Rainy Wednesday Records

Rainy Wednesday Records was a record label created by novelty artist Dickie Goodman in 1973.

Creation

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"Energy Crisis '74" was a Top 40 hit in 1974

In his long career an artist and producer, Goodman released records under a slew of label names, including Luniverse (as Buchanan and Goodman in the late 50s), Rori, Mark-X, 20th Century and Cotique. In 1973, Goodman met the label's co-founder on a rainy Wednesday in New York, providing its name. Goodman started the label number at 201, the area code of his New Jersey residence at the time.

All but one of Rainy Wednesday's releases were in Goodman's standard "break-in" style, in which an interviewer asks a question, only to have it "answered" with a snippet of a current hit record. (The only non-"break in" recording released was a straight cover of Sheb Wooley's "The Purple People Eater", a #1 hit from 1958.) Goodman himself and John & Ernest (a black duo whose records consisted of soul-oriented snippets and the original funk tune "Crossover" on one the flip sides) were the only two artists to appear on Rainy Wednesday.[1]

Discography

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Artist Title B-side Number Year Remarks
John & Ernest Super Fly Meets Shaft Part Two RW-201 1973 peaked at #31 on Billboard chart
Dickie Goodman Watergrate Friends RW-202 1973 peaked at #42 on Billboard chart
John & Ernest Soul President Number One Crossover RW-203 1973 did not chart
Dickie Goodman The Purple People Eater Ruthie's Theme RW-204 1973 cover of Sheb Wooley song; peaked at #119
Dickie Goodman The Constitution The End RW-205 1973 did not chart
Dickie Goodman Energy Crisis '74 The Mistake RW-206 1974 joke B-side (see article); peaked at #33
Dickie Goodman Energy Crisis '74 Ruthie's Theme RW-206 1974 re-release with correct B-side
Dickie Goodman Mr. President Popularity RW-207 1974 not be confused with 1981 recording of the same name; peaked at #73
Dickie Goodman Gerry Ford (A Special Report) Robert's Tune RW-208 1974 did not chart
Dickie Goodman Inflation In The Nation Jon and Jed's Theme RW-209 1975 did not chart

Later career

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Dickie Goodman folded Rainy Wednesday Records in 1975, but continued to release music under several other label names, including Cash ("Mr. Jaws", a Top 5 hit in 1975), Shark, Wacko and Rhino Records. Goodman's last recording, "Safe Sex Report", was released on the Goodname label in 1987; he died in 1989.

References

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  1. ^ "Rainy Wednesday discography". Retrieved 2017-01-09.