Oh my!
It's that time of the week!
HERE COMES THE WEEKEND
Monday ain't a fun day, Tuesday's a blue day
Wednesday's a frenzy, Thursday's the worst day
Friday is great 'cause I can
Hardly wait until the weekend
I should be clockin' in at eight but I'm a little late
Can't blame my baby, 'cause I took her on a date
Two till ten and then it's Friday again
Here comes the weekend
Here comes the weekend
Here comes the weekend
My working week's so tough
I think I've had enough
Until the weekend
I've had an overdose of doctor's notes
But it just don't ease the pain
Goin' on the sick don't do the trick
Sooner or later I'll be clockin' in again
Working like a dog more than ten-hour day
Never see enough from my take-home pay
They pay me for the shift like I was given a gift
Here comes the weekend
I've had an overdose of doctor's notes
But it just don't ease the pain
Goin' on the sick don't do the trick
Sooner or later I'll be clockin' in again
Someday I'll be able to forget my working days
Life will be a grin because my ship is comin' in
Everything will go my way and I won't have to say
Here comes the weekend
Here comes the weekend
Here comes the weekend
My working week's so tough
I think I've had enough
Until the weekend
Here comes the weekend!
Here comes the weekend!
Here comes the weekend!
Here comes the weekend!
Crescent City Gold:
The Ultimate Session
Ooh baby! I thought it would be fun to to post a tasty Allen Toussaint song called Hang Tough which was a track on an album called Crescent City Gold: The Ultimate Session. Hang Tough has a real groove to it and is a song that captures the essence of moving ahead no matter what.
Crescent City Gold: The Ultimate Session features many renowned artist from the New Orleans music scene that include Allen Toussaint, Dr John, Lee Allen, Alvin Tyler, Earl Palmer along with a supporting cast of bass, drums, horn section, and backing vocalists.
This wonderful album recalls the golden era of New Orleans that fills the air with Second-line grooves, such New Orleans Piano Professors as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint along with third pianist Edward Frank. The New Orleans vibe is alive because of some Big Easy classics such as Trick Bag, Don't You Just Know It and Junco Partner.
Dr. John & Allen Toussaint hitting the groove!
During these sessions, Allen Toussaint and Dr John took turns doing lead vocals on all of the tracks. Crescent City Gold is the moniker for a dream team of some of New Orleans R&B's greatest musicians. Four of these great players, drummer Earl Palmer, baritone sax player Alvin Red Tyler, pianist Edward Frank, and tenor sax player Lee Allen, have been studio musicians since the 1950s, and they amply demonstrate their 40 years of musical experience on The Ultimate Session. Joining them are two musicians who are slightly younger, yet whose credentials are completely above suspicion: Allen Toussaint and Mac Rebennack (it is a tribute to the authenticity of The Ultimate Session that Rebennack is billed by his real name and not his more familiar stage name, Dr. John). Toussaint and Rebennack contribute most of the compositions on this album, featuring a fantastic sax melody, Earl Palmer at his best, and some extremely skanky guitar from Mr. Rebennack. The record is of such historic importance (and so downright funky throughout) that it is worth tracking down for fans of New Orleans R&B.
HANG TOUGH
Even the masters miss Sometimes...baby
So don't be so hard on yourself
Even the best get beat Sometimes...baby
That's just the way the story goes
Even the highs get low Sometimes...baby
That's just the nature of the game
When on the way to up There's downs...baby
Until you reach the glory road
(You got to) Hang tough...never give up
Hang tough...never give up
(You got to) Hang tough...never give up
Hang tough...never give up
Even the experts miss Sometimes...baby
And they're supposed to call the shots
Everything seems to fall short At times...baby
And when it rains it really pours
Even the darkest cloud On high...baby
Don't mean there's darkness in your heart
Even the champs go down Sometimes...baby
To fall don't mean To fall apart
(You got to) Hang tough...never give up
Hang tough...never give up
(You got to) Hang tough...never give up
Hang tough...never give up
John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. Hiatt has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded a variety of other distinctions in the music industry.
Hiatt moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when he was 18 years old and got a job as a songwriter for the Tree-Music Publishing Company for $25 a week (equivalent to about $203 in 2024). Hiatt, who was unable to read or write scores, had to record all 250 songs he wrote for the company. In 1972 he also began playing with the band White Duck as one of three singer-songwriters within the group. White Duck had already recorded one album before Hiatt joined. He wrote and performed two songs on their second album In Season. Hiatt performed live in many clubs around Nashville with White Duck and also as a solo act.
Hiatt finally came into success in 1987, when he released Bring the Family. For the album, Hiatt had a backing band consisting of Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. Two of the songs on the album have been extensively covered: Have a Little Faith in Me, which has been interpreted by a number of artists, including Joe Cocker, Delbert McClinton, Jewel, Bill Frisell, Mandy Moore and Bon Jovi; and Memphis in the Meantime, which has been covered by Carl Perkins, Chris Smither, Spafford, and Gregg Allman.
