History of Rock and Roll Chapter 5 New Orleans

New Orleans was a melting pot of music and culture. New Orleans was considered the birthplace of Jazz. New Orleans rhythm and blues was the same music considered rock and roll in Memphis.

The Cradle of Jazz Music is very important to the culture of New Orleans. The European tradition of marching parade bands became essential to festivals like Mardi Gras and funeral processions. European and African-American musical styles were the groundwork for the creation of ragtime and jazz.

The Cradle of Jazz (2) Music thrived in the “Storyville” district, and moved into other areas of the city. When club owners could not afford an entire band, they would hire a ragtime piano player. The rural blues did not have a place in the “Big Easy.” New Orleans’ music was fun.

New Orleans Rhythm and Blues “Dixieland” and later jazz styles dominated New Orleans music until World War II. Club blues and barrelhouse piano styles created a unique musical style. New Orleans styles had a Latin background—with heavy bass, piano, and saxophone.

Behind the Scenes Jump-blues singer Roy Brown had New Orleans first rhythm and blues hit in 1947 with “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” Brown recorded for the DeLuxe Label. Elvis would record a rockabilly cover of the song in The success of the DeLuxe label would inspire others to record in New Orleans.

Behind the Scenes (2) Imperial and Specialty were two of the labels to record in New Orleans. Fats Domino initially recorded on Imperial and Little Richard on Specialty. These labels were based in California. New Orleans only had one “home-town” studio—J&M.

Behind the Scenes (3) Cosimo Matassa ran J&M. It was not a “modern” studio. Matassa recorded a “live in the studio” performance—rather than using recording tricks or gimmicks to enhance the sound. J&M recorded all of the great performers of New Orleans from the 1940’s-1960’s.

Behind the Scenes (4) Dave Bartholomew led the band that provided backup music for most of the recordings at J&M. The band was called the “Studio Band.” Fats Domino hit the charts in 1950 with “The Fat Man.” He was a major star in rhythm and blues until 1955—when he crossed over to the pop market.

Behind the Scenes (5) The success of Fats Domino created a huge demand for the services of J&M and the “Studio Band.” The use of piano, saxophone, and heavy bass clearly distinguished New Orleans’ music from the rockabilly and jump-blues sounds popular in other areas of the US.

Professor Longhair Professor Longhair was the most loved musician and helped develop a long line of piano players—like Fats Domino, Huey “Piano” Smith, Art Neville, and Dr. John. His real name was Henry Roeland Byrd— and he was a self-taught musician. He described his “boogie-rhumba” style as a “gumbo.”

Professor Longhair (2) He began playing professionally in 1949 and quickly achieved local fame. Professor Longhair never reached popularity on a national level. “Tipitina” is one of his best known songs— recorded on the Atlantic label in He was rediscovered in the 1970’s and died in 1980 at the age of 62.

Smiley Lewis Smiley Lewis was on the Imperial label. He followed Fats Domino. Lewis never achieved fame in the rock market. His 1952 song “The Bells are Ringing” was a rhythm and blues hit—as was 1955’s “I Hear You Knocking.”

Lloyd Price Price recorded on Specialty Records. He was discovered at the end of an otherwise “fruitless” day of auditions. He recorded “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” (later covered by Elvis). After returning from the Army, Price switched to ABC Records and recorded the 1959 hit “Stagger Lee.”

Guitar Slim Specialty Records also discovered Guitar Slim—Eddie Jones. Guitar Slim had a #1 hit on the R&B charts in 1954 with “Things That I Used to Do.” Ray Charles arranged the music and played piano for this recording. Guitar Slim was a flashy electric guitarist.

Larry Williams Williams recorded on Specialty Records. He launched his career with a 1957 cover of Lloyd Price’s song “Just Because.” Williams was heavily influenced by Little Richard—and imitated his style. He had a succession of moderate hits in 1957 and 1958: “Short Fat Fanny,” “Bony Moronie,” “You Bug Me Baby,” and Dizzy Miss Lizzy.”

Shirley and Lee Shirley and Lee were the “sweethearts” of the blues and recorded on the California-based Aladdin label. They recorded many songs which told the story of their romance from In 1956, they had a hit with “Let the Good Times Roll.” They recorded until 1963 with no other hits.

Clarence “Frogman” Henry Clarence “Frogman” Henry recorded on the Argo label—a subsidiary of the Chess label. Henry’s first hit was 1957’s “Ain’t Got No Home.” He got his nickname because of his use of a “croaking” voice on “Ain’t Got No Home.” Henry had hits in 1961 with “But I Do” and “You Always Hurt the One You Love.”

Huey “Piano” Smith & the Clowns Recorded on Ace Records—the first prominent local label in New Orleans. The Clowns were one of the most popular acts in New Orleans. The band had one hit in 1959 with “Don’t You Just Know It.”

Huey “Piano” Smith & the Clowns Smith and the Clowns also recorded “Sea Cruise.” Ace Records replaced Smith’s vocals with Frankie Ford, but kept the background tracks of the Clowns. “Sea Cruise” was a “stolen” hit for Ford and is considered a masterpiece.

Fats and Little: Two Sides of the New Orleans Coin Rock and roll opened new markets for New Orleans musicians. These musicians did not see rock and roll as new—they had been playing it all along marked the emergence of two rock and roll giants—Fats Domino and Little Richard.

Fats and Little: Two Sides of the New Orleans Coin Fats Domino was a “hometown hero” and had a solid R&B career before crossing over to pop with “Ain’t That a Shame.” Little Richard,from Georgia, was sent to capture the sound of New Orleans. Their styles were completely different. Domino straddled the rock/R&B line; Richard jumped across it without hesitation.

