Results: The Strange, Late Bishop Bullwinkle

Bernard Thomas hit upon an effective gimmick for becoming a Southern soul singing star when he donned a cowboy hat and sunglasses and rechristened himself Bishop Bullwinkle, a filthy-talking, rough singing preacher. In his breakthrough radio hit, "Hell 2 Da Naw Naw," he called out the hypocrisies of his fictious congregation. celebrated the high-living position of a pastor to such a flock, and giving sternly warning wilding youth. Have you ever heard, or at least heard of, Bishop Bullwinkle?

Apart from its scandalous take on African-American church culture, "Hell 2 Da Naw Naw" proved controversial for the way its original version seems to be cribbed from the instrumental track of "Looking For A Country Girl" by established Southern soulster Bigg Robb. Thomas cussingly denied the allegation, but the song in question is linked here. Do you hear "Naw Naw is so reliant on "Country Grl" without Robb's permission that it was never issued commercially?

Before I knew of ther dispute that kept his music from being available for sale, i called the telephone number at the bottom of the above "Naw Naw" video, expecting to speak to the singer.comic's manager, Instead, I got the man himself. Toward the end of our talk of over 30 minutes, he shouted "Jesus-God d*mn-Christ!" to a household member who somehow displeased him. That's when I figured he was, ah, conflicted at best. Have you ever talked wtih an arist/entertainer whose work you enjoy to find s/he's not quite what you fisrt thought?

My image of Bullwinkle tainted as it was, I still went to see him perfom when he played a venue about an hour's drive for me. Not only was Bullwinkle's comedy raunchy enough to make Richard Pryor come off clean as Sinbad, he called me a "white n*gg*r," presumably because I was the palest-skinned member of the audience. Have you ever you ever experienced a performer refer to you as a racial or ethnic epithet from stage?

Thomas died on US Fathers Day 2019 due to complications from a heart attack. He arrived at his alias' name in part because a schoolmate once wrote on a classroom chalkboard that he was funny as cartoon character Bullwinkle Moose. Which Bullwinkle do you find more amusing?