In preparation for the grand re-opening of Hard Rock Cafe Nashville, we been digging through some of our most over-the-top artifacts from the world of country music. This week, let look at some of the coolest, most ostentatious pieces of wardrobe the universe has ever seen NUDIE SUITS! As always, you can check out great stuff like this all over our interactive memorabilia website by clicking here.
Nudie suits were the creations of Nudie Cohn %u2013 the flamboyant clothier and proprietor of Nudies Rodeo Tailors in Hollywood. If you%u2019ve never heard of a Nudie suit, rest assured you%u2019ve seen plenty. His heavily embroidered and bedazzled creations have graced the stage with both country and rock stars and he was the go-to tailor for such iconic western types as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. The whole idea of the %u201Crhinestone cowboy%u201D starts with Nudie Cohn. He urbanized the classic western suit and turned it into a statement of country pimpitude. Check out this piece he did for Hank Williams, Jr:
Many folks were first exposed to Nudie%u2019s work through the legendary gold lame suit Elvis wore on the cover of 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can%u2019t Be Wrong. We don%u2019t have that piece (we wish), but we do have this none-too-subtle suit he made for Conway Twitty:
The irony of Nudie%u2019s close connection to that most American of art forms %u2013 country music %u2013 is that he was from Kiev, Ukraine. Nudie%u2019s designs didn%u2019t just appeal to the cowboy-hat types, though. Rockers started sporting them in the %u201860s and continue to do so to this day (REM%u2019s Mike Mills and Wilco%u2019s Jeff Tweedy both own vintage Nudies). In rock, they were largely popularized by Gram Parsons of the Byrds. Nudie made the famous %u201CGilded Palace of Sin%u201D suit for Gram. This suit featured embroidered pills, pot leaves, naked women, and crosses. It was incredibly scandalous for the late sixties, but it was undeniably cool. Here%u2019s a great video of Gram wearing the suit. Inspired by Gram%u2019s suit, Mountain%u2019s Felix Pappalardi had Nudie create this %u201CShamrocks and Pot Leaves%u201D suit in 1970:
Not to be outdone, Bob Dylan had Nudie make this absolutely amazing %u201CJesus Jacket%u201D in 1979 during Bob%u2019s %u201Cborn again%u201D phase. This one is a favorite. It%u2019s definitely got a kitschy folk art vibe:
Even Keith Richards got in on the fun. Keith received this Nudie jacket as a present from none other than Gram Parsons:
We%u2019ve saved the best for last (as usual). This bad-boy was owned and operated by none other than Buck Owens in the mid %u201860s as he toured the country kicking out the most hardcore honky-tonk the world would ever see. This one actually isn%u2019t a Nudie suit. It was made by Nathan Turk %u2013 a contemporary of Nudie%u2019s whose impact on western fashion is equally as important. Check it out:
What could be cooler than that? How about an old snapshot of Buck wearing the suit onstage in %u201966 while pickin%u2019 on a Tele and smiling for the camera (check out %u201958 Fender Bassman amp!):
So there you have it. If you want a piece of the Nudie legacy, you%u2019d better save your pennies. Nudie Cohn died in 1984, effectively ending the era of the rhinestone cowboy rodeo suit. There are still some fine tailors making copies and %u201Cinspired by%u201D pieces, but nothing has the cache of a genuine Nudie.
MANUEL: 'RHINESTONE REMBRANDT'
MANUEL: 'RHINESTONE REMBRANDT' COUTURIER [EX-NUDIE DESIGNER] MANUEL: 'RHINESTONE REMBRANDT' COUTURIER [EX-NUDIE DESIGNER] Video sent by mrjyn MANUEL RHINESTONE REMBRANDT
visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com/2009/06/manuel-rembrandt-couturier-ex-nud...MANUEL: RHINESTONE REMBRANDT COUTURIER [EX-NUDIE'S DESIGNER] | Se...
