There's a thread for the '60s Obscure 60s bands with surviving video footage So I figgered I'd start a thread for the '50s. Here's a group I never thought I'd see perform: The Monotones - "Who Wrote The Book Of Love"
Noel Coward - "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" This Mary Martin TV special is supposedly the only surviving footage of Coward singing
Finding an "obscure '50s acts" video is nearly impossible. However, here is one that... A) I've never heard of the song and B) I've never heard of the group: "Yogi" - The Ivy Three, from Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show, 6 August 1960. As for the date, I invoke "The Seinfeld Rule".
I never watched Seinfeld, maybe that's why I posted them in the '60s thread Somebody posted that Harold Dorman of "Mountain of Love" fame was also on the Beechnut Show. If that clip still survives it would be quite a find, as even photos of Dorman are quite rare (only two show up on a Google search).
Dang, Elvis swiped his "tender love song but actually it's a rocker" Vegas bit from Wanda Jackson. Who knew??
Arlie Duff - "Y'all Come" Features Nashville session legend Grady Martin ("Train Kept A Rollin'"). Unfortunately during his solo the director gives us an exciting closeup of Arlie's feet.
Tennessee Ernie Ford - "Shotgun Boogie" Rare film of Ernie the hillbilly rocker. Features Nashville sessionistas Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and Speedy West on steel.
I believe they dated at some point, so it's not too surprising that she influenced him. (The reverse was certainly true, of course.) Great footage in these links, but the vast majority of these acts aren't "obscure": most of them were top ten hits and one of them - "To Know Him is to Love Him" - went to #1.
I knew someone would bring this up Obviously you're not wrong, but I tried to keep the title similar to the 60s thread.
I feel most of these are going to come from Grand Ole Opry performances or rocksploitation movies. Here's one from the latter; early Bob Luman:
Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin - "Some Enchanted Evening" Apparently the only footage of these two recreating their classic duet from South Pacific
