James Booker

One night in 1973, pianist James Booker and his band, freshly seasoned from recent shows at the nearby club Dirty Pierre’s, sauntered into Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood. It was late at night, maybe 10:30 or 11, and the plan was loose. Booker sat down at a spinet tack piano, and his group of Dr. John associates–bassist Dave Johnson, drummer John Boudreaux, saxophonist David Lastie, guitarist Alvin “Shine” Robinson, and percussionists Richard “Didimus” Washington and Jesse “Ooh Poo Pa Doo” Hill– proceeded to cut a record.

As the story so often goes, the tapes got shopped around to labels, each one passing on them, and a reference copy wound up shelved somewhere to be mostly forgotten. Booker went on to find appreciative audiences in Europe, where he was hailed as an American treasure, “the Black Liberace,” or as Dr. John called him, “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced,” all the while struggling with substance abuse, which eventually resulted in his passing in 1983.

PERSONNEL:

• David Lastie - (saxophone)
• Alvin "Shine" Robinson - (guitar)
• John Boudreaux - (drums)
• Richard "Didimus" Washington - (percussion)
• Jessie Hill - (tambourine)

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. Goodnight Irene
• A2. Feel So Bad
• A3. Junco Partner
• A4. African Gumbo
• A5. Lah Tee Tah

• SIDE B
• B1. So Swell When You're Well
• B2. Stormy Monday (Medley)
• B3. Hound Dog (Medley)
• B4. Hole In The Wall
• B5. Tico Ticoll