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Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans

The original book cover, showing Fats Domino, and the 1970s New Orleans skyline. Courtesy John Broven

By John Broven

My first book, “Walking to New Orleans: The Story of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues,” was published Aug. 9, 1974. That’s 50 long years ago. The anniversary has triggered memories of my original research, the book’s impact and my subsequent journey from England to live in the United States.

The title was inspired by Fats Domino’s big 1960 hit — although his most famous record was “Blueberry Hill.”

An Englishman walking to New Orleans? It had a nice surreal ring.

Importantly, I discovered early on there was an untold story ready to be documented, namely the rise and fall of New Orleans R&B in the rock ‘n’ roll era (1945-70). The city’s vibrant R&B scene was a successor to its proud jazz heritage. My coverage extended beyond the artists, to include record people, session men, disc jockeys, distributors, jukebox operators, clubs and the musicians’ union, to give a rounded picture of the local music industry.

With the passing of time, very few of the original interviewees are still alive, which makes the preservation of their stories even more satisfying. The interview tapes and associated files are now lodged with my record collection, at the Library of Congress.

I had made my magical debut journey to the United States in April 1970, when transatlantic travel was an expensive luxury. Mike Leadbitter, my mentor and co-founder of Blues Unlimited — the first international blues magazine — and Robin Gosden, of Flyright Records, completed our small party.

We started out in New Orleans, then traveled through south Louisiana, up to Shreveport, Louisiana, across to Jackson, Mississippi, and then north, to Memphis, Chicago and New York. All locations had strong blues, (and more,) connections, as we observed the cultural and social conditions, firsthand. It was the time of good old-fashioned, shoe-leather journalism, when pen and notebook ruled.

Writing the book

On our return home, Leadbitter inquired pointedly if I was going to write a book. After asking on what subject, he retorted, “You’ve just been to New Orleans, haven’t you?”

The fuse had been lit.

And so, in the early 1970s I began assembling material for a first draft while, still, working full time in bank management. With the notable exception of Charlie Gillett’s seminal, “The Sound of the City,” there were few books covering any genre of rock ’n’ roll at the time.

The big breakthrough came in 1972, when Leadbitter arranged an interview in London for us with Dr. John, then making waves as the “Night Tripper” of voodoo rock.

The good doctor proved to be a walking encyclopedia of New Orleans R&B, much preferring to shed light on forgotten artists and musicians, as well as discussing hallowed sessions at Cosimo Matassa’s recording studios, than promote his own career.

With the first draft completed, I made another trip to New Orleans, for further interviews, to consolidate my initial research. It was spring 1973, just when the Nixon Watergate scandal was brewing.

In the introduction to the first edition, I recorded my excitement at approaching New Orleans by plane and thinking, “Could it be down there, that Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Huey Smith, Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey and a whole host of talented musicians, made their names and actually live?”

Pre-Hurricane Katrina, most original, New Orleans R&B performers were still living in town so it was relatively easy to track them down — aided by my New Orleans friend and driver, James La Rocca, of course. The interviewees willingly told their rich stories into what was a, comparatively, new invention — a tape recorder.

Publication

On my return, I set about transcribing the interviews, and incorporating the best bits into the existing draft.

Simon Napier, the other co-founder of Blues Unlimited, suggested that the magazine should publish “Walking to New Orleans.”

We ordered an optimistic 3,000 copies, including 500 hardbacks, from the magazine’s professional printer. Our marketing strategy — if it could be described as such — was that Blues Unlimited had just over 2,000 subscribers, who were so interested in Black music, that half of them would buy the book to cover the outlay.

Amazingly, it worked.

John Broven at a book signing. Photo by Diane Wattekamps.

We sold a thousand copies by November 1974 and easily recouped our investment. That was the month Mike Leadbitter, such a visionary blues researcher, died of meningitis, at the tragically young age of 32.

The book’s reviews were universally favorable, (almost).

