Meet the Small Potatoes talking head interviews with the band’s friends, manager Lester Koop (McDowell), and man on the street interviews with the band’s fans (all of whom are potatoes). The Small Potatoes’ trajectory roughly follows trends in American popular music through the second half of the 20th century: The Potatoes start as a country and western band in Idaho in the 1940s, before finding popularity first as rock and roll and then doo wop singers in the 1950s. They reach the peak of their popularity in the 1960s as a British invasion style act, followed by their experimenting with psychedelic rock after a
Mashed Potatoes U.S.A. Mashed Potatoes U.S.A. "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." is a rhythm and blues song by James Brown. Released in 1962 as a single by King Records, it reached #82 on the Pop chart and #21 on the R&B chart. The title refers to the Mashed Potato dance popular at the time. The song is a travelogue set over a strummed guitar/organ riff with a muted trumpet providing a jazz counterpoint to the vocal delivery. The bridge consists of the entire band repeating a two-chord riff. In the song, Brown asserts "Here I am and I'm back again," then states his plan to