R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders

Lore & Background

The band originated when Crumb and Armstrong, both from the underground comics scene, discovered they shared a love for playing and listening to music from the 1920s and 1930s. They brought in Armstrong's old friend Al Dodge and began playing as a trio for fun. On a trip through Milwaukee, they met underground publisher Denis Kitchen, who offered them the chance to cut a 78 rpm record under the name R. Crumb and his Keep on Trucking Orchestra. That 78 caught the attention of Blue Goose Records, which offered to produce an LP of the band, now renamed the Cheap Suit Serenaders after 'hurriedly buying suits at the Salvation Army in order to meet the minimum dress code required of the band at a posh wedding.' Their first album was released in 1974.

Over time, the trio added Dan Wheetman, Terry Zwigoff on cello, and Tom Marion on guitar and mandolin. In 1978, Tony Marcus replaced Marion, and guitarist Bob Brozman joined for the band's third album. By the mid-1980s, the group played fewer live shows because Armstrong and Crumb had moved out of the Bay Area; by the mid-1990s Crumb had moved to France. As of 2006, Crumb was no longer much involved; the band then included Armstrong, Brozman, Dodge, Zwigoff, and Marcus. Brozman died in 2013; as of 2017, the other members still play annually at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California.

Reader's Guide

R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders are significant as a niche but influential retro string band that revived and preserved early 20th-century American musical styles during the 1970s and beyond. Their recordings on Blue Goose Records, including three LPs and several novelty 78 rpm singles, helped keep obscure genres like hokum, medicine show tunes, and Hawaiian music in public awareness. The band's connection to underground comics—through Crumb and Armstrong—and to filmmaker Terry Zwigoff gave them a cultural footprint beyond music. Their song 'My Girl's Pussy' gained notoriety as a double-entendre novelty and later as the theme for an Australian TV series. The band's legacy includes influencing later retro and revivalist acts, and their annual performances at Berkeley's Freight and Salvage as of 2017 demonstrate their enduring appeal. Their work also appeared in the soundtrack for the film American Splendor, based on Harvey Pekar's writings, with whom Crumb collaborated.

Did You Know?

• The band changed its name to the Cheap Suit Serenaders after buying suits at the Salvation Army to meet a dress code for a posh wedding.
• The band's first recording was a 78 rpm record under the name R. Crumb and his Keep on Trucking Orchestra.
• The band's 1980 Party Record single featured the double-entendre 'My Girl's Pussy' on the A-side.
• As of 2017, surviving members still play annually at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California.