Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
Huey "Piano" Smith was an important part of the great New Orleans piano tradition, following in the footsteps of Professor Longhair and Fats Domino to take his place among the Crescent City's R&B elite. He was also one of R&B's great comedians, his best singles matching the Coasters for genial, good-time humor, although his taste often ran more toward nonsense lyrics. Smith's sound was too earthy to match the pop crossover appeal of Domino or the Coasters, which limited his exposure, and he couldn't match the latter's amazing consistency, lacking their reliable supply of material. But at the peak of his game, Smith epitomized New Orleans R&B at its most infectious and rollicking, as showcased on his classic signature tune "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu."
Huey Smith was born in New Orleans on January 26, 1934, and began playing the piano at age 15. At the dawn of the '50s, Smith backed New Orleans guitar legends Earl King and Guitar Slim, and quickly became a popular session pianist, playing on records by the cream of the New Orleans R&B scene: Smiley Lewis (the classic "I Hear You Knockin'"), Lloyd Price, and Little Richard. During the mid-'50s, Smith began leading his own band, the Clowns, which usually featured popular local blues singer and female impersonator Bobby Marchan on lead vocals. Smith & the Clowns signed with the Ace label and scored a breakout Top Five R&B hit in 1957 with "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" which, despite becoming a classic rock & roll standard, didn't even make the pop Top 40, thanks to reticent white radio programmers. The following year, Smith scored his biggest hit with the double-sided smash "Don't You Just Know It"/"High Blood Pressure," which reached the pop Top Ten and the R&B Top Five. In 1959, Smith cut the original tune "Sea Cruise," and seeking pop radio airplay, Ace had white teenage R&B singer Frankie Ford overdub his own vocal onto Smith's backing track; the result became a nationwide hit.
Smith cut a few novelty numbers in an attempt to duplicate the success of "Rockin' Pneumonia," some even using the same type of illness joke ("Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas and the Sinus Blues," for example). It didn't work, and Marchan left the Clowns after scoring a solo hit with "There Is Something on Your Mind" in 1960; he was replaced by female singer Gerry Hall and male vocalist Curley Moore. Smith switched briefly to the Imperial label, then returned to Ace for one last chart single in 1962, "Pop Eye." Smith spent part of the '60s recording for Instant and touring not only with the Clowns, but alternate groups the Hueys and the Pitter Pats as well. Unable to return to the charts, he eventually converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses and left the music industry permanently. Huey "Piano" Smith died in his sleep at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on February 13, 2023. He was 89 years of age.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
Diskografie
10 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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Having a Good Time
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
R&B - Erschienen bei Life Series am 01.01.1959
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
More of the Best: Havin' Fun
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
Pop - Erschienen bei UNIDISC MUSIC INC. am 01.01.1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Snag-A-Tooth Jeanie (Rare and Unreissued Recordings 1960-1964 From The Vaults of Imperial and Pitter-Pat Records)
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
Soul - Erschienen bei Night Train International am 11.06.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
For Dancing
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
Pop - Erschienen bei UNIDISC MUSIC INC. am 01.01.1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Legends - "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?", Vol. 10
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns, Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas
Jazz - Erschienen bei Documents 2 am 25.03.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Huey "Piano" Smith & his Clowns - Platinum Selection
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei Retro Music Box am 04.09.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Imperial Sides 1960 - 61
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
Blues - Erschienen bei Roots am 01.01.1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Express Yourself
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
R&B - Erschienen bei sinderella am 06.12.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flapping Wings
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
R&B - Erschienen bei Wings in Hell am 01.01.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rooftop Storys
Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns
R&B - Erschienen bei golden times am 15.07.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo