Kzoo Rock City

By Kate Kuhlman
Western Herald

You may not have heard, but Kalamazoo is a big name in the music world.
Not only did Orville Gibson found and base his Gibson Mandolin and Guitar Co. in this great city, but several musicians have also felt the draw and mentioned good ol’ Kzoo in their songs.
Now whether it’s because of the name or the guitars, I don’t know, but here are 10 songs that give props to our musical haven.

Kalamazoo by Ben Folds
A song about the sordid activities of Kalamazoo. Lengthy bar tabs sure sound familiar.

Down on the Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival
A song about a band that plays down on the corner. “Poorboy twangs the rhythm out on his Kalamazoo.” Gibson made a guitar named after its home city, which was in production until 1984 when the Kalamazoo plant finally closed and moved to the current Gibson headquarters in Nashville. History Lesson over.

Makin a Mess by Skid Row
“She started shakin’, started losing her mind / But he was kicking back and playing it cool / Signed her walkin’ papers, took the 5:15 to Kalamazoo.”

Mary Lou by Steve Miller Band
Gold digger Mary Lou. Not only did she take this guy’s Caddy and watch, but then she took off for Kalamazoo to do it all over again …

I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo by Glenn Miller
A song about Glenn’s freckle-faced childhood love from our very own westside gem. He’s got the sweetest gal in Kalamazoo-zoo-zoo.

Kalamazoo by Primus
“I knew a guy that mangled his hand, and he went from pipe fittin’ to a hot dog stand / They say last year he cleared fifty grand, selling dogs round Kalamazoo.” They must be talking about the cart in front of Monaco Bay.

Roots, Rap, Reggae by Run DMC
Rockin’ from Africa to France and the Kalamazoo.

Jumbo Go Away by Frank Zappa
“You just don’t understand, you’re from Kalamazoo …” And he’s right, I really don’t. Although I doubt that has anything to do with my location.

Who Stole My Car? by Will Smith
Someone stole the Fresh Prince’s car and is driving it from Cali to Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo by Rick Crane
He’s going back to “that little town called Kalamazoo.”

Kate Kuhlman, a Western Herald Arts writer, is a senior majoring in public relations and can be reached via e-mail at kkuhlman057@gmail.com.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Apr 20 2009. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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