Shake Your Hips: The Excello Records Story
By Randy Fox
2018: BMG: 184 pp.

This is among two the first in these pocket-sized paperbacks devoted to various independent record labels that have played a significant role in the recording industry of the past 75 years. While subtitled The Excello Records Story," this volume is devoted to the various labels that Ernie Young established including Nashboro, Abet, and others in addition to Excello. While Excello is the best known of these labels, it was not the only significant one.

The story begins with Nashville after the Second World War. While viewed as a country town, there has always been a vital African-American music scene perhaps best manifested by Cecil Gant, whose recordings included one "Nashville Jumps." Fox introduces us to Ernie Young, who got into the jukebox and pinball business and eventually, the record business. Then there is the legendary radio station, WLAC. Late at night after the network broadcast ended. Deejay Gene Nobles would broadcast. Students from Fisk University brought some boogie-woogie and jump blues records to Nobles, which he played and got a great response. This response led to local stores that sold records purchasing blocks of time to advertise mail-order sales Stores included those owned by Randy Wood from outside of Nashville and Ernie Young. They would offer packs of records that included some of the favorites played on WLAC. Eventually, to help fill out these packs of 45s (that they sold C.O.D.), the store owners set up their own record labels. Randy Wood established Dot Records, while Young started the Nashboro group of labels.

Young had started his Record Store in 1945, before establishing the Nashboro label in 1950, and it had quite a business catering to African Americans. Nashboro focused on gospel music. Fox observes:

 Through mail-order sales, the Record Mart sold thousands of discs. A few indie R&B labels—Peacock, Specialty, Savoy, Apollo, Old Town—released black gospel records, but many others ignored the field. … Young believed starting his own gospel label was a win-win—increasing the supply of new gospel titles meant more sales of gospel packages and, by cutting out the middleman, the Record Mart's share of the profits would increase.

The lack of competing gospel labels worked in Young's favor in other ways, as well. Many popular touring gospel groups were eager to secure recording contracts.

Young first recorded other gospel acts before recording Nashville based acts. He first recorded at the WLAC studios, but the thrift-minded Young purchased a recording machine and eventually constructed a studio in the building with his store. He hired a scout for gospel and other talents. He added some hillbilly releases to the label, but this was a short-lived addition. Fox then details the recording of blues and R&B starting with the blues pianist Sherman Johnson, and then Young purchased some J.O.B. masters, including one by Alfred' Fat Man' Wallace.

In 1952, Young started the Excello label, and its acts included Skippy Brooks, a member of Gatemouth brown's Nashville band, Thomas "Shy Guy" Douglas,  Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers, Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers, Ted Jarrett, Earl Gaines, Kid King's Combo, Larry Birdsong, Arthur Gunter, Jerry McCain, and others. Ted Jarrett, of course, also was important as a talent scout and a songwriter.  This is a lead-in to Ernie Young's agreement with Crowley, Louisiana producer Jay Miller that started with a 1955 agreement that was described as "Excello Signs Lightnin' Slim." Fox provides, in this book, a condensed history of the relationship between the Excello and Miller.  This history previously had been discussed by John Broven in his book "Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock' n' Roll Pioneers," and Martin Hawkins in "Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge."

The arrangement between Young and Miller is described;

The arrangement established between Young and Miller became the standard for all artists Miller brought to Excello. The artists were technically signed to Miller's production company, not Excello Records. Miller delivered finished master tapes to Young. Excello owned the completed masters, and Excellorec administered the publishing rights. Young paid Miller the negotiated royalty rate for each record sold to cover both record sales (for the artist) and publishing (for the songwriter). Any further royalties due to the songwriter for cover versions of the song were also paid to Miller. Miller was then responsible for passing the appropriate amount on to the individual artists and writers.

Fox provides short bios of Lightnin' Slim, Guitar Gabriel, Lonesome Sundown, Lazy Lester, Slim Harpo, Carol Fran, and others as well as an overview of their recordings. There is also a discussion of Miller's role as a songwriter and a producer, such as his urging Slim Harpo to sing more nasally such as country stars Hank Williams and Webb Pierce.

At the same time as Excello was providing a steady stream of blues releases, Morgan Babb brought both gospel artists and R&B talents like Lillian Offitt ("Miss You So"), the Marigolds (formerly known as The Prisonaires, and The Gladiolas ("Little Darlin'"). Young also started the Nasco label, which released some Jay Miller sides, as well as recordings by Cliff Curry, The Crescendos, rockabilly platters from Excello hillbilly stalwart Jack Toombs and hillbilly bop brothers Bob & Ray Wicks. Fox also details issues arising from Young succumbing to the payola practices prevalent at the time.

