Song:Pussycat Moan
Album:The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour: Live In Concert
Through the 50s and 60s, Katie Webster was one of the top session pianists in the Louisiana music scene. It wasn't until later in life that she recorded her own music. She was on her way to becoming a big draw on the festival circuit when she suffered a stroke and was forced to retire. She was born Kathryn Thorne Jan. 11, 1936 in Houston. As a child, her deeply religious parents didn't allow her to listen to secular music. So she had to sneak around and listen to the blues and boogie woogie. When her parents moved to California, Kathryn moved to Louisiana to get into the music business. And she obviously took the name Katie Webster so they wouldn't know what she was doing. She soon became an invaluable session pianist on labels like Excello and Goldband. That's Katie playing piano on the Phil Phillips classic Sea Of Love. She recorded a few singles for small labels and had her own band The Uptighters. But she played sessions during the day. In 1964, she backed up Otis Redding at The Bamboo Club in Lake Charles. He liked her so much that he took her with him and she opened his shows and played piano in his band for the next three years. Of course we all know that Otis Redding died in a tragic plane crash on Dec. 10, 1967. Katie was pregnant at the time and was not on the tour. She was so despondent after Redding's death, she quit the music business. Also her parents were ill so she moved to Oakland to take care of them. She returned to music in the 80s. She toured the festival circuit and recorded for Arhoolie Records. Alligator Records owner Bruce Iglauer signed Katie in 1988 and she got plenty of accolades for her 1988 CD The Swamp Boogie Queen. Pussycat Moan is from her 1989 CD Two-Fisted Mama!. That CD is available but I recommend this 2CD Alligator Records 20th Anniversary live CD which also features Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials, Elvin Bishop, Lonnie Brooks and Koko Taylor. Sadly, Katie Webster suffered a stroke in 1993 and was forced to retire. She died on Sept. 5, 1999 at age 63. If you're a blues fan, you'll want to check her out. Here's Katie Webster performing Pussycat Moan at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival May 6, 1990.
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