The Dynatones - The Fife Piper

Hanna and Barbera make records with more than just Cartoons.

The Dynatones - The Fife Piper from the Hannah Barbera Records 45

If there is one thing that always amazes me, it’s that every time I think I get a handle on some record knowledge, well, along comes a thousand other records that I had no idea that existed, and I have to add to my ever growing wants list. Maybe it’s a Midwest record, or maybe it’s some New Orleans thing, or maybe, just maybe it’s a record put out by a company that primarily made children’s cartoons. Really good cartoons that even as an adult I can still dig. Maybe it’s because they make me feel nostalgic. Maybe because the music was cutting edge (although today the Cartoon Network has taken music to the next level by using everyone from Calexico to Danger Doom in their shows), and it was something that was new to me when I was younger. Whatever the case may be, this is where we are today. Here’s a record recommended to me by Funky 16 Corners as we were elbows deep in some dusty box of records. I’m pretty psyched he did. Not only do I dig the old cartoons, if you haven’t realized, but I am a sucker for some jazzy grooves and a nice beat. Let’s jump into “The Fife Piper” by the Dynatones on Hanna Barbera Records from 1966.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera founded H & B in 1958, and would go on to release many great cartoons, such as the Flintstones and the Jetsons, but it was cartoons like Johnny Quest, the Herculoids, Atom Ant, Quickdraw McGraw, Magilla Gorilla, The Funky Phantom, and the Wacky Races among others, that always had me glued to the TV set on a Saturday morning. It wasn’t until 1965 that HB would try their hand at actually releasing proper records (some which would go on to chart). They had released children’s records of their cartoon characters in the past via Colpix Record Company, but this was their foray into the music business. With the inception of Hanna Barbera Records, they put out R & B, Garage, Pop, Soul, Folk, and Psych. While there weren’t too many hits getting turned out of this camp, some were classics in their own right, sought after by collectors. From the West Coast Jazz scene, to rural West Virginia to Vegas, HB had music from all over the country. Although it was short lived (1965-67), it opened up doors for other HB productions, such as The Banana Splits, who were television and record stars in their own right. I still crack up whenever there is some Danger Island on, Jan Michel Vincent was a trip.

The only thing I know about this band is that they were from Clarksburgh, West Virginia. This instrumental quartet led by flutist Ray Figlar, was based out of Salem College. This isn’t a first pressing, as the original record label was St. Clair from the Iron City of Pittsburgh, PA. While researching this piece, I did find that Ray Figlar is still playing music in a band called Jazz’R'Us out of New Martinsville, West Virginia.

It’s exactly what you would expect from a cartoon company that started a record label. The electric piano and mid tempo drum beat get the groove going, and the flute of Ray Figlar just take over. It’s definitely a head nodder, that picks up about halfway through (with a slight psych tinge) until the fife piper starts to do his thing again. Herbie Mann would have been proud. I’m sure this quartet was the funkiest, jazziest band to ever come out of Salem College. The beat goes on and if this thing wasn’t released for radio play, it would have no problem finding a slot in one of the many cartoons of the day that Hanna Barbera were putting out. So here you have it family, some Jazzy grooves courtesy of one of the best cartoon companies ever (with Tex Avery running a close second). I’ll see you midweek with some more goodness. Keep Diggin’!

Bonus: Wacky Races: The Great Cold Rush Race