While scanning some rare records from my fathers’ R&B collection, something caught my eye. This lady is chewing on something and it’s definitely not an ordinary bubble gum. An extra fashionable golden tooth? A pearl? An old-school Godiva? Or were ladies paid in nuggets in those days? None but question marks question marks..
Oh yes and besides getting to know the roots of all the music ever made, scanning sleeves of old records also gives me a lot of graphic design inspiration. Like these nice rare Orange London rec sleeves of Eddie Cochran singles. Eddie Cochran is the godfather of stars like Elvis Presley. Bow bow for Eddie!
Our parental home is packed, from cellar to attic, with wonderful (old) R&B records. It’s my dad’s gigantic collection, which he started when he was about 18 (somewhere in the 60ies). He has got an elephantine memory when it comes down to digging up names, original tracks, records and other gems. From 1969 till 1980, he had a well known radio program called ‘Kort Gerockt en Losjes in the Blues’. He’s simply the best guide to Rhythm & Blues.
A few days ago, when Barack Obama was the order of the day, my dad showed me this record. It’s a beautiful soul record. Not only the lyrics, but also Lee Dorsey’s picture reminds of the new president-elect (“always with a nice tan” according to monkey of the century Silvio Berlusconi). Ok, I drift away from the essentials: Lee Dorsey’s indomitable civil rights funk anthem ‘Yes we can’. Here it is, in the mix with Obama..
Something more about Lee Dorsey… Before he became a musician, Lee Dorsey was quite successful as a boxer in the early 1950s, fighting under the name ‘Kid Chocolate’. When he met the legendary New Orleans piano player Allen Toussaint at a party, the music ball started rolling. The song that launched Lee Dorsey’s career in 1961, ‘Ya ya’, was inspired by a group of children chanting nursery rhymes. In 1965 he had some more hits like ‘Ride your pony’ and ‘Workin’ in a coal mine’, produced – again – by Allen Toussaint.
Many of the songs under Toussaint’s wings have become well-known through their numerous cover versions. For example the original ‘Sneaking Sally thru the alley’ on Lee Dorsey’s notorious album ‘Yes we can’ (1970), was covered by Robert Palmer. The Pointer Sisters too fancied Toussaint/Dorsey’s rolling, urban, riversongs, and covered ‘Yes we can’ which became a big success. Lee Dorsey passed away in 1986.
Nice-to-know: The Beastie Boys mention Lee Dorsey in ‘Sure Shot’ … and everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey.
And at NPR Music you find numerous interviews and performances by Allen Toussaint.
Sources: Paul De Bruycker – Wikipedia – The independant
We are Gini Rose, Julia and Suzy. We draw, take pictures, film, and write (in English or Dutch) about everything we are intrigued by. We are never bored. Our hobby is to search for that kind of reality which may be elusive until the right kind of imagination falls upon it. We like to go outside. We also like to party. Want to know more? About is your button. Or click here to read our mighty mission statement. This page is our magazine, or a cabinet of views, viewpoints and new work. Here you'll find the RSS feed to stay updated. For an overview of our portfolio, take a dive into the deepsea..
