Fats Domino had more hits on the charts in the Fifties than Elvis, he has an engaging voice and nimble fingers. The book title John chose marked one of Fats' most successful singles; we also had the lesser known 'Ida Mae ' on hand to illustrate the session playing of guitarist Justin Adams (who played just about every hit session Johnny Vincent did over at Ace.) Adams was one third of a stellar axis of guitar men who showed the Crescent City would be known for something more than rollicking, pounding, keyboard that was born in bars and bordellos. Ernest McLean was considered the most adept and even in his advanced years found joy playing for tourists on the streets visiting Disneyland. Not far behind came Edgar Blanchard whose aggressive style appealed to the rock'n'rollers.
We had plenty of keyboard dexterity from the usual suspects: I first saw Longhair filmed at a club for a Jools Holland documentary around 1990; I was spellbound, still am. Jack Dupree was one heck of a character who never left New Orleans no matter where he was. We cheated for the second of his tracks by going to the version of 'Stagger Lee' he did in New York City for his seminal 'Gutter' album. James Booker could be described as mercurial and he's been a hard one to pin down with consistency in his output. Our closer wäs an instrumental named after the lead character in a cult film and Archibald was a leading player not often heard these days..
It would have been remiss to skip over the hits from Smiley Lewis, Joe Jones and Huey Piano Smith; it was fun to mix them with lesser known titles by Lloyd Price and so on. Dr. John was on piano for Jerry Byrne and Ernie K. Doe brought something I first heard covered by the Yardbirds. Thanks to the constant rotation on TV for Boots, his 'Here Come the Girls' is never far away.
Irma Thomas is probably the Queen of New Orleans and she still has a gorgeously pliable husky voice. Chubby Newsome was one of the names playing the clubs in the city in 1947; Joe Google Eyes August and Roy Brown were two more After the second Petrillo ban ended Cosmo Matasa enlisted Brown to cut some sides for the Deluxe label in 1948 - their 'Good Rockin' Tonight' wasn't a hit which gave Wynonie Harris time to steal the thunder with his go. Sid Nathan's King label had meantime bought the name and catalogue of Deluxe - and the track was a smash next time out. A&R man Henry Glover was a big fan and together they created three consecutive years of solid gold. John Broven's book has further fascinating detail.
Broven was one of the founding fathers of Blues Unlimited magazine, his passion for the artists working out of Louisiana has been an inspiration to many, hopefully our show did him justice. We're back Sunday at 10pm with something guaranteed to confirm we are Britain's Other Blues Show - until then take care of yourselves and take care of those who take care of you
| track.title | track.artistsort | index | album.title | album.artistsort | label |
| Walking To New Orleans | Fats Domino | 11 | The Imperial Singles Vol. 4, 1959-1961 | Fats Domino | ACE |
| good rockin' tonight | roy brown | 2-1 | let me tell you about the blues:new orleans | various artists | fantastic voyage |
| Barefootin' | Robert Parker | 17 | This Is Soul Vol.2 | Various Artists | CLASSIC SOUL |
| A Certain Girl | Ernie K-Doe | 20 | R&b Spotlight '61 | Various Artists | Fantastic Voyage |
| I Didn't Want To Do It | Spiders, The | 5 | Cosimo Matassa Story | Various Artists | Proper Box |
| Bald Head | Professor Longhair | 1-1 | Mardi Gras In New Orleans: Complete Recordings 1949-1962 | Professor Longhair | Jasmine Records (UK) |
| Longhair stomp | Professor Longhair | 1-7 | Mardi Gras In New Orleans: Complete Recordings 1949-1962 | Professor Longhair | Jasmine Records (UK) |
| Don't You Just Know It | Huey 'Piano' Smith & The Clowns | 25 | The Golden Age Of American Rock 'N' Roll - Volume 6 | Various Artists | ACE |
| Shake Baby Shake | Archibald | 23 | Gettin' Funky | Various Artists | PROPER |
| Let's Try And Talk It Over | Tommy Ridgley | 18 | You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story Volume 1 | Various Artists | ACE |
| Just To Hold My Hand | Big Boy Myles | 13 | Rip It Up: The Specialty Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| lights out | jerry byrne | 4 | Rip It Up: The Specialty Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| don't mess with my man | Irma Thomas | 3 | Jockomo Jockomo | Various Artists | MUSIC CLUB |
| Feel So Good | Shirley & Lee | 5 | Let The Good Times Roll - The Aladdin Story | Various Artists | One Day Music |
| Those Lonely Lonely Nights | Earl King | 3 | Kings Of New Orleans R'n'b | Various Artists | MUSIC CLUB |
| Things I Used To Do | Guitar Slim | 6 | Things I Used To Do | Guitar Slim | BLUES ENCORE |
| Hard Luck Blues | Roy Brown | 26 | The R'n'b Years 1950: 100 Hot Rhythm And Blues Tunes From 1950 | Various Artists | BOULEVARD VINTAGE |
| New Orleans Lover Man | Chubby “Hip Shakin’” Newsom | 4 | Let Me Tell You About The Blues: New Orleans [Disc 1] | Various Artists | Fantastic Voyage |
| Country Boy | Dave BartholomewErnest McLean | 3 | The History Of Rhythm And Blues Volume Two 1942-1952 | Various Artists | Rhythm and Blues Records |
| Let's Get It | Edgar Blanchard | 6 | You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story Volume 1 | Various Artists | ACE |
| Ida Jane | Fats DominoJustin Adams | 3 | The Imperial Singles Vol. 5 1962-1964 | Fats Domino | ACE |
| Early Morning Blues | Boogie Jake | 13 | Bluesin' By The Bayou | Various Artists | ACE |
| You Talk Too Much | Joe Jones | 22 | You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story Volume 1 | Various Artists | ACE |
| Big Time Mama | Champion Jack Dupree | 3 | Gettin' Funky | Various Artists | PROPER |
| stack'o'lee | Champion Jack Dupree | 10 | blues from the gutter | champion jack dupree | atlantic |
| Just To Be Home With You | Joe (Mr. Google-Eyes) August | 107 | Gettin' Funky | Various Artists | PROPER |
| I Hear You Knocking | Smiley Lewis | 8 | Cosimo Matassa Story | Various Artists | Proper Box |
| Working In The Coal Mine | Lee Dorsey | 8 | Soul Mine | Lee Dorsey | CLASSIC HITS |
| Mailman Blues | Lloyd Price | 19 | Let Me Tell You About The Blues: New Orleans [Disc 1] | Various Artists | Fantastic Voyage |
| Gonzo | James Booker | 17 | Teen Beat Vol. 5 | Various Artists | ACE |
| Who Drank My Beer While I Was In The Rear | Dave Bartholomew | 19 | Cosimo Matassa Story | Various Artists | Proper Box |
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