Tribute to Huey "Piano" Smith, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

Boogie woogie pianist Huey “Piano” Smith was part of the colorful New Orleans music scene for decades. He passed away on Feb. 13 last year. This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who died in 2023.

To hear Smith's “Rockin’ Pneumonia and The Boogie Woogie Flu,” visit YouTube.
My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them.

Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on the Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

If you enjoyed this tribute and want to learn more about Smith, check out the 2014 bio about him by John Wirt. 

Then please listen to the next tribute, which is about jazz great Wayne Shorter. 

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation,

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a show about living our purpose and lifting

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our vibes for ourselves and the world.

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I'm Kate Jones, here with a tribute to

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boogie woogie pianist Huey "Piano" Smith,

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who was part of the colorful New Orleans

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music scene for decades.

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This is one of 44 short

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yet illuminating episodes

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about significant figures in the music industry who

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passed away in 2023.

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My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and

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newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them.

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Here's what he says about Smith, who died

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on February 13th

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last year.

Sheldon:
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There was a good reason why Huey Smith's

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nickname was Piano.

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He played a mean New Orleans boogie woogie

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style.

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Smith was part of the colorful New Orleans

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music scene for decades,

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leading bands, writing songs and recording a few

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hits.

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Smith died February 13th in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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He was 89.

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Smith taught himself how to play the piano

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as a child.

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He wrote his first song when he was

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8 years old. He started playing in New

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Orleans black clubs when he was 15.

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He signed a record deal in 1957

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and put together his own band,

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Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns.

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They recorded our Song of the Day, "Rockin'

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Pneumonia and The Boogie Woogie Flu" that same year.

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In his biography,

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he said he loved playing with words,

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using puns and slang.

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Walking pneumonia and the Asian flu were sweeping

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the U. S. when he wrote our Song

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of the Day.

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The song only peaked at number 52 on

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the Billboard Hot 100,

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but it would live on through other artists.

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Johnny Rivers had an international hit with it

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in 1973

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when it reached number 6 on the Billboard

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Singles chart.

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"Don't You Just Know It" did even better

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a year later when it reached number 9

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on the chart

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but his life was as much blues

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as it was boogie woogie.

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He didn't receive the royalties he deserved through

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bad business deals and unscrupulous

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record companies.

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He wrote and recorded "Sea Cruise" in 1959,

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but his version wasn't released until 1971.

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Instead, his record company gave this song to

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white singer Frankie Ford.

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The song sold over a 1,000,000 copies and

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reached number 11 in the singles chart.

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He filed for bankruptcy twice.

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He moved to Baton Rouge in 1980,

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leaving the music business for good.

Kate:
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This is Kate again.

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Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a

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music-related story sent daily to an email

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list of subscribers.

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All of those stories and these tributes

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include links to the featured songs.

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In this episode's description,

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you can go to "Rockin' Pneumonia and The

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Boogie Woogie Flu" on YouTube,

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as well as get information on how to

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join Sheldon's subscriber list.

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If you enjoyed this tribute,

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please check out the next one about jazz

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great Wayne Shorter,

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and share the tributes with anyone who might

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appreciate these well-researched glimpses

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into the lives of the talented people who

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created some of the music we love.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.