Flair
alt Artist:
Title:
Label:
Format:
Price:
 Clarence Garlow
Crawfishin' / Route 90
Flair
45rpm 7"
$9
Clarence “Bon Ton” Garlow cut a heap of great singles that straddle the R&B / zydeco border for labels such as Macy’s, Aladdin, Feature, Goldband, Folk-Star, and his own Bon-Ran imprint.  “Bon Ton Roulet” was his big hit, which led to a bunch of spin-off records that were also terrific: “New Bon Ton Roola,” etc.  This here is a 2011 reissue of a 45 he cut for Flair in 1954, a record that Garlow later expressed some dissatisfaction with.  “There I had a big band, too much of a band for what I wanted to cut. … there was too much weight in the background.  Maxwell Davis did the arrangement.  They said, ‘You can’t miss with Maxwell!’ but it didn’t really take off like it should.”  I can see where he’s coming from with this, since it’s a heavier sound than a lot of what he’d released, but they’re still some pretty great sides: rocking, catchy, and uplifting.