Monday, January 21, 2013

WHY MESS WITH IT?

Did you know James "Sugarboy" Crawford passed away in September? You do know Crawford, right? He's the "Jock-A-Mo" guy, the guy who wrote it, the song known to many as "Iko, Iko" by the Dixie Cups and about a thousand others. The Dixie Cups basically stole it. His version, the first, is the real New Orleans thing. It's one of those few dozen or so songs that make up the A-list of New Orleans R & B oldies.

I'm not going to go on and on, because the links below do a much more thorough job than I would. First, head over to the Home of the Groove. Their post is a lengthy bio, with a lot of Crawford's music. (Left click the song song titles highlighted in orange. A few are YouTube links, and a couple are dead, but most are mp3s). For a shorter, more concise profile, check the obituary at Offbeat. They also have a good dissection of the song "Iko Iko" itself. If you're staying put, the three songs below are from Crawfords "Jock-A-Mo" era band, the Cane Cutters, and only one features him on vocals. The other vocal cut features the Snooks Eaglin, the guitarist in his band, on vocals. The third song "Night Rider" is a whopper, a real bad ass slice of instrumental New Orleads R & B.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~ 
Listen: 
Snooks Eaglin and the Cane Cutters - You Call Everybody Sweetheart mp3 at Home of the Groove
The Cane Cutters - Night Rider mp3 at Home of the Groove 
Visit:
Sugarboy From Sugar Town - James "Sugarboy" Crawford, bio and many songs at Home of the Groove
James "Sugarboy" Crawford - Obituary at Offbeat
Iko Iko: In Search of Jockomo at Offbeat

2 comments:

camelwalk said...

Great post man. Love that RnB

Tom G. said...

Heya Camelwalk, thanks for stopping by! I believe I owe you another beer.