Eskew Reeder Jr., "I Woke Up (With My Mind On My Baby) - Pt. 1 & 2," Instant 3268 (rel. 10/1964)
The least-known of Eskew Reeder's New Orleans-made singles of the 1960s, today's offering is a two-part song spread over both sides of a seven-inch record. It's a bowdlerization of a classic Black spiritual "Woke Up This Morning (with My Mind Stayed on Jesus)" comes from the folk tradition and thus has no established author.
So many rhythm and blues/soul songs, from Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" on down, are reworkings of church music. The fine line between sanctified and sinful is the main tension point of Black music. Neither exists without its doppelganger.
This recording was likely made while Allen Toussaint was still associated with Joe Banashak's two labels (the other, of course, is the fabulous Minit Records). It was a daring choice for Eskew Reeder, who has been featured here in the past and whose demeanor and performance style were major inspirations to Richard Penniman, whose era-defining rock 'n' roll hits for Specialty Records are the stuff of legends.
Reeder accompanies himself on gospel-style piano with a femme trio for vocal support. It's the simplest of songs: one line repeated and repeated. The performance is the whole show here, with this openly gay, flamboyant Black performer showing his gospel roots as he sings a secular hymn to a memorable lover.
Not much to add: a hypnotizing performance on a record that sold some copies in the greater New Orleans area but didn't find a larger audience. Instant Records struggled along for several more years with sporadic releases--some reissues of earlier material. It did get a Cash Box review...
So many rhythm and blues/soul songs, from Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" on down, are reworkings of church music. The fine line between sanctified and sinful is the main tension point of Black music. Neither exists without its doppelganger.
This recording was likely made while Allen Toussaint was still associated with Joe Banashak's two labels (the other, of course, is the fabulous Minit Records). It was a daring choice for Eskew Reeder, who has been featured here in the past and whose demeanor and performance style were major inspirations to Richard Penniman, whose era-defining rock 'n' roll hits for Specialty Records are the stuff of legends.
Reeder accompanies himself on gospel-style piano with a femme trio for vocal support. It's the simplest of songs: one line repeated and repeated. The performance is the whole show here, with this openly gay, flamboyant Black performer showing his gospel roots as he sings a secular hymn to a memorable lover.
Not much to add: a hypnotizing performance on a record that sold some copies in the greater New Orleans area but didn't find a larger audience. Instant Records struggled along for several more years with sporadic releases--some reissues of earlier material. It did get a Cash Box review...
Tomorrow: The Escorts (one of dozens of groups with this name) deliver a pair of solid Northern Soul-adjacent items (one arranged by Jack Nitzsche) on a rare 1964 RCA-Victor platter. A record I've had for decades!
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