Post by Rob Durkee on Jun 8, 2013 13:32:39 GMT -5
Of all the singing duos to have had hit songs, the Fendermen were one of a kind.
Imagine, a duo, best known for the hit song "Mule Skinner Blues," consisting of two people...
...of the same sex who...
...were born the same day....but...
...weren't related!!!
Jim Sundquist was born on November 26, 1937 in Niagara. Wisconsin.
Phil Humphrey was born on November 26, 1937 in Stoughton, Wisconsin.
Sadly, Jim Sundquist died Tuesday, June 4, 2013, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He was 75. The cause of death was not reported. Special thanks to oldies expert and radio friend Ronnie Allen for his tip on Sundquist's passing.
According to Joel Whitburn's Record Research and writer Wayne Jancik, the Fendermen got their name from the guitar model name. They met at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the late 50's. They kept in touch when both transferred to the main University Of Wisconsin campus in Madison. The duo was inspired by an old 1931 song by country western music star Jimmie Rodgers (not to be confused with the Jimmie Rodgers of "Honeycomb" fame). "Mule Skinner Blues" was recorded in the back room of a record store in Middleton, Wisconsin.
No matter. "Mule Skinner Blues," complete with whopping and hollering about taming a mule, climbed to #5 on the Cash Box pop chart in the summer of 1960. The Fendermen would go down in history as one of the top One-Hit Wonder acts ever. They were ranked #14 on both of Casey Kasem's Disappearing Act Specials (July, 1973 and April, 1975) on "American Top 40."
Technically, though, the Fendermen weren't totally a One-Hit Wonder act. That's because the duo followed up with "Don't You Just Know It," a remake of the 1958 Huey (Piano) Smith and the Clowns hit. The Fendermen's version of "Don't You Just Know It" reached #85 on the Cash Box pop chart.
Sundquist had spent 20 years working as Music and Art Therapist for Redeemer Residence.
