Wilson Pickett – "Mustang Sally" (1966)

Mustang Sally

Guess you better slow that Mustang down

I spent the first 18 years of my life in Joplin, Missouri, and my parents still live there.  I've visited them two or three times a year since an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin four years ago today, killing some 160 people and dramatically altering the city's physical appearance.

One of the most significant losses from the tornado was Joplin High School.  It took over three years to rebuild the high school, which has about 2200 students.

Members of the Joplin High School band

When I was in Joplin last month, the high school's marching band held a "Band Geeks and Car Freaks" car show to raise money.

If you are a male who came of age in the sixties, you probably lusted after a 1965 Mustang.  (You probably lusted after all six of the varsity cheerleaders as well.  I know I did.)

There were a couple of Mustangs entered in the Joplin High School show – an older one and a newer one:

In case you can't read the front license plate on the older Mustang, here's a closeup of it:

Any car show worth its salt will have at least one Corvette.  The "Band Geeks and Car Freaks" show featured a red 1958 'Vette, and it was a beauty:

The oldest cars in the show were two beautifully restored Model A Fords – one was a pickup, one a roadster:

There was a 1938 DeSoto:

And there was a 1955 Chevrolet:

There were quite a few newer customized cars and trucks as well:

If you weren't interested in customized cars, you could pretend to be Luke Skywalker and shoot it out with a Star Wars stormtrooper:

"Mustang Sally" was written and originally recorded in 1965 by Mack Rice.  But the version you're probably familiar with is Wilson Pickett's cover, which was released in 1966.  

Click here to hear Rice's version of "Mustang Sally."  It's pretty good, but I think Pickett's is better.

Here's Pickett's recording of "Mustang Sally":

Click below to buy the song from Amazon: