Edgar Blanchard - "Let's Get It" - Ric, 1958

Today we've got a 45 from Edgar Blanchard, a New Orleans guitar legend! Edgar had a hand in hundreds of recordings as a performer or arranger in the 50's and 60's.  This man was a pivotal player in the NOLA RnB scene, to be sure.

Edgar was born on August 17, 1924 in Grosse Tete, LA.  Early on his family moved to New Orleans, and early on Edgar began playing guitar. It's rumored the man was gigging when he was barely in his teens! After a stint in WWII, he came back home and got to work studying music seriously at Grunewald's. The Gondoliers were formed in short order and began performing around the city by the late 40's. Around '49 or so, The Gondoliers put out their first single, "Creole Gal Blues" with Edgar on vocal duties. 

Get it, Edgar!

The Gondoliers faded and the name was revived later with a new lineup, but Edgar was gigging and recording all along, playing with the likes of Roy Brown, Little Richard, Professor Longhair, Ray Charles, and many many more.  One record in my collection on which he appears is a personal fav, Eddie Bo's "Oh-Oh" on Chess. Edgar drops a rockin' solo here that would make Eddie Cochran proud. 

We don't talk 78s here, but this one is a monster

Today's 45 may have been one of the first on the Ric label, I don't note any earlier in the discographies I've seen. I've selected a piece out the middle where Edgar mixes it up on this fine instrumental.
In the 60's Edgar began to have health issues that interfered with his touring.  In 1972, Edgar Blanchard passed away suddenly from a heart attack.
We've talked a bit about Ric before here on the blog, but you can also check my Wikipedia article here for more info.  You'll note Joe Ruffino, the label owner, is credited on this 45 but I'm certain that reflects just a business arrangement rather than a musical one.
And of course, the clip:

Eddie Bo - "Tell Me Why" - Apollo, 1956

For the fourth and last installment in my series of posts on Eddie Bo, I thought we'd change up the styles again.  Eddie Bo put out many flavors of tunes over his career, so why not sample a few.  We heard how Eddie can Rock, we heard some very New Orleans R&B flavor, and we heard some glorious Funk.  So today we've got a bluesy ballad for ya. "Tell me why?" Eddie demands to know. "Why did you do this to me?" Getting your heart broken sure does hurt, but boy some good music can come of it.
Based in New York City, Apollo Records was started by Ike and Bess Berman in 1945.  Although the label initially put out music in a variety of styles, they settled on R&B in the early fifties and are particularly remembered for vocal R&B groups like The Five Royals and The Larks. I believe the label folded in '59.

Curley Moore & The Kool Ones - "Shelley's Rubber Band" - House of Fox, 1970(?)

This week's 45 is yet another in the series of Eddie Bo records.  Although credited to "Curley Moore And The Kool Ones", this one's got Eddie Bo all over it.  Great funk for the dancefloor, with some springy reverb used to amp up that rubber band groove.  There's a tune by the Meters called "Stretch Your Rubberband" and a tune by Eddie Bo called "The Rubber Band" - was this a dance?

Check out this post at Funky 16 corners for some info on Curley Moore, I actually don't own any other 45s by him but I'm on the lookout.
I couldn't find any info on the House of the Fox label, or Leian Rogers Enterprises.  Please pass it along if you have some!
Now get funky!

Eddie Bo - "Tell It Like It Is" - Ric Records, 1960

This is the second post in our series of Eddie Bo 45s, check this post for biographical info on Eddie Bo, and check the "bocage" tag for all the posts.
"Tell It Like It Is" is one of my favorites, Eddie Bo perfectly captures that New Orleans parade vibe and the music forces you to march around the dancefloor.
Ric Records was a New Orleans record label active in the early 60s that released tunes from most of the local RnB artists of the day.  For detailed info, peep the Wikipedia article I authored here, and check this link for a complete discography.
Now let's take it to the streets!

Eddie Bo - "I Love To Rock And Roll" - Ace, 1958

How is it possible I haven't covered an Eddie Bo record here yet?  This guy was a giant, seriously one of the most under-appreciated musicians to come out of New Orleans.  And to say he was prolific is an understatement - he easily put out over 50 singles, writing/arranging/performing for most of his adult life. I have a grip of his releases, but instead of posting them all today I thought I'd institute  a "bocage" tag and post one every now and then. So let's do this!

Edwin Bocage was born on Sept 20th, 1930, and was raised in New Orleans, Algiers and the 9th Ward to be specific. Many of the male members of his family labored by day, but were musicians by night; and his mother was a self-taught pianist and friend to Professor Longhair.  After a short stint in the Army, Eddie came back to New Orleans and studied music at the Grundwald School. First starting in Jazz, he soon moved into the exploding RnB scene.
After his first recorded performance, a single for Ace Records  (Al Collins' "I Got The Blues For You Baby") in '55, Eddie Bo began releasing a steady stream of material - a long streak of music that spanned over 40 different labels and as many years.

There were only a few chart hits - "Check Mr Popeye" (a novelty dance tune that spawned a dance to rival the twist in NOLA) and "Hook And Sling" (a drum-heavy funk monster) were probably the biggest. He passed away after a heart attack on March 18, 2009. It pains me to think that I was in New Orleans a few times when he was alive and never made it to his "Check Your Bucket" club. Today's tune is a dancefloor Rock tune that showcases Eddie Bo's wild side at it's best.
Johnny Vincent started Ace Records in 1955 after getting his start at Specialty Records.  Headquartered in Jackson, MS, Ace released plenty of important New Orleans RnB and Blues, featuring such artists as Earl King, Frankie Ford, Jimmy Clanton, Huey "Piano" Smith, Joe Tex, Scotty McKay and Bobby Marchan. I believe Ace went under when it's distributor VeeJay did, in '66.
For further reading on Eddie Bo, check out his offical site for the biography, but record hounds need to check this amazing site which illustrates Eddie Bo's discography nicely.
And of course, the clip: