Nasco

Classie Ballou is perhaps best-remembered these days for being the leader of the backing band who endeavored to follow Boozoo Chavis on his classic “Paper in My Shoe” single.  They got the call for that session, though, by being one of the hottest R&B bands in the region in the ‘50s.  I wish I could find the exact quote, but I recall Ballou noted how back in those days, if you had a good instrumental, you could play it all night and keep people happy and dancing.  This 2011 reissue gives us a glimpse of two of them, both recorded for Excello and full of the fantastic grooving guitar and galloping percussion that are trademarks of so many killer Jay Miller productions.  Ballou is still active with his family band and can be heard throughout Louisiana and Texas, including at events such as the Ponderosa Stomp.  Let’s hope he’ll grace NYC with a visit soon!  As is often the case, The Hound offers a good overview: http://thehoundblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/classie-ballou.html