Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have
started as an idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation
in 1964 into the supposedly pornographic lyrics of the song
“Louie, Louie.”

The tune that would go on to become one of the most-covered
songs in rock-and-roll history.

The control room of SW Portland’s Northwestern Inc.
Motion Pictures and Recording, where The Kingsmen’s legendary “Louie Louie” was recorded.

Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have
started as an idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation
in 1964 into the supposedly pornographic lyrics of the song
“Louie, Louie.” recorded by The Kingsmen.  That investigation
finally neared its conclusion on May 17, 1965, when the FBI
Laboratory declared the lyrics of “Louie Louie”, as sung by the
bands singer Jack Ely (below), to be officially … unintelligible.

Jack Brown Ely (September 11, 1943 – April 28, 2015)

Ely’s famously incoherent vocals were partly the result of his
braces and the rudimentary recording method. The one hour
session cost within $50. He left the band shortly after the 1963
recording session. (From Wikipedia)

Ely was born in Portland, Oregon where he attended Washington
High School.

The Kingsmen, from left, Don Gallucci, Jack Ely, Lynn Easton, Mike Mitchell and Bob Nordby. (Gino Rossi photo)

Based on outcry from parents who bought into what may have started as an
idle rumor, the FBI launched a formal investigation in 1964 into the so-called
pornographic lyrics of the song “Louie, Louie.” The investigation finally
neared its conclusion on this day in 1965, when the FBI Laboratory declared 
the lyrics of “Louie, Louie” to officially unintelligible.  The tune would go
on to become one of the most –covered songs in rock-and-roll history.

 

Jack Ely, the guitar player and lead singer for the Kingsmen, sang
the classic rock and roll song “Louie, Louie, ” died April 27, 2015
at age 71. 

JOHN BELMONT

The first airplane flight over the South Pole was made by U.S. Navy Lt. Comdr. Richard E. Byrd on this day in 1929.

Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr.
(October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957)

A 1930 documentary film about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd 
and his 1st quest to the South Pole.          

On October 20, 1947, the notorious Red Scare kicks into high gear in
Washington, as a Congressional committee begins investigating
Communist influence in one of the world’s richest and most
glamorous communities: Hollywood.

After World War II, the Cold War began to heat up between the world’s
two superpowers—the United States and the communist-controlled
Soviet Union. In Washington, conservative watchdogs worked to out
communists in government before setting their sights on alleged
“Reds” in the famously liberal movie industry. In an investigation that
began in October 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee 
grilled a number of prominent witnesses, asking bluntly “Are you or
have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” Whether out
of patriotism or fear, some witnesses—including director Elia Kazan,
actors Gary Cooper and Robert Taylor and studio honchos Walt Disney
and Jack Warner—gave the committee names of colleagues they
suspected of being communists.

A small group known as the “Hollywood Ten” resisted, complaining
that the hearings were illegal and violated their First Amendment
rights.