Well, ya didn't want to kiss me...

Sorry about the quality of this rip, but I've yet to find any old Rustones which aren't almost completely trashed.

Hope ya enjoy....it's from 1963 [correction: the record's from 1961]

Ain't no doubt about it...

Johnny Adams did a number of recordings for Senator Jones after the major labels quit paying attention to him. JB's was one of Jones' labels.

Adams is in fine voice here, but ya know...it's the drumming that really gets me.

Hope ya enjoy...

I told you she were mine..

There are only two singles by Dell Stewart; both released on the Watch label, both produced by Earl King, both well worth owning. Love that trombone solo.

From 1963...

Make me whole...

There are some nice 45's on the Golden label out of Baton Rouge.....that is, if you can find 'em.

Gloria Soul, as a nom de wax, ranks right up there with my all time favorite names, Alpha Zoe and Patience Valentine.

Hope ya enjoy...

Stop all that runnin' round....

Elton Anderson recorded 10 or so 45's in the late fifties and early sixties, most of which were originally released on small Louisiana labels.

This record is the national release of one of those singles. The flip side, Secret of Love, was a fair sized hit in 1959, but seems a real snooze to me. I bought the 45 for it's great b-side.

Hope ya enjoy..

Didn't he ramble...

Here's one you don't hear that often.

The Flambo label looks to be a one-off effort, probably owned by Earl King [that's just a guess]. As you can see on the record, King wrote and produced the song. The arranger, Curtis Mitchell, was a long time bass player for King. As I recall, he also played piano with Danny White.

The name Billy Jenkins rings no bells whatsoever.

This is an interesting 45, do yourself a favor and listen past the spoken intro, then be sure and check out side two. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Hope ya enjoy...

Stand by me...

So, Mardi Gras is over, the flashy beads have been exchanged for ashen crosses, and I'm back to normal life. Which is a good thing.

Ya know, if you're lucky, there are times when you feel like the star of your own movie. And that's how it is with me right now. Think: quirky 1960's romantic comedy, complete with cute sexy guy, wacky incidental characters, stoned picnics, and lots and lots of balloons.

The soundtrack for this movie most definitely includes this song. To say it's in heavy rotation around the house would be a huge understatement. It's more like I've swallowed the 45 whole, and can play it at will. Just press the button on my forehead. I am the jukebox.

Hope ya enjoy it as much as we do...

Drip drop....

I've been trying to think of something good to post for Valentine's day, but I can't get past my own perverse nature. Ask me to post something for 'Anti-Valentine's Day' and I'll come up with the mushiest tune you've ever heard, but Valentine's Day itself only brings to mind songs of caution, love gone wrong, and murderous intent.

So, I compromised on a song about missing a lover very badly. Best I could do.

The discography I'm looking at says this song is from 1963...I was under the impression it was issued earlier, but hey, what do I know?

I hope that your lover is near....and that you enjoy.

I've been searchin' the whole wide world...

In my opinion, one of the ten best records to ever come out of New Orleans. Oliver Morgan and Eddie Bo tear-it-up!

I'm not certain, but I think that's Deacon John Moore on guitar.

Hope ya'll enjoy...it's ripped from a very nice copy.

I've been livin' on chicken and wine....

I considered doing a Mardi Gras mix, but honestly, I just don't have the time. My schedule for today/tonight has been thoroughly trashed by the re-scheduling of the Muses parade. Basically, I'll need a time machine to make it through all I'm obligated to do in the next six hours. Wish me luck.

If ya just gotta have a Mardi Gras mix, head on over to Second Line Social. Gabe's got a very nice two-parter posted. There's a few rare ones included.

Here's a song that hardly anyone pays attention to. The record's cheap, the recording itself is a one-take affair....and yet it suits how I feel at the moment.

This is what I consider to be a real Mardi Gras song. Meaning, not a song written about Mardi Gras, but rather a song written for Mardi Gras.

From 1960...Allen Toussaint is at the piano...

Everybody's doin' the Crazy Legs...

Part 3 of my continuing obsession with Albert Washington.

Ya know, not like I'm drawing a line in the sand or anything....but if this don't move ya, then ya may be in the wrong place. Just sayin'.

Enjoy

Only time will tell...

I've been meaning to post this for weeks.

R.I.P. Robert Charles Guidry.

For a man who didn't consider himself a singer, he sure did one hell of a job of it. Following that line of thought, I'm posting something he didn't write.

The song's by Paul Gayten. The recording was made at Coz Matassa's studio in New Orleans.

Rap on brother!

Maskman, aka Harmon Bethea, had a very long career starting in the late 40's with a group called the Progressive Four. Over the years he put out over 50 records under numerous names, the majority being issued as some variation of the Cap-Tans or Maskman & the Agents.

Here's a partial list of some of those names:

The Cap-Tans

L'Cap-Tans

L'Cap-Tans & the Go-Boys

Wailing Bethea & the Cap-Tans

Bethea & the Cap-Tans

Maskman & the Cap-Tans

The Maskman & the Agents

Bethea the Masked Man & the Agents

Bethea [the Masked Man & the Agents]

Harmon Bethea

Harmon Bethea [the Maskman]

The Maskman

Bethea the Maskman

The Maskman [H. Bethea Sr.] & the Agents

Harmon Bethea, the Maskman & the Agents

A good many Maskman records qualify as pure novelty, some are just plain weird...but there's some good stuff in there too.

Here's one of the good ones....

Just you and me...

What a shame. When Warner Bros. issued this 45 they sent out a double sided [single song] promo version of the a-side to DJs. Now, that a-side, "It's Been So Long", is a great song, no doubt about it....but why anyone wouldn't want to get this killer b-side into the hands of DJs is a total mystery to me.

As it was, the single sank like a stone and presumably few copies were pressed. That's why you generally have to pay decent cash for a stock copy. And yes indeed, you DO want a stock copy. For the b-side.

From 1975...

Baby, please forgive me...

Bar-none, this is the most disturbing 45 James Brown ever issued. And I don't mean just the one song.....the flip-side is disturbing on a whole other supremely f**ked-up level.

What ya got here is 'St. James Infirmary' collapsing into the [psychotic] moanin' and screamin' that song always implied.....while the drummer mimic's the sound of a shovel digging a grave....

Best mark this one: very-hard-core.

[In the comments, J. reminded me that the original is by the Dominos. I'm posting it was well. I don't remember where I got the file. All power to the original ripper. Sounds like it comes off a 78.]

Way you been acting is such a drag...

Just in case ya'll haven't figured it out yet, Earl King RULES....

I'm pretty sure the record is from 1961, but that's just from off the top of my head.

Sometime in 1963, King signed with Motown, who wouldn't issue any of his records. Thus you have the fabulous 'Professor Longhair' recordings on the Watch label, which were always meant to be Earl King singles, but could not be issued as such.

Enjoy

I'm so sorry...

So, what do you get when let Andre Williams co-produce an Ernie K. Doe record?

Well, first off, there's that damn banjo....but mostly ya get a slow gospel-type screamer from a man who really knew how to scream.

Hope ya like it.

I just know I gotta get back to you...

Another $1 record.

This is the gorgeous flip-side of Johnny Adams' less than sparkling country outing, Reconsider Me. Wardell Quezerque is listed as co-writer, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he produced it.

No, I'm not the one who wrote 1969 in magic marker across the label.

Hope ya enjoy.