Esquerita
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Esquerita was the stage name of singer, songwriter and pianist Eskew Reeder Jr. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on November 20, 1938, and died in Harlem on October 23, 1986, of AIDS.
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[edit] Biography
Little is known about this manic rock and roll piano player, and he is perhaps best-known as a major influence on Little Richard (Richard Penniman). As Reeder did not record until after Little Richard's initial mid-1950s recordings for RCA and Back Beat labels, it is clear that Esquerita influenced Richard stylistically. Esquerita was known for wearing heavy makeup and two wigs, piling his pompador even higher than Richard's. Early Little Richard recordings were made at WGST Radio Station in Atlanta, and they do not show the style that was to make Little Richard famous. Little Richard had not intended to use the style in his first New Orleans session for Specialty Records. Taking a break from the session, producer "Bumps" Blackwell had gone with Richard to a local cafe, where Richard jumped on a piano and began singing an X-rated version of "Tutti Frutti", in true Esquerita fashion. Blackwell had been unhappy with the initial songs on the session, and felt that a cleaned-up version of the song with the same style of presentation would be just what his boss Art Rupe was looking for. The rest is history.
Reeder was a self-taught piano player whose roots were in gospel music. His music career started as a teenager, when he dropped out of high school and joined the gospel group "Heavenly Echoes" based in New York City.
His first solo studio recordings came about when Paul Peek, got him to record some demos at a Greenville radio station sometime in the mid-50s. Peek would later become a member of the fabled rockabilly group The Blue Caps, led by manic performer Gene Vincent. Peek even co-wrote with Reeder, and Reeder played piano on the 1958 session that launched the NRC label for National Recording Corporation. From these contacts came a record contract from Capitol Records; Cub Koda described the results as "some of the most untamed and unabashed sides ever issued by a major label."[1] At this point, Eskew Reeder, Jr. adopted the stage name "Esquerita."
The ensuing years found Reeder cutting several singles with various backing musicians in studios in Nashville, Dallas, New Orleans and Detroit. Capitol Records released the LP Esquerita in 1959, his only album in the traditional sense (i.e., not a compilation of earlier singles, or re-issue). Some of the musicians he recorded with in this era included Jimi Hendrix, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and The Jordanaires (Elvis Presley's backup singers). His best known songs from this time include: "Hey Miss Lucy", "Get Back Baby", "Getting’ Plenty of Lovin’", "Rockin’ the Joint", and "Oh Baby".
In 1968, Reeder changed his name to "The Magnificent Malochi" and signed with Brunswick Records. Shortly after this, he began to fade from the music scene, and little was known about his whereabouts. According to an interview with Billy Miller and Miriam Linna in the ReSearch book Incredibly Strange Music, Reeder occasionally performed at African-American gay clubs under the name "Fabulash" during the 1970s. He was eventually tracked down by a writer for Kicks Magazine in 1983 or 1984, who found him performing in second-rate New York City clubs. According to an article ("Who Was Esquerita?"} by music historian Johnny Carter in an international oldies magazine, music maven Bill Lowery (who originated National Recording Corporation and was involved in the Peek sessions for NRC) was approached by Esquerita in New York in 1985 after a conference at Broadcast Music, Inc. Lowery confirmed that Esquerita was down on his luck, but was still as flamboyant as ever. This same article quoted Eskew Reeder, Sr. that his son had died of complications brought on by AIDS.
[edit] Trivia
- Mick Jones (of The Clash) recorded a song "Esquerita" with his band Big Audio Dynamite, appearing on the group's Tighten Up Volume '88 album.
- Esquerita's father Eskew Reeder Sr.'s last known residence was Simpsonville, South Carolina. Eskew Sr. was born on March 25, 1907 and died in February 1989 (a little over two years after his son Esquerita's death).
- Lynn August, a zydeco performer, played drums for Esquerita in the early 1960's. At the age of 12, August was playing drums for Fats Junior who happened to be opening a show for Esquerita, who let August play a couple of songs with him. After Esquerita spoke with August's mom, he was hired as Esquerita's drummer and played with Esquerita for three years, mostly around New Orleans. August said that Esquerita was playing an organ with pedals and only carried a drummer because he was such a great entertainer. Esquerita also encouraged August to take up piano. Lynn August later became known for his accordion playing. When Esquerita left New Orleans around 1963, August joined Jay Nelson's band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Main albums
- 1959 Esquerita (Capitol)
- 1997 Vintage Voola (Norton)
[edit] Compilations and re-issues
- 1990 Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol)
- 1990 I Never Danced Nowhere! (Charly)
- 1994 Sock It to Me Baby (Bear Family)
- 1998 Believe Me When I Say Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay (Collectables)
- 1998 Rockin' the Joint (Collectables)