MANUEL: RHINESTONE REMBRANDT COUTURIER [EX-NUDIE'S DESIGNER] M A N UE L: RH ... ES TON E R EMIGRANT T C OUTRE R [EX-NUDIE'S DESIGN N E R] Video sent by mrjyn M ...
visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com/2009/03/manuel-rhinestone-rembrandt-coutu...Buck Owens: SATAN'S GOT TO GET ALONG WITHOUT ME! [Are they wearin' Nu...
... Buck Owens: SATAN'S GOT TO GET ALONG WITHOUT ME! [Are they wearin' Nudie or Manuel]
visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com/2008/12/buck-owens-satans-got-to-get-alon...Lone Ranger's Mask: WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS FETISH? ASK MANUEL! | See Ya At ...
Lone Ranger's Mask: WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS FETISH? ASK MANUEL!
Manuel: Manuel Arturo José Cuevas Martínez, born April 23, 1938 in Coalcomán Michoacán, Mexico, is a designer of Rhinestone-studded, brightly coloredd, beaded and fringed original designed and talilored suits, pants, shirts and ensembles, largely worn by both, Rock 'n' Roll and Country & Western stars.
The fifth of eleven children of Esperanza and José Guadalupe Cuevas was taught to sew by the age of seven.
He attended the University of Guadalajara, majoring in Psychology, and moved to Los Angeles in the mid-50s, where he apprenticed under master embroiderer, Viola Grae. Manuel continued with Grae until meeting Nudie Cohn.
Nudie's was THE C&W clothier period. Its fashion has now become synonymous with the 'Nashville Style" of the 40s, 50s and 60s.
RHINESTONE:
"A colorless artificial gem of paste or glass, often with facets that sparkle in imitation of a diamond. Although rhinestones are inseparably associated with the costumes of country and western singers and Las Vegas dancers, the word originally had European associations. The Rhine in rhinestone is the (French) Rhine River, and rhinestone is a translation into English of the French phrase caillou du Rhin. Originally a rhinestone was a kind of rock crystal that was found in or near the Rhine. Other types of rock crystal, such as Cornish diamond, were given similar fancy names. Because rhinestones could be made to imitate diamonds, the name rhinestone was applied to artificial gems made from paste, glass, or gem quartz and as a result often carries a connotation of showbiz glitz."
Quite simply, Ukranian immigrant, Nudie Cohn, was the first man to apply rhinestone to male country and western's star performers, both astonishing, in combination with his intricate, neon-colored, embroidered tableau and fearless in his use of the rhinestone to outfit men in the entertainment business's most macho field, with something only formerly worn by women.
He invented what we may now consider with irony, awe, or both, into an empire based on the remixing of those two elements which effect a certain segments of show business today--from Nashvegas to Las Vegas with a definite stop along the way at Graceland, where Bill Belew's evolved it into the ultimate sartorial statement of supremacy.
Nudie earned himself the title, 'Rodeo Tailor to the Stars,' and those stars came to include almost every member of the Grand Ole Opry to the hippest Rock ' Rollers in the late 60s and 70s. Beginning with Gram Parsons, whose influence on the Stones' was all-encompassing, including their style, to the above mentioned Elvis Jumpsuit, and, of course, Elton John.
Others followed, all caught up in the masterful embroidery, and, to many people's eyes, the garish ornamentation of rhinestones: both simultaneously Nudie's trademark.
Manuel quickly became Nudie's head tailor,and by the early 60s, his head designer--remaining with Cohn for fourteen years.
I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW:
Besides the Lone Ranger's mask and Cowboy Outfit, Manuel was responsible for:
The Beatles' Suits on the cover of "Sergeant Pepper's..."; Johnny Cash's 'Man in Black' Suit; the Grateful Dead's 'Rose and Skeleton' insignia; and maybe his most famous design by proxy, an 'inflatable lips' pillow for Mick Jagger, which John Pasche later designed into The Rolling Stones' logo.
