Last updated: 5 hours ago
With a 6" pompadour, brocaded shirts, rhinestone shades, and a rhythmic, belligerent style of piano playing, Esquerita was the original <a href="spotify:artist:4xls23Ye9WR9yy3yYMpAMm">Little Richard</a>, years before <a href="spotify:artist:6LNciJDckkR83rQ7jMgmGY">Penniman</a> tutti-frutti'ed his way to stardom. Working around the Dallas-New Orleans circuit in the early '50s, Esquerita's shot at the big time came when <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Capitol+Records%22">Capitol Records</a> decided they needed their own version of <a href="spotify:artist:4xls23Ye9WR9yy3yYMpAMm">Little Richard</a> after signing their answer to <a href="spotify:artist:43ZHCT0cAZBISjO8DG9PnE">Elvis</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5VAHm7V5mnsxvQrWw3KHmx">Gene Vincent</a>. Esquerita's resulting recordings, though smartly produced, stand as some of the most untamed and unabashed sides ever issued by a major label. Long revered by rock & roll fans the world over, they make <a href="spotify:artist:4xls23Ye9WR9yy3yYMpAMm">Little Richard</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Specialty%22">Specialty</a> sides look highly disciplined by comparison. Though Esquerita continued to record in a tamer style through the '60s, his <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Capitol%22">Capitol</a> sides stand as a monument to the potential of rock & roll's lunatic power and the off-kilter genius of Esquerita. ~ Cub Koda, Rovi
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