Gonzo: More Than All the 45's

James Booker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 11, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Night Train Int'l
• ASIN: B000001JF8
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,237 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Doing the Hambone

2. Thinking About My Baby

3. You're Near Me

4. Heavenly Angel

5. Teenage Rock

6. Gonzo

7. Cool Turkey

8. Smacksie

9. Kinda Happy

10. Tubby, Pt. 1

11. Tubby, Pt. 2

12. Cross My Heart

13. Big Nick

14. Beale Street Popeye

15. Memphis Twist

16. The Duck

17. The Crown

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Obscure Than He Deserved To Be, April 10, 2011

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gonzo: More Than All the 45's (Audio CD)

Born James Carroll Booker III on December 17, 1939 in New Orleans, this jazz pianist/organist and vocalist learned his initial keyboard skills from his father and grandfather, both Baptist ministers, and often played the organ at his father's ministry before attending and graduating from the Xavier Academy Preparatory School. Along the way, even as he learned many of the classics from Bach to Beethoven, his inspiration when it came to style found its origins in two Louisiana legends, Isidore "Tuts" Washington and Edward Frank.

In 1954, at the tender age of 15, he cut his first record at the famed Imperial Records studio, home of Fats Domino and Smiley Lewis, among others, billed as Little Booker on Doin' The Hambone b/w Thinkin' 'Bout My Baby (both here) on Imperial 5293. Doing both piano and the vocals, he was backed by Frank Fields on bass, Clarence Hall, Joe Harris and Herb Hardesty on sax and drummer Earl Palmer. It didn't chart but his impressive piano work led to session work with Domino and Lewis as well as Lloyd Price.

Then, in 1956, he joined with one Arthur Booker (no relation) and, as Arthur & Booker recorded You're Near Me b/w Heavenly Angel at Chess Records and had it released as Chess 1637, again with no chart success (both sides also here). That same year he became a member of the Joe Tex Band and toured with them until 1957. The following year he turned up at Ace Records where, again billed as Little Booker, he cut Open The Door b/w Teenage Rock (Ace 547) with the backing of Frank Fields on bass, Lee Allen, Robert Parker and Red Tyler on sax and drummer Charles Williams. Neither side charted and only Teenage Rock is included here.

It was also in 1958 that, now an undergraduate music student at Southern University, he attended a New Orleans concert given by the great Arthur Rubinstein where he was able to meet the famed pianist and demonstrate his own keyboard skills, impressing him greatly. Two years later, after soending a brief time as a member of Dee Clark's band, he began recording again, this time as James Booker, for Don Robey's Peacock Records out of Houston, Texas, and late that year he scored his only national hit when Gonzo reached # 3 R&B and # 43 Billboard Pop Hot 100 on Peacock 1697. Both sides are here, as are all sides of his next three Peacock releases, none of which clould get him back on the charts: Smacksie b/w Kinda Happy (Peacock 1900 in 1961); Tubby Pt. 1 b/w Tubby Pt 2 (Peacock 1908 in 1962), and Big Nick b/w Cross My Heart (Peacock 1923 in 1963).

Some 12 years later he turned up at Ace again, this time billed as The Del-Tones Featuring James "Mr. Piano" Booker for an answer song to the big Gwen McCrae hit Rockin' Chair, called You Can Be My Rockin' Chair. The flip on Ace 3009 was Everybody's Doin' Sumthin' - but with no chart success.

On November 8, 1983, at age 43, he passed away from heart and lung failure. A very talented man who probably deserved more commercial success than came his way. This is a very good compendium of his music with great sound reproduction and liner notes by Aaron Fuchs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great stuff from New Orleans, January 13, 2006

By 

COMPUTERJAZZMAN "computerjazzman" (Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gonzo: More Than All the 45's (Audio CD)

James Booker is not well known, but his place in New Orleans music history is secure. These are some of his earliest recordings, including his biggest hit, "Gonzo". Most of the songs feature James on th eorgan, and he can play it, too.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One Great Song, October 7, 2007

By 

Richard C. Anderson "comelj" (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gonzo: More Than All the 45's (Audio CD)

One great song: Gonzo. I could not afford the 45rpm when this record was out in about 1960 or 61 so it was worth the price for me to get this song (not on iTunes). But other songs nothing special.