Gearing up for the Stomp

There have been two days of music interviews as a warm up for the Ponderosa Stomp which starts tonight and it's been great to find out more about some of the artists. Today began with Charlie Gracie who's been recording for over 60 years. He brought his guitar and played a few snippets of a couple of numbers, including Cool Baby. He's still a regular visitor to the UK and must have mystified the New Orleans audience with Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner.
Next on were two real obscurities in the form of Eddie Daniels and Kent 'Boogaloo' Harris. Both are from LA and played key, if little known, roles in early rock and roll and R and B. Boogaloo wrote Clothesline and Cops and Robbers, more famous later by the Coasters and Bo Diddley. Eddie Daniels long career including doowop and rockabilly (the only black rockabilly singer, he said), associations with Eddie Cochran among others, and 40 years as a member of a version of The Platters.
Next it was the turn of Chris Montez, a man who had a couple of excellent hits including Let's Dance, went to school with the Beach Boys and toured with the Beatles in 1962, introducing them to their trademark collar less jackets, before going middle of the road.
Yesterday's conference featured two New Orleans soul singers, Richard Caiton and Charles Brimmer, the indestructible Swamp Dogg, and two soul legends Maxine Brown and Baby Washington. There was also an interesting session with two musicologists, who discovered, or rediscovered, Professor Lomghair and Papa George Lightfoot, among others.
Last night there some great records played at Hip Drop VI, featuring a bunch of soul and R and B DJs, including Pierre Baroni from Melbourne. But the live music starts in earnest tonight,
Nick Cobban.