CLARENCE “FROGMAN” HENRY
BOURBON ST NEW ORLEANS Label: Chess Format: [email protected]
Fats Domino and Professor Longhair were young Clarence Henry's main influences while growing up in the Big Easy. He played piano and trombone with Bobby Mitchell & the Toppers from 1952 to 1955 before catching on with saxist Eddie Smith's band. Henry improvised the basic idea behind "Ain't Got No Home" on the bandstand one morning in the wee hours; when the crowd responded favourably, he honed it into something unique. Paul Gayten (New Orleans A&R man for Chess Records) concurred, hustling Henry into Cosimo Matassa's studio in September of 1956. Local DJ Poppa Stoppa laid the "Frogman" handle on the youngster when he spun the 45 (issued on the Chess subsidiary Argo), and it stuck.
Tracklist: 1 Ain’t Got No Home 2:21
2 I Told My Pillow 2:18
3 Same Old Way 3:13
4 Tain’t It The Truth 4:00
5 Easy 6:47
6 Nothing from Nothing 2:37
7 For Your Love 3:20
8 I’ve Been Around 3:07
9 Kansas City 2:21
10 Basin Street 3:37
Personnel: Clarence Henry vocals, piano
Al Bemiss keyboard
Warren Nabonne bass
Steve Hughes guitar
Bernard Johnson drums
Micheal Pearce tenor
Carl Blouin baritone
Joseph Smith Jr trumpet
Arthur McLin trumpet |