Most notably, Bonnie Raitt brought Thing Called Love to No. 11 on the US charts with her 1989 release Nick of Time.
Following Bring the Family, Hiatt had a string of nine straight studio albums which hit the Billboard 200.
In 1988, he returned to the studio with Glyn Johns producing to record Slow Turning, which was his first album to hit the upper half of the Billboard 200.
Hiatt's song catalog grows and grows with each year. Cheers for John Hiatt!
GONE
Gone like my last paycheck, gone, gone away
Gone like the car I wrecked, gone, gone away
Gone like a fifth of gin, gone, gone away
Gone like the shape I'm in, gone, gone away
My baby's gone away
Gone like a Nixon file, gone, gone away
Gone like my Landlord's smile, gone, gone away
Gone like the furniture, gone, gone away
Gone like the rest of her, gone, gone away
My baby's gone away
Gone like the silhouette, there by the bed
where she undressed
Gone like the candlelight where we made love,
so sweet and bright
Gone like the one last turn
she took before Atlanta burned
Gone like everything I learned, gone, gone away
Gone like my last paycheck, gone, gone away
Gone like the car I wrecked, gone, gone away
Gone like a fifth of gin, gone, gone away
Gone like the shape I'm in, gone, gone away
My baby's gone away
J.B. LENOIR
One of my favorite blues songs is a song called Feelin' Good; a tasty vibe by JB Lenoir. The song has a relaxed atmosphere that brings the listener in throughout the recording. Along with JB's guitar , a member of JB's family plays the spoons which enhances the song's stripped down sound.
I first heard Feelin' Good back in 1970 while I was in a record store and subsequently left the record store with a JB Lenoir album titled Vietnam Blues.
John Mayall, a British blues musician who served time in Korea, found his life changed when he came across the music of JB Lenoir. In an interview in The Guardian, Mayall stated that "JB Lenoir wrote about Korea, too, in fact. Songs that reflect these current situations – in his case, racial issues for the most part: in my case, what has happened to me, and I was in Korea.”
In 1949, JB Lenoir moved to Chicago, where Big Bill Broonzy helped introduce him to the blues community. He began to perform at local nightclubs, with musicians such as Memphis Minnie, Big Maceo Merriweather, and Muddy Waters, and became an important part of the city's blues scene.
JB started recording tracks in 1951 for J.O.B. Records and Chess Records. His recording of Korea Blues was licensed to and released by Chess, as having been performed by J. B. and his Bayou Boys.
During the 1950s Lenoir recorded for various record labels in the Chicago area, including J.O.B., Chess, Parrot, and Checker. His most successful songs included Let's Roll, The Mojo (featuring saxophonist J. T. Brown) and the controversial Eisenhower Blues, which Parrot Records forced him to re-record as Tax Paying Blues.
Lenoir was known in the 1950s for his showmanship, particularly his zebra-patterned costumes, and his high-pitched vocals. He became an influential electric guitarist and songwriter, and his penchant for social commentary distinguished him from many other bluesmen of the time.
JP's most commercially successful and enduring release was Mamma Talk to Your Daughter, recorded for Parrot in 1954, which reached number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart and was later recorded by many other blues and rock musicians.
In 1963, he recorded for USA Records as J. B. Lenoir and his African Hunch Rhythm, having developed an interest in African percussion. He was rediscovered by Willie Dixon, who recorded him playing acoustic guitar, with the drummer Fred Below, on the albums Alabama Blues and Down in Mississippi (inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and Free Speech Movement). Lenoir's work had overtly political content relating to racism and the Korean and Vietnam wars.
FEELIN' GOOD
Feelin' good, feelin' good
All the money in the world spent on feelin' good
A wino met me in the street
He said, "Help me on some Sneakin' Pete"
"Please help me brother, I wish you would"
"I feel so bad and I wanna feel good"
Feelin' good, feelin' good
All the money in the world spent on feelin' good
Riding around with friends
Cadillac and everything
All the fine dreams
Lemonade and everythin'
Feelin' good, feelin' good
All the money in the world spent on feelin' good
Feelin' good, feelin' good
All the money in the world spent on feelin' good
You know all your fine things
A big Cadillac and everything
All they're making diamond rings
The expenses are all a dream
Feelin' good, feelin' good
All the money in the world spent on feelin' good
Geraint Watkins
I've always felt that Geraint Watkins is an undiscovered treasure. I love his unique approach to his original songs and the fact that he delivers a tasty sincere vocal every time out.
Geraint Watkins is a Welsh singer, songwriter, rock and roll pianist and accordionist. He has backed many notable artists, including Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Roy St. John, Shakin' Stevens and most recently Status Quo. He has also pursued a solo career and issued a number of albums under his own name.
Well it's time to close up the shop so I'll leave you with a tasty novelty tune Called Turn That Chicken Down, one of Watkins' more bizarre songs.
At first listen, you might assume you've stumbled into a drunken party in a bar but suddenly this song will grab hold of you and put a smile on your face. Amen!
See ya later alligators!
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