LINK DAVIS "Gumbo Ya-Ya" (The Best Of 1948-1958)

30 tracks, 74 mins, highly recommendedNow that's Cajun music! It's also Country, Western Swing, Rhythm & Blues, Jump Blues, Rockabilly, and Rock'N'Roll. Needless to say this collection covers a long and varied career of a very enigmatic artist. As a solo artist Link Davis is best known for his composition and original recording of Big Mamou. As a musician he is best known for his saxophone playing on the Big Bopper's Chantilly Lace. Starting off playing fiddle, sax and other instruments in Western Swing outfits like Texas Wanderers, Blue Bonnet Playboys, etc, Davis soon evolved into a solo artist who would record Cajun music: Big Mamou/ Hey Garcon!/ Cajun Love/ Kajalena, Country: Falling For You/ Time Will Tell, Rhythm & Blues: Joe Turner/ Have You Heard The News/ Grasshopper, then Rock'N'Roll like: Grasshopper Rock/ Don't Big Shot Me/ Sixteen Chicks, and many more. Not only performing, but writing in each style, Davis is the songwriter on about 3/4ths of the songs in the collection. He never comes across as somebody cashing in on tends, but a truly expansive artist able to create in many genres. Along the way Link would also become a renowned session player whose work anybody reading this would have heard. The liner notes give you an overview, but clearly there could be a whole book about Link Davis and his long and crazy career. (JM) (Roots & Rhythm)trax:
01 Big Mamou 02 Pretty Little Dedon 03 Lonely Heart 04 Time Will Tell 05 Mamou Waltz 06 Hey Garcon! 07 Falling For You 08 Gumbo Ya-Ya (Everyone Talks At Once) 09 Crawfish Crawl 10 You're Little But You're Cute 11 Mama Say No 12 You Show Up Missing 13 Every Time I Pass Your Door 14 Cajun Love 15 Kajalena 16 Va T'Cacher (Go Hide Yourself) 17 Joe Turner 18 Have You Heard The News 19 Grasshopper 20 Sixteen Chicks 21 Grasshopper Rock 22 Trucker From Tennessee 23 Don't Big Shot Me 24 Cockroach 25 Slippin' And Slidin' Sometimes 26 Bon-Ton-Ru-La (Let The Good Times Roll) 27 Rice & Gravy Blues 28 You Played Around 29 Rice & Gravy Boogie 30 San Antonio Blues
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