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.

Paul Gayten & Annie Laurie - Creole Gal

Side 1:

01. Your Hands Ain't Clean - Paul Gayten

02. True - Paul Gayten

03. Peter Blue And Jasper Too - Paul Gayten

04. I Still Love You - Paul Gayten

05. One Sweet Letter From You - Annie Laurie

06. Hey, Little Girl - Paul Gayten

07. Annie's Blues - Annie Laurie

08. Gayten's Nightmare - Paul Gayten

Side 2:

01. Creole Gal - Paul Gayten

02. My Rough And Ready Man - Annie Laurie

03. You Ought To Know - Paul Gayten

04. Cuttin' Out - Annie Laurie

05. I Ain't Gonna Let You In - Annie Laurie & Paul Gayten

06. Broadway's On Fire - Broadway Bill

07. Goodnight Irene - Paul Gayten

08. Cow Cow Blues - Paul Gayten

09. Nervous Boogie - Paul Gayten

Creole Gal (Mega)

Creole Gal (Zippy)

Time for a revival of this fab Route 66 comp of Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie sides recorded mainly for the DeLuxe and Regal labels from 1947 to 1950. It's no exaggeration to say that New Orleans R&B starts here for Paul Gayten's "True" was the first Crescent City R&B recording to hit the national charts back in 1947. Nowadays we tend to think that the wildly successful New Orleans brand of R&B was launched by Fats Domino or maybe by Professor Longhair or even by Roy Brown. Nope, Paul Gayten was there first.

Early Days

Pianist, singer, bandleader, songwriter, producer and arranger Paul Gayten was born on January 29th 1920. Most sources give his place of birth as Kentwood, Louisiana, but in John Broven's sleevenotes to this LP which are based on a 1975 interview, Paul was clear that he was actually born in New Orleans. His extended family were natives of Kentwood and he lived there for part or perhaps all of his childhood. They were a musical family - his uncles, aunts, and his mother all played piano and Paul played from the age of twelve. His mother's brother was the blues pianist Little Brother Montgomery and their father, Harper Montgomery, played violin and ran juke joints.

According to a Blues Heaven online article, Harper Montgomery along with other family members relocated from Kentwood to Norfield, Mississippi, during the 1920's. Among the family members who made the move were Paul Gayten's parents, so we may assume that young Paul was along too. Harper, who had been running a juke joint in Kentwood, made the move to Norfield in order to work in the lumber industry. When the Norfield sawmill closed down, members of the Montgomery family relocated to Canton, Mississippi.

Sometime afterwards, members of the family moved to Jackson, Mississippi. Little Brother Montgomery had a small swing style band based there from around 1932 to 1939. Known as The Southland Troubadours and also The Collegiate Ramblers, they toured extensively in the Mid West and the South. The band broadcast regularly on local radio stations but were never recorded. In the mid 1930's  Little Brother Montgomery recorded sides for Vocalion, Decca and Bluebird either as a solo or with minimal accompaniment, usually a guitarist and extra vocalist.

According to John Broven's sleeve notes, Paul Gayten moved to Jackson in 1934 where he stayed with a "godfather" who owned a nightclub there. Perhaps this was Harper Montgomery. Paul started gigging in the club then had a spell with the Doc Parmley band for a year in 1935. Doc Parmley was the trumpet player in Little Brother Montgomery's band which he finally took over in 1939, so perhaps Paul's spell with the band was as a temporary replacement for his uncle who may have been busy with his recording activities. Paul also played with another Jackson based band, that of Don Dunbar and also toured with the Royal American Shows and then Silas Green.

Founded in 1923, The Royal American Shows (The World's Largest Midway) was a travelling carnival which toured the U.S.A. and Canada for most of the 20th Century, lasting until 1997. Silas Green From New Orleans was another long lived travelling attraction, being an African American owned tent show which toured the Southern States from 1904 to 1957 (although there are reports of them still operating as late as 1962).

Above: the Silas Green band assembles outside the tent in 1937

After leaving the Silas Green show in 1938, Paul returned to Jackson where he put together a band of his own (Paul Gayten's Sizzling Six) which included local sax man and future be bop star Teddy Edwards. In 1940 Paul was drafted into the forces, spending the war at Biloxi Army Airforce base where he led the base band. After the war, having met and married a New Orleans girl, he relocated to the Crescent City.

