Huey "Piano" Smith

 

Huey Pierce " Piano " Smith (Janairu 26, 1934 - Fabrairu 13, 2023) ɗan wasan piano ne na Amurka kuma mawaƙin zaman waka wanda sautinsa ya yi tasiri wajen haɓaka wasan piano na rock and roll .

Waƙar piano da ya buga ta haɗa da salon buga boogie-woogie na Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, da Albert Ammons, salon jazz na Jelly Roll Morton da salon R&B na Fats Domino . [1] Steve Huey na AllMusic ya lura cewa "A lokacin da yake kan gaba a wasansa, Smith ya nuna salon buga R&B na New Orleans a mafi yaɗuwa da kuma ban mamaki, kamar yadda aka nuna a waƙar sa ta gargajiya, " Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu ".

Sana'a

Shekarun farko

An haifi Smith a unguwar Central City da ke New Orleans. Ayyukan Farfesa Longhair na kirkire-kirkire sun yi masa tasiri. Ya shahara da sauya piano da hannunsa na dama wanda ya yi tasiri ga sauran 'yan wasan Kudu.

Smith ya rubuta waƙarsa ta farko mai suna "Robertson Street Boogie", wacce aka sanya wa suna bayan titin da yake zaune, a kan piano, lokacin yana ɗan shekara takwas. Ya rera waƙar tare da wani abokinsa Percy Anderson, inda su biyun suka yi lissafin kansu a matsayin Slick da Doc. Smith ya halarci Makarantar Sakandare ta Walter L. Cohen da ke New Orleans.

Lokacin da Smith yake ɗan shekara 15, ya fara aiki a ƙungiyoyi da yin rikodi tare da abokin aikinsa mai hazaka, Eddie Jones, wanda ya shahara a matsayin Guitar Slim . Lokacin da Smith yake ɗan shekara 18, a shekarar 1952, ya sanya hannu kan kwangilar yin rikodi da Savoy Records, wanda ya fitar da waƙarsa ta farko da aka sani, "You Made Me Cry". A shekarar 1953, Smith ya yi rikodi tare da Earl King .

A shekarar 1955, Smith ya zama ɗan wasan piano tare da ƙungiyar mawakan Little Richard ta farko a zaman don Rikodin Musamman . A wannan shekarar kuma ya buga piano a zaman studio da dama ga wasu mawaka, kamar Lloyd Price . Biyu daga cikin zaman sun haifar da waƙoƙin Earl King ("Those Lonely Lonely Nights") da Smiley Lewis (" I Hear You Knocking ").

A shekarar 1956, Smith ya yi rikodin waƙar Ace Records tare da Rhythm Aces. Bangaren A-gefen waƙar shine "Little Liza Jane", tare da "Everybody's Whalin'". A zaman, ban da Smith a kan piano, akwai sax man Lee Allen, Earl King a kan guitar, da Earl Palmer a kan ganguna. Rhythm Aces sun ƙunshi mawaƙa Dave Dixon, Roland Cook, da Issacher "Izzycoo" Gordon. Mac Rebennack, wanda aka fi sani da Dr. John, ya ce, "Kuma Huey yana kama layin 'Little Liza Jane' na gaske. Tabbas yana da kyawawan kuliyoyi suna yin sa, amma yana da wannan halin da zai sa ya sami sa. Kuma tare da Dave Dixon da Izzycoo (Gordon) suna rera waƙar a kai, kai, ba zai iya samun mafi kyau ba." Gordon, wanda shi ma ya rera waƙa tare da wata ƙungiyar mawaƙa ta New Orleans mai suna The Spiders, ya rera waƙar Smith mai suna "Blow Wind Blow" mai suna "Junior" Gordon a shekarar 1956.

