Tokyo Happy Coats

King Records…the record label of the Tokyo Happy Coats 😉😎

King Records preservation effort likely to get $410k from Cincinnati If approved Wednesday, the foundation will use the funds to raise private dollars for preserving and renovating the historic building in Evanston.

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas! Thank you Followers!

The Tokyo Happy Coats played at six venues in the US during the Christmas season from 1964 to 1970. The year 1967 is a mystery. The band finished a gig at the Holiday Hotel in Reno, Nevada on 20 December 1967. They went next to the Beverly Hills Motor Hotel in Toronto, Canada, opening there on 1 January 1968. The band possibly had some days off before traveling to Toronto.

Here is the list of where the band was during Christmas time:

1964.12.25
Copacabana, Honolulu, Hawaii
コパカバーナ、ホノルル、ハワイ州

1965.12.25
Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada
サハラ・タホ、ステートライン、ネバダ州

1966.12.25
Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada
デザート イン、ラスベガス、ネバダ州

1967.12.25
? 🤔

1968.12.25
Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada
デザート イン、ラスベガス、ネバダ州

1969.12.25
Sahara-Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada
サハラ・タホ、ステートライン、ネバダ州

1970.12.25
Holiday House, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
ホリデーハウス、モンロービル、ペンシルベニア州

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🎄🎁
–
Sources: Honolulu Star Bulletin, 25 December 1964, p. B-7 (fig. 1); Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 24 December 1970, p. 15 (fig. 4).
–

Recent arrival…
最近到着した…
📬
1969.05

2018.09.22…5 years ago today: Roy Baugher presented a lecture about the Tokyo Happy Coats at Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library in Cincinnati, Ohio. Close to 15 people attended the event. Cincinnati, Ohio is the home of King Records, who released the band’s 45s and LPs. 91.7 WVXU, the National Public Radio station in Cincinnati, broadcasted “A King Records Potpourri” that night. The program featured an interview by Dellan Stokesbary with Baugher about the band. The radio program is available to stream online at https://www.wvxu.org/music/2018-09-19/its-a-king-records-potpourri-this-weekend

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

“Behind the scenes”
「舞台裏」
📸📄🗂️🗃️🙂
—
👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹
—

Not the Fab Four, but the Fab Five! 😉

The Gay Little Hearts (later Tokyo Happy Coats) are likened to the Beatles in a Japanese magazine article from 1964. The images used for the article are from the band’s show in Yokohama on 17 May 1964. Shoko is seen here performing her famous saxophone backbend, and Ruriko dances with invited audience members.

Philbert Ono, a fan and a follower of the band’s page, translated the article to English. It reads:

•••
Female Beatles - Gay Little Hearts

GIs are enthralled

Right now, there is a Beatlemania-like craze over the Gay Little Hearts among the US military in Japan. Just to see them in concert in Tokyo, there were American GIs who flew in by jet even from Kyushu. Other crazed fans broke out of their detention barracks. Such rumors traveled over the ocean to the ears of Elvis Presley who wanted them to perform in Las Vegas. So they now have a Las Vegas show scheduled for August.

I have been working with the girls ever since they finally became able to play musical instruments. They have since matured well as adults and have become highly skilled at the same time. Their showmanship is first class.

They now have a vitality and firm spirit which normal Japanese do not have. A far cry from the time they appeared on the "Watashi no Himitsu" [My Secret] TV program a few years ago when they were totally different.

The girls have naturally developed their performance skills and expanded their repertoire, so they will certainly be welcomed at Las Vegas, the capital of show business. It will be the first time for the five sisters in the Gay Little Hearts from Japan to perform at the Desert Inn, a top-class nightclub.

After they return to Japan from their six-month gig in Las Vegas, their recital will be something to look forward to.

Munehiro Okuda
NHK All Stars Conductor
•••

Munehiro Okuda writes the band was to return to Japan after six months, but that did not happen. The band’s contract with the Desert Inn in Las Vegas was extended, and they began touring the United States.

