Song:Chicken Heads
Album:Get Your Lie Straight: A Galaxy Of Funky Soul
Bluesman Bobby Rush had his biggest commercial success with this 1971 R & B hit Chicken Heads. He called his music Folk-Funk. In recent years he's had a lot of success recording on his own label and touring the blues circuit. He was born Emmitt Ellis Jr. Nov. 10, 1935 in Homer, LA. His dad was a preacher who played guitar and harmonica. When the family moved to Pine Bluff, AR in 1946, Rush became friends with Elmore James and wore a fake mustache to fool club owners into letting the teenaged Rush perform. He became part of the Chicago blues scene when his family moved there in 1953. He worked with Luther Allison and Freddie King among others in the 60s. In the late 60s, Rush shifted to the Chitlin Circuit in the south and he wound up recording Chicken Heads for a small label. It was picked up for national distribution by the Fantasy Records owned Galaxy label and reached #34 on the R & B Singles chart in 1971. Galaxy had been a jazz label in the 50s. But it was revived in the early 70s by veteran A & R man Ray Shanklin and he liked offbeat R & B and blues. This various artists comp from Ace Records is a good sampling of their music. Concord owns the Galaxy recordings but hasn't released any of them to date. Bobby Rush recorded for all kinds of labels including Philadelphia International in 1979. He moved to Jackson, MS in 1982 and recorded for LaJam Records and then Malaco's Wardoxy label. Since 2003, he has recorded for his own Deep Rush label. His latest CD Show You A Good Time was released in April. Rush also got a boost when Chicken Heads was on the soundtrack for the film Black Snake Moan. He seems to be making a good living on the blues circuit. Here's Bobby Rush performing Chicken Heads on his 2003 DVD Live At Ground Zero.
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