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The Ypsi hits just keep coming. It’s like “ask and ye shall recieve”: in the quest for songs about Ypsi or labels from Ypsi, they just sort of find me. I’ve got quite the collection going, and this latest one is a strong addition: John and Wynn playing live at the old local Ypsi watering hole Casa Nova, 11 W. Michigan Avenue.
It’s funny, because the term “Ypsitucky” recently stirred up controversy as Zingerman’s restaurant advertised a dinner special as an “Ypsitucky Supper”. The Ann Arbor News picked up the story (link no longer working), but here is a clip:
An upcoming dinner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse dubbed by an organizer as an “Ypsitucky Supper’’ has raised some eyebrows over the use of a moniker some people view as derogatory.
The June 27 event - meant to showcase the area’s Appalachian heritage through food - is officially called the “Harriette Arnow Tribute Dinner.’’
But it’s described as a “four-course Ypsitucky Supper’’ in promotional materials sent to the news media by American Table Culinary Tours. A press release says the dinner will “pay tribute to all the mountaineers who followed the so-called ‘Hillbilly Highways’ in search of steady work.’’
“Ypsitucky’’ has long been used by some people, often in a demeaning sense, to refer to the area’s Southern heritage. The term was originally coined for the migrants from Kentucky and other southern states who came to work in the Ypsilanti area’s auto factories after World War II.
While some residents of the city and township see it as a point of pride, others say the term makes fun of the area’s roots….
Ypsilanti City Councilwoman Lois Richardson said Ypsitucky is a term that has been around for a long time. “It was a poke at the people from Kentucky that moved up here,’’ Richardson said. ” … It’s really a derogatory term. It’s not one that I would use…”
Ypsi blogger Mark Maynard ran with the story, and his post led to a huge response in the comments section over whether or not it should be considered offensive or not.
So when Justin called to tell me that this record was in a collection I recently aquired (I didn’t notice it at first), I was super excited. It confirmed that the term “Ypsitucky” has been around for a while, as this record was probably put out around 1970. More than that, it’s yet another song about Ypsilanti, to go along with Lee Osler’s “Back to Ypsilanti” and Nancy Adams’ “Ypsilanti”, not to mention the Pathway label stuff or Ty and Tom’s On The Road.
As for the actual music, it didn’t exactly change my life forever as Lee Osler’s jam did. “Ypsitucky” is more of a novelty song than a mix-tape mind-blower, but it’s fun nonetheless. Which is all you can hope for out of any obscure, private press local joint. Besides this lead-off song, other strong tracks are a dead-on Elvis impersonation of “I Can’t Help Falling In Love” and every country-rock bar band’s staple, “Country Roads”. Over all, it’s a strong album - a drinkin’ record - and an excellent find (I’m keeping it, not selling it). Wynn and John’s “Live at The Casa Nova” is important to preserve as a part of Ypsilanti’s music history.
From the back cover:
Hi! Come on in! Welcome to the “very live” CASA NOVA. If you’re with us tonight-or any night-you’re in for a good time. And when you listen to this album we hope you can feel a bit of the warm laughter and crazy times we share with the CASA NOVA crowd. If you’re a “regular” you might even hear your own laughter! The songs on the album are not necessarily our greatest, (listen to us breaking up in the middle of some songs) but they do represent a cross section of requested songs to remind you of a fun night with us at the CASA NOVA. Ypsitucky is an original tune from the pen of Rudy Janci, paying homage to our colorful background here in Ypsilanti.
Here then is a copy of a smile, a “tapping toe” and a “tune on your mind”.
With love,
Wynn and John
So I guess the key part of all of this is that Rudy Janci wrote “Ypsitucky” as a way to pay tribute to Ypsilanti’s Kentucky imports, who came up to work at the Bomber Plant or the nearby Ford plant. But is it one of those terms that only us Ypsi folks can say, but nobody else better?
Listen to the song and judge for yourself:
