The Spiders - The Imperial Sessions

Our friend Guitar Gus has come through with a big followup to my Chuck Carbo post; the rare Bear Family set of The Spiders' Imperial Recordings. I am excited to finally hear these historic recordings.

"New Orleans R&B was best known for its solo artists, but the Spiders rank among the Crescent City's pre-eminent vocal groups, and were certainly the best the city produced during the '50s. The Spiders actually began life circa 1947 as a gospel group called the Zion City Harmonizers; they later changed their name to the Delta Southernaires, and made a few recordings and radio appearances from 1952-1953.

With encouragement from legendary New Orleans studio head Cosimo Matassa, the group switched to secular R&B and signed with Imperial in late 1953. The newly christened Spiders were centered around brothers Hayward "Chuck" Carbo and Leonard "Chick" Carbo, the latter a bass singer who sometimes split lead vocals with his brother; the other members of the quintet were Joe Maxon, Matthew West, and Oliver Howard. Their first single, "I Didn't Want to Do It," went to number three on the R&B charts in early 1954, and other sides like "You're the One," "Tears Begin to Flow," and "I'm Slippin' In" were top sellers as well, making the Spiders a hot concert draw. Maxon and West both left the group in 1955 and were replaced by Bill Moore and Issacher Gordon. the Spiders' string of R&B Top Tens continued that year with "21" and the Dave Bartholomew-penned "Witchcraft," their second Top Five hit and biggest overall seller (it was later covered by Elvis Presley).

Imperial began grooming Chuck Carbo for a solo career in 1956, which caused dissent within the group; by the end of the year, Chick Carbo had signed to Atlantic as a solo artist himself, and the Spiders effectively dissolved. A final single in 1957, "That's My Desire," failed to catch on, as did a posthumous from-the-vaults release in 1960, "Tennessee Slim." ... Chick passed away in 1998, Chuck in 2008."

Percy Mayfield - Walking On A Tightrope

 Percy Mayfield ‎– Walking On A Tightrope 

Brunswick – BL 754145
Released: 1969, Rhythm & Blues

A1 Walking On A Tightrope        
A2 I Made It Just The Same        
A3 My Pain Is Here To Stay        
A4 Alma Lee        
A5 Please Send Me Someone To Love        
B1 P.M. Blues        
B2 My Mind Is Trying To Leave Me        
B3 Danger Zone        
B4 'Sho Gonna Leave You Alone        
B5 My Baby's Gone        
B6 To Me Your Name Is Love

This one is brought to you by Guitar Gus and it slots right in behind the Tangerine sides but before the RCA sides. It is, of course, absolutely killer, I would be a bit shocked if I were ever to hear ANY Percy that was anything less by this point. I have heard the late live recordings and they too are the bomb. I feel pretty safe in saying that he never made a clunker.

On the new songs here you get the definite impression that Percy has become obsessed with potential insanity and drinking as they now occupy equal space with women and heartbreak as song themes. I am not sure who all is playing with Mayfield but from the sound of things it was a top-notch ensemble.

For this re-post I am also including a link with some of the bit's and pieces from before and after the Specialty sides; a couple from Supreme, one from Chess and the others from Cash.

Bobby Bland - Dreamer

A Guitar Gus contribution:

"See KC’s posts ‘Bobby Bland – The Duke Recordings’ for a biographical background – And if you haven’t already got these essential recordings get moving !

Way back in 1974, I was working in Central London, and during one lunch-break I wandered into a small independent record shop to see what I could find. The music , playing over the system,  immediately grabbed me by the balls ! It was the first time I had ever heard Bobby Bland’s exquisite voice ! –  I was awestruck and bought this wonderful (vinyl) record on the spot.