Tare da Clowns a Ace Records

A shekarar 1957, ya kafa ƙungiyar mawaƙa, Huey "Piano" Smith da Clowns, tare da wani mawaƙi Bobby Marchan, kuma ya sanya hannu kan kwangila ta dogon lokaci da Ace Records, wanda tsohon mai shirya waƙoƙin Specialty Johnny Vincent ya wakilta. Smith and the Clowns ya yi rikodin " Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu " tare da mawaƙa Sidney Rayfield (mai aski na Huey) da kuma "Scarface" John Williams mai shekaru 18 sun haɗu da shi a cikin waƙoƙi. Ba tare da kula da sautin muryarsa ba, Huey ya umurci Williams da ya matsa kusa da makirufo. "Ku kusanci, John," in ji shi. "Ina ƙoƙarin samun nasara daga wannan." An fitar da rikodin a matsayin "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Part 1" a gefen A da kuma "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Part 2" (wani kayan aiki ) a gefen Ace Records . An sayar da faifan fiye da kwafi miliyan ɗaya, wanda hakan ya sa ya kai matsayin faifan zinare . Huey "Piano" Smith da 'Yan Clowns sun kai ga jadawalin Billboard tare da waƙoƙin da suka biyo baya da dama a jere.

John 'Scarface' Williams ne ya ba da gudummawar alamar kasuwanci " Mardi Gras " ga rikodin Huey Smith. Ya kasance memba na Apache Hunters, ƙabilar Mardi Gras ta Indiya . Ya rera waƙar jagora a cikin "Genevieve", "Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas And The Sinus Blues", "Beatnik Blues", da "Quit My Job", kuma ya ba da gudummawar waƙoƙi ga "Don't You Just Know It", "Pop-Eye", "Just A Lonely Clown", da sauransu. Williams ya bar Clowns a shekarar 1959 ya kafa Tick Tocks. Mawakin New Orleans Aaron Neville ya ce "Na kasance kusa da Scarface lokacin da muke matasa. Ya rera waƙa tare da Huey 'Piano' Smith da Clowns a farkon shekarun 1950 sannan kuma tare da Tick Tocks - manyan ƙungiyoyin R&B a New Orleans. Ni da Scarface mun yi ta shaƙatawa sosai a Dew Drop Inn da ke kan titin LaSalle. Wata dare a watan Maris na 1972, an daba masa wuka yana ƙoƙarin dakatar da faɗa a gaban wani kulob a kan titin Dryades. Mutuwarsa babban koma-baya ne, ba wai kawai saboda sanannen mawaƙi ba ne, har ma saboda shi ne Babban Shugaban Mafarauta na Mo Hawk (sic) kuma abokin kawunmu, Babban Shugaban Jolly, wanda shi ne shugaban ƙabilarsa ta Mardi Gras ta Indiya." Art Neville ya ƙara da cewa, "Ni da 'yan'uwana uku duk mawaƙa ne kuma mawaƙa, amma ba mu haɗu a hukumance a matsayin ƙungiya ba sai a shekarar 1976, lokacin da muka rera waƙar ' The Wild Tchoupitoulas' —kundin kawuna Jolly. An sanya masa suna ne saboda ƙabilarsa kuma ya ƙunshi waƙoƙin kira da amsa na Mardi Gras na Indiya. Membobin ƙungiyar New Orleans Meters suna nan, kuma Allen Toussaint ne ya shirya shi. Wannan shi ne karo na farko da muka yi rikodin "Brother John" na Cyril. "A yanayin "Brother John", Cyril Neville ya lura, "Na rubuta waƙoƙin a farkon shekarun 1970 tare da Kawuna Jolly [George Landry]. Suna shirin yin waƙa mai salon Afirka wanda ya shahara a kowace ƙabilar Mardi Gras ta Indiya a lokacin. James "Sugar Boy" Crawford shine farkon wanda ya shahara da wannan salon a waƙar sa ta " Jock-a-mo " ta 1954. Na rubuta waƙoƙin "Brother John's" tare da kawuna don girmama wani abokina—John 'Scarface' Williams—wanda aka yi wa ado da shi. an kashe shi a baya.