Music For Mardi Gras

With  New Orleans still on a high after the Saints' Super Bowl victory I'm sure this year's Mardi Gras will be something to remember (Hurricanes and Dixie beer not withstanding). My only Mardi Gras, back in 1996, was one of the most memorable trips of my life. Each year on Fat Tuesday, as well eating pancakes, I also like to have my own little Mardi Gras celebration. These are some of the tunes that make me wish I was in New Orleans today.

MP3: Professor Longhair - Go To The Mardi Gras

I posted this one last year too but it's the definitive Mardi Gras song performed by the definitive New Orleans artist.
Buy Professor Longhair - The London Concert: 7digital | Amazon

MP3: Sugar Boy Crawford & His Cane Cutters - Jock-A-Mo

This 50s gem is from a great 52 track compilation called Crazy Man Crazy! The Roots of Rock'n'Roll I bought on Sunday. The song morphed into The Dixie Cups' hit Iki Iko in 1964.
Buy Crazy Man Crazy! 7digital | Amazon

MP3: Fats Domino - Walking To New Orleans

During my Mardi Gras trip I went to a memorable block party hosted by WWOZ DJ The Governor.  The following day he did an entire show of Fats tunes; this one was obviously included.
Buy The Fats Domino Jukebox: 7digital | Amazon

MP3: The Meters - Hey Pocky A-Way

I discovered the New Orleans masters of funk relatively recently while researching one my chicken song posts. This track has become a carnival standard.
Buy The Very Best of The Meters: 7digital | Amazon

MP3: Dejan's Olympia Brass Band - Ain't My Fault

The Olympia Brass Band are New Orleans legends. You may recall this appearance in the Bond film Live and Let Die.


Buy New Orleans - Rebuild, Restore, Rejoice: 7digital | Amazon

MP3: Jerry Lee Lewis - Jambalaya

I'm on a bit of a Jerry Lee kick at the moment after recently reading Joe Bonomo's new book about The Killer. Not technically a Mardi Gras song I guess but jambalaya, crawfish pie and file gumbo would be high on my list of Mardi Gras eats (along with a fried oyster po' boy,  Popeye's chicken and Zapps chips).
Buy Jerry Lee Lewis - Legendary Sun Classics: Amazon

MP3: Tom Waits - I Wish I Was in New Orleans

My sentiments exactly. I remember we played this as we drove over Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans for Mardi Gras in 1996. "Arm-in-arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me". Perfect.
Buy Tom Waits - Small Change: 7digital | Amazon

If you have your own favourite Mardi Gras songs, please do leave a comment and tell me what they are. 

Related Posts

I Wish I Was In New Orleans - last year's Mardi Gras post featuring two Professor Longhair tracks and a lethal sangria recipe from Tipitina's

State Songs #19: Louisiana - songs by Lucinda Williams, Guy Clark, The Be Good Tanyas, Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, Emmylou Harris, Lightnin' Hopkins, Waylon Jennings

Related Links
Home of the Groove - great blog full of Mardi Gras songs and New Orleans R&B

Clucking Brilliant!

Since writing two chicken song posts on a whim in January I've been surprised to discover just how much music has been devoted to the farmyard fowl.

Following my last chicken post a colleague told me I'd omitted his favorites by Uncle Dave Macon, The Meters and Link Wray. Another co-worker suggested I listen to King Crimson's "classic improv piece" Mother Hold the Candle Steady While I Shave the Chicken's Lip (which I did but won't be sharing in case it has the same effect on you that it had on me). I've also recently bought the diverting music list book Hang the DJ and found that it contained a 10-song rundown of chicken songs.

These are the three suggestions I welcomed as well as the Rufus Thomas track I was unable to find first time around. I fear this is becoming an obsession and there'll be a further post shortly with another quartet of cluckers.

MP3: The Meters - Chicken Strut

This was a minor hit for the New Orleans funk band in 1970 and demonstrates one of the great appeal of chicken songs to musicians: it allows them to make comical bird noises (see also The Funky Chicken).
More Meters: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Rufus Thomas - Fried Chicken

The Funky Chicken may be Rufus Thomas's most famous birdy song but this is certainly the greasiest and greatest. I wanted to include it on my first chicken song post but couldn't track it down. I finally found it a compilation called Pulp Fusion - Bustin' Loose.
More Rufus Thomas: Wikipedia | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Uncle Dave Macon - Bake That Chicken Pie

Macon was one of the first Grand Ole Opry stars and if you saw episode one of BBC Four's brilliant Folk America series you'll know what an amazing character and self publicist the "Dixie Dewdrop" was. This song was recorded in 1927 but had been popular for decades as a minstrel number.
More Uncle Dave: Wikipedia |Amazon

MP3: Link Wray and his Ray Men - Run Chicken Run

I saw Bob Dylan at Brixton Academy the month Link Wray died in 2005 and was delighted to hear Bob start the show with a rendition of the classic Rumble (Dylan also paid tribute to his surroundings with a Clash cover). No vocal chicken impression required here - the guitar does all the work.
More Link Wray: Wikipedia | Amazon | 7digital

As I said, stay tuned for even more chicken songs very shortly and please suggest any more I might enjoy.

Related Posts
Chicken Songs For The Soul
Chicken: Anyone For Seconds?