Al Robinson, "Wake Up" c/w "I Wanna Know," Imperial X5762 (rel. 6/1961)

 

Alvin Robinson is celebrated for the great 1960s records he made for Leiber and Stoller's labels, Tiger and Blue Cat. Before those, he was a New Orleans-based performer who recorded for writer-producer Dave Bartholomew. In 1961, Bartholomew's long reign as the Crescent City's top dog was challenged by a new and younger breed led by songwriter-musician-producer Allen Toussaint. 
        Minit Records, Toussaint's outlet, had begun to change the NOLA musical style. The dense sound, churning triplet rhythm and driving pianos of the Fats Domino/Smiley Lewis era gave way to looser, jazzier backdrops that encouraged a more intimate and conversational performance style from vocalists. An Irma Thomas or Aaron Neville wouldn't have meshed well with Bartholomew's MO. He made hundreds of great recordings; that can't be denied. 
        Among them is this 1961 single for Imperial Records as Al Robinson--perhaps meant to sound similar to Fats Domino. Same syllables! Robinson's singing style is a far cry from Domino's chummy approach. 
        "Wake Up (and Face Reality)" is a precursor to "Let's Live," a hit song penned by Allen Toussaint for Aaron Neville for Minit Records. Robinson's rhythm guitar is upfront with his soulful vocal; subdued, looser horns harmonize in the a hazy background. A lighter, looser rhythm, coupled with a sparse arrangement, makes this face-the-music philosophical song immediate and appealing.
        Robinson's record preceded the release of "Let's Live" by one month. New Orleans' musical community has always been intimate and tight; it's possible the two songs co-existed and were known to all parties involved. Toussaint achieves a baroque effect with classical strings and a vocal chorus on the Neville hit song. For comparison's sake, here's a YouTube link to "Let's Live:"
        https://youtu.be/sshDm0fJPHs

"I Wanna Know" is a loping mid-tempo item, co-written by Bartholomew, that might have been a Smiley Lewis song from a half a decade before. Robinson's gruff, confrontational approach makes a big difference. His singing reflects the influence of Ray Charles, whose reach was huge in this era. Charles' grits-and-gravy voice was a role model for many aspiring Black singers. Robinson would further absorb this approach and make it his own on his Blue Cat and Tiger records to come.

Through Joe Jones, a twisted mofo who had clout with New York labels, Robinson was introduced to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They produced a single for their short-lived Tiger imprint that coupled "Searchin'," their 1956 classic for The Coasters, with Chris Kenner's "Something You Got." The latter charted in the Billboard Hot 100 and the producer-songwriters offered him a contract for their newly-formed Red Bird and Blue Cat labels. Robinson made the first recording of "Down Home Girl," a song by Leiber and Artie Butler that caught the ear of The Rolling Stones. They recorded it for their second LP and Robinson's original was soon forgotten. 
        None of Robinson's subsequent singles went anywhere. When the two labels were shuttered in 1966, Robinson headed West and worked as a session guitarist in LA. He hooked up with homeboy Dr. John and is prominent of several of that artist's LPs. His guitar playing appears on albums by Ringo Starr, Tom Waits and others.

        Robinson missed New Orleans, and headed home in the 1980s. There he passed on at 51 in 1989,

Tomorrow: Brian Wilson writes songs for and produces a Black girl group in 1962! Hear the lone single of Rachel and The Revolvers via a super-rare Dot Records platter.