In the mid-70s Manuel married and divorced Nudie's daughter, Barbara, opened his own business in North Hollywood, and purchased a dozen sewing machines from infamous designer, Nathan Turk, whose, 'Turk of Hollywood,' had closed recently, due to poor health [Turk never cashed the check from Manuel].
By the late 80s, Manuel had moved to Nashville to be close to his 'Music City' clientele.
At 72, he still lives his passion and life's work every day at 1922 Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee's "Manuel's Exclusive Clothiers.'
lone ranger outfit coming up...
Manuel
Manuel & Robert Chavez
Manuel & son
Manuel Collection
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Manuel Collection
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Manuel Collection
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Manuel Collection
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.Manuel Collection
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Manuel Collection
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Manuel Collection
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Manuel Collection
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Manuel Arizona & Alaska
State Jackets
Manuel Hawaii, Idaho &
Illinois State Jackets
Manuel Alaska & Alabama
State Jackets
Manuel Connecticut &
Delaware State Jackets
Manuel Arkansas &
California State Jackets
Manuel Idaho & Hawaii
State Jackets
Manuel Hawaii &
Georgia State Jackets
Manuel Florida &
Delaware State Jackets
Manuel Minnesota &
Mississippi State Jackets
Manuel Missouri, Minnesota &
Michigan State Jackets
Manuel Nevada &
Nebraska State Jackets
Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel New Hampshire
& New Jersey State Jackets
Manuel Kansas &
Kentucky State Jackets
Manuel S Carolina &
S. Dakota State Jackets
Manuel Virginia, Vermont &
Washington State Jackets
Manuel Washington,
Utah & Vermont State Jackets
Manuel Virginia, Washington
& Wisconsin State Jackets
Manuel Vermont, Virginia &
Washington State Jackets
Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel Utah, Vermont
& Virginia State Jackets
Manuel Rhode Island &
S. Carolina State Jackets
Manuel State Jackets
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Manuel New Jersey &
New Hampshire State Jackets
Manuel Florida &
Delaware State Jackets
Manuel Florida, Georgia
& Hawaii State Jackets
Manuel State Jackets
Photo 8
Manuel Arkansas &
California State Jackets
Manuel Alabama
State Jacket
Manuel Alaska Photo 1
State Jacket
Manuel Alaska Photo 2
State Jacket
Manuel Alaska Photo 3
State Jacket
Manuel Arizona Photo 1
State Jacket
Manuel Arizona Photo 2
State Jacket
Manuel Arkansas
State Jacket
Manuel California Photo 1
State Jacket
Manuel California Photo 2
State Jacket
Manuel California Photo 3
State Jacket
Manuel California Photo 4
State Jacket
Manuel Colorado
State Jacket
Manuel Delaware Photo 1
State Jacket
Manuel Delaware Photo 2
State Jacket
Manuel Delaware Photo 3
State Jacket
Manuel Florida
State Jacket
Manuel Georgia Photo 1
State Jacket
Manuel Georgia Photo 2
State Jacket
Manuel Hawaii
State Jacket
Manuel Idaho
State Jacket
Manuel Illinois Photo 1
State Jacket
Manuel Illinois Photo 2
State Jacket
Manuel Indiana
State Jacket
Manuel Iowa Photo 1
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Manuel Iowa Photo 2
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Manuel Iowa Photo 3
State Jacket
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visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com/2009/08/ofb-jason-and-nashville-scorchers...praxis records: nashvegas new wave stable roundup or how i spent the 80s...
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... video unavailable] 02:23 church street station Tags: porter wagoner nudie suit sugarfoot rag Added: 1 year ago From: mancrushonporter Views ... cliff edwards Marianne Added: 1 year ago From: stjn00 Views: 2,782 Playlist: SUGAR Added Bud Freeman - Oscar Klein - Lino Patruno ...
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