There is also discussion of some of the more significant recordings such as Gene Allison's "You Can Make It If You Try," and those by Roscoe Shelton. While Jay Miller's Crowley studio continued to supply much of the Excello output, Young "had accumulated a stable of versatile local musicians he utilized for various types of sessions: downhome blues, rock' n' roll, and soul." Slim Harpo became a major selling artist at the time, and with the prospering record labels, Ernie's retail and mail-order business continued to be a vibrant business.

But of course, this success did not continue. Fox chronicles the decline in the Excello's business, the impact of The British Invasion, and Young's declining interest in the record business that led him to sell the Record Company and the record store. The acquiring company, The Crescent Company, initially opened movie theaters. Crescent's holdings included chains of movie theaters, bowling alleys, and skating rinks throughout Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi. It was after Crescent acquired Excello that a dispute with Miller involving Slim Harpo signing directly with Excello ended the longstanding relationship between the two. Slim Harpo's subsequent recordings and early death are discussed as well as the new owner's efforts at recording soul music such as The Kelly Brothers and Kip Anderson, gospel on the newly named Crescent label, which changed to the Creed label because of trademark issues.

There were further gospel recordings and some albums directed at the pop market. Licensing of some of the classic Excello recordings to the British Blue Horizon label foreshadowed later rises of the Nashboro-Excello label's recordings years down the line. Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams was brought in as an independent producer with his releases on the new Mankind label, including Freddie North's "She's All I Got." Williams also produced a homecoming project for one of Excello's biggest stars. Lightnin Slim's "High and Low Down," as well as Z.Z. Hill's 'The Brand New Z. Z. Hill."

Times were changing though, as WLAC changed its format, which impacted the evening R&b shows, which in turn affected Ernie's Record Store and by 1977, the Excello and the A-Bet subsidiary, and issued their last singles. Eventually, the body of recordings would be mined for reissues over the years by AVI itself and Ace Records in the UK. 'Between 1994 and 1997, AVI reissued over thirty CD compilations of Excello, Nashboro, and Nasco recordings. While some were domestic reissues from Ace Records, the majority were original compilations featuring extensive liner notes and previously unpublished photographs." Then in "1997, AVI was purchased by Universal Music, and a significant amount of Excello material was released on Universal's Hip-O reissue imprint." Other reissues included a box set of gospel recordings and Bear Family's Slim Harpo box set. As Fox observes, "After more than six decades, records with the magical blue and orange record label shipped from Ernie's Record Mart to eager customers around the world continue to excite music fans."

Fox weaves the threads of the Excello story in a concise, well-written manner. This writer wishes a bit more space had been devoted to the gospel recordings, including how such artists as Brother Joe May ended up on Nashboro. However, I suspect that Fox expected the focus on blues and soul to be of most interest to his readers, and there is only so much space he had available. In any event, "Shake Your Hips" is a very welcome history of a very significant independent blues, soul, and gospel label.

I received a pdf download of this book from a publicist. Here is the late Lazy Lester, one of Excello's major blues artists.

Blues Kings of Baton Rouge

Various Artists
Blues Kings of Baton Rouge
Bear Family

The celebrated reissue label, Bear Family, recently issued this double-CD survey of blues from this Louisiana city. As Martin Hawkins, who produced this reissue and wrote the liner notes, this is not an exhaustive history of blues in Baton Rouge as we do not know what blues might have sounded like before the first recordings were produced in 1954. It covers the period of 1954-1971, with many of the 53 recordings compiled here originally produced by Jay Miller for Excello Records. There are also field recordings that folklorist Harry Oster issued on the Folk Lyric label, which was later acquired by Arhoolie Records.

Talking blues by Slim Harpo, "Blues Hang-Over" and an alternate take entitled "Talking Blues" serve as bookends for the recordings here. There are a number of classic swamp blues including "Bad Luck Blues," "Rooster Blues" and "Winter Time Blues" by Lightnin' Slim; and "I'm a King Bee," "Rainin' in My Heart," and "Baby Scratch My Back" by Slim Harpo. Also included are "They Call Me Lazy" and "I'm a Lover Not a Fighter" by Lazy Lester; "My Home Is a Prison" by Lonesome Sundown; and Hoodo Party' by Tabby Thomas; "Naggin'" by Jimmy Anderson; "Trouble at Home Blues," "Dark Clouds Rollin'," by Silas Hogan; and "Showers of Rain" by Henry Gray. These are lowdown, gutbucket blues with understated backing, and somber lyrics.