 I had been listening to the blues for a good few years but this mostly meant the classic Chess masters , Robert Johnson and various other Country Blues artists  , B B, Albert and Freddie and anything else that came my way –  It was early days then and the variety we take for granted today was very limited . Anyway this was very different from the blues I was used to – It was very slick, with a sophisticated production by Steve Barri and arranged/conducted with strings and  session players, by Michael Omartian  –  Could this be authentic ?

The album  turned out to be  a groundbreaker and brought the blues back into the mainstream for a while,  where it deserved to be –  Since then many blues artists have gone this way, using  more studio production effects to this early roots musical form , with varying success or artistic legitimacy –  

‘Dreamer’ still remains one of my all-time favourite albums (in any genre) and  if you give it the time I’m sure you will agree – Everything here is subservient to the brilliant vocal of a blues legend – All the tunes are great without a hint of a filler  –  Contained here  is the original version of  ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’ covered by Whitesnake, Paul Carrack and many others  and the minor hit, ‘I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me)’

Some of the players are – Keyboards: Michael Omartian,  Guitars: Ben Benay, Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Bass: Wilton Felder, Drums: Ed Greene,  plus horns, strings and background vocals,

 Bobby’s voice is mellow, expressive, guttural, at times wonderfully forceful and an absolute Blues deluxe ! 

Earl King - Come On, The Complete Imperial Recordings

 Another lovely contribution from guitar gus and one that has become rare and expensive:

Hard to figure out how this is no longer in print as it represents Earl's greatest work. For that matter it is a bit of a mystery to me that in this age of label centered reissues, there is no Imperial box and few of the artists outside of Fats have been compiled either. The catalog apparently belongs to EMI who seem to be out to best MCA in the race for worst stewards of a precious trust. Hopefully they will eventually allow Ace or Kent to do what they are obviously unwilling to do.

"...Various independent record labels in New Orleans created and perfected a sound that would cross over from black to white audiences and vice versa. Earl King's work at both Specialty (home of Little Richard and Lloyd Price) and Ace (home to Frankie Ford and Huey "Piano" Smith) were nothing short of outstanding, but it was his work at Imperial (home to Fats Domino) with Dave Bartholomew that truly stands out. That is the subject of a new complete exploration on Okra Tone/Rooster Records.
Included on this retrospective are King’s Imperial hits “Come On (Parts 1 and 2)” (also known as “Let the Good Times Roll,” the motto of New Orleans), “Trick Bag” and “Always a First Time.” All of these sound as fresh and vibrant as the day they were released in the early 1960’s, displaying Bartholomew's exquisite touch and King's keen execution.
Also included in this collection are other historical recordings plus tracks that were never released. The April 13, 1961 sessions, which featured the great pianist James Booker plus Bartholomew and Wardell Quezergue, are particularly enjoyable. These recordings include “You Better Know,” “Mama and Papa,” plus the unreleased “It’s Wrong” and “Case of Love.”
While this is an excellent collection of a sometimes overlooked but unquestionably important artist, the producers sequenced the music in order of its recording date. This subtracts from a natural flow and makes it feel sometimes more like a historical document than a record. But that does not detract from the overall power and enjoyment you will feel when you press play." Charlie Dahan, All About Jazz. 

Hmmm, given that these were all singles I would wish to ask Mr. Dahan what other method of sequencing he would suggest, aside from alphabetical or release date, what other criteria is there and what would constitute his "natural flow"? 

Huey 'Piano' Smith and the Clowns - Having a Good Time

Another tasty tidbit from Guitar Gus.
 Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934, New Orleans, Louisiana is an American rhythm and blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll.

His piano playing incorporated the boogie styles of Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons; the jazz style of Jelly Roll Morton and the piano playing of Fats Domino.

Smith was born in New Orleans' Garden District, and was influenced by New Orleans' piano innovator, Professor Longhair. He became known for his shuffling right-handed break on the piano that influenced other Southern players.

