the Prairie Farmer Station. Now Paul ("Hezzie", on his washboard), "Gabe" (on clarinet) and Ken (hot jazz chops on his tenor guitar) had the opportunity to develop the nutty style that would make them one of the nation's most popular acts. In the late 1930s, the group had a five-minute radio show on NBC sponsored by Alka-Seltzer; they also had a radio program for one season (1949-1950) on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Their music was characterized by novelty songs and arrangements – such as "I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)" and "From the Indies to the Andes in His Undies" – hot jazz rhythms and the occasional sweet harmonies. They also played the pop songs of the day, like "Nobody's Sweetheart." Ken kicked off the band with "Are you ready, Hezzie?"—directed at his brother Paul—and it became one of the band's big taglines, even entering the common vernacular. With the addition in 1934 of Frank Delaney Kettering on bass fiddle, the Hoosier Hot Shots became the quartet that they would remain until the 60s. [edit]Successful Recording and Film Career Over their career the Hoosier Hot Shots recorded hundreds of 78s for such labels as Banner, Conqueror, Decca, Melotone, Oriole, Perfect, Romeo, and Vocalion. Some of these releases have made it to LPs, cassettes, and compact discs. Recordings of songs made by the Hoosier Hot Shots often include the signature spoken (by Ken Trietsch) intro, "Are you ready, Hezzie?" followed by the sound of the bustle of the musicians preparing to play their instruments. However, the tightly-rehearsed skill of the performers lets the listener in on the joke as soon as the song actually begins. Their producer avoided recording too many takes of their performances, preferring a spontaneous sound: according to one member, the producer would record at most two takes of a particular song, and use the one that sounded worse. Between 1937 and 1950 the Hot Shots appeared in more than 20 movies, sharing billing with the likes of Gene Autry, Dale Evans, Bob Wills and Merle Travis. During the mid- to late 1940s they starred in their own series of musical westerns for Columbia Pictures. They were an ongoing presence in the early Billboard magazine country (hillbilly) charts with songs like "Beer Barrel Polka", "When There Are Tears In The Eyes Of The Potato", "Everybody Loves My Baby" and "O-Hi-O". The World War II era their popularity was at its peak and, in addition to their normal pursuits they toured with the USO in North Africa and Italy. Frank Kettering left in 1943, and replaced by singer-bassist Gil Taylor. They moved to the West Coast where they continued to make movies, records, stage, and radio appearances. They made the transition to television easily and were seen on such TV shows as the Tex Ritter "Ranch Party." The Hoosier Hot Shots' career was winding down by the late '50s but they continued recording (adding Keith Milheim on drums) and playing live venues until the death of Hezzie Trietsch on April 20, 1980. Gabe Ward continued to perform solo after the others had died or retired, until shortly before his own death on January 14, 1992. The Hoosier Hot Shots were not just a comical music act, they were the inspiration for a musical genre that thrived during the '30s, '40s and, thanks to latter-day proponents like "Weird Al" Yankovic and John Lithgow (who recorded a terrific cover of "From the Indies to the Andes in His Undies" as well as "I Like Bananas Because They Have No Bones"), can still be heard today. Among the acts that were inspired by the Hot Shots were the Freddie Fisher's Schnickelfritz Band, the Korn Kobblers, and Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Spike Jones's early recordings were heavily influenced by the Hoosier Hot Shots. Both Jones and Fisher copied the "Wabash Washboard" developed by Ken Trietsch. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.