The Best Of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues

Side A:
01. Loud Mouth Annie - Myles & Dupont
02. Rhythmatic Rhythm - Charles "Hungry" Williams
03. Jock-A-Mo - Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters
04. Mardi Gras Mambo - The Hawketts
05. I'm A Country Boy - Clarence Henry
06. Flatfoot Sam - Oscar Wills
07. Ding Dong Darling - Allen Brooks
08. Lawdy Mama - Edgar Blanchard

Side B:
01. What Can I Do - Robert Green
02. The Joke - Reggie Hall
03. Walk That Walk - Eddie Bo
04. I Cried all The Way Home - Charles "Hungry" Williams
05. Foolish Woman - Allen Brooks
06. Oh-Oh - Eddie Bo
07. This Should Go On Forever - Rod Bernard
08. Needing Your Love - Bobby Blanque
09. Baby Please - Clifton Chenier

The Best Of New Orleans R&B (Mega)

The Best Of New Orleans R&B (Zippy)

This collection was last posted on the blog on the 24th February 2010. This re-up includes completely new art work, a slight volume boost and new information on the tracks. This improved re-post seemed to be a natural follow on to the previous Paul Gayten post, as he arranged and played on some of these sides.

I always had mixed feelings about this 1984 collection. Sure, there were a few stone classics on it, "Jock-A-Mo," "Flatfoot Sam," "Mardi Gras Mambo," but there were nine previously unissued tracks and the track list on the back cover was a typographical mess, and slightly misleading.

I corrected a couple of things the first time I posted this LP, but that post still contained a few inaccuracies, so it was back to the books and the web for me so that here and now, in the Year of Our Lord 2018, we may all contemplate the updated info on these tracks. If that's your bag. Or maybe you just wanna get straight to listening to what turns out to be a very strong collection of fine New Orleans R&B. For all I know I may be just writing this for myself or howling at the moon, but on we go!

First thing to note is that I've altered the titles and artist attributions of the tracks so that they more accurately reflect the original single releases. While doing this, I came across a few tales, so in no particular order, here's the deal:

First track, second side, "What Can I Do" was wrongly attributed to Charles Williams. It is in fact by Robert Green, the original drummer in the Paul Gayten band.

Small labels found that when one of their discs started to sell well, they lacked the production and distribution facilities to meet demand, so they would arrange leasing deals with bigger labels to maximize sales potential. There are three examples on this collection.

"Flat Foot Sam" was recorded for the Clif label out of Shreveport by Oscar Wills under his stage name T.V. Slim (he was a TV repairman in "real" life). When the record began selling heavily in the Dallas, Shreveport and New Orleans areas, a deal was cut with Chess for national distribution and the record was issued on Checker 870 in July 1957.

However Leonard Chess thought that the record would perform even better if it were recut with a sax backing. T.V. Slim went into a New Orleans studio where he recorded a new version with the Paul Gayten band. This second version was released on Argo 5277 in August 1957, this time credited to Oscar Wills. This is the version which is on this LP. Over the years the Oscar Wills / Paul Gayten version has appeared on various compilations credited to T.V. Slim. Same guy, different name, same song, different sound.

"The Joke" by Reggie Hall was originally issued by the small and short lived Rip label in New Orleans in January 1962. It sold so well that a deal was agreed with Chess who issued it on Chess 1816 in March 1962.

It was a similar story with Rod Bernard's "This Should Go On Forever." Recorded at J.D. Miller's studio in Crowley, Louisiana, it was first released on the Jin label of Ville Platte in October 1958 as by Rod Bernard and The Twisters. Jin owner Floyd Soileau couldn't meet the demand for the disc, so leased it to Chess who issued it on Argo 5327 in February 1959. "This Should Go On Forever" became a top twenty pop hit on the Billboard and Cash Box charts, which would have been impossible without the Chess deal.

