Jessie Hill

Best remembered for the classic "Ooh Poo Pah Doo," New Orleans R&B legend Jessie Hill was born in the Crescent City's Ninth Ward district on December 9, 1932. Raised alongside the likes of Eddie Bo, Oliver Morgan, and Prince La La, it was almost inevitable that he would pursue a career in music, and by his teens he was playing drums in bands fronted by Kid Arnestine and Freddie Domino. In 1951 Hill formed his own group, the House Rockers, with guitarist Little Eddie Lang and siblings Melvin and David Lastie on trumpet and saxophone. The group played local country & western bars for about a year, touring the northern U.S. in support of a drag troupe led by Bobby Marchan before splitting. Upon returning to New Orleans, Hill played drums behind Professor Longhair. No recordings of their collaboration exist, but according to observers, he was the most sympathetic and complementary percussionist Longhair ever enjoyed. He then served with Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns before forming a new version of the House Rockers in 1958. In addition to David Lastie, this lineup included guitarist Alvin "Shine" Robinson, bassist Richard Payne, and a drummer, John Boudreaux, which enabled Hill to focus solely on frontman duties. The origins of "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" reportedly lie with a local pianist known only as Big Four. A drunk who played the club Shy Guy's Place for booze and tips, he once performed the song with the House Rockers in attendance, and Hill scribbled the lyrics and melody on a paper sack, later fleshing it all out with an intro cribbed from Dave Bartholomew. Its dubious evolution notwithstanding, "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" remains one of the classics of New Orleans R&B. A nonsensical yet rollicking call-and-response workout that perfectly captures the energy of French Quarter...