Otis Gibbs -Sputnik Monroe (Official Video)
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- This is the story of how a professional wrestler fought to desegregate a Memphis auditorium. Sputnik Monroe was a "bad guy" or "heel" who wrestled in Memphis in the late 1950s. It was his job to make wrestling fans hate him so much, that they would lay down their hard earned money to see him get beat by the "good guy." He was so good at his job, that thousands of people paid to see him wrestle every Monday night at Ellis Auditorium. When he wasn't wrestling, he was hanging out with his friends in the cafes on Beale Street. Sputnik was one of the few white people that you'd find on Beale Street and his friends were all black. He was often arrested for the crime of being a white person who would dare to drink in public with a black person. This was scandalous at the time. When his day in court arrived, he was the first white person in Memphis to be represented by (his friend) a black lawyer. This was even more scandalous. It became common knowledge among the African American community of Memphis that Sputnik Monroe was alright. When his black friends came to see him wrestle, they were forced to sit in the balcony, while the whites sat in the good seats down below. When Sputnik entered the ring, a huge round of cheers would rain down from the balcony. This would make the white folks hate him even more. Sputnik one day confronted the promoters and told them that he would refuse to wrestle unless they allowed his black friends to sit anywhere they wanted. The promoters realized that Sputnik was making them a ton of money, so they gave in to his demands. This lead to the very first desegregated sporting event in the southern part of the United States.
All of that because a professional wrestler was willing to take a principled stand. Imagine what the rest of us might be capable of.
I think more people should know about Sputnik Monroe, so I wrote this song. Please share this with anyone who might be interested. I need your help to get the word out.
Thanks for giving a damn,
-Otis
otisgibbs.com
/ otisgibbs
/ otisgibbsmusic
/ otisgibbs
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Sputnik Monroe
Memphis Wrestling
Memphis history
Civil Rights
My Dad and I are huge Sputnik fans. My great Aunt used to cut his hair here in Amarillo, TX. My Dad has a head shot of him he used to keep in the bathroom and we even named our cat after him. We love hearing this on the High Plains Radio station, thanks for keeping these stories alive man.
Thank you Mr. Gibbs and Cornette for teaching us about Sputnik Monroe. The man should have his biopic.
Great song ❤
Enjoyed the song, saw Sputnik several times in my hometown of Jonesboro, Ar. He was was my grandpa, and, great grandma’s hero.
Because Pro Wrestling was and still is, BIG IN MEMPHIS!! Sputnik Monroe stood up for the black man in Memphis! Badass dood! Great wrestler as well..
The first concert I ever went to was Brenda Lee at the Ellis Auditorium with my mom and dad. Sputnik made a guest appearance.I think he sang. I remember cheering and yelling at him and him yelling back. I was about 10. Of course I saw him rasslin in the Ellis Auditorium. “A Diamond ring and Cadillac kinda man! “
I love music that tells a good stories that i can understand. Thank you Otitis
My very 1st match at the Sportatorium in Dallas the program said Sputnik Monroe would be there the next week. I asked Scott Putski who he was. I didn’t know but I learned his story as the years went by. Great song, great tribute!!
I worked at the Sportatorium on the security and ambulance crew from 1963 through 1967 when I got my "greetings from Uncle Sam letter". Still got a strip of corrugated metal siding retrieved from its demolition in the early 2000s which has Skandar Akbar's and Killer Karl Cox' autograph on it obtained at the "Wake For the Sportatorium" we organized at a local watering hole in Dallas during the demolition.
I live near Memphis and have never heard this story. Thanks for shining the light, brother.
I idolized Sputnik Monroe when I was a kid in Tucson Arizona.
Very good tune! He was a polarizing figure! We need those from time to time!
A helluva man singing about a helluva man.
Thank ya kindly, Jim! : )
what a amazing story and man. ty otis for writing this song. huge wrestling fan and now im a huge otis gibbs fan all because he took time to make such a kickass song for the leader of a revolution. the story proves that just 1 man can move a nation of men. all while being a wrestler who decided to headlock the belief that ppl arent equal. this was a time when it wasnt cool to be a fan of wrestling itself. looked down on those kind of ppl and ty sputnick for making ppl stop looking down at ppl and up to the top of the rafters where those fans had a voice also. wrestling to this day brings men of all races together in ways only sputnick could have seen. get them to disagree on a simple fake wrasling match but do it anywhere they wanted. and hell maybe they could find something out of that ticket, that seat by the other side could lead to common ground that today well never see. to lead men to be the first in something monumental is not what legends are made of but kings are made. ironically its memphis home of the king. think of that. it took a wrestler and his fans to do what the so called king of memphis elvis could never do. again ty sputnick monroe and otis gibbs for never letting us ever forget.
