Air Week: March 13-19, 2023
Huey “Piano” Smith
1934-2023
Unfortunately, Huey Smith is another “hard luck” story of R&B and early Rock n’ Roll. He was a talented boogie woogie pianist and as a session player, he contributed to some great New Orleans gems by Earl King, Smiley Lewis, Little Richard and Guitar Slim. As a solo artist, he wrote and recorded some of the most memorable R&B and early Rock n’ Roll, but didn’t receive all the credit and royalties he deserved. This week, Matt The Cat pays respects to the late, great Huey “Piano” Smith, who passed away on February 13, 2023 at the age of 89. We dig deep to feature the iconic records that Smith played on as well as his early work with Huey Smith and the Rhythm Aces and his legendary records with The Clowns. He had 2 national hits with “Rockin’ Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu (1957) and “Don’t You Just Know It” (1958). His greatest contribution may have been “Sea Cruise,” a song he wrote and originally recorded with Gerri Hall, but Johnny Vincent, owner of Ace Records issued it with a new vocal recorded by white teen idol, Frankie Ford. Huey Smith persevered through much discrimination in the music industry and this week, we celebrate all he achieved on a very special edition of the “Juke In The Back.”
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