Last time I posted my “Song of the Day”, I picked something that related to music research work that I’m currently entrenched in. This time around, I wanted to continue that trend with something Baltimore related….more specifically, Ru-Jac related. So what’s the significance? I’ll explain. Ru-jac was a Baltimore based record label active during the early 60s to mid 70s, and I recently had the opportunity to archive an impressive collection of papers, photos, reels, and records from their Lauren’s St. Studio. (The contents of the studio used to belong to the primary owner of Ru-Jac, Rufus Mitchell, brother of the late great jazz artist, “Blue” Mitchell.)

The Dynamic Corvettes were a southern Maryland based group who recorded on that label. (You might know them as a group that later recorded the classic breakbeat jam, “Funky Music is the Thing”) Their first (and only) Ru-Jac single featured the track “Keep Off the Grass”, a socially concious heater that cleverly addresses the issue of marijuana use. The hook says it all. Check it out!