WILLIE WEST: A GENUINE SOUL SURVIVOR
UPDATED 7/20/2008 & 9/7/2008 (audio added)
The tag of Soul Survivor may be over-used; but it is well-suited to Willie West, another gifted singer and songwriter from the New Orleans area who has never gotten the breaks he deserved or credit he was due, despite a long and active career in music. The subject of my prior post, the late, great Eldridge Holmes, made some outstanding records with Allen Toussaint, but never could get a career established in the music business. By contrast, West, a contemporary and...
Eldridge Holmes Sells “The Book”
As I've said before, Eldridge Holmes was one of New Orleans' great soul/R&B vocalists. Period. Had he gotten the opportunity to record as much as the smoother, more formal Johnny Adams did over as many years, he would be at least as well-known and spoken of in the same reverential tones. As it is, though, no real breaks came his way; and he dropped off the radar of all but a few die-hard collectors and fans. Had Allen Toussaint not believed in Holmes and given him...A Case Of Mysterious Musical Alter-Egos
"I'm Going Home" (E. Bocage)
Marie Boubarere, Nola 731, 1967
(Tune in to HOTG Internet Radio)
"I Know" (B. George)
(Tune in to HOTG Internet Radio)
No one seems to know much of anything about Marie Boubarere, who seemingly had just this one 1967 release, both sides of which were recorded at a public performance, likely in New Orleans. The label fine print states, "Arr by Wardell", which doesn't refer to pirate noises....
All Nite Hot Buns…And Hatchets
While I've been familiar with the three songs in this post for many years and had along the line noticed some linkage among them, my decision to group them together for a post came about by accident, the usual haphazard modus operandi around here, it seems. My plans for better researched, more "in depth" features keep getting pushed aside in favor of this or that whim of a hunch, arcane digression, or diverting rhythmic tangent, which is why no one will ever accuse me of committing scholarship on HOTG. So, you might want to pass on by, if you...Rockie’s Riccasha
The dapper Mr. Charles at Jazzfest 2008
(photo by Dan Phillips)
Although I missed Rockie Charles' performance at this year's Ponderosa Stomp, I caught him on the first Saturday of Jazzfest, playing in the Blues Tent. Sitting there soaking it in (and prior to actually getting soaked in an afternoon storm), I remembered I had wanted to feature his first single here, and stuck a mental "Post-It" to my grey matter to start work on it when I got home. After a second weekend of serious festing and a week's decompression back...
Tracking Lee Diamond
April 20, 2008 by Dan Phillips · Comments Off
Filed under: Podcasts, Soul/R&B, SoulSites, SoulTrackin'
This week, we go back to the late 1950s and early 1960s to hear some sides by Wilbert Smith, better known by his stage name, Lee Diamond, who for over a decade was a multi-instrumental backing musician, songwriter, and vocalist. I find him an elusive figure, because, while his name can he found in credits and as a featured artist, and there are references to him in various written pieces on the music of the period, I've uncovered very little direct information about his life. Early in his career, he worked behind several popular R&B artists, including one of...
Filed under: Podcasts, Soul/R&B, SoulSites, SoulTrackin'
Larry Hamilton: On Record (And In Parenthesis)
April 5, 2008 by Dan Phillips · Comments Off
Filed under: Podcasts, Soul/R&B, SoulSites, SoulTrackin'
This week I'm back with more sessions from Malaco Studios in Jackson, MS, where, during the early 1970s, Wardell Quezergue produced/arranged many records for hand-picked New Orleans vocal talent such as King Floyd, Jean Knight, the Barons Ltd, and the artists featured today. The more I explore the music from that period and place, especially the earlier sides, the more I get a sense of the soulful, funky little assembly line Quezergue had going. With songs written primarily by his New Orleans team, sometimes known as Pelican Productions, he would create hooky, rhythmic arrangements (usually...
Filed under: Podcasts, Soul/R&B, SoulSites, SoulTrackin'
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Cupid’s Hunt: 2009
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By N2H