As a kid, I would dig through my parent's records. I discovered a lot of bands that way, many of which I still enjoy today. Amongst the dusty sleeves I came upon a rather unusual one that seemed to be by a folk duo called The Smothers Brothers. Well, they turned out to be a hilarious mixture of music and comedy with argumentative banter between the two brothers, as straight-man Dick was always trying to subdue and educate the interrupting and slow-learning Tommy. They would play the comedy circuit throughout the early '60's releasing several albums, all of which I love. Sure, the humour is slightly dated and clean, but I find their style to be very original and clever.
In 1967 they premiered The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that apparently pushed the traditional boundaries of television comedy-variety shows with such to-be-famous writers as Steve Martin, Rob Reiner and Don Novello ("Father Guido Sarducci") on board. The series showcased many musical artists that rarely enjoyed airtime due to their radical styles and political affiliations. Such musical guests include The Doors, The Who, Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan and Joan Baez. The show was canceled in 1969 due to controversy over the censorship of the program's politically-sensitive material.
Enjoy a clip from one of their earlier performances...
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