Jack Neely reports in The Scruffy Citizen. (Thoroughly appreciate Cheryl Anne Grace‘s artistic rendition of Booker and my other favourite characters Ernie K-Doe, Fats, Allen Toussaint and Mr. Okra). Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James BookerCheryl Anne GraceJames Bookermusicnew orleans
I’ve been anticipating seeing this for quite some time now and today was the day. The DVD packaging is superb and of course features a “who’s who” of the NOLA music scene. Two of my favorite clips include the 1973 Don Kirshner Rock Concert with Mac, the Harry Connick Sr. (and 12 y.o. Jr.) segments, and the Scott Billington segment featuring…
Now that Bayou Maharajah has had an airing at the ultimately inconsequential bricks and mortar “vanity marketing” film festivals (good for the CV but not for the bank account) and other miscellaneous one-off showings, the broader populace can now view this documentary via the usual streaming outlets. It’s such a shame that they all have the…
As ugly as a teenage millionaire pretending it’s a whizz kid world You’ll take me aside, and say “Well, David, what shall I do? They wait for me in the hallway” I’ll say “don’t ask me, I don’t know any hallways” But they move in numbers and they’ve got me in a corner I feel…
A black, gay, one-eyed junkie genius born on this day. Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James BookerJames Bookernew orleanspianoScott Billington
How do you know when a song is finished? This is the key question for a producer — the answer lies with the idea that may best be described as an “intimation,” something that only comes with a deep understanding of a given tradition. Listen to this chat with Scott Billington arguably one of the best recording producers…
It is often claimed that the Bartholomew/Domino song “The Fat Man” was the first or one of the first rock ‘n roll records. Whatever, it was recorded on this date 66 years ago at the legendary J&M Studio. What I didn’t know is that it’s a variation on “Junker’s Blues” which in turn apparently morphed into “Junco Partner”.…
Died on this day — without doubt one of the greats. No one has ever played the piano like Booker. In an email referring to the new deluxe Classified record, Harry Connick Jr. put it like this: “This CD is yet another example of the powerful genius of a unique and complex mind. I hear joy…
Some background here and here. The very excellent musicologist Jon Cleary on Booker: boogie woogiegrateful deadJames Bookerjerry garciajon clearymusicpiano
Given Wayne’s age and life it’s highly probable that he died in complete obscurity quite some time ago. Anyway as you can see in his Wiki entry, he led quite the life. I can hear now why only someone like James Booker and Wayne himself gave the song such heartfelt authenticity (it has been covered…
manwithoutqualities 