Big Horns George

Summary
Brain introduces George to the blues. George becomes a fan and learns to sing with the help of Wally, Koko Taylor and Taj Mahal.

Plot
George asks for extra sprinkles at the Powers’ ice cream parlor because he is down. Mrs. McGrady walks in with a lady who Brain recognizes as blues singer Koko Taylor. She invites the boys to a jam session on Sunday. Since George has never heard of her, Brain takes him home, saying that blues “will cheer you up a lot more than ice cream”.

Title Card

Brain gives George an introduction to blues and plays him one of his own compositions: “Pi Blues”. He also lends George some CDs.

George listens to the music, buys a harmonica and composes a song.

The jam session at Mrs. McGrady’s house is attended by Koko with two other musicians, Brain, Binky and Francine. While the other kids say they would just embarrass themselves, George wants to perform. He sings “The Pinocchio Blues” and accompanies himself on the harmonica. He sings well but very quietly. When Francine says he sounds like a mouse., George runs out of the house. Koko follows and tells him that it is okay to be nervous and that she still gets butterflies despite singing for fifty years. She invites him to come back any time. George leaves and throws his harmonica away.

At home George talks to Wally, who tries to cheer him up. When George wants to return Brain’s CDs he notices that he hasn’t heard Taj Mahal yet.

George listens to Taj Mahal’s “Leaving Trunk” and his fantasy transports him to “Tunefork, Mississippi”. He drinks a lemonade at the General Store, but since he has no money the barkeeper (Binky), who is also the sheriff, wants to arrest him, unless George earns the money by singing.

George sings “Pinocchio Blues” outside the store. A lady (Francine) compares him to a mouse again. However, a guitar player (Taj Mahal) on the porch across the street encourages him to put more feeling in his singing. George does and the musician says he’s got talent and should not be afraid to show it.

Back in reality George builds a guitar with the help of his Dad and Brain. He practices in the park and shows some chords to Binky.

When Wally advises George not to play for Koko again, George puts him in the closet. Wally remarks, that things have not been the same between them since George made that guitar.

George goes to Mrs. McGrady’s house and plays for Koko and Mrs. McGrady. He is still nervous and breaks a string. Koko’s friend Taj Mahal arrives and offers to fix the string and accompany George. They end up jamming until dark.

Main

 * George Lundgren
 * Brain
 * Koko Taylor
 * Taj Mahal

Minor

 * Leah MacGrady
 * Francine Frensky
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Wally
 * Binky Barnes

Cameo

 * Arthur Read (title card only)
 * Maria Pappas
 * Mrs. Pappas
 * Neal Lundgren
 * Ed Billings

Mentioned

 * Nemo

Songs

 * "63 Year Old Mama" (Koko Taylor)
 * Pi Blues (Brain)
 * "Put the Pot On" (Koko Taylor)
 * The Pinocchio Blues (George)
 * "Leaving Trunk" (Taj Mahal) It is heard when George arrives in Tunefork.
 * "Fishin' Blues" (Taj Mahal)
 * George's Unnamed Blues (George/Taj Mahal)

Trivia

 * Arthur makes a cameo in the title card of this episode, but does not appear in the episode itself.
 * Koko Taylor and Taj Mahal are blues musicians who voiced themselves.
 * Brain compares Koko's voice to Bessie Smith and Muddy Waters, two famous blues musicians.
 * George brings lutefisk to the pot-luck. That's a Scandinavian dish made of dried fish.
 * The truck driver who takes George to Tunefork is a clone of Ed Billings from "Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm".
 * "Hoosegow" is an old slang term for jail used primarily in the American West. It derives from Spanish "juzgado" (courthouse).