Smith wrote his first song on the piano, "Roberson Street Boogie" (named after the street where he lived), when he was only eight years old, and performed the tune with a friend. They billed themselves as Slick and Dark. Smith attended McDowell High and Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. When Smith was fifteen he began working in clubs and recording records with his flamboyant partner, Eddie Jones, who rose to fame as Guitar Slim. When he was eighteen, in 1952, he signed a recording contract with Savoy Records, which released his first known single, "You Made Me Cry". In 1953 Smith recorded with Earl King.

In 1955, Smith turned 21, and became the piano player with Little Richard's first band for Specialty Records. The same year he also played piano on several studio sessions for other artists such as Lloyd Price. Two of the sessions resulted in hits for Earl King ("Those Lonely Lonely Nights"), and Smiley Lewis ("I Hear You Knocking").

In 1957, Smith formed 'Huey 'Piano' Smith and the Clowns' with blues singer and female impersonator Bobby Marchan, and signed a long term contract with former Specialty record producer, Johnny Vincent at Ace Records. They hit the Billboard charts with several singles in succession, including a breakout Top Five R&B hit entitled "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". The record was issued as "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Part 1" on the topside, (a vocal) and "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Part 2", an instrumental, on the flip. The lyrics were written by John Vincent, and the record sold over one million copies, achieving gold disc status.

In 1958, Vin Records, a subsidiary of Ace Records, released a popular single "Little Chickie Wah Wah" with Clowns singer Gerri Hall, under the billing of Huey and Jerry. Meanwhile, Ace Records released several more singles from 'Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns', including "We Like Birdland", "Well I'll Be John Brown", and "Don't You Know Yockomo" (later in 1964, New Zealand artist Dinah Lee took her energetic version of this song to number 1 in both New Zealand & Australia).

Their most famous single, released in 1958, "Don't You Just Know It" b/w "High Blood Pressure", hit number 9 on the Billboard Pop chart and number 4 on the Rhythm and Blues chart. It was their second million seller.

In 1959, Ace Records erased Huey Smith's vocal from the now classic single Smith composed, arranged and performed entitled "Sea Cruise", and replaced it with a more energetic vocal track by white singer Frankie Ford. The tune was a huge hit for Ford.

Smith left Ace Records for Imperial Records, to record with Fats Domino's noted producer (and fellow Louisianan) Dave Bartholomew, but the national hits did not follow. Instead, Ace Records again overdubbed new vocals by Gerri Hall, Billy Roosevelt and Johnny Williams on another one of Smith's unreleased tracks, to produce the last hit single credited to Huey "Piano" Smith, entitled "Pop-Eye".

In the years following, he made several comebacks, performing as 'Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns', 'The Hueys', 'The Pitter Pats', and as 'Shindig Smith and the Soul Shakers', but he has never attained his former degree of success. Thereafter, Smith joined the Jehovah's Witnesses, and left the music industry permanently.

In 2000, Smith was honored with a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

Ernie K-Doe - A REAL Mother-in-Law for Ya!

Another Westside  set from Guitar Gus.
  Ernie K-Doe (February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001), born Ernest Kador, Jr., was an African American rhythm and blues singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law" which went to #1 on the Billboard pop chart in the U.S.

Born in New Orleans, K-Doe recorded as a member of the group the Blue Diamonds in 1954 before making his first solo recordings the following year. "Mother-in-Law", written by Allen Toussaint, was his first hit, and was #1 on both the Billboard pop and R&B charts. K-Doe never had another top-40 pop hit, but 1961's "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" (#21) and 1967's "Later For Tomorrow" (#37) both charted in the R&B top 40.

