NEW ORLEANS SOUL ’66 LP

Description

In the 1950s, New Orleans was one of the major recording centres in the US. With its unrivalled band of session musicians and producers, rock ‘n’ roll and R&B hits poured out from Cosimo Matassa’s studios. Only Elvis Presley sold more records than Fats Domino in the decade and Little Richard, Lloyd Price and Huey Smith weren’t far behind. One of the key men in the next decade was Wardell Quezergue, an arranger and producer whose musical abilities earned him the nickname “The Creole Beethoven”. A majority of the songs here bear witness to his talents, as he was a partner in several labels including Nola Records, with its array of subsidiary concerns such as Bonatemp, Whurley-Burley and Hot Line. These and other small companies were the musical heartbeat of the Crescent City all seeking that big, big hit. Over 400 singles were issued in the year 1966 and this album collects the pick of them. We were definitely spoilt for choice!