A4 Rockin' Sidney - Boogie Blues'N'Zydeco - Sally Mae

Details

Description

A1 Cochon De Lait
A2 Once Is Not Enough
A3 Boogie For Me
A4 Sally Mae
A5 Sweet Lil' Woman
A6 Every Nickel, Every Dime
B1 Slim's Y-Kee Kee
B2 Creole Rock And Roll
B3 If I Could I Would (F. Soileau, S. Simien)
B4 She's My Morning Coffee (F. Soileau, S. Simien)
B5 Shirley Jean (W. Price)
B6 Su-Wey!
Rest: S. Simien

Rockin' Sidney: Accordion & Harmonica
Katie Webster: Piano
Mark Miller: Bass
Warren Storm: Drums
Thomas Shreve: Guitar
Willie Tee: Saxophone

From Wiki:
Sidney Simien (April 9, 1938–February 25, 1998), known professionally as Rockin' Sidney, was an American R&B, zydeco, and soul musician. He's best known for his 1985 single "My Toot-Toot", which reached top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and earned him a Grammy.

Sidney Simien was born on April 9, 1938 in the tiny farming community of Lebeau, LA. Born into a Creole French-speaking family and was a descendant of Antoine—of Marseille, France—and Marie Simien (a free woman of color and a plantation owner). He started his musical career at age 14 playing harmonica and guitar. His first gig was as backup for his uncle Frank Simien. In 1957, at the age of 18, he recorded his first side, "Make Me Understand," on the Carl label. "No Good Woman" became a small hit in Louisiana in 1962, while the flip side, "You Ain't Nothing But Fine" brought him his first national attention as a songwriter.

Although his real success came from zydeco, he did not start out playing the accordion or Cajun music. Heavily influenced by local musicians such as Slim Harpo and Cookie & The Cupcakes, he made R&B-styled recordings on the Fame label during the late 1950s, often backed by George Lewis on harmonica and Katie Webster on piano. Floyd Soileau's Jin Records label released nine Rockin' Sidney singles between 1957–64, including "She's My Morning Coffee"/"Calling You", but also recorded on Rod Records.

In 1965, he signed with Eddie Shuler's Goldband Records. He took to wearing a turban and was known as "Count Rockin' Sidney". Between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s, Sidney cut over 50 singles for the label, as "Something Working Baby" and "Soul Christmas", working in a variety of contemporary blues, soul and R&B modes; none was successful.

In the late 1970s Sidney was performing solo organ gigs at Lake Charles hotels and lounges when he recognized zydeco's growing popularity. Floyd Soileau said: "I suppose it was the mid-'70s when I suggested that he pick up the accordion and start doing zydeco which was then making a comeback." He quickly added the instrument to his repertoire and made that traditional folk music of Louisiana his focus. Zydeco was long familiar to him, from his Creole heritage. His first zydeco album, Give Me a Good Time Woman was released in 1982 on the Maison de Soul label.

In the late 1970s, Sidney was recording for Bally Hoo and started his own publishing company, Sid Sim Publishing. His zydeco talents were recognized and he had another hit with "Louisiana Creole Man." He signed a lease agreement with Floyd Soileau to distribute his recordings on Maison de Soul Records label. By the early 1980s, Sidney had recorded another successful album with Boogie, Blues 'N' Zydeco.

In 1984 when "My Toot Toot" made him internationally known. He wrote the song and released it on his third album, My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues. In January 1985, "My Toot Toot" was released as a single in Louisiana and Texas, and became his first true regional hit. Thanks to Cleon Floyd it became a huge New Orleans hit, when he heard the crowd's reaction to the song at a bill headlined by Solomon Burke, he took 20 copies of the record back to the city, he was the president of the Orleans Street Jocks Association and by Mardi Gras, it was a jukebox and record smash.

Huey Meaux got the original leased to Epic Records, who released it nationally. He made it into the country Top 40 where it stayed for 18 weeks. Later that year, the song was certified platinum and won a Grammy, became an international million-selling phenomenon. He was featured in People, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and appeared on numerous national TV shows and the song was played in motion pictures. It has been covered by many artists including Fats Domino, Rosie Ledet, Jean Knight, Terrance Simien, Denise LaSalle, and John Fogerty.

He used royalties to purchase radio station KAOK in Lake Charles and Festival City, a 6-acre entertainment complex and started a label, ZBC Records. After the success, he toured the USA and Europe and continued to record. Several of his songs such as "If It's Good for the Gander," "My Zydeco Shoes," "Jalapeño Lena", and "Ann Cayenne" have become zydeco staples.

After a bout with throat cancer, Rockin' Sidney Simien succumbed in 1998, leaving his legacy to his wife, 3 sons, and 4 grandchildren. He was funeralized at his hometown church, Immaculate Conception in Lebeau, and buried in the church cemetery.