For promotion, I was a guest on two BBC radio shows, including “Honky Tonk,” hosted by Charlie Gillett, on Aug. 4, 1974. I nervously asked Gillett what his first question was going to be, to which he replied, “I don’t know, whatever comes to my head.” Luckily, the New Orleans records we played spoke for themselves.

A year or so later, out of the blue, Milburn Calhoun, owner of Pelican Publishing Co., in Gretna, Louisiana, asked if he could license the book for the U.S. We knew he would be able to hit markets that we ourselves could not possibly touch, such as the New Orleans tourist shops, and the Louisiana educational system.

But Calhoun insisted that the title be changed in spite of the self-explanatory subtitle — to my regret.

He said that “Americans” would not understand the title, “Walking to New Orleans.” And so the book became the simplistic “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans” (1978.) In the pre-internet era, it wasn’t a problem, but over time, there was modest confusion about the same book having different titles.

The great thing is that Pelican has kept the book in print until now. Its reception was good enough for Pelican to commission another book, “South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous” (1983,) detailing the local Cajun, zydeco, swamp blues, hillbilly and swamp pop music scenes.

In 2016, Pelican published an updated third edition of “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,” and followed with an updated “South to Louisiana,” which won a 2020 ARSC award for “Best History in Recorded Country, Folk, or Roots Music.”

Oh, and yes. “Walking to New Orleans” was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011, as a Classic of Blues Literature. The various editions of the book have sold in excess of 25,000 copies.

The book’s legacy

It is hard for me to be objective about the legacy of “Walking to New Orleans.” What I can say is that by documenting and preserving stories, it brought a spotlight on many overlooked artists and musicians. Quite a few enjoyed resurrected careers. With the record reissue market in its infancy, the book helped to open up a back catalog of New Orleans R&B recordings on LP, and then, compact disc.

Remember, this was decades before music was just click away on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and the like.   

I was delighted when local researchers Tad Jones, Jeff Hannusch and Rick Coleman, took up the challenge to explore the New Orleans R&B scene, in even greater depth, with their later books.

Further support in the city came from Wavelength, and then Offbeat magazines, not to mention Radio WWOZ, the Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Ponderosa Stomp.

“Walking to New Orleans” and “South to Louisiana” led me to write many liner notes for record companies — first for LPs, then for CDs. The books served as calling cards that led to my commission as a compilation consultant for Ace Records in London, from 1991 to 2006.

This experience paved the way for writing “Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneers,” (University of Illinois Press, 2009), where I interviewed influential record men and women, who launched the indie record business in the post-World War II years. Again, almost all the interviewees are dead, but oh what stories they had to tell.

Over the years, I have spoken at conferences from New Orleans to Los Angeles, and even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The cherry on the cake was meeting my wife, Shelley, through the Ace Records connection — her father owned Golden Crest Records, out of Huntington Station — and starting a new life on Long Island.

I was living the English Dream and American Dream at the same time. What a journey it has been — and to think, it all started 50 years ago!

John Broven of East Setauket is a copyeditor with TBR News Media. In celebration of the book’s 50th anniversary, Jasmine Records in the U.K. has released a double CD “Walking to New Orleans: An Aural Accompaniment” (available on Amazon).

TBR News Media proofreader John Broven, left, recently received an award for his work as a rhythm and blues researcher and author. Above, Broven is pictured with Cyril Vetter and Deacon John at the Nov. 16 awards ceremony. Photo by David Normand

The Three Village area is brimming with talented residents, including a renowned music researcher and author who received a prestigious award this month.

John Broven, an East Setauket resident and TBR News Media proofreader, received the Slim Harpo Music Award in the Legend category Nov. 16 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The awards are named after the late musician James Moore, whose stage name was Slim Harpo. The Louisiana swamp blues man’s first song was 1957’s “I’m a King Bee,” which was covered by the Rolling Stones. A few years later, Harpo had hits with “Rainin’ in My Heart” and “Baby Scratch My Back,” according to Broven, and other British bands covered his music including the Kinks and Them with Van Morrison.