Also included are stunning country jam recordings by Butch Cage and Willie B. Thomas, the unique sober blues of Robert Pete Williams including "Angola Special," and a tribute song "Goodbye Slim Harpo"; and the down-home approach of Clarence Samuels. There is good value in the 53 tracks and nearly two-and-a-half hours of music. This is packaged as a digipack and includes a 52-page booklet with copious notes on each song from Martin Hawkins, author of "Slim Harpo; Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge." "Blues Kings of Baton Rouge" is a superb reissue that serves both as an introduction to the Baton Rouge down-home blues scene as well as an overall survey of this vital blues scene.

I purchased this CD. Here is Lightnin' Slim with Whispering Smith on harmonica.

Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge
Martin Hawkins
Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press
2016: 416pp

Its has been over 45 years since James Moore, aka Slim Harpo, passed away at the age of 45. It was a tragic early death for a blues performer who had just started crossing over to a broader National audience and about to go on his first European visit. Last year Bear Family issued a 5-CD box (near 7 hours of music), "Buzzin' The Blues," and Martin Hawkins, who wrote the book that accompanied that came with that set, has written a  biography of the short-lived, but influential, artist that takes us from his youth to the aftermath of his passing.

Hawkins traces not simply Slim Harpo's life, but provides the background both in terms of his ancestry and the history of the rural part of Baton Rouge that Harpo was born in. In addition to tracing his youth and development as a musician, he gives an overview of the blues and Black Music scene in the region along with the context of the segregated society. Emerging first as Harmonica Slim, his growth as a musician is set against the burgeoning swamp blues scene centered with Crowley, Louisiana producer Jay Miller as well as the more general context of small label Louisiana music.

Jay Miller had been recording folks like Lightnin' Slim before Harpo came to record with Slim. It was Miller who hanged his performing name to Slim Harpo and Hawkins traces the recording career of Moore, including his frustrations with Miller at times along with the commercial success that Harpo had on Excello. These frustrations led to a session for Imperial that was squelched by Miller and eventually to Harpo recording directly with Excello after a contract had expired, a factor that led Miller to discontinue his relationship with Excello.

In addition to fully tracing Harpo's recordings, he also describes the various clubs and performances Harpo made, including the ill-fated trip to Chicago made with Lightnin' Slim, Lazy Lester, Katie Webster and others that was the subject of a talking blues from Slim. Slim was popular on the southern fraternity circuit as well as playing Black and White clubs in Baton Rouge and playing armory shows with swamp pop acts like John Fred, or R&B shows with Bobby Bland and others. Included is a discussion of the live recording, that was originally issued on Ace in the UK and later in the Bear Family box, as Hawkins provides details on how the recording came to happen, how it was preserved and then considers the music from that live recording of him in his prime.

Towards the end of his career, he was just starting to break into the 'hippie circuit,' and Hawkins describes Harpo's time performing at Steve Paul's The Scene in New York City and similar performances, and he was about to tour Europe when he tragically died. Hawkins goes into some of the circumstances that likely contributed to the rupture of an artery that killed him, likely resulting from working on a car and something heavy falling on his chest.

Hawkins fills out a portrait of Harpo as a family man who was far from the stereotypical hard drinking blues artist some might have, He also worked at various employments to help sustain his family. In addition he interweaves Harpo with other members of Baton Rouge's blues scene (and the swamp blues scene in general) and artists such as Tabby Thomas, Lonesome Sundown and Lazy Lester have their music and careers discussed.

There is a full discography of Harpo's music along with a listing of recordings of other Baton Rouge artists, recommended listening and reading and a musical appreciation of Slim Harpo by Stephen Coleridge. Hawkins made use of existing interviews of Harpo as well as interviewed surviving members of his band, family members and others to provide this detailed, fully researched, yet highly readable account of a major blues artist whose career seems to been overlooked in recent years. Along with the Bear Family reissue, this superb biography certainly will help reestablish his reputation as a major blues original.

I purchased this. Here is Slim Harpo's recording of "Shake Your Hips," a song still popular with blues groups.