Philbert adds, “The ‘Watashi no Himitsu’ [My Secret] TV program ran on NHK from 1955 to March 1967. It was a game show modeled after ‘I've Got a Secret’ game show in the US. The article was written by Munehiro Okuda (1911-1992), a pioneer in swing jazz music in Japan. He started a jazz band named Bluesky Dance Orchestra (or Bluesky Orchestra) in 1927 at age 16. He started as a drummer. He also worked closely with NHK from its beginnings in the 1930s and became the NHK band leader (NHK All Stars).”

The article’s source is unknown. It might be from a magazine published by NHK, a Japanese public television broadcaster.

Thanks to Philbert for his translation!

❤️🎸❤️🎤❤️🥁❤️🎷❤️🎹
—
Source: unknown magazine, Japan, circa May-August 1964.
—

In the mix 💿🎛️🎚️🎛️💿👆

Thirty-nine seconds of Tokyo Happy Coats’ “Harlem Nocturne” is heard on “45rpm45vinyls45minutes,” a mix CD by Sarudog.

Sarudog is the alias of Daisuke Fujiwara, a Japanese DJ. Sarudog and partner Taka are the musician/DJ/music production team Mu-Stars.

“45rpm45vinyls45minutes” is a two-turntables mix performance of forty-five 7-inch vinyl records, for a total duration of…forty-five minutes.😉

The first release of the CD was limited to 500 copies and given to record stores. This CD is the official release by the Japanese label Kakubarhythm. The Happy Coats are between “Funnin’” by The Soul Purpose and “Put Something On You Mind” by Lee Austin.

“Harlem Nocturne” is the B-side for the Coats’ single “Forevermore (Kimito Itsumademo),” King Records 45-6296.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹
—
Source: Various artists, “45rpm45vinyls45minutes,” mixed by Sarudog, Kakubarhythm KAKU-025, compact disc, 2007, author’s collection
—

💿🤔

More scenes of the Thunderbird Motor Hotel from the hotel’s 1964 brochure. Shown are the hotel’s sign, a swimming pool, and a very pink bedroom.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🌴🦩

—

Source: Thunderbird Motor Hotel, Jacksonville, Florida brochure, 1964 (author’s collection).

—

“Dancing nightly from 7 PM to 1 AM…The FUN SPOT of Jacksonville…it’s always New Year’s Eve at The Thunderbird!”

The Mayan Room at the Thunderbird Motor Hotel, as seen in a 1964 brochure. Tokyo Happy Coats played here sometime in June 1967.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🌴🦩

—

Source: Thunderbird Motor Hotel, Jacksonville, Florida brochure, 1964 (author’s collection).

—

“A Rare Treat.” 😊 A newspaper advertisement for the Tokyo Happy Coats’ gig in the Mayan Room at the Thunderbird Motor Hotel, Jacksonville, Florida, 1967. Shows were at 9 p.m., 10:45 p.m., and 12:30 a.m. (21:00, 22:45, and 00:30). 🌃

The Thunderbird opened in 1959. It was an expansive place with several motel buildings, conference rooms, a pool, and entertainment venues. The Thunderbird closed in 1984 or 1985. It reopened and continued as a motel and conference center until it closed finally in 2002. The site was abandoned and unoccupied for years. It suffered fires in 2019 and 2022, and there are plans to demolish the buildings.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🌴🦩

—

Source: Jacksonville Journal (Florida), circa June 1967.

—

“Second Smash Season”🎆🎇 Advertisement for the Tokyo Happy Coats at the 500 Club in Atlantic City.

The 500 Club was a summer venue for the band. They played there from 1965 to 1967, and finally in 1970. Gigs started in July and lasted about a month.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🏖️☀️5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
—
Atlantic City Press (New Jersey), 16 July 1966, p. 7.
—

The Coats meet the Champ!