In the 1980s K-Doe did radio shows on New Orleans community stations WWOZ and WTUL. The shows were known for his explosively energetic announcements and frequent self promotion (occasionally causing problems for the non-commercial station). K-Doe's catch phrases included "Burn, K-Doe, Burn!" "I'm a Charity Hospital Baby!" and (addressed to himself) "You just good, that's all!". For a time he billed himself as "Mister Naugahyde" until he was ordered to desist by the owners of the Naugahyde trademark. K-Doe then explained that it was a misunderstanding; he was actually referring to himself as "Mister M-Nauga-Ma-Hyde", a word he invented himself. (It was always "mnaugamahyde", y'all just don't understand us)
In the 1990s K-Doe began billing himself as "The Emperor of the Universe" and wearing a cape and crown he became a famous local eccentric on the New Orleans scene. (Some of us accepted his coronation) K-Doe continued performing and occasionally recording until shortly before his death. Always an elaborate showman, one of K-Doe's most notable later performances was at New Orleans' Aquarium of the Americas where he performed at a benefit for a local group aiding people with disabilities. The show ended with K-Doe performing seven continuous renditions of "Mother In Law" (I've seen him do ten) while dancing in front of the Gulf of Mexico shark tank exhibit dressed in a green plumed cape. Later recordings of note include "White Boy, Black Boy." While best known as a singer, he was also an accomplished drummer.

The song 'Here Come The Girls' was released in 1970 in England, but was not a hit. It was re-released in 2007 as a result of its use in an advertising campaign for 'Boots' stores and reached No. 43. A cover by the Sugababes reached No.3 in the UK charts in 2008.


K-Doe died in 2001 and, after a traditional jazz funeral, was interred in the 200-year-old Duval tomb in Saint Louis Cemetery #2, in his native New Orleans. He had burial space in his father's family cemetery in Erwinville, LA, but his widow, Antoinette, as well as his fans and friends in New Orleans, wanted his remains in the city, so the Duval family offered him some of their burial space. He is buried in the same tomb with his second mother-in-law, with whom he was very close, and his best friend, Earl King.

His widow, Antoinette K-Doe, continued to operate his music club/bar, "Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge," which houses a life-size statue (okay first off it is not a statue, it is a mannequin, but if you had any respect for Antoinette, you referred to it as Ernie) of K-Doe himself. The club was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in late 2005 and had to shut down. With the help of the Hands on Network and the musical artist, Usher Raymond, Antoinette reopened the Mother-in-Law Lounge on August 28, 2006 in its original location at 1500 N. Claiborne Avenue. (It was closed after Saint Antoinette's death but now Kermit Ruffins has bought it and reopened it with his "Treme" money. Halleluiah!)

Antoinette also led a tongue-in-cheek campaign for K-Doe's election for mayor of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans in 2006, five years after his death. She is quoted as saying "He's the only one qualified -- that's my opinion." (One again, folks don't understand her sense of humor, it was the Ernie at the bar running, not the one in the grave.) Although K-Doe's name did not appear on the ballot, "his" campaign generated revenue from T-shirt and bumper sticker sales. Antoinette used the proceeds from these sales toward rebuilding the Mother-in-Law Lounge, as well as providing help to the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic, both of which were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

In November 2007 the British-based high street beauty store and pharmacy Boots used his 1970 performance of the song "Here Come The Girls" as the soundtrack to a Christmas TV commercial. This led to the song being re-released as single in the UK in December 2007, and a new Boots commercial featuring the song was aired between June and August 2008 with a summer theme. The same song was also sampled on the Sugababes' single "Girls", which was then itself used in another Boots commercial in November 2008.

Antoinette died in New Orleans on February 24, 2009, Mardi Gras morning, after suffering a massive heart attack. (I was fortunate enough to have spent Lundi Gras afternoon with her, my last memory is a big wet kiss and her extracting my promise to return tomorrow for her otherworldly red beans, like it was possible I could forget!)

In 2009 Ernie K-Doe was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Earl King - Earl's Pearls

Another Guitar Gus contribution and a big one! These Westside sets were hard to find when they were in print and now just forget it! I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that I had yet to do a biographical post for Earl and now it will be paired with his first recordings as it should be.

