Customer Reviews

Cookie & Cupcakes: Legends of Swamp Pop

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4 star:		(1)
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My Dad played sax for Cookie and the cupcakes,Known throughout Southern Louisiana as "HOT ROD REYNAUD" I was a little young to remember him in the band and traveling, but after listening to this CD, I was proud! The Quality and sound is all great, and to this day, just like Little Richard, no one in the group get any profits from any sell. Never the less, it is a must have for those of you who like the southern flavor with lot's of spices.

I am a 26 year old female from Minnesota. It wouldn't be at all likely that I would ever have heard of Cookie and the Cupcakes were it not for the fact that my mom is from southern Louisiana and she and my dad met and courted down there while they were listening to Cookie and other swamp pop greats. Let me just say that "Got You on My Mind" is probably the best Louisiana song there is. I love others, but as soon as I hear that rich, rollicking opening with the swaying beat and then that luscious piano playing... Ooh let me tell you I just ache to be in Louisiana, my home away from home, visiting with family, eating gumbo, and throwing back a cold one. The other great songs in this collection are "Mathilda" (naturally), "Belinda," "Sea of Love," and "Betty & Dupree." "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "I've Been So Lonely" are pretty good as well. Some of the other offerings are a bit thin and pale in comparison with the great ones, but the good ones make purchasing this collection well worth it.

This is one of the great albums. If you love early 60's music, you will really love this album. It's a shame this album is out of stock and not avilable at this time. This is a great lost to the music world. Lee C.

Cookie & His Cupcakes, a seven-piece combo led by Huey Thierry and Shelton Dunaway, were classic examples of a great group getting lost in the shuffle thanks to a combination of small label distribution problems and a tendency to stick to one geographic area for their live performances (the Deep South). They were also probably a victim of simple economics as it was infinitely cheaper to bring in single artists or duos than a seven-man band.

Recording initially for the tiny Khoury label of Lake Charles, Louisiana, they made a major contribution to the Stroll dance with Mathilda which unfortunately, thanks to a lack of promotion [in spite of a leasing arrangement with the marginally larger Judd label], only made it to # 47 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in March 1959 b/w Married Life. Even more incredible, it failed to crack the R&B Top 100!!

Their next charter didn't come until 1963, by which time they were recording for the equally-tiny Lyric Records. In mid-distribution the disc was picked up Chess, which had a bigger promotional capability, but by now the music had started to change just prior to the British Invasion. And so it was that Got You On My Mind could only manage a # 94 Hot 100 in May 1963 b/w I've Been So Lonely (again being blanked on the R&B charts).

Still, if you remember the Stroll (or want to experience it), highlight your next party with this CD. With the women lined up on one side and the men on the other, each pair will be in Swamp Pop heaven as they move in rhythmic unison down the inside of the line to some of the finest music this side of Chuck Willis and The Diamonds.

Should be issued. Mathilda is one of their best. It is the national anthem of Louisiana.

By Request
great music by a relatively unkown group
style is similar to Fats Domino, or Dave Bartholemew,
New Orleans style
very good harmony

I have always wondered why certain musicians and musical acts become famous, hit it big, while others, who are just as good or better, do not. Cookie and The Cupcakes are an act in point. Listen to "By Request" or "Kings of Swamp Pop" and you will hear versions of '50's New Orleans R&B standards like "Sea of Love", "Betty and Dupree", "I Almost Lost My Mind", "Feel So Good", and "Honey Hush" which are, for the most part better - make that MUCH better - than the versions which were on the radio and on the charts. Indeed, they were the backup band for the better-known, but inferior, Phil Phillips hit. Their only hit, a minor one, Mathilda, reached "47 on the pop charts and has been covered by Clarence "Frogman" Henry and Freddy Fender. The vocals and arrangements are tight, incredibly sophisticated, way ahead of their time. Huey Thierry, lead singer and sax player is great. What I cannot figure out is who does the female vocals with Thierry on some of these songs. I have combed the web without luck to find out. She appears to be a mystery. Also a mystery is why "Cookie and The Cupcakes" are not as well known as some of their New Orleans contemporaries. If you like, Fats Domino, Frogman, Ivory Joe Hunter, The Dixie Cups and others and you will like this act as much or more. They are simply unrecognized greats!