Ernie Terrell, the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion in 1966, poses with the Tokyo Happy Coats at the 500 Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Terrell saw the band perform there in July 1966.

The Atlantic City Press newspaper reported the band invited Terrell onto the stage for a dance: “Between sips of soda and conversation, the Tokyo Happy Coats called upon the champ to come to stage center. Once there, he danced…the twist.”

The photograph caption reads: “Big Man - Ernie Terrell, WBA Heavyweight Champion of the World, demonstrates his reach by dwarfing the five Tokyo Happy Coats who are presently in their second year as star attractions at the 500 Club.”

The lineup: back row - Ernie Terrell; front row - from left to right, Shoko, Ruriko, Eiko, Keiko, Tomiko.

🥊🎸🥊🎤🥊🥁🥊🎷🥊🎹
—
Atlantic City Press (New Jersey), 19 July 1966, p. 10.
—

Two Illinois newspapers feature articles and photos of the Tokyo Happy Coats and their upcoming shows at the Du Quoin State Fair in Du Quoin, Illinois in 1967. The band played as one of the acts of the “Eddy Arnold Show.” The Coats traveled next to Rapid City, South Dakota to play at the Esquire Dinner Club.

The lineup, from left to right: Tomiko, Keiko, Ruriko, Shoko, and Eiko.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🎡🎟️
—
Sources: The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), 1 August 1967, p. 7 (fig. 1); Mount Vernon Register News (Illinois), 24 July 1967, p. 3 (fig. 2).
—

The Tokyo Happy Coats played the Du Quoin State Fair in Du Quoin, Illinois in 1967. The Du Quoin State Fair began in 1923. It is one of two “state fairs” in Illinois, with the other being the Illinois State Fair, located at Springfield. The band was part of the “Eddy Arnold Show,” and they played 28-30 August. The Coats then traveled to Rapid City, South Dakota to play at the Esquire Dinner Club.

The lineup, from top to bottom: Ruriko, Eiko, Tomiko, Shoko, and Keiko.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🎡🎟️
—
Source: Du Quoin State Fair 1967 brochure, author’s collection (figs. 1-3).
—

The Japanese band girlage covers the Tokyo Happy Coats’ cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight”! With the hand-clapping at the end!👏

Performed at the Higashi Koenji U.F.O. Club🛸 in Tokyo, Japan on 13 March 2022…go to YouTube at • https://youtu.be/_RwnzJ-xDTA

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🇯🇵🇺🇸
👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎸👘🎹🗼🇯🇵

girlage Uptight(cover) 2022/03/13 東高円寺U.F.O.clubでのライブより。スティービー・ワンダーのUptightのThe Tokyo Happy Coatsバージョンのカヴァーです。

The Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii opened in 1964. The building was planned initially for condominiums, but after slow sales, the Ilikai changed to a hybrid mix of a hotel and condominiums.

Entertainment was featured at the Ilikai’s Pacific Ballroom, the Canoe House (Arthur Lyman performed here), and the Hong Kong Junk, where Tokyo Happy Coats played just once in their career in 1969.

🌊🏄‍♀️🎸🏄‍♀️🎤🏄‍♀️🥁🏄‍♀️🎷🏄‍♀️🎹🏖

📸: Ilikai Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii postcard, author’s collection.

“Highly versatile”. 😊 An advertisement for the Tokyo Happy Coats’ gig at the Hong Kong Junk in the Ilikai Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii. The band played there from 13 June to 20 July 1969.

The ladies appear here in this photograph in front of the Sahara Tahoe marquee in November 1968.

The lineup, from left to right: Eiko, Ruriko, Shoko, Keiko, Tomiko.

🌊🏄‍♀️🎸🏄‍♀️🎤🏄‍♀️🥁🏄‍♀️🎷🏄‍♀️🎹🏖

📸: Honolulu Star Bulletin, 8 June 1969, TV Aloha section, p. 23.

