Over the years I've amassed a few hundred songs from the Goldband Records label out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. C.C. Adcock turned me on to the great Gene Terry during a Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans over 20 years ago, and since then, I've gone in and out of the obsession. Terry's 1958 single "Cindy Lou" b/w "Teardrops" is by far one of my prized possessions, and if it wasn't for C.C. and Lil' Band O' Gold covering both, I would have never discovered Goldband.
Like most labels, the catalogue has its winners and losers, but if you have the desire, you'll find some truly fantastic rockabilly, swamp pop and R&B among the clams.
This week, I have been fascinated by Bee Arnold, born Arnold Broussard. This was a kid, a rock and roll piano player who recorded only five sides for Goldband before dying in a car crash on his way home from a gig in Baton Rouge at the age of 17.
There is something about these sides that pushes a number of the right buttons for me. They are raw and definitely flawed. Yet, something about them feels, I don't know, menacing maybe? Mostly, I just love that all of this music exists and that the legendary Eddie Shuler thought it was all worthy of recording.
The first verse in Bee Arnold's "Little Girl Of Mine" sounds like it was written by a 17 year old, until the last line, which is pure genius.
"Went to her house I go, we never see a show, the lights are turned down low, BOOP a dooda dooda doo."
Check out Bee Arnold and if enough of you dig him, I'll work on a Goldband Records mix for the weekend.
4 comments:
Top Goldband
Thx! We'll never hear all the fascinating, amazing music out there. Even if I just listened to 78s, it's an endless treasure.
Yes, Please! Thanks!
That was fun! Love the piano playing in 'Little Girl of Mine' and the title alone of "Plant You Now - Dig You Later' should win some sort of award for awesomeness.
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