NEW ORLEANS BLUES/ Volume 3

 

NEW ORLEANS BLUES/ Volume 03

And now this is New Orleans time again, folks!

            Let's start with the very first recordings by Robert Parker (1930-2020), certainly the most well known artist of this batch. A saxophonist at first, Robert Parker gained fame thanks to his sole smash hit Barefootin' in 1966 that led to a favorite dance throughout the world and particularly in New Orleans. Parker recorded a lot after that but never got a real success again. Parker started as a saxophonist playing live and on many records in New Orleans by Huey Smith, Earl King, James Booker, Ernie K. Doe, Fats Domino et al...We have gathered his first recordings under his name whether instrumentals or early vocals.

 

            I know nothing about singer/guitarist George Stevenson who recorded a handful of fine tracks under the moniker Blazer Boy. If anyone knows better, it would be nice to share.

 

            Lil Millett (McKinley James Millett) (1935-97) was a singer, pianist and bassist who was strongly in demand in and around New Orleans during the 1950's. He led a very fine band with which he recorded very good singles, mainly Rich woman/ Hopeless love. He performed until the 1980's when his kind of R&B wasn't in favour anymore. He so made a living as a bus driver until his death by cancer.

 

            Al Johnson (born in 1939) is a singer and piano player and a very well known character in New Orleans for his song Carnival Time that even gave him a moniker. He appeared in many events, festivals, TV shows and even films. Here are his two early singles.

 

            Ramp Davis (George Davis) was a bass player who recorded four nice sides under his name in 1951.

 

            And Little Leo who closes this set (born 1935) is Lloyd Price's brother. He also recorded four good tracks in 1954.

 

            A lot of thanks to all who helped to make this post, particularly Gerard Cerdan (Mr Mightygroove) whose  websites  are a goldmine for Soul and R&B fans.

https://soul-in-groove.eklablog.com

                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

ROBERT PARKER, t-sax; Edgar Blanchard, g; Roy Montrell, g; bs; dms. New Orleans, La. 1958

01. June teen

02. Lawdy Miss Clawdy

Robert Parker, vcl/t-sax; Auguste Dupont, t-sax; Eddie Bo, pno; Edgar Blanchard, g; Frank Fields, bs; Charles Hungry Williams, dms. New Orleans, La. 1959

03. All nite long I & II

Robert Parker, vcl/t-sax; Auguste Dupont, t-sax; Eddie Bo, pno; Edgar Blanchard, g; Frank Fields, bs; Charles Hungry Williams, dms. New Orleans, La. 1960

04. Walkin'

05. Across the track

Robert Parker, vcl/t-sax; Auguste Dupont, t-sax; b-sax; Edward Frank,pno; Justin Adams, g; Frank Fields, bs; Smokey Johnson, dms. New Orleans, La. 4 april 1962

06. Mash potatoes all nite long

07. Twistin' out in space

GEORGE STEVENSON (as Blazer Boy), vcl; Clarence Ford, t-sax; Herb Hardesty, a-sax; Salvador Doucette, pno; Ernest Mc Lean, g; Frank Fields, bs; Earl Palmer, dms. New Orleans, La. june 1952

08. Surprise blues

09. Mornin' train

10. Waiting for my baby

11. Joe's kid sister

George Stevenson, vcl; a-sax; Lee Allen, t-sax; Huey Smith, pno; band. New Orleans, La. 19 january 1954

12. Meet me at Grandma's joint

13. Teasin' tan

George Stevenson, vcl; band. New Orleans, La. 19 november 1961

14. New Orleans twist

15. That's where it's at

LIL MILLET (Mc Kinley J. Miller), vcl/pno; Big Boy Myles, tb; Lee Allen, t-sax; Alvin "Red" Tyler, b-sax; Ernest Meyer, g; Frank Fields, bs; Earl Palmer, dms. New Orleans, La. 25 september 1955

16. Rich woman

17. Hopeless love

Lil Millet, vcl/pno; band. New Orleans, La. 1956

18. Rock around the clock

19. I can't stop cryin'

Someday mother

All around the world

Thanks to an anonymous friend, both of those titles are available when clicking here (see comments)

RAMP DAVIS (George Davis), vcl/bs; Leroy Rankin, t-sax; Alex Burrell, pno; Lester Alexis, dms. New Orleans, La. 23 may 1951

20. The blues has got me

21. Bayou Bounce

22. Rampart Street blues

23. Mary Sue

ALVIN JOHNSON, vcl/pno; Robert Palmer, t-sax; James Rivers, t-sax; Red Tyler, b-sax; Edgar Blanchard, g; Placide Adams, bs; Walter Lastie, dms. New Orleans, La. june 1958

24. You done me wrong

25. Lena

Alvin Johnson, vcl; Dr John, pno; Robert Palmer, t-sax; James Rivers, t-sax; Red Tyler, b-sax; Edgar Blanchard, g; Placide Adams, bs; Walter Lastie, dms. New Orleans, La. february 1960

26. Carnival time

27. Who dat say?

LITTLE LEO (Leo Price), vcl; band. New Orleans, La. 1954

28. Handwriting on the wall

29. What's it all about?

30. I cried

31. Teenie weenie bee

 

SHAKEY JAKE/ Complete Studio recordings

 SHAKEY JAKE/ Complete Studio Recordings

           

James D. Harris was born 12 April 1921 (or 1920) at Earle, Arkansas and raised on his parents' small farm. He came to Chicago still a teenager. There he listened to the numerous blues players of the Windy City and saw several times John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson who encouraged him to play the harmonica and sing the blues. He so started a musical career around 1945. With a warm and soft voice, he gained some recognition in Chicago clubs but always found a better way of living in working outside the music. Garage owner, taxi driver, cook, record label owner, strip club owner (and maybe a pimp!)... James earned his Shakey Jake's nickname as a noted gambler, shaking the dice (although some better informed people (?) once told me Jake was named "Shakey" by the numerous women he knew for his bedtime skills). Anyway, he resumed a full blues career during the 1950's in training, promoting, composing blues for and playing with his nephew, Magic Sam (Jake had just married Sam's aunt). Although he is not often credited for that, Shakey Jake played an important part in creating and defining the blues style that would be later on called "West Side Sound" and many of Magic Sam's songs were penned and arranged by his uncle.

            Under his name, Shakey Jake recorded two singles in 1957 and 1958 and two odd full albums for the then fledgling Bluesville label that were very bad received at the time of being issued but that finally are aging rather well. German promoters of the first American Folk Blues Festival wanted another and more famous harp player, also a Shakey, Big Walter Horton on the bill but Willie Dixon who was at the AFBF wheel in Chicago didn't want Walter because of him being not very reliable and instead took Shakey Jake. Jake fared quite well on the very successful tour, befriended with T-Bone Walker (and even won his shoes on cards!) but turned down several offers to record and play more in Europe. In 1968, he toured and recorded in California for the World Pacific label and feeling that the L.A. weather suited him better than windy Chicago's, he settled in Los Angeles where he became a favorite of the local young blues bands like Rod Piazza or William

Clarke. He opened a club (Safara Club), launched a record label (Good Time), recorded with his protégés. But the times were hard for Jake who lived in a very bad and dangerous area and had to sell discarded paper and cardboard to recycling centres for his bread and butter.

            Quite ill during the late 1980's, he finally came back to Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he died on 2 March 1990.

            He leaves us a nice blues heritage. We have gathered here almost all of his studio recordings that thus do not include his AFBF 1962 performances which are easily available elsewhere on CDs.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT