Rock and Roll; Renegades

A little bit about me. Why do you think it was the. Record of New Orleans what was so special about it. Well they tell me that was one of the most I don't know how you would place it but. That was one that where everybody came even from over seas to recall what he had. All kinds of. Equipment. And it was. I don't know look like a barn but it was you know it was sound the acoustics you didn't have that to worry about in me. People that came there to record. They liked it. And so when they came to New Orleans. And they got in touch read Kosmo. Say that they wanted to use his studio. And that's how it came about. They have a.

Way out. I tell you they had guys who knew what they were doing. Like Edgar Blanchard one that was a lead guitar. They had retired are Lee Allen and I'm telling you when they got together you had something they want to make noise today you know you don't know who's doing what. But. They had. Those guys who would stay around and you and I have you brought you along here and it was all right but they put wind up good. The Alabama coast they really knew what they were doing and today I don't know if he's working. But the last time I was in California he was still at the you know ladder toward you know a little bit. I mean I think. Little Richard is saying

well he's like a stout came from the church. But. This is my ass saying that when God gave you a talent. Look at him. You can do whatever you want to do. But those songs that would be in a song The End. Most times as related to people because they had such a hard time believing. You know. And then unload. It. But you know they didn't get how to get a gun and go shoot you cause I fell in love with him and he got somebody else. But. It. Sounds like. When Johnny Adams. I wrote I will cry sitting under a tree. And I was very upset with my boyfriend. When.

I. Would yell but I am going back to to do fruity now. Songs like that. Was songs it. Was so staring. You know Richard saying. So stirring songs like from. They used to have a gospel choir. And I think the Richard used to lead in this. And the young man could really sing. And a lot of it was taken from the church and placed into rock'n'roll. But I never did take the songs from the church and place into rock and roll it only came because of what I heard when I wrote it. It's just Sunday morning.

Not exactly. You mean in those days. Where. Not to mean that exactly. They wrote songs that were. With the feeling. Of fans how they live didn't it. We. See today you compare yesterday with today. And you find out you don't have to worry because you make six or seven hundred dollars and think nothing of it. But when you made it to you Are you a Dylan sacking. My Dell may have took me more than who you would take 25 dollars a day and go and spend it. For a whole month. Because I knew how to. Maneuver. Take my hair and make it go a long ways. So you were saying tell me who

was saying a lot of fairly nasty homie rest in his day and he would sing a dirty blues to make your hair curl. And I couldn't take it. So I began to tell them about some of the songs that blues songs for us for to do fruity it was already done. But. I wrote a lot a lot of songs. I mean we do YOU know about how to create a richer record. I had told you in 15 minutes I sat down and wrote the food in a car and I asked him what he like I listen to his voice and I sat down and I wrote it in other words our reading hey it's the. The title of it because like I say it. When my girlfriend and I went to the drug store and I want to vanilla ice cream she said I got a new one. So is said to do what I said already so I got a song that I would own back in my mind I want

to know. But when the time came and I went to the studio. Like I see it I. Went into the room by myself in a corner. And I wrote to her fruity. When I came back out and he stood at the piano I never set out on the play never Hey. And not that I've ever seen him sit down. He went bang and bam and then. And I took the song up and begin a saying I want bomb and I'm up alone bam boom to Seattle saying no song come through. So he couldn't take me away from mine. And. When I come to fan out to see him two or three people had written to to prove yes it could. But then the troupe. Went because most cold him Kosi to CA's mode and I didn't write it because my was do and it caused me to D to be where I met because Mo Colo. group in California and I got in touch with me

and my mother had had a stroke. And I said to him he say you need some money. He said Did you wrote that song I listened to see you says. How much money would you. And I thought 50 of our bottom money has actually been you 15 I have no he say you look for $500 in a moment. And he sent me $500. And then next week you sent another 520 sent me the big check I got two thousand four hundred fifty four dollars and seventy cents as me and I paid a same thing out. And it's been years. It was my first big chip. That I got. For you today. Thank you. We just thought. That was you know sweet. A fifth of our bottom half sack and you 15 I have no he say you look for $500 in the moment.

And he sent me $500. And then next week you sent another 520 sent me the big check I got two thousand four hundred fifty four dollars and seventy cents as me and up to you the same thing out it might be in yours. It was my first big chip. That I got. From you through to you. Now. After Richard recorded through the receipt did write to me about that was not. Something that you welcomed or was or did you feel that you really wrote for the record works. No not exactly because I've been around a studio and talking with different people they come from all around the world. They said Girl you've got something in a time Pat Boone wanted.

And then Ma 3. And then here come Elvis Presley. And then here comes to us and I'm calling everyone I'm saying. That. Had a poetry in it. And I just right now I can't really recall of just how many but I know quite a few. I dabbled in it but every time I sing it I get paid. How did you feel that was something unusual was happening musically in the country with people like Elvis Presley still recording his rhythm and blues songs that used to be just you know music if you want to. Yes there was a change and in the change.

I'm speaking from my point of view. That they wanted to do the black songs because that was what was he. At that time you know he used to have big bands. And. Glenn Miller and all of them you know soul that that was a rage. Now young lady is singing all of the songs and they yell at me and sing a love song but that wasn't doing too much. So when they came in to the rock n roll area Pat Boone. Well it wasn't too much. And God bless him. But he knew that he was getting something over and that his money was. Elvis Presley was a big hit. So he knew he could do. It. Martha Raye was a comedian but she was out there so hear everything she did was like yeah. So every hit it was that was a hit.

Don't we just a little bit about what you remember about Fats Domino in those days back in the early fifties. So many you know what was great about his music. It. Where he stabbed you. You have a stab. And it took him over to where all the costs of blueberry healing. And songs that he sang have forgotten so many albums. And. His staff. Nobody could do his stuff. So. That's how he made it to the top. What do you. Want to ask you a little bit more about Cosmos studio. How will you remember when you first went in there. Who would who would you see. What was the

atmosphere like was it energy were people. We let him down and I let go and let them think but you know when you go in and you could feel a warm it because most type of person you could reach from any way any angle you know if you was black it's alright you're as white as steel right he just knew how to mingle and to make you feel warm make you feel wanted. You know I just loved him because he was a beautiful person. We stay deciding. What about Richard was you know for. Sure. That way. This whale Richard was a woman certainly instances so you know. Yes it was a great guy having me put it that way to me for music. You know if he were more oh. How do you think rock'n'roll.

Well this for Zach can relate to it and I was a younger kid and heels of Kentucky. I could hear on the radio but we really wasn't rock n roll the cosmos the way I want where I came from was he'll be only. And then when I left home I went to Alabama. Let's listen. That's where you get to trend of rock n roll. I mean the blues. From Alabama and Mississippi where I would go to Jackson Mississippi down in my Reedy Mississippi those places where people had such a hard time as I see it and they would they would give out their dance in song. You couldn't fight what was going on not me. So you get in a corner and make up a song get over a bull or whatever it may be.

And it was Sayid but beautiful. And if you didn't see who the first rock n roll. Musician you'd really call rock n roll. Roy Brown. Now knows that he's going to get in a room with. Well to me Roy Brown was the first of rock'n'roll that I felt that really hated rock n roll to. A point where the young people really got together and had a good time with the jitterbug and this was one of the dances. The Jitterbug. And. Then when Little Richard came along. So yeah. It was another environment. Yeah don't bomb up a lot. Bam boom. It does didn't come in with

Dr. Brown's. But it was beautiful. But this was a regional. Yeah I remember one another. I can't think right now I haven't. It hit me just now and you just told me to pay still. But this guy wrote he wrote a song and. Sold it for $50 and made 50 million. Rock'n'roll. And I can't thank you exactly what the song is now. I really could get it together. I could tell you what it's been so yeah. And they worked out a friend paying us. That's way. Out of the draft yes and. Well in my later years. Being young I didn't go there when you reach here but later I would go to the club and sit down I never was a drinker but I would go in and listen to

like Big Mama Thornton and into Jang and all of the singers would come near Frank Pena. It was a hit in that. Plan you put something in that to do trap. Right. Thank you.

Right now we're rolling. Let's start out. Maybe you can just help us get around 950 early 50s. What was going on musically that was starting starting to change her name toward the new. Well when I was a kid in New Orleans during that period I say 49 50. Lloyd Jordan Charles Brown Amos Milburn. Smother Lewis was on the scene. Fats Domino had just started a record had a local record called Fat Man and was the big man in town and I had a little local band out in Kenner which is like seven miles out of New

Orleans. My little brother Leo and I and we played all the local problems and the local clubs and the area of Kenner. And we sort of like by not being musicians qualified musicians. We played things that we actually peer from the heart and the music was changing. What happened was we heard a record by Billy Ward I think in a domino. Roy Brown. Mr. Google eyes started to change from the big bands from the earth going Hawkins and from Roy Milton and of course the Jimmy leggins and his brother T-Bone Walker Peewee Crayton. And this was the music was listened to and Muddy Waters was slipping into the John Lee Hooker and another guy called Mayberry. But the biggest change of all during that period was Rock Around

The Clock in 1901 by Bill Haley. Some white boys planned rhythm but there was juice and precious stuff like that and that was magic the biggest change in my generation you know. All right. And of course during that period I had I had a new car in town my brother was being shipped to Korea and he gave me a new down a road mass the Buick was bigger than the mayor's car. So we were able to listen to radio because I had the car. And I would listen to the music that we liked and the names that I just named would come from Nashville Tennessee. I had about John R. or Bernie's record Mark. But we had to wait til 10:30 11:00 o'clock at night to hear this music and we listened

to it and then doing it period end the day time there was like two o'clock in the evening until 3:00. 230 we would hear Papa stop and another jockey called Ernie to whip me. I think Jack ticket again Jack the cat. Papa stop and Jack Jack the cat was beginning to play rhythm and blues records but they played a lot of country and western music as well. So did play one of two you might hear Louis Jordan you might hear Louis Armstrong you might hear Duke Ellington and all at that same time as he was on air number one is it was race music. And you did not hear. There was no charts and there were no rhythm and blues there were actually the songs had no titles and we would just it was called Music of course I forgot a great guy during that time Nat King Cole and three

Blazers was coming along and that was again new music. It didn't really have a format it just was thrown in and called music. But that's exactly what it was. Tell me about well before we get to that tell me a little bit in terms of why. Oh well the kind of music that we're talking about in terms of now known as a rhythm and blues and rock and roll know why people didn't listen to it because it was not around what they listened to. If it was black it would have been Louis Armstrong probably Ella Fitzgerald saying in a way with Ben Crosby and that kind of stuff was called Black music. I don't even think base it was considered black music Duke Ellington was a white Cab

Calloway was considered a white music but played by blacks. And of course she had the woody Herman's and things like that it was no mix. The only thing that was integrated at that time was the radio band. And that was about it. There was no us. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. The only thing integrated during that period of what I'm speaking of now and music terms was the radio band there was no such thing as black and whites getting together. You know.