Slim Harpo Buzzin' the Blues

James Moore, who recorded under the name Slim Harpo, died very young at a time he was about to crossover to reaching a pop audience. The mostly commercially successful of the Swamp Blues artists recorded by Jay Miller at his Crowley, Louisiana Studios, Harpo had a number of hits including "I'm a King Bee", "Raining in My Heart" and "I Got Love If You Want It." His influence at the time was reflected by the fact artists like the Rolling Stones and Johnny Winter covered his songs. The German Bear Family label has issued a 5 CD box set "Buzzin' the Blues - The Complete Slim Harpo" which contains every studio recording of his, including alternate takes as well as some live recordings issued years after his death. In addition to the 5 full CDs of music with nearly 7 hours of music, there is a large, coffee table size hard cover book by Martin Hawkins with Harpo's biography, a discussion his music and recordings. The book also contains a full discography of the music sand is richly illustrated with many rare photos. I also add the alternate takes are presented separately from the issued recordings. Bear Family releases are expensive, but no one (not even Mosaic) does Box Sets better.

This was a purchase and this brief review was one of a number of short reviews I have written for the 2015 Jazz & Blues Report Holiday Gift Guide. It is obviously a gift idea for the blues lover in your life. Here is the classic I Got Love If You Want It."

Some Bluesin' By The Bayou

Pictured on the cover is Lazy Lester

The English Ace label has just issued one of a series of anthologies of recordings from legendary Louisiana record producers J.D. Miller and Eddie Shuler, Bluesin' By The Bayou. Half of the 28 selections previously were not released and the remainder were issued on small Louisiana labels like Rocko, Zynn, and Folk Star as well as Flyright LPs from the 1970s. 

There is a fair amount of what is now known as "Swamp Blues" along with several selections of zydeco. The performers range from the more famous swamp blues performers such as Slim Harpo, Lightnin' Slim, Lazy Lester, Lonesome Sundown, Silas Hogan and Whispering Smith as well as zydeco legends Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis to obscure artists such as lies Boy Dorsey, Thaddeus Declouret, Talbot Miller and Joe Rich. 

There are some exception blues here including Lightnin' Slim's doomy, Stranger In Your Town, Lazy Lester's moody Late in The Evening, Silas Hogan's Sitting Here Wondering Jimmy Anderson's channelling of Jimmy Reed on I Want You, I Need You. There is an alternate of Slim Harpo's Excello recording That's Alright, as well as Clifton Chenier's Worried Life Blues, with somewhat chaotic backing. 

As usual with Ace reissues there are copious liner notes in the wonderfully illustrated accompanying booklet, with an overview and comments on the various performances by Ian Saddler.  It does have one incredible gaffe in the comments. He mentions that he thought that Big Fat Woman was previously unissued gem by Lightnin' Slim, but in fact had been issued on a Flyright vinyl LP as I'm Him. One minor point is that the vocal is clearly not that of Lightnin' Slim as it bears no relate ship to the voice on the two other tracks credited to him. Probably the singer on this tracks was Schoolboy Cleve.

The music on Bluesin' By The Bayou is at never less entertaining and there are, as indicated above, a number of exceptional examples of swamp blues that is readily recommended to anyone who loves fifties and sixties, southern down-home blues.

I purchased this CD.

Kenny Neal's Loving Tribute To Slim Harpo and His Father, Raful

Kenny Neal is among the most impressive of contemporary blues artists. Son of Baton Rouge legend Raful, he has been a progressive torch bearer of that city’s blues tradition and impresses by his uncrushed, at times lazy sounding musical style. Back in 2006 I purchased his tribute to Slim Harpo and his father. This has become a collector's item, but is available as downloads for those who can't afford what folks are asking for the actual CD.


The following review was the result of listening to him and appeared in the November 2005 Dc Blues Calendar, newsletter of the DC Blues Society. The review also appeared in the May/June 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 282). I have made some minor stylistic changes.

Kenny Neal at Surf Club Live, Hyattsville MD.  August 2010- Photo © Ron Weinstock

One of the most versatile as well as skilled blues artists working today, Kenny Neal has just issued a new disc that goes to the roots of his music, A Tribute to Slim Harpo & Raful Neal (True Light Entertainment). Originally this was a Slim Harpo tribute by him and his father, the late Raful Neal. They recruited James Johnson and Rudolph Richard from Slim Harpo’s original band to participate in this. Ten Slim Harpo songs were recorded when Kenny went on tour and in the interim Raful was diagnosed with bone cancer so Kenny was among those looking after his dad who passed away September 1, 2004. Going back to the tapes he listened to the tapes and decided to release what was initially a tribute to Slim Harpo also as a tribute to his dad.

