Everyday Creation
Everyday Creation is about purpose, awe and good vibrations. The show's title refers to three types of creation: The ways we express ourselves (for example, with art, music and so many other pursuits fueled by purpose and passion); the parts of life that fill us with awe (birth, death, love, the big picture); and our personal power to create our best possible lives while also making the world a better place. Here, you’ll encounter interviews, essays and some episodes created simply for information and fun. I'm your host Kate Jones, welcoming you to Everyday Creation.
Everyday Creation
Clarence Henry, who opened for the Beatles, Scored a Hit Singing Like a Frog on "Ain't Got No Home"
Clarence "Frogman" Henry opened for the Beatles 18 times during their 1964 U.S. tour. He was known for his hit song "Ain't Got No Home," which he created extemporaneously while playing at a New Orleans club in 1956. The song reached number three on Billboard's R&B chart and number 20 on the Hot 100.
To find out how Henry got the nickname "Frogman," you can listen to this tribute. To watch him live singing "Ain't Got No Home," go to this video on YouTube. And check out the go-go boots on the dancers. The comments are worth a look too. Here's one of them: "Great clip of Clarence Frogman Henry!!!! Great tune and first time seeing this. NICE!!!! A real rockin dance tune. Rest In Peace Frogman."
Also, please check out Madeline Kahn's version of the song. Brilliant!
And last but not least, to watch Henry perform his other hit, "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do," which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, go to this video.
The image in this episode's thumbnail is the cover of one of Henry's best-of albums. In my closing remarks, there's a picture of Henry at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1997. (Attribution and license for the photo: Sumori, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.)
This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written and recorded in honor of the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.
Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
Excerpt:
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"Henry met the Beatles while touring England and
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ended up opening for them 18 times during
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their 1964
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U.S. tour.
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'Touring with them was a great experience,' Henry
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said,
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'but I never knew it was gonna be
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like that.
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It really was comical.'"
Kate:
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That's just a bit of Sheldon Zoldan's tribute
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to Clarence
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"Frogman" Henry,
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who died in April
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2024.
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For more, here's the rest of the story.
Sheldon:
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Unlike the song he made famous,
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Clarence "Frogman" Henry had a home.
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He always returned to New Orleans after being
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on the road.
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He was happy to return to New Orleans
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to make a living playing the clubs on
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Bourbon Street
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after his songs faded from the Billboard charts.
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Henry died April 7 in New Orleans from
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complications
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after back surgery.
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He was 87.
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The Song of the Day is paying tribute
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to the singers, songwriters, and musicians
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who died in 2024.
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Henry was 8 when he took over the
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piano lessons his sister hated,
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according to his obit in the New York
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Times.
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He got his nickname and a hit song
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in 1956
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when he was 18,
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playing an all-nighter at a New Orleans
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club.
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He started playing a piano riff and
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ad-libbing "ain't got no home, no place to
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roam," hoping the patrons would leave.
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He sang with a falsetto voice and croaked
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like a frog.
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The recording started out as a B side
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until a New Orleans DJ started playing it
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more than the A side.
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Callers requesting the song would say, "Play the
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frog song."
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Soon, the DJ started calling
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Henry "the frog man."
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The song reached number three on Billboard's
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R&B chart and number 20 on the
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Hot 100.
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It's been a popular song in many movies.
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It might have been his most famous song,
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but it wasn't his last hit.
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"(I Don't Know Why) But I do" reached
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number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Henry met the Beatles while touring England and
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ended up opening for them 18 times during
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their 1964 U.S. tour.
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"Touring with them was a great experience," Henry
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said,
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"but I never knew it was gonna be
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like that.
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It really was comical."
Kate:
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This is Kate Jones. You'll find a lot
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of other tributes on Everyday Creation.
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Please check them out. And thank you for
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listening.
