Singer/songwriter Bobby Charles (1938-2010) had the kind of musical career I would have loved to have. One of the pioneers of the version of jumping blues in the deep south that later became called “Swamp Rock”, he did a bit of singing, but really earned his money by composing a bunch of hits for other people, namely “See You Later, Alligator” (covered by Bill Haley and the Comets), “Walkin’ To New Orleans” (Ditto Fats Domino) and “(I Don’t Know Why) But I Do” (double ditto Frogman Brown).
Charles’ own version of “Later Alligator” is a real swinger, and it’s fun to compare it here with those by Haley (rockabilly), Roy Hall (gritty) and Otto Bash (Pat Boone-ish). The first half plus of this 2 disc 56 song collection has Charles boogie-ing hard on “Take it Easy, Greasy”, “Laura Lee” and “I Ain’t Got No Home” as well as his own hit “Only Time Will Tell”. Fats Domino struck gold for Charles on “Before I Grow to Old” and “It Keeps Raining” with wonderfully relentless Crescent City piano work, and Charles “Frogman’ Henry (who has a nickname like THAT these days?!?) digs deep on “On Bended Knee” and the fun “A Little Too Much”. Was this the last time popular music was this much fun? When did the Philistines take over?