New Orleans, DeLuxe and Regal

On arrival in New Orleans Paul Gayten organised a trio which had Edgar Blanchard on guitar, George Pryor on bass and Robert Green on drums. A residency was secured at the Club Robin Hood and when Jules and David Braun, the owners of DeLuxe Records of Linden, New Jersey, came looking for New Orleans acts in early 1947, the Paul Gayten band was quickly signed up and the first recording session took place in January. The first Gayten record, "True" was a hit and around this time a female vocalist, Annie Laurie was added to the band. Her DeLuxe recording with the Gayten band of "Since I Fell For You" was an even bigger hit than "True."

Billboard, October 25th, 1947

The Gayten band had further success with "Hey Little Girl" in early 1948. As well as being on their own issues, and on those of Annie Laurie, the group also appeared on sides by Chubby Newsom and Eddie Gorman. In 1947-48 DeLuxe had a virtual monopoly on New Orleans talent, putting out discs by Smiley Lewis, Dave Bartholomew, and biggest of them all, Roy Brown. A double blow weakened the company in late 1947 and early 1948 when a fire in their pressing plant destroyed a large number of masters in November 1947, and the AFM recording ban followed at the beginning of 1948.

The company was rescued from financial ruin by the purchase of 51% of its shares by Syd Nathan of King Records. The relationship between Nathan and DeLuxe proved to be stormy and it ended with a complete takeover by King in mid 1949. Roy Brown transferred to King while the Braun brothers along with new partner Fred Mendelsohn set up a new label in New Jersey, Regal Records. The Gayten band along with Annie Laurie and new male vocalist Larry Darnell signed for the new label.

Back at the beginning of 1949 the Gayten band had expanded from a trio to a more substantial outfit which included trumpeter Wallace Davenport and tenor sax player Lee Allen. The move to Regal brought more chart success with Annie Laurie hitting with "Cuttin' Out" in late 1949 and two Gayten / Laurie duets selling well in 1950 - "I'll Never Be Free" and "I Ain't Gonna Let You In." However the biggest successes for the Gayten outfit were fronted by Larry Darnell - "For You My Love" (written by Gayten) and "I'll Get Along Somehow."

The Cash Box December 17th 1949

In 1991 the Regal recordings of Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie (but not Larry Darnell) were compiled by Billy Vera on a CD originally released on Specialty in the U.S and Ace in the U.K., "Regal Records In New Orleans." Sadly this collection is now out of print.

In mid-1951 Regal Records fell victim to financial problems. Paul Gayten, Annie Laurie and Larry Darnell's contracts were taken up by the newly reactivated OKeh label which had been set up as the R&B subsidiary of Columbia Records.

OKeh And Chess

Paul Gayten's first session for OKeh was on October 31st 1951, with Annie Laurie and Larry Darnell having their first OKeh sessions in November 1951. Neither of the two vocalists ever recorded with Paul for OKeh, as they were backed by bands under the direction of Howard Biggs and Leroy Kirkland. The sleeve notes on this LP record Paul's dissatisfaction at OKeh but there were a couple of good sellers in "They All Ask For You (Down At The Zoo)" in the autumn of 1952, and "Cow Cow Blues" (especially in Los Angeles and New Orleans) in the autumn of 1953.

Paul's last OKeh session was in November 1953. In 1954 he joined Chess Records as a producer, songwriter and talent scout. He also recorded for the label intermittently between 1954 and 1959, with his records being released on Chess subsidiaries Checker, Argo and Anna. Some of these mainly instrumental records did have limited success - "The Hunch," "Nervous Boogie" and "Windy" with the last named just about scraping into The Hot Hundred. South African and U.K. fans may recognize the tune of "Windy" as "Tom Hark" which was a big hit for SA group Elias And His Zigzag Jive Flutes. This original version reached number two in the UK charts in April 1958 and a rowdy vocal version by The Piranhas charted in the UK in 1980.

Among the records Paul produced at Chess were "Later Alligator" by Bobby Charles, "But I Do" (which he co-wrote with Eddie Bo) and "Ain't Got No Home," by Clarence "Frogman" Henry, and "Flat Foot Sam" by T.V. Slim. When Chess opened an office in Los Angeles, Paul was put in charge and he moved to LA where he spent the rest of his life. He worked for Chess until 1969, then started his own label, Pzzaz. Unfortunately the label only lasted a few years and when it went under, Paul retired from the music business. He died in LA on the 26th March 1991 from heart failure.