Earl King (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, most active in blues music. A composer of well known standards such as "Come On" (covered by Jimi Hendrix) and Professor Longhair's "Big Chief"...King was born Earl Silas Johnson IV in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father, a local piano player, died when King was still a baby, and he was brought up by his mother. With his mother, he started going to church at an early age. In his youth he sang gospel music, but took the advice of a friend to switch to blues to make a better living.

King started to play guitar at age 15. Soon he started entering talent contests at local clubs including the Dew Drop Inn. It was at one of those clubs where he met his idol Guitar Slim. King started imitating Slim, and his presence gave a big impact on his musical directions. In 1954, when Slim was injured in an automobile accident (right around the time Slim had the #1 R&B hit with "The Things That I Used To Do"), King was deputized to continue Slim's band tour, representing himself as Slim. After succeeding in this role, King became a regular at the Dew Drop Inn.

His first recording came in 1953. He released a 78 "Have you Gone Crazy" b/w "Begging At Your Mercy" on Savoy label as Earl Johnson. The following year, talent scout Johnny Vincent introduced King to Specialty label, and he recorded some sides including "Mother's Love" which created a little stir locally. In 1955, King signed with Johnny Vincent's label, Ace. His first single from the label "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" become hit reaching #7 on the US Billboard R&B chart. He continued to record during his five year stay at the label, and during that time, he also he started writing songs for other artists such as Roland Stone and Jimmy Clanton.

In 1960, Dave Bartholomew invited King to record for the Imperial Records. At the label, he was backed by host of musicians including Bob and George French, James Booker, and Wardell Quezergue. It was at this label he recorded his signature songs "Come On" and "Trick Bag". The former of which remained a much covered standard for decades especially for Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Anson Funderburgh. The latter has also been widely covered including versions by The Meters and Robert Palmer.

King also co-wrote a number of songs with Bartholomew, either under his own name or under the pseudonyms of "Pearl King" and "E.C. King". One of the best known collaborations between Bartholomew and King is the rhythm and blues standard, "I Hear You Knocking", originally recorded in 1955. The latter song is variously credited to Pearl King and E.C King as the co-writer, with Bartholomew.

King recorded for Imperial till 1963, but he went without a recording contract for the remainder of the 1960s. During this time, he mostly concentrated in producing and songwriting for local labels NOLA and Watch. His compositions from this era includes Professor Longhair's "Big Chief", Willie Tee's "Teasin' You", and Lee Dorsey's "Do-Re-Mi". He also went to Detroit for an audition with Motown Records and recorded a few tracks in the mid 1960s. Three tracks from the session appeared on the Motown's Blue Evolution CD released in 1996).

In 1972, he was joined by Allen Toussaint and the Meters to record the album Street Parade. Though Atlantic initially showed interest in releasing it, they eventually declined. The title cut "Street Parade" was released as a single from Kansu label at the time, but the rest had to wait till 1982 to see the light of the day, when the album was finally released by Charly Records in the UK.

During the 1970s, he recorded another album That Good Old New Orleans Rock 'n Roll which was released by Sonet in 1977. He also appeared on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1976 album.

In the early 1980s, he also met Hammond Scott, co-owner of Black Top Records, and started to record for the label. The first album Glazed, backed up by Roomful of Blues was released in 1986, and a second album, Sexual Telepathy came in 1990. It featured Snooks Eaglin as a guest on two tracks, and also Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters backed him up on some tracks. His third from the label Hard River To Cross (1993) was backed by George Porter, Jr., David Torkanowsky, and Herman V. Ernest, III.

In 2001, he was hospitalized for an illness during a tour to New Zealand, however, that did not stop him from performing. In December of the same year, he toured Japan, and he continued to perform off and on locally in New Orleans until his death.

He died on April 17, 2003, from diabetes related complications,  just a week before the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. His funeral was held during the Festival period on April 30, and many musicians including Dr. John, Leo Nocentelli and Aaron Neville were in attendance.