Another great one gone: Huey “Piano” Smith made some of the greatest New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll records ever: “Don’t You Just Know It,” “Rockin’ Pneumonia (and the Boogie Woogie Flu),” “High Blood Pressure,” the original version of “Sea Cruise,” “Well I’ll Be John Brown,” “Free, Single and Disengaged,” and a slew of other great, wild-ass, sloppy but tight party favorites. These records DEFINE exuberance. They are nothing but a good time, little perfect slices of the best party ever thrown, committed to vinyl.
It breaks my heart, and ticks me off a little bit, that Huey became a Jehovah’s Witness and refused to play any of these great records. We tried to get him for the Ponderosa Stomp, and he wouldn’t even consider it. I mean, these records have no satanic messages, nothing improper—they are just FUN records. So even though we must salute Huey for his great talent, I still cannot fathom why some people choose the paths they do. I feel like Huey Smith coming back to the Ponderosa Stomp and doing “Don’t You Just Know It” would have been the best party EVER, and it breaks my heart that he wouldn’t allow it to happen.
Blast some Huey “Piano” Smith records tonight. And the next time the Jehovah’s Witnesses come knocking on your door, slam the door in their faces and tell them it’s because of what they did to Huey. There’s nothing evil about rock ‘n’ roll. It’s nothing but a good time.
