"If the politicization of art and education represents one large part of the counterculture's legacy, the coarsening of feeling and sensibility is another. No phenomenon has done more to advance this coarsening than rock music. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of rock music to the agenda of the cultural revolution. It is also impossible to overstate its soul-deadening destructiveness. The most reviled part of Allan Bloom's book The Closing of the American Mind was his chapter criticizing the effects of rock. But Bloom was right in insisting that rock music is a potent weapon in the arsenal of emotional anarchy. The triumph of rock was not only an aesthetic disaster of giant proportions: it was also a moral disaster whose effects are nearly impossible to calculate precisely because they are so pervasive."
― Roger Kimball
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
This is the Mary Kaye Trio. They were known for playing a style of music known as exotica or tiki music, but also blues, jazz, and early rock'n roll. Active during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s in Las Vegas, the group was led by Mary Kaye (Malia Ka'aihue), a talented guitarist and singer. The trio's music was heavily influenced by Polynesian and Hawaiian sounds, often incorporating elements such as steel guitar, vibraphone, and bongo drums. The band included Mary's brother Norman Kaye (Ka'aihue), and Frank Ross. Though Mary Kaye is sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Rock'n Roll, I still think it more fitting that Sister Rosetta Tharpe retains that distinction — click her name for a 1938 recording.
Years later, here's the trio performing rock'n roll in 1945:
I want some huggin' and some squeezin'
And some muggin' and some teasin'
And some stuff like that there.
I want some pettin' and some spoonin'
And some happy honeymoonin'
And some stuff like that there.
Yeah ... "soul-deadening destructiveness" for sure.
A model of the Fender Stratocaster known as a "Mary Kaye" was made famous when Fender loaned the singer a 1956 White Blonde guitar with gold hardware and maple neck — and now I have one:
This is a 2019 Fender Custom Shop replica of that guitar in Time Capsule condition. Since I got back into playing (and collecting) guitars, I've had my eye one for a couple of years and got a great price on this one. Though there have been other variations of this Strat, the one made at the Custom Shop is arguably the best and most accurate version in my opinion.
Fender's writeup for it:
"One of the earliest versions of Fender’s custom work was the guitar that became known as the 'Mary Kaye'. Combining a White Blonde finish with gold hardware, this guitar was featured in several ads and eventually became one of the most-desired Stratocaster models. The Vintage Custom ’57 Strat is your chance to enjoy this elegant-looking guitar that looks, sounds and feels like it’s straight from the ‘50s. The one-piece ash body sports an immaculate NOS flash coat lacquer finish that lets the wood breathe with more sustain, while wearing in a distinctly personal way. The tinted riftsawn maple sports a “ ’57 V” profile, while the maple fingerboard’s vintage-style 7.25”-9.5” compound radius is ideal for playing chords or single-note lines. A trio of Hand-Wound ’57 Strat single-coil pickups, connected with vintage-style wiring, offers authentic original-era tone that lit the music world on fire. Other features include 21 medium-vintage frets, 5-way switch, 1-ply Parchment pickguard, American Vintage synchronized tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut and wing string tree. Includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity."
A matching hummingbird strap ...
Here's Mary Kaye with hers, serial number 09391 ...
But wait! It wasn't hers. No! Fender only loaned it to her a couple of times for advertising purposes. Though the iconic guitar changed hands many times over the years, the vintage white blonde and gold hardware will always be known as a "Mary Kaye" Strat. She was photographed holding it along with her other bandmates for a Fender advertisement, but she also used it during the filming of Cha Cha Cha Boom! As a promotion, Columbia did a photoshoot with the trio in which Mary posed with the guitar. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Here's are some clips of the Mary Kaye Trio performing in the musical:
Here's are some clips of the Mary Kaye Trio performing in the musical:
Alas, Don Randall of Fender had other plans for the guitar, instead of leaving it with Mary Kaye, he held onto it and eventually gave it to guitarist Johnny Cucci at the 1956 NAMM show in New York City — perhaps the guitarist who owned it the longest. Eventually the guitar ended up with Guitar Trader in 1982 after Cucci's death.
And they sold it to Jimmy Crespo ...
Who sold it to Elliot Machanic ...
Who sold it to Michel Begue ...
Who sold it to Ed McDonald ...
Who sold it to John Entwistle (The Who) ...
Who gave it to Alan Rogan ...
Who traded it to Lloyd Chiate ...
Who sold it to rock guitarist Iain Ashley Hersey ...
Who died in 2015.
Oddly, I don't know who has the guitar now. But two years before Mary Kaye's death in 2007, Fender finally did a good (and right) thing by giving her a shiny new 1957 vintage white blonde Stratocaster with an inscription on the neckplate that read:
"To Mary Kaye from your friends at Fender."
Some images © 2023 Mike McDowell