Clarence "Frogman" Henry

Clarence "Frogman" Henry (born March 19, 1937, Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana) is a southern American rhythm and blues singer and pianist and trombonist[1]

Career

Clarence Henry was born in New Orleans in 1937. Fats Domino and blues singer and pianist Professor Longhair were cited as young Henry's main influences while growing up.[1] When Henry played in talent shows, he dressed like Longhair and wore a wig with braids on both sides.

His trademark croak, utilized to the maximum on his 1956 debut hit "Ain't Got No Home," earned Henry his nickname of "Frogman" and jump-started a career that endures to this day.[1] A cover of the country artist Bobby Charles' hit "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do", and "You Always Hurt the One You Love", both from 1961, were his other big hits.[2]

Henry opened eighteen concerts for the Beatles across the US and Canada in 1964, but his main source of income came from the Bourbon Street strip in New Orleans, where he played for nineteen years.[1] His name could still draw hordes of tourists long after his hit-making days had ended. He still plays at various conventions, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Honors

Henry's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In April 2007, "Frogman" was honored for his contributions to Louisiana music with induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Secondary references and re-use of hits

The Band recorded a version of Henry's trademark song "Ain't Got No Home" for their 1973 album Moondog Matinee. Henry's original of the song was later featured on the soundtrack of the 1982 film Diner. It was used in a famous bathtub scene in the cult movie The Lost Boys with actor Corey Haim singing along to it. Rod Stewart uses the chorus of "Ain't Got No Home" in his 1984 single "Some Guys Have All the Luck". It achieved fresh notoriety in the 1990s through its use as the "Homeless Update" theme music on The Rush Limbaugh Show, and is still used as recently as April 28, 2014. The song is in the movie Casino playing in the background as Joe Pesci asks Robert De Niro for a 50K chip marker. Jimmy Buffett referenced Henry in his song "Saxophones".[3] Henry made a cameo appearance on the third season opening episode of the HBO series Treme.

On his Live/Indian Summer album, Al Stewart introduced his song "Year of the Cat" with an odd anecdote about a mistaken-identity encounter involving Henry, Audrey Hepburn, and G. Gordon Liddy.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Biography by Bill Dahl". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 251. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ Burdeau, Cain (October 5, 2003). "New Orleans 'Frogman,' still jumpin' at 66". Associated Press
  4. ↑ Golyr.de

External links