The !!!! Beat Explained

Genre:Music
Presenter:Bill "Hoss" Allen
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:26
Camera:Multi-camera
Channel:Syndication

The !!!! Beat is an American television program that aired in syndication for 26 episodes in 1966. It was hosted by the Nashville, Tennessee based disc jockey Bill "Hoss" Allen, and featured a house band led by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown which included David "Fathead" Newman. The show was recorded in color at WFAA, the ABC affiliate in Dallas, which had color facilities, and recorded and syndicated episodes of the program. At that time, none of the Nashville stations had color capability.

Guests included: Otis Redding, who hosted the final episode, Little Milton, Esther Phillips, Joe Tex, Etta James, Lattimore Brown, Roscoe Shelton, Carla Thomas, Freddie King, Barbara Lynn, Johnny Taylor, The Radiants, Louis Jordan,[1] The Mighty Hannibal, Clarence 'Frogman' Henry, Robert Parker, Joe Simon, Mitty Collier, Jamo Thomas, Z. Z. Hill, Lou Rawls, Bobby Hebb, Willie Mitchell, Don Bryant, The Ovations, The Bar-Kays, Percy Sledge, Garnet Mimms, and Sam & Dave all appeared. Some of the artists would also chart well into the 1970s.

DVD release

The show was rumored to have been lost but to have been discovered by Willie Nelson in his own collection. In 2005, Bear Family Records released all 26 episodes of the show (on six discs) on Region 1 DVD in the United States.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Historic Films Stock Footage Archive: Search - Louis Jordan Saturday Night Fish Fry. Historicfilms.com. 11 May 2023.
  2. Web site: Various Artists, The !!!Beat; Volumes 1-6 (Bear Family Records DVD) - OffBeat Magazine. 1 December 2005. Offbeat.com. 11 May 2023.