Cherry Poppin' Daddies

A decade ago, the neo-swing movement was in, er, full swing. That damned commercial for The Gap, featuring models foxtrotting and Lindy-hopping to Louis Prima, was cluttering our TV screens, and the retro wailing of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Royal Crown Revue was choking the airwaves. Near the...

By Benjamin Leatherman

December 25, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

A decade ago, the neo-swing movement was in, er, full swing. That damned commercial for The Gap, featuring models foxtrotting and Lindy-hopping to Louis Prima, was cluttering our TV screens, and the retro wailing of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Royal Crown Revue was choking the airwaves. Near the forefront was Oregon's Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Led by Steve "MC Large Drink" Perry, the ensemble played swinging chart-toppers "Zoot Suit Riot" and "Here Comes the Snake" seemingly non-stop for two years, Daddy-O. They pretty much rode the gravy train until the fad died in the early Aughts. But the irony of the deal is that, in all likelihood, the Daddies probably weren't too sad to see the party end. Despite moving more platters than a diner, Perry his bandmates bristled at being stereotyped as swing kings only, when in reality they were equally talented with ska-punk, garage rock, and experimental jams. After a quasi-hiatus from performing for around five years, the band has gotten closer to its roots with the new disc Susquehanna, adopting a tone influenced by glam rock, Latin sounds, '60s pop, greaser rock, and dashes of swing and ska.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

Follow:

Twitter: @partycrasheraz

Instagram: @partycrasheraz