“He became quite a figurehead of the British R&B boom in the early 1960s,” Broven said.

A native of Kent, England, Broven is the author of “Record Makers and Breakers,” “Rhythm & Blues in New Orleans” and “South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous.” In the latter two books, the author delved into Louisiana swamp blues, and in “South to Louisiana” he went into depth about Harpo’s career.

In the 1990s, while a consultant with Ace Records in London, Broven was responsible for transferring Harpo’s master tapes to CD which resulted in a three CD set release of the musician’s songs. The author said he never had the opportunity to meet Harpo due to the musician’s death at the age of 46 in 1970, a few months before Broven arrived in Baton Rouge to conduct research.

“The thousands of people who have read his books come in contact with Slim Harpo as a result of him and that is one of the reasons we chose him as our legend this year, because he’s been doing this sort of research for 40, 50 years now.”

— Johnny Palazzotto

“He was on the point of becoming an international star when he died in 1970,” Broven said.

The author said he was surprised when he was told that he was chosen for the award a few months ago.

“It’s great that Baton Rouge is preserving its history and keeping Slim’s name alive, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s an honor to be considered for this award,” he said.

Broven added that about 200 people attended the event, that also raises money for music education in schools and included a jam session with legendary rhythm and blues musicians such as Henry Gray, Carol Fran and Deacon John. Broven was introduced by Baton Rouge media entrepreneur Cyril Vetter.

Johnny Palazzotto, who is a member of the Slim Harpo Music Awards committee, said the board consists of nine members and includes Harpo’s stepson, William Gambler.

“We look for and search out people who have shown appreciation for his work, and not just for Slim’s, but Louisiana music in general,” Palazzotto said.

He said Broven was the ideal choice for the award, because the author is both a fan of Harpo’s work and Louisiana music.

“The thousands of people who have read his books come in contact with Slim Harpo as a result of him and that is one of the reasons we chose him as our legend this year, because he’s been doing this sort of research for 40, 50 years now,” Palazzotto said.

Broven is currently working on a revision of “South to Louisiana,” which will be released in 2018. The author said continuing to spread the word about regional roots music is important to him.

“The blues artists came out of the segregated South, and they did it by using their own talents,” Broven said. “It’s great to see this talent recognized not only by established musicians but also by young musicians who can learn so much from these first-generation artists.”

The author with famous New Orleans R&B record producers Harold Battiste, left, and Wardell Quezergue, right, in 2010. Photo from John Broven

By Rita Egan

For those who meet John Broven, if they ask the proofreader at the Times Beacon Record Newspapers questions about his past, the mild-mannered Englishman may treat them to stories about the old-time record industry. For those who don’t have the opportunity to meet the music historian, there are his three books: “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,” “South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous” and “Record Makers and Breakers.”

Recently Broven had the opportunity to greatly revise and republish his first book “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,” which was originally published in the United States in 1978 and under the title “Walking to New Orleans: The Story of R&B New Orleans” in Great Britain in 1974. 

Selling more than 20,000 copies initially and inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the book is a comprehensive history of the local rhythm and blues industry filled with information about the careers of icons such as Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John and many more. A great deal of the material is derived from interviews that the author conducted himself.

Broven said it was about three years ago when the publisher, Pelican Books, approached him about updating the book. While he kept the paperback to the basic rhythm and blues period of the 1940s to the 1960s, it gave him a chance to update the basic information as well as incorporate several post-1974 interviews. This edition is significantly different from the original publication.

“The book is still very well respected, and I’m very pleased it’s given me the chance to say: Well, this is as up to date and as good as I can get it,” he said.

