Archive for the ‘John Simon’ Category

Bobby Charles

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Listen: Small Town Talk / Bobby Charles BobbyCharlesSmallTalkTown.mp3

When Bobby Charles was invited by The Band to participate in their final concert and accompanying documentary, THE LAST WALTZ, seems the group and Rick Danko in particular, had a dream come true. For years regarded an important member of New Orleans’ swamp / cajun music fraternity, Bobby Charles soon after headed to their home base in Woodstock and recorded his sole album for Bearsville.

With John Simon and Rick Danko as his co-producers, the result is to this day, a perfect document of southern Louisiana-influenced rhythm and blues and magnified The Band’s quality as players better than just about anything else they recorded, in my opinion.

Even the sound those guys succeeded to document in of all places, upstate New York, rivals the most revered French Quarter studios. ‘Small Town Talk’, the 7″, is a completely different version to the album, with Dr. John, Levon Helm, Rick Danko and John Simon essentially his make shift band. The record got a bunch of evening plays on BBC programs back then. I recall John Peel championing the single which indeed now, is a cherished possession.