Fats Domino Born Antoine Domino on May 10, Success of the song “The Fat Man” made him an R&B star; “Ain’t That a Shame” helped him cross over to the pop charts. He did not display the rebellious energy of Richard—instead, Domino always maintained that his music was R&B.

Fats Domino (2) Domino was a “safe” musician. There was nothing in his music that parents found objectionable. This low-key image helped him climb the charts when other black artists couldn’t. Domino ranked behind Elvis and Pat Boone in consistent sales during the 1950’s.

“The Fat Man” Domino was one of nine children—and the only one to pursue music. He dropped out of school at 14, and almost lost several fingers in a factory accident. This resulted in his “chord-style” playing. He was discovered in 1949 by Imperial Records.

“The Fat Man” (2) “The Fat Man” made the R&B top ten in Domino hit #1 on the R&B charts in 1952 with “Goin’ Home.” Domino would have several more hits during the 1950’s—including “Please Don’t Leave Me.” (This was later covered by the Johnny Burnette Trio.)

“Ain’t That a Shame” This song moved Domino into the pop charts in “Ain’t That a Shame” was firmly rooted in the New Orleans R&B style. Also includes a solo on saxophone— which would become a Domino standard. #1 on the R&B and #10 on the pop charts.

Fats Domino: Rock and Roll Star “Blueberry Hill” released in Domino wanted to do the song—but Dave Bartholomew had doubts. Bartholomew encouraged Imperial president Lew Chudd to pull the recording. In fact, Domino’s recording had sold over 2 million records in just two weeks!

Fats Domino: Rock and Roll Star (2) “Blue Monday” was a 1957 hit for Domino. This song is an extreme contrast to the calm style of Domino—this is a much more energetic song. Domino was very mindful of his audience—teenagers. He kept clear of suggestive material and even re-recorded some songs at dance tempos.

Walking to New Orleans Domino was one of the few “founding fathers” of rock to escape the 1950’s free of scandal. 1960’s “Walking to New Orleans” was his last Top Ten Hit—an appropriate “goodbye.” His popularity was beginning to decline.

Walking to New Orleans (2) Domino moved from Imperial to ABC Records in He moved to Mercury in 1965 and Reprise at the end of the 1960’s. His popularity never recovered, and he ended his recording career in obscurity. He continued to be a popular live performer.

Little Richard Little Richard is considered to have “ripped” through the boundaries of “good taste.” Richard shared many traits with Fats Domino. However, their “musical” personalities were complete opposites.

Little Richard (2) Little Richard also had much in common with Jerry Lee Lewis. Richard suffered from a guilty conscience regarding his religious upbringing & rock. Little Richard surprised and upset many parents with his music. In fact, many R&B fans were also upset.

Background: Macon to New Orleans Born Richard Penniman on December 5, 1932, in Macon Georgia. Was one of 12 children in a very religious family. Family listened to Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and others—but not R&B. Ran away from home at age 13.

Background: Macon to New Orleans (2) While on the streets, Little Richard was taken in by a couple who owned a club. He was allowed to practice on the stage at night. He won a talent contest and received a recording contract with RCA. His recordings were not successful at RCA—or at Peacock Records. By 1955, he was a dishwasher back in Macon.

“Tutti Frutti” Richard’s big break came when he was invited to audition for Specialty Records. Little Richard’s was associated with New Orleans because that was where he recorded for Specialty Records. His first recording session was unsuccessful—and it was called off early.

“Tutti Frutti” (2) While everyone from the session was at a bar called the Dew Drop Inn, Little Richard went to the piano and screamed out some rhyming obscenities. The record studio manager knew he had heard the “real Little Richard.” A local songwriter was called in to clean up the words—and “Tutti Frutti” was born.

“Tutti Frutti” (3) “Tutti Frutti” was very upsetting to parents. However, teenagers drove the record to #17 on the pop charts and #2 on the R&B charts. The impact of “Tutti Frutti” was affected by Pat Boone’s “sanitized” cover. But, Richards next hit, “Long Tall Sally,” hit the Top Ten and outsold Boone’s cover.

The Specialty Years “Long Tall Sally” proved to be the symbolic end of the cover era. “Keep A-Knockin’” was recorded in a Washington, D.C. radio station during a tour break. “Lucille” sounds more like Fats Domino than Little Richard. “Good Golly Miss Molly” IS Little Richard.

“Ooh! My Soul” At the height of his career, Little Richard suddenly announced he was giving up his rock career to “go back to God.” There were several factors which influenced Richard’s decision. He enrolled in the Oakwood Bible College and disappeared from music for 6 years. Specialty continued to release his music.

“Ooh! My Soul” (2) Little Richard agreed to perform again on a tour of Europe and England— provided he only sang gospel songs. He received a “lukewarm” response. His pride and competitive nature overwhelmed his religious convictions, and he began to work on a comeback.

“Ooh! My Soul” (3) His attempt at a comeback failed. His 1964 song “Bama Lama, Bama Loo” sounded too much like an “oldie” and didn’t catch on with listeners. Little Richard would fluctuate between rock and God through the 1970’s and 1980’s. He now speaks openly of the problems he faced with drugs and money.

New Orleans in the Soul Era New Orleans music adapted to the softening pop sounds. However, it still retained the characteristic “New Orleans” sound. Many artists owed their success to the work done in New Orleans. Many small labels started in New Orleans, but didn’t last past the 1960’s.

New Orleans in the Soul Era (2) Minit Records was founded in Allen Toussaint was the leader of the studio’s session band. The first hit for Minit Records was Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” in Other important songs were “Mother-in- Law” and “Fortune Teller.”

New Orleans in the Soul Era (3) The arrival of the Beatles brought most of New Orleans music operations to a halt. There were artists who emerged after the British Invasion, but New Orleans was very slow to respond to the change in music. The sound of New Orleans lives on in the city’s clubs and festivals.