Biography
26 January 1934, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Pianist Smith drew his pulsating style from a variety of musical sources, including the boogie-woogie of Albert Ammons and jazz of Jelly Roll Morton. Having served in bands led by Earl King and Eddie ‘Guitar Slim’ Jones, Smith became a respected session musician before embarking on an independent recording career. Leading his own group, the Clowns, which at its peak included Gerry Hall, Eugene Francis, Billy Roosevelt and vocalist Bobby Marchan, he achieved two million-selling singles in 1957 with ‘Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu’ and ‘Don’t You Just Know It’. Both releases showcased classic New Orleans rhythms as well as the leader’s vibrant, percussive technique. The pianist was also featured on ‘Sea Cruise’, a 1959 smash for Frankie Ford, whose speeded-up vocal was overdubbed onto an existing Clowns tape. However, despite other excellent releases,...
Read the Full Biography of Huey "Piano" Smith
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