In the previous posting of this collection I pointed out that a track which was unreleased back in the 1950's, Eddie Bo's "Walk That Walk" had become well known in the 21st Century through its use as background music in a television advert for Fiat Spirito di Punto. There was a single issued in the UK on "Chess" (Chess 1703) of "Walk That Walk" but this was a "repro" (which isn't strictly true, as there was no such original issue) released in 2011.

There are full details on all the tracks below, although the line up on Rod Bernard's "This Should Go On Forever" has escaped me. Swamp pop is slightly out of my comfort zone at the moment.

I hope you enjoy this compilation as much as I'm doing right now on repeat play.

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01. Loud Mouth Annie - Myles & Dupont (Argo 5326, February 1959)

02. Rhythmatic Rhythm - Charles "Hungry" Williams (unreleased)

03. Jock-A-Mo - Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters (Checker 787, March 1954)

04. Mardi Gras Mambo - The Hawketts (Chess 1591, February 1955)

05. I'm A Country Boy - Clarence Henry (Argo 5266, March 1957)

06. Flatfoot Sam - Oscar Wills (Argo 5277, August 1957)

07. Ding Dong Darling - Allen Brooks (unreleased)

08. Lawdy Mama - Edgar Blanchard unreleased)

09. What Can I Do - Robert Green (unreleased)

10. The Joke - Reggie Hall (Rip 154, January 1962)

11. Walk That Walk - Eddie Bo (unreleased)

12. I Cried all The Way Home - Charles "Hungry" Williams (unreleased)

13. Foolish Woman - Allen Brooks (unreleased)

14. Oh-Oh - Eddie Bo (Chess 1698, July 1958)

15. This Should Go On Forever - Rod Bernard (Jin 105, October 1958)

16. Needing Your Love - Bobby Blanque (unreleased)

17. Baby Please - Clifton Chenier (unreleased)

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Myles & Dupont - Loudmouth Annie. Recorded in New Orleans circa June 1958. Personnel: Edgar Myles and August "Dimes" Dupont (vocals) with James Rivers and Robert Parker (saxes); Warren Myles (piano); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Roland Cook (bass); Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums).

B-Side of "Heaven Or Heartbreak" released on Argo 5326, February 1959.

Charles "Hungry" Williams - Rhythmatic Rhythm; I Cried All The Way Home. Recorded in New Orleans circa June 1958. Personnel: Charles "Hungry" Williams (vocal,drums) with James Rivers and Robert Parker (saxes); Warren Myles (piano); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Roland Cook (bass); unknown vocal group.

First released on this LP.

Sugarboy Crawford - Jock-A-Mo. Recorded in New Orleans in December 1953. Personnel: James Crawford (vocal,piano) with "Big Boy" Myles (trombone); Alfred Bernard and Davis Lastie (saxes); Snooks Eaglin (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Eric Warner (drums) Slim "Sylvester" Saunders (vocal).

First released on Checker 787, Jock-A-Mo / You You You by Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters, March 1954.

Label shot from Joan K

The Hawketts - Mardi Gras Mambo. Recorded in New Orleans in January 1955. Personnel: Israel Bell and August Fleuri (trumpets); Carroll Joseph (trombone); George Davis (alto sax); Morris Bechamin (tenor sax); Art Neville (vocal, piano); Alfred August (guitar); John Boudreaux (drums).

First released on Chess 1591 in February 1955, b/w Your Time's Up.

adapted from 45cat.com

Clarence Henry - I'm A Country Boy. Recorded in New Orleans in September 1956. Personnel: Clarence Henry (vocal) with Edgar "Big Boy" Myles (trombone); Lee Allen and  Eddie Smith (saxes); Paul Gayten (piano); Walter Nelson (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Eugene Jones (drums).

First released on Argo 5266 B-Side of "Lonely Tramp" in March 1957.

