Huey "Piano" Smith

Huey "Piano" Smith ( born January 26, 1934 in New Orleans) is an American rhythm and blues musician, who directed, among others, the famous band The Clowns. Smith is among the most significant musicians of the piano tradition of New Orleans.

Session pianist

After leaving school in 1949, Smith learns to play the piano, 1953, he is recorded as a pianist in the band of guitarist Earl King. Here he developed his piano style, a mix of Boogie Woogie by Albert Ammons, the offbeat piano by Professor Longhair and jazz of Jelly Roll Morton. Smith is on Kings first single (under the name Earl Johnson) Have You Gone Crazy? / Begging at Your Mercy ( Savoy Records 1102) as a pianist while ( recorded in New Orleans on June 1, 1953). On the same day of admission also Smith's first single was released under the name " Huey Smith ": You Made Me Cry / You're Down With Me ( Savoy in 1113, piano and vocals) and King on guitar. In the often gecoverten Smiley Lewis I Hear You Knockin ' classic ' is Smith's great piano solo sound ( recorded on 23 May 1955 in Cosimo Matassas Studio, published in July 1955). Became famous Earl King Those Lonely Lonely Nights with the following ( August 1955 ), again with Smith on the piano, this time at Ace Records, worked as a guitarist for the King label. The single helped with 250,000 copies king breakthrough. It was with catalog # 509 until the 10 single of the young label. Shortly afterwards appeared as Ace 521 - " Huey ' Piano ' Smith & the Rhythm Aces " Everybody's Whalin ', recorded again in Cosimo Matassas famous Studio ( September 1956 ). In Matassa Smith eventually rose to the sought-after session musicians, and Matassa granted Smith in the studio often the job, " some crap into the receptacle to intersperse ". For Bob Marchan, his later lead singer, Smith wrote in 1956, "Little Chickee Wah Wah " ( Ace 523 ).

Own plates

Besides his work as a successful session pianist and composer for other artists, he founded his own band, initially under the name " Rhythm Aces " with Junior Gordon ( Izzy Cougarten ), Dave Dixon and Roland Cook as a singer. After several line-up changes, the band then starting in 1957 emerged as " clowns " on Gordon with Junior or Gerri Hall ( singer ), alternating with ' Scarface John ' Williams, Eugene Francis, Billy Roosevelt ( bass vocals), Roland Stone and lead singer Bobby Marchan. As musical accompaniment Smith was on the Matassa session musician Lee Allen and Red Tyler (saxophone ) and Charles Williams ( drums) draw. The division was regulated between the parties: Smith composed, arranged and played piano while Marchan and the choir sang. In order to gain more time for compositions to Huey Smith was often represented at the piano on tour by James Booker.

The instrumental tracks Rockin ' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu was recorded in July 1957, this formation, composed by Smith and Johnny Vincent, his producer and label boss of Ace Records. As a B- side, a vocal version was selected for this purpose. The vocal version of the song evolved within a short time million seller, when he became the crossover (# 7 R & B, # 52 pop charts ). Smith had now developed a distinctive piano style. He perfected a shuffle -like, right- oriented piano break, which can be seen on his recordings. So also with the biggest hit with over 2 million copies sold, Do not You Just Know It, published in March 1958. He reached his greatest success # 9 on the pop charts (# 4 R & B). Both plates have the classic New Orleans rhythm and percussive playing technique of the bandleader recognize. End of 1958, Smith took the original music composed by him of Sea Cruise on Matassas two-track tape with Marchan and Gerri Hall as the lead singer. Ace had other plans, especially Marc Hans voice was indisposed and he also wanted to leave the group. The master was initially 7 months in the archives of the label before the label boss Vincent recording in March 1959 added a naturalized U.S. citizen from the white overdubbing Frankie Ford. Puts with some sound engineering rarities, a ship's bell and a fog horn and a slightly accelerated tape speed of Ford's voice, the Mardi Gras -infected rhythm promoted in April 1959 to a another hit for Ace Records (# 11 R & B, # 14 Pop ). Dissatisfied with the slow payment by Ace Records Huey Smith left the label in late 1959 and moved to Imperial Records, for which he recorded eight songs and 4 LPs hit parade without success. Marchan left the Clowns and Ace Records actually the beginning of 1960 and was replaced by the singer Gerri Hall and the singer Curley Moore.

