Bobby Charles What a Party: The Complete Recordings 1955-1966 (2-CD)

Long before the term 'swamp pop' was coined, Bobby Charles was one of the idiom's primary architects, writing and recording the prototypical mid-'50s South Louisiana ballads On Bended Knee, Why Did You Leave, and Why Can't You. He was also a dedicated New Orleans rock and roller whose sizable output for Chess Records included the original Later Alligator and the Crescent City scorchers Take It Easy Greasy, Laura Lee, and No Use Knocking. No less than 65 of Bobby's bayou-bred gems for Chess, Imperial, and Jewel/Paula constitute Bear Family Records®' double CD 'What A Party - The Complete Recordings 1955-66', easily the most comprehensive overview of Charles' career ever compiled. A prolific composer in addition to his recording exploits, Robert Charles Guidry was the first swamp rocker to emerge from The Big Easy, his easy-going vocal approach exhibiting Fats Domino's influence. They both recorded Four Winds and What A Party for Imperial; this set also includes Bobby's own reading of Walking To New Orleans, a massive hit for Fats. Charles' romping '65 rendition of Jimmy McCracklin's The Walk is here too, along with a handful of rarities new to CD. It all adds up to a deluxe tribute to a south Louisiana treasure who deserved a much higher profile.