You know Chess Records. You should. I'd guess that most music freaks can probably name a half dozen blues or rock 'n' roll artists that recorded for Chess. The biggees being Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Koko Taylor, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and so on. Chess did put out some oddballs, some of which have only been reissued in box sets or other compilations. These are three random ones from a box set. The first one is not only the sole 45 that Billy Curley Barrix did for Chess, it's also the only rockabilly song Barrix had released. Starting with his next record a few years later, dude went country. The Clifton Chenier cut is interesting because it's early (around '59) and it's not zydeco, it's blues. Not to worry, his accordion is in there, just there as a guitar or piano would be. It doesn't maintain the boogie like his zydeco sound. But the accordion makes the song regardless. The Billy Miranda cut is down there for two reasons. One is that it sounds like some cross between Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Hasil Adkins. The other reason it's down there is because it's rare these days for me to want to reach through my speakers and slap the singer at the other end upside the head. This Miranda guy is a hysterical whiner.
Billy Curley Barrix - Cool Off Baby mp3 at Internet Archive
Clifton Chenier - My Soul mp3 at Internet Archive
Billy Miranda - Go Ahead mp3 at Internet Archive
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