Little Freddie King Fried Rice & Chicken

Little Freddie King
Fried Rice & Chicken
Orleans Records

Having Little Freddie King's Orleans' recordings made available again will certainly be welcome by fans of the Crescent City's down-home blues performer. He was 55 in 1995, the year Orleans Records released 'Swamp Boogie,' that was his first album. For much of his career, he played hole-in-the-wall bar gigs in New Orleans, as a sideman for John "Harmonica" Williams, Polka Dot Slim, Bill "Boogie Bill" Webb and "Brother" Percy Randolph. Gary Rouzan brought him to Carlo Ditta and Ditta put together a session of sympathetic players including bassists Earl Stanley (famous for the local classic "Pass the Hatchet"), Robert Wilson and Jason Sipher; drummers Kerry Brown and Bradley Wisham; and organist and pianist "Crazy" Rick Allen. The first six sides of this 11 track CD (and side A of the vinyl LP) are from this session. The last five are live recordings issued initially King's in-concert album "Sing Sang Sung," released in 2000 with his longtime drummer "Wacko" Wade Wright; bassist Anthony Anderson, bass; and harmonica player Bobby Lewis Titullio. There are also recordings from two 1999 shows at the Dream Palace on Frenchmen Street.

Little Freddie King, unlike his namesake, was no virtuoso nor would one call him a great singer, but his exuberance and simple, straight-forward approach provide plenty for a listener (or someone at his shows to enjoy) as he plays driving, danceable songs with plenty of honesty and fervor. Jimmy Reed and the swamp blues tradition of Baton Rouge may be a source of his musical inspirations, but Freddie King's recordings is another one.

Of the eleven tracks, there are six instrumentals starting with the opening "Cleo's Back." Of interest is "The Great Chinese," which starts off as a cover of "Tequila," but only takes off from the first bars of that classic. There is a twangy rendition of "Cotton Fields Back Home, "titled "Kinky Cotton Fields." The live tracks open with "Sing, Sang, Sung," a retitled rendition of Freddie King's " Sen-sa-shun," which itself is an instrumental version of "Got My Mojo Working." Another nod to the Texas Cannonball (Freddie King) is "Hideaway."

The vocals include a nice slow blues "Mean Little Woman," a credible "What'd I Say," and the swamp blues styled "I Used To Be Down," with its Jimmy Reed's touches and it incorporates Reed's "Down in Virginia." There is a tinge of funk on "Do She Ever Think of Me" as he wonders if she ever thinks about poor Freddie and a Jimmy Reed cover, "Honest I Do."

The album closes with "Bad Chicken," a tune he continues to play today with his chicken scratching guitar. It concludes a welcome release that brings together the best of his Orleans recordings that displays the simple exuberant blues he so capably still plays.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Little Freddie King performing.

Rockie Charles
Born For You
Orleans Records

A most pleasant surprise is this reissue of the late New Orleans based soul singer's 1996 release. Nicknamed "The President of Soul" after a 1970s recording released on his own label, he returned to recording when Carlos Ditta contacted him after seeing an ad Charles had placed, resulting in this recording. Outside of Smokey Greenwell's harmonica and Jerry Embree's tenor sax, none of the players on this session backing Charles' guitar and vocals is a name I remember. They do a fine job in backing Charles on his eleven originals here.

This was a marvelous soul session with a bit of country flavor in the vein of some of Joe Tex's recordings although Charles' voice is suggestive of Al Green. The album opens in a solid vein with his emotive yearning vocal on the lament "Born For You," with the smoldering heat in his vocal while Embree's tenor sax adds a mournful riff over the understated backing. "Old Black Joe," is a marvelous half-talking piece of story telling in the Joe Tex manner. Greenwell's harmonica adds to the atmosphere of another lament "Oh My Darling, Look What You're Doing to Me," as he sings about wanting to move but his body does not seem able. Another song with a Joe Tex feel is "Something Is Wrong With Our Love," with his plead to find a way out of this with solid idiomatic horn playing. Festis Believe in Justice." There is more of Memphis feel with the chugging rhythms of "I Need Your Love so Bad, I'm About to Loose My Mind," while there is also a fine holiday song, "I Just Called to Wish You a Merry Christmas" (and a Happy New Year."

With steel guitar added to the backing, Charles' lyrical skills are herd on the catchy ""Born For You," was a most welcome return for Rockie Charles which led to a variety of Jazz Fest, Ponderosa Stomp and other performances over the next decade. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform a couple times prior to his passing away in 2010. The soulful performances on this most welcome re-release, are gems of down-home, understated, southern soul.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the January-February Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 376) although I have corrected the year of Rockie Charles' death year as 2010 (the review had 2007). Here is Rockie Charles from an in-store appearance at the Louisiana Music Factory in 2007.

The Original Roland Stone Remember Me

The Original Roland Stone

Remember Me

Orleans Records

When I was at the Louisiana Music Factory, I had selected a bunch of discs for purchase, and I asked co-owner Jerry Brock about anybody he would recommend. He suggested I pick up on Roland Stone, whose real name Roland LeBlanc and recorded for Ace Records in the late fifties and early sixties. Remember Me has been available for a couple years at least, but it is likely as new to you as it was to me. With Mac ‘Doctor John’ Rebennack (on piano and guitar) as part of a tight studio band that included Earl Stanley on bass, guitar and organ and some other musicians whose names may only mean something to those around New Orleans. What one gets is what the producer calls a “straight ahead R&B record.” And it’s a good one. 

Roland Stone sounds as natural and soulful opening with the Smiley Lewis rocker Go On Fool, on which guitarist Stanley takes a tasty solo, followed by a New Orleans rearrangement of the Clovers’ classic Lovie Dovie, with some great piano from the good Doctor. Mix in a couple of classy pop flavored ballads, Try the Impossible, and The Masquerade is Over, with the soul of You Can Make It If You Try. Stir in Fats Domino’s rocking Please Don’t Leave Me, with more great crescent city boogie woogie, a couple of more Smiley Lewis classics and the memorable title track from Dr. John. Quite a gumbo! 

Stone’s unforced delivery and the feeling he invests into these performances is matched by the delicious backing for an album of R&B that is readily remembered.

As indicated, I purchased this. This review originally appeared in the September 1995 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 204). Here in 1989 he is performing a ballad Just a Moment of Your Time.