Zuzu Bollin - Texas Blues Shouter

Texas blues guitarist Zuzu Bollin recorded only four sides in the early 50s for Dallas based Torch Records.  One of 'em was this fine nugget that features saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman and Leroy Cooper, both of would go on to become long time members of the Ray Charles band. Recorded in Dallas, 1951.  After two records with Torch, Bollin toured as a sideman for many years and then dropped out of sight in the early 60s, only to be rediscovered in the late 1980s, recording one album before his death in 1990.

Zuzu Bollin
"Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night"
Released 1951, Torch 6910


Zuzu Bollin on MySpace

The Hound Is Rockin' The Blues Tonight!

Anyone who doesn't have The Hound Blog bookmarked already needs to do so immediately.

Tonight The Hound is rockin' the blues, and he's assembled quite a mighty playlist of YouTube videos with great little comments along the way.  Check out some nice J.B. Lenoir rarities, Big Joe Turner, Hound Dog Taylor, Little Walter, Muddy, Sonny Boy, Coleman Hawkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Serge Gainsburg (?!).  A great post, bookmark it.


The Hound Blog: various artists - I Love TeeVee

The Coasters - "Idol With the Golden Head" b/w "My Baby Comes To Me"

Here's a great Coasters single with a couple of lesser known Leiber-Stoller songs.  The follow up to their two-sided hit of "Young Blood" and "Searchin'" in 1957, it inexplicably failed to chart. 

The Coasters 
"Idol With the Golden Head"
Released 1957, Atco 6098



The Coasters
"(When She Wants Good Lovin') My Baby Comes To Me"
Released 1957, Atco 6098




Coasters discography (Soulful Kinda Music)

Those Hoodlum Friends (Coasters website)

Leiber and Stoller official website

Etta James (with Richard Berry), 1955

Just read the sad news that living legend Etta James has fallen ill.  Our thoughts are with Miss Etta and her family.  Here is her first chart hit, "The Wallflower" (aka "Roll With Me Henry" and "Dance With Me Henry"), which she recorded in 1955 at the age of 16.  An "answer song" to Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' 1954 hit "Work With Me Annie", it was released by Modern Records credited to Etta James and The Peaches.

As a bonus, I've also included a version of the follow-up record, "Hey Henry".  Both of these recordings feature Richard Berry providing the male voice, though he didn't get credited on "The Wallflower".  The version here of "Hey Henry" is a take that was previously unreleased until it was included on the 2004 Ace Records Richard Berry collection, Yama Yama!

Kick back and enjoy the great Etta James as the world heard her for the first time, and send your prayers and thoughts her way.

Etta James & the Peaches
"The Wallflower"
Released 1955, Modern 947
#1 R&B for four weeks



Etta James & The Peaches
"Hey Henry" (take 6)
Recorded 1955, unreleased until 2004

Guitar Slim - "The Things That I Used to Do" (1954)

#1 on the R&B charts, 56 years ago today.


Guitar Slim
"The Things That I Used To Do:
Released 1954, Specialty 482
R&B #1 for 14 weeks
piano and arrangement by Ray Charles

The Original "Saturday Night Fish Fry"

Louis Jordan's #1 R&B hit from 1949, "Saturday Night Fish Fry", is still a well-loved classic today, but far fewer people have heard the original version, also from '49 by Eddie Williams and His Brown Buddies.

Williams was the bass player for Johnny Moore's Three Blazers and in '49 he split off to form his own group.  They scored a hit with "Broken Hearted" (#2 R&B), and hoped "Saturday Night Fish Fry" would be a big follow-up.  But once Jordan heard their recording, he rushed out his own version and stole their smash right out from under 'em.  It's a very different version, more of a shuffle as opposed to Jordan's rousing jump blues. Dig it.

Eddie Williams and His Brown Buddies
"Saturday Night Fish Fry"
Released 1949, Supreme 1542



Suggested links:

Remembering Eddie Williams by J.C. Marion

"Saturday Night Fish Fry" (Wikipedia)

A real Juke Joint Fish Fry (source for the pic at the top of this post)

"Baby Don't Do It" and "Baby I'm Doing It" - The "5" Royales and Annisteen Allen, 1952/53

Welcome back to the new, improved THE REAL THING!, your home for all the best post-war and 50s rhythm and blues.  To get things kicked off, here's a nice pair - The "5" Royales late 1952/early '53 hit "Baby Don't Do It" and Annisteen Allen's "answer song", "Baby I'm Doing It".

The "5" Royales
"Baby Don't Do It"
Released 1952, Apollo 443
R&B #1 for three weeks in Feb. '53

Annisteen Allen
"Baby I'm Doing It"
Released 1953, King 4608
Reached #8 R&B in March '53
featuring Big John Greer, tenor sax

 



More on The "5" Royales and Annisteen Allen:

The "5" Royales and Lowman Pauling by The Hound (The HoundBlog)

The "5" Royales discography (Soulful Kinda Music)

Annisteen Allen discography (Wang Dang Dula)