As of late 2022, the only proper writing credit for Rebirth’s “Big Fat Woman” has been given by the user-submitted resource, Discogs.com, which simply lists it as “Traditional.”
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From 1955 to 1960, New Orleans pianist Antoine “Fats” Domino recorded a series of Billboard Top 10 hits with local producer Dave Bartholomew that would define a generation of American popular music. When asked about the origins of rock music, “Fats” Domino explained that it was simply the rhythm & blues they had been playing in New Orleans - the same music that would eventually influence Motown and The British Invasion.
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While the band’s intended use of the phrase “Mexican Special” appears to have never been publicly explained, it could be appropriated slang for “hot sauce” simply based on trumpeter Kermit Ruffins’ own affinity for barbecue. In a musical sense, it could also refer to the blend of Caribbean rhythms with American blues melodies, as displayed within Keith “Wolf” Anderson’s trombone solo.
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While the Reagan-era “Just Say No” platitude reduced the social crisis down to a simple black-and-white issue through the denial of pleasure, Rebirth’s “Leave That Pipe Alone” campaign directly acknowledges the introduction of, the cohabitation with, and the addiction to harmful substances within the community.
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New Orleans songwriter and entertainer Sam Theard originally wrote and recorded “You Rascal You” in 1929 as a minor-blues dirge. Despite its violent imagery, the song’s popularity has lasted in part due to the clever and creative rhyming pairs that evolve with the language over time, as well as allow the singer to get in the final word or veiled threat.
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New Orleans guitarist Earl King wore many masks. Born Earl Silas Johnson IV, he established himself as a blues king in the 1950s by faithfully imitating his musical idols, even presenting himself as Guitar Slim after the hitmaker was hospitalized and unable to complete his 1954 tour.
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Upon the news of New Orleans trombonist Keith “Wolf” Anderson’s passing, Treme actor Wendell Pierce remembered him as “a huge trombone sound, a soulful solo, and a musician squatting down in the groove” - the inspiration for Pierce’s own performance as Antoine Batiste.
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