Kenny shares the vocals with his father, with the exception of What a Dream on which James Johnson sings while the band captures the understated, laconic grooves that made Harpo’s originals so classic. Raful opens the set with a nice vocal and some harp on Rainin’ in My Heart, while Kenny and Raful swap harp riffs on Swamp Boogie. Raful comes across very appealingly on King Bee, Scratch My Back and Got Love If You Want It, while the two share the vocals on Late Last Nite, with Kenny taking the vocal prior to the harp break which is followed by Raful singing and closing the song with his nicely played harp, and Te-Ni-Ne-Ni-Nu where Raful takes the lead with Kenny joining in on the chorus.

Its nice to hear this played in such a nice relaxed manner, lacking the frenzy or overstatement that mars some rock interpretations of this material. Kenny Neal and his late dad have put together a small gem of a disc, and if playing time is a little short, there is no frills or filler here. Highly recommended.

Here is Kenny Neal and Lil Ray Neal doing Scratch My Back.

Lazy Lester Rides Again

Leslie Johnson, better known as Lazy Lester, is the remaining member of the four giants of Louisiana Swamp Blues that recorded for Jay Miller at his Crowley, Louisiana studios and which were issued on, and distributed by, the Nashville based Excello label. The others were Lightning Slim, Lonesome Sundown and Slim Harpo.; Lester who sang “They call my lazy, but I am just tired,” played on numerous sessions including his own recordings such as Sugar Coated Love, I’m a Lover Not a Fighter, and recordings Miller produced, including many accompanying Lightning Slim.

Ace Records (of England) has just reissued Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon issued Lazy Lester Rides Again. It was originally released in 1987 and were I believe Lester’s first post-Excello recordings. He was touring England at the time and Vernon used members of several English bands to back him and they provide understated, effective backing. This release fortunately was the first by him over the past couple decades and he remains a vigorous performer who is still rooted in the distinctive style he gained fame for.

Swamp blues is a style rooted in Jimmy Reed’s style and employs very simple walking blues boogies and slow moody blues with the use of echo and treble as well as crying harmonica to add an evocative moody atmosphere, especially on slower tempo numbers. For this recording, Vernon allowed Lester to remake three of his recordings as well as take his turn on other swamp blues and classic blues themes. So we get a remake of his Sugar Coated Love, as well as Nothin’ But the Devil. He played behind Lightnin’ Slim on the original recording.

Outstanding is the remake of the philosophically tinged “The Same Thing Could Happen To You,” while Bob Hall adds some rollicking piano to I Hear You Knockin’. Other standout tracks include the remake of King Karl’s swamp pop classic Irene, and Jimmy Rogers’ Out On The Road. On the latter tune he plays guitar while Tim Elliott plays harmonica, emulating Lester’s style.An unexpected delight is the swamp blues reworking of WC Handy’s St. Louis Blues, as well as the instrumental Blowin’ a Rumba.

The present reissue contains a number of bonus tracks which are mostly alternate takes of the originally issued recordings. Some of these have mistakes and Vernon discusses how this recording was made at length in the copious notes provided in the accompanying booklet. I Ain’t Glad, was an original by Lester and Vernon with a lyric that was a bit of a tongue twister which was not issued at the time. Lester’s harp was added after the original recording, but it was some more recent digital repair that enabled it to be issued for the first time here. The closing tune is an instrumental Rockin’ With Lester, an extended two harmonica instrumental with Tim Elliott’s chromatic harp added to Lester’s harp. Still unissued from these sessions is a rendition of the deep soul classic The Dark End of the Street, that still, after 24 years, is deemed unusable.

The original release of Lazy Lester Rides Again was a WC Handy Award winner in 1988 and the additional takes and tunes are a bonus for listeners today. Lazy Lester still is with us, and still delights blues audiences at festivals and concerts. His music has been immortalized by the remarkable roots concert series, The Ponderosa Stomp, which takes its name from one of Lester’s Excello recordings (the recording was titled Pondarosa), and at which Lester is one of the regular performers. Long may Lazy Lester Ride.

I purchased this CD.