James Booker
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Blues Minuet
7:07
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Pixie
2:50
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9,829 plays
General Info
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Genre: Blues / R&B
Location NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, US
Profile Views: 63276
Last Login: 9/12/2012
Member Since 4/17/2006
Type of Label Major
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Bio
..A site dedicated to the late great James Booker. Please say hi, and leave a james booker story if you have one. Spam comments will be deleted. (You know the, "thanks for the add please buy my cd" ones)....... Born Dec 17, 1939 in New Orleans, LA.. Died Nov 8, 1983 in New Orleans, LA.... Certainly one of the most flamboyant New Orleans pianists in recent memory, James Carroll Booker III was a major influence on the local rhythm & blues scene in the '50s and '60s. Booker's training included classical instruction until age 12, by which time he had already begun to gain recognition as a blues and gospel organist on radio station WMRY every Sunday. By the time he was out of high school he had recorded on several occasions, including his own first release, "Doing the Hambone," in 1953. In 1960, he made the national charts with "Gonzo," an organ instrumental, and over the course of the next two decades played and recorded with artists as varied as Lloyd Price, Aretha Franklin, Ringo Starr, the Doobie Brothers, and B.B. King. In 1967, he was convicted of possession of heroin and served a one-year sentence at Angola Penitentiary (referred to as the "Ponderosa"), which took the momentum out of an otherwise promising career. The rediscovery of "roots" music by college students during the '70s (focusing primarily on "Fess" by Professor Longhair) provided the opportunity for a comeback by 1974, with numerous engagements at local clubs like Tipitina's, The Maple Leaf, and Snug Harbor. As with "Fess," Booker's performances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals took on the trappings of legendary "happenings," and he often spent his festival earnings to arrive in style, pulling up to the stage in a rented Rolls Royce and attired in costumes befitting the "Piano Prince of New Orleans," complete with a cape. Such performances tended to be unpredictable: he might easily plant some Chopin into a blues tune or launch into a jeremiad on the CIA with all the fervor of a "Reverend Ike-meets-Moms Mabley" tag-team match..... Booker's left hand was simply phenomenal, often a problem for bass players who found themselves running for cover in an attempt to stay out of the way; with it he successfully amalgamated the jazz and rhythm & blues idioms of New Orleans, adding more than a touch of gospel thrown in for good measure. His playing was also highly improvisational, reinventing a progression (usually his own) so that a single piece would evolve into a medley of itself. In addition, he had a plaintive and seering vocal style which was equally comfortable with gospel, jazz standards, blues, or popular songs. Despite his personal eccentricities, Booker had the respect of New Orleans' best musicians, and elements of his influence are still very much apparent in the playing of pianists like Henry Butler and Harry Connick, Jr. .... .."Papa was a Rascal" (with Band).. .. .. .. .. .. -
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James Booker
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James Booker
listened to 2 songs
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Music
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19 Songs | Mar 1, 2012
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12 Songs | Oct 18, 2011
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9 Songs | Apr 19, 2011
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11 Songs | Apr 19, 2011
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13 Songs | Apr 19, 2011
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10 Songs | Apr 5, 2011
Comments
Bio:
A site dedicated to the late great James Booker. Please say hi, and leave a james booker story if you have one. Spam comments will be deleted. (You know the, "thanks for the add please buy my cd" ones).Born Dec 17, 1939 in New Orleans, LA
Died Nov 8, 1983 in New Orleans, LA
Certainly one of the most flamboyant New Orleans pianists in recent memory, James Carroll Booker III was a major influence on the local rhythm & blues scene in the '50s and '60s. Booker's training included classical instruction until age 12, by which time he had already begun to gain recognition as a blues and gospel organist on radio station WMRY every Sunday. By the time he was out of high school he had recorded on several occasions, including his own first release, "Doing the Hambone," in 1953. In 1960, he made the national charts with "Gonzo," an organ instrumental, and over the course of the next two decades played and recorded with artists as varied as Lloyd Price, Aretha Franklin, Ringo Starr, the Doobie Brothers, and B.B. King. In 1967, he was convicted of possession of heroin and served a one-year sentence at Angola Penitentiary (referred to as the "Ponderosa"), which took the momentum out of an otherwise promising career. The rediscovery of "roots" music by college students during the '70s (focusing primarily on "Fess" by Professor Longhair) provided the opportunity for a comeback by 1974, with numerous engagements at local clubs like Tipitina's, The Maple Leaf, and Snug Harbor. As with "Fess," Booker's performances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals took on the trappings of legendary "happenings," and he often spent his festival earnings to arrive in style, pulling up to the stage in a rented Rolls Royce and attired in costumes befitting the "Piano Prince of New Orleans," complete with a cape. Such performances tended to be unpredictable: he might easily plant some Chopin into a blues tune or launch into a jeremiad on the CIA with all the fervor of a "Reverend Ike-meets-Moms Mabley" tag-team match.
Booker's left hand was simply phenomenal, often a problem for bass players who found themselves running for cover in an attempt to stay out of the way; with it he successfully amalgamated the jazz and rhythm & blues idioms of New Orleans, adding more than a touch of gospel thrown in for good measure. His playing was also highly improvisational, reinventing a progression (usually his own) so that a single piece would evolve into a medley of itself. In addition, he had a plaintive and seering vocal style which was equally comfortable with gospel, jazz standards, blues, or popular songs. Despite his personal eccentricities, Booker had the respect of New Orleans' best musicians, and elements of his influence are still very much apparent in the playing of pianists like Henry Butler and Harry Connick, Jr.






















pianoklang.de 2 years ago
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10 of 214MoreHey there, if you or your friends like pianos you're welcome to join our FB group www.facebook.com/pianoklang
Finally, after all those years I found the vinyl record of Junco Partner! Thanks James for letting me find your music
It's an honour to be amongst your friends Mr. Booker!
Check out the new, expanded trailer for Bayou Maharajah: The Life and Music of James Carroll Booker on JamesBooker.com.
James Booker the man, the music, & the passion!
cheers
Helen
James-
My two young adult daughters moved to New Orleans from Pennsylvania two weeks ago, their little 1/2 a shotgun double just a couple of blocks from the Maple Leaf. I've told them to keep an eye out for my awestruck, nineteen year-old ghost dressed in late seventies garb.
I still love your music and have been thinking about you alot lately. God Bless.
dustyb
P.S. Are there any Roosevelt Sykes recordings from his weekly Maple Leaf gig?
Just some of the best damn music I've ever heard!!!
Hey All: Just heard there's a Booker documentary in the works called "Bayou Maharajah." Thought I'd share the word in case you hadn't heard!
davIdiot RAw.
"If you can't beat em: Poem."
Hi There...!
Just stopping by to say hello.
Jan Sander
Long live the music of James Carroll Booker