Okay, I will freely admit that this month’s entry, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters is hardly an “Under Appreciated Rock Band”; but at least they are actually a Christian group as opposed to last month’s UARB, Mötochrist, which was picked only because they had “Christ” in their name. Wendy Bagwell is a (male) gospel singer who is best known for his folksy tales, most famously their 1970 release called “Here Come the Rattlesnakes” that recounts the time that the group played in a church in eastern Kentucky that practiced snake-handling. It was the first million-selling single in gospel music history.
* * *
WPTF had a late-night country music show back then that was aimed at truckers, called Interstate 68 (the station is at 680 on the AM dial); it was hosted by Hap Hansen. They took requests, so most of the songs were charming oldies, but there were also other recordings that were unusual to say the least. Besides “Here Come the Rattlesnakes” by Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters, they played numerous routines by legendary country comedian Jerry Clower that often featured the crew of Ledbetters that he hung with back in the day; “Telephone Call from God” by Jerry Jordan about a man picking up the phone and finding God on the other end (you never actually hear God, but Johnny Carson can be heard briefly in the background – a newer hit version came out later that mentions Jay Leno instead); and a 1948 monologue by Tex Ritter called “Deck of Cards” about a soldier caught spreading out cards in church (sample dialogue: “The Marshal said to the sergeant, ‘Why have you brought this man here?’ ‘For playing cards in church, Sir.’ ‘And what do you have to say for yourself, son?’ ‘Much, Sir’ replied the soldier. The Marshal said, ‘I hope so, for if not, I shall punish you more than any man was ever punished.’) – I don’t have Tex Ritter’s version, but I do have the one by Rusty Draper.
* * *
And then there is “Here Come the Rattlesnakes”. The story is a bit rambling like all of Wendy Bagwell’s are, but listening closely makes you realize that they are carefully crafted as well. Bagwell made clear that he was not judging them and did not know if they were right or wrong, but he didn’t have the kind of faith necessary to pick up a poisonous snake: “I mean, a frog I can see!” At one point during their performance, the tail of a snake nearly hit Wendy Bagwell in the foot: “I did a little shouting myself. And SHE thought I was in the spirit . . . and brought me one of them!”
At one point, Wendy Bagwell asked someone where the back door was. When told that there wasn’t one, he said, “Reckon where do they want one!” At the end, he tells his listeners to go to a church that handles snakes if you got the chance: “Sit on the back row, but go!” It is quite a story, and it is not hard to see why it became such a hit.
* * *
The group’s first popular recording was a sentimental song called “Pearl Buttons”, but they became better known for their humor. Almost all of their albums have at least one comedy routine, and some don’t have any gospel music. In fact, they are so well known as comedians that Wendy Bagwell’s singing voice has been forgotten to some extent. Their top-selling album, Here Come the Rattlesnakes includes their hit along with many gospel songs; it has sold 2,000,000 copies.
* * *
The comedy album that I have by Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters, This, That and the Other includes “Here Come the Rattlesnakes”, “Pickin’ Up Paw Paws” (which tells of his performance in a school play while a boy), a tale about following a fancy opera singer when they performed at Carnegie Hall, and many other funny stories, but no gospel music.
(November 2014)