Well said.
Otis Satanding Ovation ... I needed a modern day "Honkey Tonk Hero" "Bob Dylanesque" Your My new Musical and Creative hero Otis ... Bravo ... Hands Clapping.
I heard this song today on WEXT, 97.7 FM Amsterdam, NY. (February 7, 2017)
Wow, just wow!
Thanks for this song, thanks for being "On The Right Side of History".
(Now I have to try and learn it, so I can use it as part of my repertoire as a ukulele player.)
Your from my town
I found this while searching an unrelated Sputnik Monroe video, but I'm glad that I did. Loved this
Go to see a good voice and like to hear more of your singing I enjoy your talking videos though also you have a great one take care Tim Colorado Springs Colorado
I saw Sputnik Monroe quite a few times in the Dallas territory in the late sixties. I didn’t know anything about his views on racism, I was just a kid. He certainly was a great heel, though, and could “put asses in seats.” He also had two “brothers” that wrestled, Rocket Monroe and Flash Monroe, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t actually related.
Man. I’m so old I grew up with Sputnik fighting hero Billy Wicks. Sputnik was our hero back then. Look for YT clips.
Elvis, MLK, BB, & Jerry Lawler... all Kings with Memphis ties. I like what you did there.
Very interesting story and a brilliant song, I really love this song about a legendary hero.
Damn Good Song and Storytelling Wordsmithing, Otis~!!💜 H Lane Howell
Amazing song. What does that last verse start with? "You mighta buggy whipped bounce????"
Today is 3/7/21 and I just came across your Sputnik Monroe. Appropriate song for today the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. "Standing on the ground where King stood". Sounds like hood trouble.
Beautiful song.
Awesome tune!! As a long time memphian, and rasslin fan (and Music lover) I sure appreciate your song about the "Diamnond ring and Gold cadillac baby!" Man himself-Ol Sputmnick!!. RIGHT ON!!
I'm usually a hip hop dude but this is gnarly. Sputnik is the man
Great tribute to wrestling legend and definately a civil rights pioneer!!
Meet Sputnik when I was a child, he and my Dad were friends. Wish I would've known him better.
Thanks Otis for sharing this story. I was unaware of it. I think we could use more people like this in today's society.
I'm from north Mississippi. I remember Sputnik. He got his name from Russia's satellite.
Damn that's a cool song!
Standing on the right side of history...
A little bit of history. Great done
This song was featured on KXCI 91.3 in Tucson
Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about, beautiful🎶👍
Thanks for the lesson.
very cool song.
Thanks Otis
Off the hook Otis...Thanku
I like yuor songs
Beautiful, period.
Fantastic!
Impressive Otis. Thanks.
Good music my man
Sputnik Monroe was The Hero During Jim Crow.
NPR A couple weeks ago. Stuck in my head ever since
6:05 podcast brought me here
The mothership
Ian Hernandez - What difference does it make? English-speaking people throughout the world understands the meaning of wrestling, wraslin’, wrastlin’, rasling, etc.
@Ian Hernandez rasslin, obviously
@Ian Hernandez R-A-S-S-L-I-N that's Rasslin!
When the “crying wrestling fan” said “it’s still real to me dammit”, wrestling fans knew what he meant. Shit like this was real as it gets.
AWESOME Otis!
Good efn tune!
sing it bud, you ever get down west of Texarkana sometime let me know
God bless 🙏
"He would stoop to chicanery" do you think that phrase was ever used in a song before ? I sure as hell hope not !
6:05 brought me here
Look forward to hearing this live in 10 days... (Not that I want to dictate your setlist I must add, but if you were to do requests...)
Update - loved singing the chorus with the rest of the audience.
I lived in Jonesboro and saw him a lot-had that blonde streak in his hair and the girls were doing that to their hair
If ever there was doubt to the difference one action can take ...
Love it, Otis.
Have you ever heard of Lost John ? Saw him on a documentary,just real good folk fiddler. Look it up you’ll enjoy it.
Bravo!
2:30"REST ASSURED THAT EVEN DIRTBAGS LIKE ME CAN STAND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY". SWEET LINE.
🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾🎯🎯
Love it
Hear, hear
Boom!
This song has very much a Bruce Springsteen/Seeger sessions feel. In meaning, music and song structure. From Pete Seeger to Bruce Springsteen to Otis Gibbs. Thank Guthrie some are still making real music.
colt brought me here