In 1989 Billy Vera compiled a collection of Paul Gayten's Chess sides, entitled "Paul Gayten: Chess King Of New Orleans." It appeared firstly as a 10 track LP and then as a 12 track CD. Both versions are long out of print.

Fax On The Trax

"True" and "Your Hands Ain't Clean" recorded in New Orleans in January 1947. Personnel: Paul Gayten (vocal, piano); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Warren Stanley (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"True" / "Your Hands Ain't Clean" released on DeLuxe 1063 in March 1947. Reviewed in Billboard, July 1947. Number 5 in the Billboard Juke Box Race Records chart, October 18th, 1947.

"I Still Love You" - recorded in New Orleans in August / September 1947. Personnel: Annie Laurie (vocal); acc by Paul Gayten and his Trio: Paul Gayten (piano); Jack Scott (guitar); George H. Pryor (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"Ghost Of A Chance" / "I Still Love You" released on DeLuxe 1106 in October 1947. A Side credited to Annie Laurie with Paul Gayten & His Trio. B Side credited to Paul Gayten & His Trio with Annie Laurie.

"Peter Blue & Jasper Too" recorded in New Orleans in September 1947. Personnel: Paul Gayten (vocal, piano) with Jack Scott (guitar); George Pryor (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"Peter Blue & Jasper Too" / "In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down" by Paul Gayten & His Trio released on DeLuxe 1118 in March 1948.

Cash Box March 20th 1948

"One Sweet Letter From You" recorded in New Orleans in November 1947. Personnel: Annie Laurie (vocal); with Paul Gayten (piano); Jack Scott (guitar); George H. Pryor (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"I Love You Yes I Do" / "One Sweet Letter From You" by Annie Laurie and the Paul Gayten Trio released on DeLuxe 1131 in January 1948.

label shots adapted from audiopreservationfund.org

"Hey Little Girl" recorded in New Orleans in November 1947. Personnel: Paul Gayten (vocal, piano); Jack Scott (guitar); George H. Pryor (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"I Love You, Yes I Do" / "Hey, Little Girl" by Paul Gayten And His Trio released on DeLuxe 1138 in January 1948.

Confusion reigns here. There was a release on DeLuxe 1170 in March / April 1948 with "Hey, Little Girl" on the A Side and "One Sweet Letter From You" (Annie Laurie) on the B Side. We shall move swiftly on to 1949.

"Annie's Blues" was recorded in New York (?) in January 1949. Personnel: Annie Laurie (vocal); with Paul Gayten and Band: Wallace Davenport (trumpet); unknown trombone, alto sax; Lee Allen (tenor sax); Paul Gayten (piano); Peter "Chuck" Badie (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"Waiting For You" / "Annie's Blues" released in January / February 1949 on DeLuxe 1211, then Deluxe 3211. "Annie's Blues" was number 6 in the "Hot In New Orleans" chart in The Cash Box, February 26th, 1949.

Billboard 5th March, 1949

"Gayten's Nightmare" and "Creole Gal" recorded in New Orleans, February 1949. Personnel: Paul Gayten (vocal, piano); with Wallace Davenport (trumpet); unknown trombone, alto sax; Lee Allen (tenor sax); Peter "Chuck" Badie (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"Hard To Go Through Life Alone" / "Gayten's Nightmare" issued on DeLuxe 1210 and 3210, probably February / March 1949. "Gayten's Nightmare" number 9 in Hot In Other Cities" Atlanta chart, 23rd April 1949.

"Can't Help Lovin' That Gal" / "Creole Gal" issued on DeLuxe 1215, 3215 in first half of 1949.

The above was the last Paul Gayten session for DeLuxe which was bought over by King Records. A successor company to DeLuxe called Regal was set up and Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie started recording for the new label in August / September 1949.

"My Rough And Ready Man" and "Cuttin' Out" were recorded in New Orleans in early September 1949. Personnel: Annie Laurie (vocal) with Wallace Davenport (trumpet); Frank Campbell (alto sax); Buddy Tate (tenor sax); Cecil Payne (baritone sax); Paul Gayten (piano); Jack Scott (guitar); George H. Pryor (bass); Robert Green (drums).

"Cuttin' Out" / "My Rough And Ready Man" released on Regal 3235 in October 1949. Annie Laurie with the Paul Gayten Orchestra.

