Song:Let The Good Times Roll
Album:The Legendary Masters Series Vol. 1
The 1956 number one R & B hit Let The Good Times Roll was the biggest hit and most memorable song by Shirley & Lee, known as The Sweethearts Of The Blues. They had a few other hits and Shirley even made a comeback in the 70s. Shirley Goodman was born June 19, 1936 in New Orleans and Leonard Lee was born June 29, 1936 in Los Angeles. Shirley sent out a demo that got the attention of Aladdin Records owner Eddie Messner. He tracked her down in New Orleans and put her together with his school friend Leonard Lee. Their first hit I'm Gone reached #2 on the R & B chart in 1952. The two were never romantic but were dubbed The Sweethearts Of The Blues because the songs were dramatic. They released a few more relationship songs but sales were drying up. So in 1956, the approach was changed and Leonard Lee wrote Let The Good Times Roll. It topped the R & B Singles chart and reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequent singles didn't do as well but Let The Good Times Roll is a classic and has been covered many times and appeared in several films. Shirley & Lee moved to Warwick Records in 1959 and rerecorded Let The Good Times Roll. So you want to be sure to get the original version. This comp was originally released by Capitol in 1991 and reissued by Collactables in 1995. Capitol owns the rights to the Aladdin recordings so this CD has the original version. Shirley & Lee split up in 1962. Leonard Lee unsuccessfully attempted a solo career, became a social worker and died of a heart attack on Oct. 23, 1976 at age 40. Shirley Goodman moved to Los Angeles and became a session vocalist. She also recorded as a duo with Jessie Hill. She also led Shirley & Company and had a smash with Shame Shame Shame in 1974. She retired from music in 1979, suffered a stroke in 1994 and died on July 5, 2005 at age 69. Here's a video for Let The Good Times Roll by Shirley & Lee.
No comments:
Post a Comment