Rounder Records : History's Swamp People Celebrate The History and Culture of the Deep Delta - New Release Review

I just received History's Swamp People, and new release from Rounder Records. This 13 track compilation showcases current and past masters of regional music. Opening with Steel Bill's Swamp People, this is a Cajun house party. Dominated by a contemporary blend of funk, fiddle and blues rock, this track also features a nice clean guitar solo from Bill. Next up is a 1969 hit track, Amos Moses, by Jerry Reed. This track was always a crowd favorite and has just a taste of country picking on an otherwise rock track. Buckwheat Zydeco comes on pure cajun with Zydeco La Louisianne and an accordion romp. Everybody loves Tony Joe Whites Polk Salad Annie, up next and another top track from 1969. Amanda Shaw plays French Jig, a cajun fiddle track accompanied primarily by drums. Nice track. The Neville Brothers come on with the high polish on Fire On The Bayou, a funky track with sophisticated instrumentals and vocals. This is a track with real movement and voodoo overtones. Very cool. Chris Ardoin is up next with What's In That Bayou, an accordion lead swinger. Nice vocals harmonies and concise instrumentation makes this one of the coolest tracks on the release. Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet delivers a traditional arrangement of Kolinda in french for a real flavor of the regional roots. Hank Williams (Sr.) is a really great addition here with his version of Jambalaya. This of curse is an absolute standard of delta country roots. Excellent! Zachary Richard performs a funky hop track, Cocodrie, with lots of horns and and solid vocals. Keys provide much of the bottom of this track and there is also a really tasty guitar solo here as well. Jumpin' Johnny Sansone lays down the Crawfish Walk, a springy twisting rocker. Nice sax work and hot harp plays over this modern track. Very cool. D.L. Menhard plays Cajun Saturday Night, another regional country style track. This track has a real warm, welcoming sound to it with slide and fiddle. I really like it. Bobby Charles' 1955 hit See You Later Alligator, is a great finish to what is not just a compliation of related tracks but actually a pretty cool cd to listen to when you need a pick me up.

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Swamp People'® CD celebrates music/culture of Deep Delta

 

 

HISTORY®’S SWAMP PEOPLE® CELEBRATES

THE MUSIC AND CULTURE OF THE DEEP DELTA

 

Collection from the heart of alligator country

featuresthe Neville Brothers, Hank Williams, Jerry Reed,

Tony Joe White, Buckwheat Zydeco, Zachary Richard, 

 Bobby Charles and introducing Steel Bill

 

Thirteen-song set, due out May 21 on Rounder Records

through Concord Music Group, in partnership with HISTORY®,

captures the spirit of the top-rated series of the same name

 

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The storied backcountry of southern Louisiana is a place of rich history and fascinating cultural lineage. Its inhabitants — the Cajuns and their “Swamp People” brethren — are part of a unique tradition that dates back some three centuries to the immigration of Acadian refugees. In the 21st century, the region boasts not only a flavorful cuisine, distinctive music and a vastly vibrant culture, but also a deep and reverent appreciation for the land that continues to provide these people with refuge and a way of life.

 

Rounder Records, a division of Concord Music Group, has partnered with HISTORY® to celebrate that legacy with Swamp People®, a 13-song compilation that showcases the music of current and past masters whose styles and sensibilities are rooted in this region.  Set for release on May 21, Swamp People®, which serves as an ideal companion piece to the Cajun-flavored series, features the music of the Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Buckwheat Zydeco, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Hank Williams, Beausoleil with Michael Doucet and several others. Many of the tracks have been culled from Rounder’s vast catalog of southern Louisiana music and the title track, which leads off the set, is a new song written specifically for Swamp People® by vocalist Steel Bill, aka Billy Joe Tharpe, a native of Livingston Parish, Louisiana, who could best be described as a country rapper. The track is a favorite of Troy Landry, the inimitable, gator-hunting lead from the Swamp People® TV series.

 

“There are so many great songs about alligator hunting and swamp life, hit records that reach back 50 years and more recent material from the Rounder catalog,” says Scott Billington, Grammy®-winning producer, Vice President of A&R at Rounder and producer of Swamp People® (who also plays harmonica on Steel Bill’s title track). “I love this music and this culture, and I’ve spent a great part of my life in the region. These joyful, wonderful songs are the perfect complement to the show, and, I think Swamp People® fans will be delighted.”

 

Executive Producer Pete Elkins agrees: "The joie de vivre of the Swamp People® is present in their lifestyle, food and music. Rounder Records and the entire Concord Music team, have captured the spirit and joy of swampers everywhere in this amazing collection of music.”  

 

Now in its fourth season, Swamp People follows the current generation of the Landry family and their contemporaries, who have been part of the region for generations and have made their living by carrying on their ancestors’ trades and traditions of hunting alligators and living off the swamp’s bountiful resources, while at the same time giving back to the swampland they call home.

 

TRACK LIST:

 

Swamp People   Steel Bill

Amos Moses    Jerry Reed

Zydeco La Louisianne   Buckwheat Zydeco

Polk Salad Annie   Tony Joe White

French Jig    Amanda Shaw

Fire on the Bayou   The Neville Brothers

What’s in that Bayou  Charles Ardoin

Kolinda    BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet

Jambalaya (On the Bayou)   Hank Williams

Cocodrie    Zachary Richard

Crawfish Walk    Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone

Cajun Saturday Night    D.L. Menard

See You Later, Alligator   Bobby Charles

 

 

Before I Grow Too Old - Bobby Charles

Bobby Charles (February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter.

An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born as Robert Charles Guidry in Abbeville, Louisiana and grew up listening to Cajun music and the country and western music of Hank Williams. At the age of 15, he heard a performance by Fats Domino, an event that "changed my life forever," he recalled.

Charles helped to pioneer the south Louisiana musical genre known as swamp pop. His compositions include the hits "See You Later, Alligator", which he initially recorded himself as "Later Alligator", but which is best known from the cover version by Bill Haley & His Comets; and "Walking to New Orleans", written for Fats Domino. His songwriting record in the UK charts reads 7 hits, 3 top tens with 75 weeks spent on the chart.

"(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" was a 1950s classic that Charles composed which Clarence "Frogman" Henry had a major hit with and which was on the soundtrack to the 1994 film Forrest Gump. His composition "Why Are People Like That?" was on the soundtrack to the 1998 film Home Fries.

Because of his south Louisiana-influenced rhythm and blues vocal style, Charles has often been thought to be black, when in fact he is white.

On November 26, 1976, Charles was invited to play with The Band at their farewell concert, The Last Waltz. Charles played "Down South in New Orleans", with the help of Dr. John and The Band. The performance was recorded and released as part of the triple-LP The Last Waltz boxed set. The performance was not captured on film however, and did not appear in the film based on the concert with Charles only appearing briefly in the concert's final song, "I Shall Be Released" (he is largely blocked from view during the song). That song, sung by Bob Dylan and pianist Richard Manuel, featured backup vocals from the entire ensemble, including Charles.

He co-wrote the song "Small Town Talk" with Rick Danko of The Band. "Promises, Promises (The Truth Will Set You Free)" was co-written with Willie Nelson.

Charles continued to compose and record (he was based out of Woodstock, New York for a time) and in the 1990s he recorded a duet of "Walking to New Orleans" with Domino.

In September 2007, The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame honored Charles for his contributions to Louisiana music with an induction.

Charles collapsed in his home near Abbeville and died on January 14, 2010
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