"You Ought To Know" was recorded in New Orleans in early September 1949. Personnel: Paul Gayten (vocal,p) withTaft Jordan (trumpet); Eddie Barefield (alto sax); Buddy Tate (tenor sax); Cecil Payne (baritone sax); unknown guitar and bass; Denzil Best (drums).

"I'll Never Be Free" / "You Ought To Know" released on Regal 3258 in March 1950. Side A by Annie Laurie, Paul Gayten and His Orchestra. Side B by Paul Gayten and His Orchestra.

"Broadway's On Fire" was recorded in New Orleans in February 1950. Personnel: "Broadway Bill" Cook (vocal) with Paul Gayten (piano); unknown tenor sax, guitar, bass; Sam Woodyard (drums).

"Broadway's On Fire" by Broadway Bill with Paul Gayten and orchestra / "Bellboy Boogie" by Paul Gayten and orchestra released on Regal 3255 in March (?) 1950.

adapted from rootsvinylguide.com

"I Ain't Gonna Let You In" was recorded in New Orleans in February 1950. Personnel: Annie Laurie (vocal) with Paul Gayten (vocal, piano); John Hunt (trumpet); "Chippy" Outcalt (trombone); Eddie Barefield (alto sax); Ray Abrams (tenor sax); Aaron Bell (bass); Sam Woodyard (drums); Howard Biggs (arranger).

"I Ain't Gonna Let You In" / "I Need Your Love" released on Regal 3273, May / June (?) 1950. "I Ain't Gonna Let You In" credited to Annie Laurie - Paul Gayten with the Paul Gayten Orchestra.

Cash Box, 22nd July 1950

"Goodnight Irene" recorded in New York in early August 1950. Personnel: Paul Gayten and his Orchestra: Wallace Davenport (trumpet); Eddie Barefield (alto sax); Hank Mobley (tenor sax); Frank Campbell (baritone sax) Paul Gayten (vocal, piano); Larry Goines (bass); unknown (drums); The Coleman Brothers (vocal group).

"Goodnight Irene" / "Ooh La La" released on Regal 3281 in August / September 1950.

"Cow Cow Blues" recorded in New Orleans on May 4th, 1953. Personnel: Paul Gayten (piano) with unknown (bass, drums).

"Cow Cow Blues" / "Ooh-Boo" by Paul Gayten and his Orchestra released on Okeh 6982 in June 1953.

adapted from Discogs.com

"Nervous Boogie" recorded in New Orleans in March 1957. Personnel: Paul Gayten (piano) with Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler {baritone sax); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Roland Cook or Frank Field (bass); Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums).

"Nervous Boogie" by Paul Gayten and his Band / "Flatfoot Sam" by Oscar Wills with Paul Gayten Orch. released on Argo 5277 in August 1957.

Sources:

Billy Vera became friends with Paul Gayten in 1979. He wrote the liner notes for the two CDs he compiled - "Regal Records In New Orleans" and "Chess King Of New Orleans." He also wrote an article "Remembering Paul Gayten" for Blues And Rhythm Magazine (number 202 - September 2005).

John Broven wrote the notes for this LP "Creole Gal" and also covered Paul Gayten in his book "Rhythm & Blues In New Orleans."

Other sources - Bruyninckx discography, "Big Band Jazz" by Albert McCarthy, Big Al Pavlow's The R&B Book, Discogs.com, 45Cat.com, Billboard, The Cash Box, bluesheaven.com.

Recommended purchase -

Probably the only CD which is still available is the El Toro compilation "Ain't Nothin' Happenin' - Cool Jump Blues 1947 - 1957." 30 tracks spanning Paul Gayten's career including sides by Annie Laurie and Larry Darnell. Doesn't quite include every biggie, but it's your best bet for digging up some cool Gayten.

The Best Of New Orleans R & B (Chess Masters)

This was one of the first LPs I ever converted to mp3 and then I uploaded it to Rock Hall. I never got round to posting it on the original Be Bop Wino blog and anyway other blogs posted the album around that time. So having let a decent amount of time pass since I last saw this album on a blog, I’ve now re-uploaded my original rips along with new cover scans.

Chess came to the New Orleans music scene rather late in the day. Imperial and Specialty had already been there for a few years before Chess started issuing New Orleans recordings in 1953, kicking off with James “Sugarboy” Crawford’s “I Don’t Know What I’ll Do”. His follow up record “Jockomo” was a moderate local hit but has since become a classic of New Orleans R&B, being covered later as “Iko Iko” by the Dixie Cups and Doctor John.