The cover of Broven’s book. Photo from John Broven
The cover of Broven’s book. Photo from John Broven

Rhythm and blues has filled the author’s life since his early years growing up in England. Broven said he started collecting records as a teenager and was fortunate to go to school with Mike Leadbitter, who launched the publication Blues Unlimited in 1963 along with another schoolmate Simon Napier.

He described Leadbitter as a great visionary, and when he and Napier formed the magazine, he asked Broven if he would like to write for them. The writer said he had no experience at the time and Leadbitter said to him: “You have all these records, write about them.”

It was the first international blues magazine, and Broven said he was in the right place at the right time. When the writer traveled to the United States with Leadbitter in 1970, they discovered numerous American artists who they felt were being forgotten.

Leadbitter said to him: “Why don’t you write a book?” The author said the original edition centered more around Fats Domino, who Broven described as “a great American success story.”

Broven said he is happy he had the opportunity to write about the genre. “In general I find that Americans just don’t realize what an impact their music has had overseas and internationally. Rock ’n’ roll and rhythm and blues spread from here [to] literally all over the world,” the author said.

The writer explained that, “When I wrote the book in the early 1970s, New Orleans rhythm and blues was considered to be part of popular rock ’n’ roll and very few people saw the link between its jazz heritage, and people saw them as almost two distinct forms. I think one of the things was to show that there was a natural progression from the jazz era into rhythm and blues and soul music. In other words, rhythm and blues is as much a part of the New Orleans heritage as jazz is,” he said.

The author said he was working in banking when he wrote the original edition of the book, and after 31 years in the banking industry, he became a consultant with Ace Records of London, England.

With the record label, he traveled to locations such as New Orleans, Nashville and Los Angeles. It was during this time that he gained a deeper knowledge of the music business and met and interviewed more renowned recording artists, including B.B. King, together with many pioneering record men and women for the critically acclaimed “Record Makers and Breakers” (2009).

For the New Orleans book, Broven said he feels the interviews have stood the test of time, and the subjects, the majority born and raised in the city, are marvelous storytellers. “I couldn’t have done it without all those great personalities and their stories,” he said. Many are no longer alive, which makes the interviews even more precious, he added.

Broven has many favorite interviewees including Cosimo Matassa, the owner of three recording studios during his lifetime. Broven credits Matassa for giving New Orleans rhythm and blues its sound, particularly the “street” drum sound.

The author said Matassa’s studios provided a relaxed atmosphere for artists, and, in the 1940s and 1950s, “there was not the overdubbing and multitrack recording that you’ve got now. It was almost a live performance. If someone hit a wrong note, that was the end of that take and you had to do it all over again,” he said.

Broven’s musical journey eventually brought him to the United States permanently. While working with Ace Records he met his late wife, Shelley, who he said was very supportive of his record research work. She had inherited the independent label Golden Crest Records, of Huntington Station, from her father, Clark Galehouse.

’In general I find that Americans just don’t realize what an impact their music has had overseas and internationally.’ — John Broven

Broven said he arranged a meeting with Shelley in 1993 to discuss a licensing deal for the Wailers’ “Tall Cool One,” a Top 40 instrumental hit on her father’s label for Ace’s best-selling series, “The Golden Age of American Rock ’n’ Roll.” They were both single and soon began dating. He joked, “I always say we signed two contracts. One was for the record and the other one was for marriage.”

When he married Shelley in 1995, he moved to the United States. The couple originally lived in Cold Spring Harbor but moved to East Setauket after two years.

For the new edition of his book, Broven will be traveling from Long Island to New Orleans for signings and book talks. He hopes that readers, especially the younger generation, will take an interest and learn about this era of American music. He believes the music is just as good today and said, “That’s the definition of classical music.”

“As I said in the book, in the introduction, my one wish is to make people aware not only of this great music, but also to make them rush to their record collections to play all those records — and if they haven’t got the records, to try and seek them out,” Broven said.

For more information about the author, visit www.johnbroven.com or to purchase his books, go to www.amazon.com.