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Susie Blue & the Lonesome Fellas "Peter Gunn Theme"

DIG IT! The Peter Gunn theme has lyrics, which you don't hear very often, and it is performed magnificently by Susie Blue & the Lonesome Fellas. Get ready for an infusion of coolness.

Chicago vocalist Solitaire Miles aka Susie Blue is great at finding songs. She writes them occasionally but mostly she finds long forgotten classics and re-arranges them with guitarist Neal Alger, and then the duo unleash them on the Lonesome Fellas who are a gang of seasoned Chicago jazz, blues and roots musicians. What results are rare gems like this version of "The Peter Gunn Theme". Lyrics were added to this notorious Henry Mancini instrumental by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and first recorded in 1965 by Sarah Vaughan on her album Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook. Mancini had the lyrics written specifically for Sassy and so far nobody else has recorded the tune with the lyrics until Miles put her chops to it.

"I wanted to try something different and fun. We went into the studio one day and Neal and I asked the guys to play it. Everyone knows this song like the back of their hand and the band was like REALLY? I asked trombonist Jack Gallagher to join us for a bigger brass sound with saxophonist Eric Schneider and we were rocking out."

They aren't playing their usual Western Swing or Roots music here, this is a pure Chicago Blues and Jazz sound, peppered with spicy horns and a slammin' rhythm section which features bassist Chris Bernhardt and drummer Phil Grattau. It's unlike any version you have probably ever heard and it's a total infusion of coolness! – JM Reid



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