T.V. Slim - Flatfoot Sam. Recorded in New Orleans circa June 1957. Personnel: Oscar Wills (aka T.V. Slim) (vocal, guitar) with The Paul Gayten Orchestra: Robert Parker (tenor sax); Red Tyler (baritone sax); Paul Gayten (piano); Justin Adams (guitar); Frank Fields (bass) Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums).

This version of "Flatfoot Sam" was released on Argo 5277 in August 1957. Credited to Oscar Wills with the Paul Gayten Orchestra. It was the B-Side of "Nervous Boogie" by the Paul Gayten Orchestra.

A different version of "Flatfoot Sam" b/w "Darling Remember" was released on Checker 870 in July 1957. Both sides credited to T.V. Slim and His Heartbreakers. This was the original version which was recorded in Shreveport and initially released on Clif 103 b/w "Darling Remember."

adapted from Discogs.com - this is the version on the LP

Allen Brooks - Ding Dong Darling; Foolish Woman. Recorded in New Orleans circa June 1958. Personnel: Allen Brooks (vocal) with James Rivers and Robert Parker (saxes); Warren Myles (piano); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Roland Cook (bass); Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums); unknown vocal group.

Both sides first released on this LP.

Edgar Blanchard - Lawdy Mama. Recorded in New Orleans circa February 1958. Personnel: Edgar Blanchard (vocal, guitar) with unknown saxes, piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocal group.

First released on this LP.

Robert Green - What Can I Do. Recorded in New Orleans in 1957. Personnel: Robert Green (vocal, drums); Paul Gayten (piano); unknown saxes, guitar and bass.

First released on this LP but wrongly attributed to Charles "Hungry" Williams.

Reggie Hall - The Joke. Recorded in New Orleans in January 1962 for Rip Records. Personnel: Reggie Hall (vocal, piano) with unknown instrumental accompaniment and vocal group.

First released in January 1962 b/w "You Can Think What You Want" on Rip 154. This was the first release on the short lived New Orleans label (owned by Rippo Roberts). As the disc sold so well, Chess leased it and released it in March 1962 as Chess 1816.

Eddie Bo - Walk That Walk; Oh Oh.

Walk That Walk was recorded in New Orleans on 25th June 1957. Personnel: Eddie Bo (vocal, piano) with: unknown tenor sax; Justin Adams (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums).

First released on this LP.

Oh-Oh was recorded in New Orleans circa May 1958. Personnel: Eddie Bo (vocal, piano) with: Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Roland Cook (bass); Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums).

First released in July 1958, B-Side of "My Dearest Darling" on Chess 1698.

Rod Bernard - This Should Go On Forever. Recorded at the J.D Miller Studio, Crowley, Louisiana, 1958.

First released on Jin 105 in October 1958 - "This Should Go On Forever" / "Pardon, Mr. Gordon" by Rod Bernard and The Twisters.

Re-released on Argo 5327 in February 1959. Credited to Rod Bernard.

Label shot from Joan K

Bobby Blanquet - Needing Your Love. Recorded in New Orleans on June 15th, 1955. Personnel (possibly): Bobby Blanque (vocal) with: Paul Gayten (piano); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Ernest McLean (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums); unknown vocal group.

First released on this LP.

Baby Please - Clifton Chenier. Recorded in Los Angeles, late 1956. Personnel: Clifton Chenier (vocal, accordion) with: Lionel Prevo and B.G. Jones (saxes); James Jones (piano); Phillip Walker (guitar); Francis or Louis Candy (bass); Wilson Semien (drums).

First released on this LP.

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Sources:

Bruyninckx discography

John Broven: Rhythm & Blues In New Orleans, Pelican, 1983

Shane K. Bernard: Swamp Pop - Cajun And Creole Rhythm And Blues, University Press of Mississippi, 1996.

Discogs.com and 45cat.com.

Liner notes for the Ace CD "Red River Blues" (CD CHD 725) by Ray Topping.

You may also like:

Joan Selects Volume 18 - Joan's New Orleans Jazz Fest Special

- 33 big 'uns! Loadsa New Orleans rhythm.