The archive has both “old” and “new” items! These buttons were made in 2021 by a seller in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The lineup: back row, left to right - Tomiko, Ruriko; front row, left to right - Shoko, Keiko, Eiko.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🧷

Source: Tokyo Happy Coats buttons, 2021, author’s collection.

Tokyo Happy Coats are listed in a Las Vegas Show Sheet brochure, October 1967. They played at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas from September to November 1967.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹

Source: Las Vegas Show Sheet, Volume 12, Number 38, October 1, 1967, Las Vegas Hacienda Hotel, author’s collection.

Tokyo Happy Coats played at the Sahara Tahoe thirteen times(!) from 1965 to 1970. Construction for the new hotel and casino in Stateline, Nevada began in April 1964. It opened 30 June 1965, and the Tokyo Happy Coats would play there for the first time in December 1965. The hotel is now the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Lake Tahoe.

This postcard shows a 1964 architectural painting of the hotel.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹⛵️🌄

Sources: Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada postcard, author’s collection (figs. 1-3); San Francisco Examiner, 3 April 1964, p. 19 (fig. 4).

Tokyo Happy Coats played at two venues in Canada during their career. One was the Top Hat Supper Club in Windsor, Ontario. The other was the “Hook and Ladder Club” in the Beverly Hills Motor Hotel in Toronto. The band played at the club in 1968, 1969, and 1971.

This postcard boasts the hotel’s 100 rooms with “color TV 📺 and air-conditioning 🧊”.

The Hook and Ladder Club operated at the hotel from 1965 to 1978.

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹🇨🇦

Beverly Hills Motor Hotel postcard, author’s collection.

Tokyo Happy Coats listed in the “Showsville USA!”🇺🇸 section of the Nevada Highways and Parks magazine. They played the Sahara Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada from 16 January to 5 February 1969. ❄️⛷🏔❄️

👘🎸👘🎤👘🥁👘🎷👘🎹

Nevada Highways and Parks, Spring 1969, p. 3, author’s collection.

Audio of the Tokyo Happy Coats on the Ed Sullivan Show, 27 Feb 1966!

https://youtu.be/-KiZuZZfob8

On “Bye Bye Blues”, Tomiko and Ruriko played the banjos. The photo shows them performing “Bill Bailey”. 😎

Bye Bye Blues/Bill Bailey (Medley/Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, February 27, 1966) Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupBye Bye Blues/Bill Bailey (Medley/Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, February 27, 1966) · Tokyo Happy CoatsBye Bye Blu...

One year ago today, 15 May 2021…”Take A Little Chance: The Tokyo Happy Coas on King Records” presented at the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) 2021 Conference!

Catch the show live!
2022.04.04 - 2300 EDT, 2000 PDT, 1700 HST
2022.04.05 - 0400 GMT, 1200 JST
at TPGRadio.com!

This Time I Am Telling The Truth!! Last week's episode of The TopDollar Hour will actually air at 8-9pm PST tonight on TPG Radio at tpgradio.com. You will hear Bad Moves, Horsegirl, Kung-fu Girl Cabo Boing, Royal Chant The Mary Veils Tokyo Happy Coats, The Chats, Eyelids, ALIEN BOY and many more!!

The TopDollar Hour show, with host David Camp, and featuring a song by the Happy Coats, was not streamed on TPG Radio on 2022.03.29 at 2000 PDT.

Good news…the show is rescheduled for next Monday:

2022.04.04 - 2300 EDT, 2000 PDT, 1700 HST
2022.04.05 - 0400 GMT, 1200 JST

So if you like your internet radio “live”, listen in on [www.tpgradio.com] at the times above.

If you want to travel to the future now, then go to:
https://www.mixcloud.com/tunacanjones/the-topdollar-hour-132/

Thanks again to firmhandshakenetwork for “spinning” the Happy Coats!

The TopDollar Hour - 132 i don't need 5g. i have a capsule probe that does the talking.