Ernie K-Doe (February 22, 1936 - July 5, 2001), was an African American rhythm and blues singer.
Ernie K-Doe scored
one of the biggest hits (possibly the biggest) in the history of New Orleans
R&B with "Mother-in-Law," a humorous lament that struck a chord
with listeners of all stripes on its way to the topof both the pop and R&B
charts in 1961. The song proved to be K-Doe's only major success, despite
several more minor hits that were equally infectious, yet he remained one of
New Orleans' most inimitable personalities.
Born Ernest Kador, Jr. in New Orleans in 1936, he began
singing at age seven in the Baptist church where his father served as minister.
During his teen years, Kador performed with local gospel groups like the Golden
Chain Jubilee Singers and the Zion Travelers, when he was influenced chiefly by
the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi. He entered and won talent competitions and
became more interested in secular R&B and blues, and at 17, he moved to
Chicago with his mother and began performing at local clubs. Thanks to
connections he made there, he got the chance to sing with the Flamingos and
Moonglows, as well as the Four Blazes, a gig that earned him his first
recording session in late 1953 for United.
Kador returned to New Orleans in 1954 and honed his
flamboyant stage act at numerous local hangouts (including the famed Dew Drop
Inn), both solo and as part of the vocal group the Blue Diamonds. The Blue
Diamonds cut a couple of sides for Savoy in 1954, and the following year, Kador
(still billed under his real name) recorded his first solo single, "Do
Baby Do," for Specialty. In 1957, he recorded a few more sides for Ember,
as both Ernie Kado and Ernie K-Doe. Finally, in 1959, he caught on with the
newly formed Minit label and hooked up with
producer/songwriter/pianist/arranger/future legend Allen Toussaint.
His first Minit single, "Make You Love Me,"
flopped, but the follow-up, "Hello My Lover," was a substantial
regional hit, selling nearly 100,000 copies. K-Doe struck gold with 1961's
"Mother-in-Law," a Toussaint-penned tune on which K-Doe traded
choruses with bass vocalist Benny Spellman. That, coupled with the playful
cynicism of the lyrics, made for a rollicking good time in the best New Orleans
R&B tradition, and K-Doe was rewarded with a number one record on both the
pop and R&B charts. He toured the country and landed a few more follow-up
hits — "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta," "I Cried My Last Tear," "A
Certain Girl" (later covered by the Yardbirds), "Popeye Joe" —
but none approached the phenomenon of "Mother-in-Law," and were more
popular on the R&B side.
Minit soon went under, and K-Doe followed Toussaint to
the Instant label, but two 1964 singles failed to revive K-Doe's chart
fortunes, partly because the early prime of New Orleans R&B was fading as
Motown gained prominence. Over the remainder of the '60s, K-Doe recorded for
Peacock and Duke, landing two very minor R&B chart entries in 1967 with
"Later for Tomorrow" and "Until the Real Thing Comes Along"
on the latter label. However, he had a difficult time adapting his loose,
playful style to the R&B trends of the day.
He reunited with Toussaint for a brief period in the
early '70s, to no avail, and drifted into a long period of alcoholism. Fortunately,
K-Doe was able to reclaim some of his popularity around New Orleans when he
began hosting a radio program in 1982, earning an audience with his wild antics
and blatant self-promotion.
In the 1990s K-Doe began billing himself as "The
Emperor of the Universe" and wearing a cape and crown he became a famous
local eccentric on the New Orleans scene. In 1994, K-Doe opened his own club,
Mother-in-Law Lounge, in New Orleans, and frequently performed there in the
years to come, occasionally returning to the studio as well. He was inducted
into the city's Music Hall of Fame in 1995 and generally acknowledged for his
contributions up until his death from kidney and liver failure on July 5, 2001.
(info mainly from All Music Guide)
Below is the official Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame
Induction video for Ernie K-Doe first presented at his Mother-in-Law Lounge in
NOLA. 8-2-2009. Also inducted that evening was Benny Spellman (baritone part on
"Mother-In-Law) and Allen Toussaint (writer of "Mother-In-Law").
The opening footage from the 1980's is never before seen lost performance
footage of Ernie from an early NO Jazz Fest, and the closing footage is from
Ernie and Antoinette's appearance in the movie "Happy, Now &
Then".
1 comment:
For Ernie K-Doe “Mother-In-Law” (1962 Minit album) go here:
https://www.opendrive.com/folders?OV8yODM1NDcyX215Y0M4
01 - Mother-in-law
02 - Make you love me
03 - Te-ta-te-ta-ta
04 - Hurry up and know it
05 - Tain't it the truth
06 - Rub Dub Dub
07 - Hello my lover
08 - There's a will there's a way
09 - Wanted $10.000 reward
10 - Waiting at the station
11 - She's Waiting
Thanking “Heartbreak Hotel” blog for original link.
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