As for this compilation, it’s a mixture of classics (“Mardi Gras Mambo”, “Flat Foot Sam”, “Country Boy” and “This Should Go on Forever”), and a surprising number of sides that weren’t issued at the time of recording and only appeared years later in compilation LPs. As with the Bobby Charles Chess LP I posted a few weeks back, the influence of Paul Gayten permeates this collection. He started recording for Chess in 1954 and in 1956 was appointed the label’s A&R man and general factotum in New Orleans. Many of these sides were produced by Paul Gayten and his band provided the backing at the Cosimo Matassa studio.

There are a couple of points to note. Track 9, “What Can I Do”, was wrongly attributed to Charles “Hungry” Williams who was the drummer in Gayten’s band around 1956 to 1957. The vocal on the track was actually by Robert Green who had been drummer in the Gayten band in the late 1940s. The Eddie Bo track “Walk That Walk” which was unreleased in the 1950s turned up a few years back in a TV commercial for Fiat Spirito de Punto. I guess that proves that there is at least one subversive hipster lurking in the world of advertising.

Ripped from vinyl at 224 kbps. Password = greaseyspoon

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1. Loud Mouth Annie - Myles & Dupont (Argo 5326 – 1959)
2. Rhythmatic Rhythm - Charles "Hungry" Williams (unissued 1958)
3. Jockomo - James "Sugarboy" Crawford (Checker 787 – 1954 as Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters)

4. Mardi Gras Mambo - The Hawketts (Chess 1591 – 1955)
5. Country Boy - Clarence "Frogman" Henry (Argo 5266 – 1957)
6. Flat Foot Sam - T.V. Slim (Checker 870 – 1957)
7. Ding Dong Darling - Allen Brooks (unissued 1958)
8. Lawdy Mama - Edgar Blanchard (unissued 1958)
9. What Can I Do - Charles "Hungry" Williams (actually Robert Green – unissued 1957)
10. The Joke - Reggie Hall (Chess 1816 – 1962)
11. Walk That Walk - Eddie Bo (unissued 1957)
12. I Cried All The Way Home - Charles "Hungry" Williams (unissued 1958)
13. Foolish Woman - Allen Brooks (unissued 1958)
14. Oh Oh - Eddie Bo (Chess 1698 – 1958)
15. This Should Go On Forever - Rod Bernard (Argo 5327 – 1959)
16. Needing Your Love - Bobby Blanquet (Paul Gayten unissued 1955)
17. Baby Please - Clifton Chenier (unissued 1956)

Bobby Charles - Chess Masters

1977 LP of sides recorded for Chess from 1955 – 1957 by the sadly deceased Robert Charles Guidry. The Paul Gayten band provides sizzling backup on these raw and raucous R&B numbers. A good way to remember one of the true pioneers of rock and roll.

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1. Watch It Sprocket
2. Yea Yea Baby
3. You Know I Love You
4. Good Loving
5. I'd Like To Know
6. Ain't Got No Home
7. Time Will Tell
8. Take It Easy Greasy
9. You Can Suit Yourself
10. Later Alligator
11. On Bended Knee
12. I'll Turn Square For You
13. I Ain't Gonna Do It No More
14. Put Your Arms Around Me Honey
15. Lonely Street
16. Mr Moon
17. One Eyed Jack
18. Hey Good Looking

Paul Gayten & Annie Laurie - Creole Gal

This 1979 Route 66 (KIX-8) LP concentrates on the early part of New Orleans bandleader Paul Gayten’s career, with most of the tracks being recorded for DeLuxe and Regal between 1947 and 1950. The music is in the jump blues style with little sign of the New Orleans R&B style which developed from around 1951/52. “True” is usually credited as being the first national R&B hit for a New Orleans based act.

The sleevenotes by John Broven are based on a 1975 interview with Paul Gayten. There is quite a bit of surface noise present on these tracks.

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1. Your Hands Ain't Clean
2. True
3. Peter Blue And Jasper Too
4. I Still Love You *
5. One Sweet Letter From You *
6. Hey, Little Girl
7. Annie's Blues *
8. Gayten's Nightmare
9. Creole Gal
10. My Rough And Ready Man *
11. You Ought To Know
12. Cuttin' Out *
13. I Ain't Gonna Let You In *
14. Broadway's on Fire
15. Goodnight Irene **
16. Cow Cow Blues
17. Nervous Boogie

* = Annie Laurie, vocal
** = Coleman Brothers, vocal