In May 1962 suddenly a recording from earlier collections appeared in Ace Pop Eye, with Curley Moore as the lead voice and in turn composed of Smith. Thus, Smith attacked the famous, spinatessende sailor's character, Popeye on from the eponymous cartoon series and delivered - unintentionally - the song of the same name just modern dance. Ace claimed that the clowns were the discoverers of the Pop Eye- dance; they were not. Angered by the Ace - publication, Imperial Huey Smith dismissed from the recording contract; he was unceremoniously back to Ace, where he remained without success until the bankruptcy of the label in 1964. To get away from his increasingly growing alcohol problems, he converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1965 and ended his career as a musician. In 1967 he tried to instant Records - under different name variations - of course at home in New Orleans, an unsuccessful retarded comeback.

Two of his successes have been covered later. His biggest hit Do not You Just Know It came out in January 1965 as Do not ha ha by the British Beat Band Casey Jones & the Governors, which penetrated hereby in Germany at # 2 on the charts, but flopped in the home country. Remembered Johnny Rivers ( October 1972 U.S. # 6 Pop ) On the other big hit Rockin ' Pneumonia ...

According to BMI for Huey "Piano" Smith 135 compositions registered copyright.

Discography, selection

Singles

As Huey Smith:

  • You Made Me Cry / You're Down With Me ( Savoy 1113 ), August 1956

As Huey "Piano" Smith & the Rhythm Aces:

  • Everybody's Whalin '/ Little Liza Jane ( Ace 521), December 1956

As Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns:

  • Rockin ' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu Part 1 & Part 2, ( Ace 530), July 1957
  • Free, Single And Disengaged / Just A Lonely Clown ( Ace 538), October 1957
  • High Blood Pressure / Do not You Just Know It, ( Ace 545 ), July 1958
  • We Like Birdland / Havin 'A Good Time ( Ace 548), October 1958
  • Do not You Know Yockomo / We'll I'll Be John Brown ( Ace 553 ), December 1958
  • Would You Believe It / Genevieve ( Ace 562 ), 1959
  • Beatnik Blues / For Crying Out Loud ( Ace 584 ), 1960
  • The Little Moron / Someone to Love (Imperial 5721 ), February 1961
  • Behind the Wheel, Pt. 1 / Behind the Wheel, Pt. 2 (Imperial 5747 ), May 1961
  • More Girls / Sassy Sara (Imperial 5772 ), August 1961
  • Do not Knock It / Snag -a -Tooth Jeanie (Imperial 5789 ), October 1961
  • Pop Eye / Scald -Dog ( Ace 649 ), February 1962

As Huey Smith & The Pitter Pats:

  • Bury Me Dead / I'll Never Forget You (Instant 3287 ), 1967
  • Huey Smith: Two Way Pockaway Part 1 / Part 2 ( Instant 3297 ), 1969
  • Huey Piano Smith: Eight Bars Of Amen / Epitaph Of Uncle Tom (Instant 3301 ), 1969
  • Huey Smith & The Clowns: You Got Too Part 1 / Part 2 ( Instant 3303 ), 1969

LPs

  • Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns: Having A Good Time ( Ace 1004 ), 1959
  • Rhythm ' n' Blues ( Ace ), 1960
  • For Dancing ( Ace 1015 ), 1961
  • T'was The Night Before Christmas ( Ace 1027), November 1962

Compilations

  • ROCK & ROLL REVIVAL! ( Ace 2021 ), 1971
  • Pita Pattin ' ( CHARLY CRB 1164 UK ), 1987
Lee Allen (musician) Swing (jazz performance style) Integrated Authority File Louisiana
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