Esquerita

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Esquerita (born November 20, 1935 or 1938 in Greenville , South Carolina as Steven Quincy ("Eskew") Reeder Jr. , † October 23, 1986 in New York City ) was an American rhythm and blues singer, Pianist and songwriter. Esquerita is said to have had a major influence on rock 'n' roll musician Little Richard .

Life

Eskew Reeder grew up in Macon (Georgia) and learned to play the piano by himself . Reeder made his first singing experience in the local church choir. Through his eye-catching clothing style and his deliberately exposed homosexuality , Reeder met the then unknown young Little Richard in the early 1950s. He brought him his wild piano playing and his typical singing style. After wild appearances as Professor Eskew Reeder in a club in Greenville, Paul Peek , then guitarist with Gene Vincent, became aware of the musician and gave him a record deal with Capitol Records in 1958 . With a 6-inch pompadour hairstyle , eye-catching rhinestone sunglasses and a rough but rhythmic piano playing style, Esquerita recorded 21 songs for Capitol and put on wild stage shows. After leaving Capitol, Reeder moved to New Orleans , where he regularly gave concerts and made recordings for Okeh , Instant and Minit . For Brunswick Records he recorded under the pseudonym The Magnificent Malochi . In the 1980s, Reeder lived in New York City , worked as a parking lot attendant and occasionally appeared in third-rate clubs.

Esquerita died impoverished in October 1986 as a result of an AIDS disease in Harlem Hospital, New York.

Discography

Singles

  • 1958: Rockin 'The Joint / Esquerita And The Voola
  • 1958: Oh Baby / Please Come On Home
  • 1958: Hey Miss Lucy / Why Did It Take You So Long
  • 1959: Laid Off / Just Another Lie
  • 1960: Hey Miss Lucy / Why Did It Take You So Long / She Left Me Crying / Crazy Crazy Feeling (7 "EP)
  • 1960: Get Back Baby / Hole In My Heart / I'm Battie Over Hattie / Baby, You Can Depend On Me (7 "EP)
  • 1962: Green Door / I Waited Too Long
  • 1962: Never Again / We Had Love
  • 1963: Undivided Love / The Flu
  • 1963: A Tear / Johnny Little
  • 1963: I Woke Up (With My Mind On My Baby) / I Woke Up (With My Mind On My Baby) Pt.2
  • 1965: Hole In My Heart / Hey Miss Lucy / I'm Battie Over Hattie / Gettin 'Plenty Lovin' (7 "EP)
  • 1966: Tell All The World About You / Two Ton Jessie
  • 1966: I Want To Know / Just In Time
  • 1967: You Better Believe Me / Dew Drop In
  • 1968: Mama, Your Daddy's Come Home / As Time Goes By
  • 1992: Dew Drop Inn / Rockin 'The Joint
  • 2009: You Better Believe Me / What Was Wrong
  • 2012: Hittin 'On Nothing / Letter Full Of Tears
  • 2012: Undivided Love / B-side of Benny Spellman : Fortune Teller

Albums

  • 1959: Esquerita!
  • 1969: Wildcat Shakeout
  • 1978: Believe Me When I Say Rock'N'Roll Is Here To Stay
  • 1987: Vintage Voola
  • 2012: Sinner Man - The Lost Session

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Esquerita in the database of Find a Grave . Retrieved May 13, 2020 (English).
  2. ↑ a b Esquerita and the Voola by Baynard Woods in Oxford American on November 19, 2019
  3. ↑ Esquerita Tom Downey of South Carolina Encyclopedia , on May 17, 2016
  4. ↑ Not To Be Forgotten: The Outrageous Esquerita! , Tom Schnabel on KCRW on January 11, 2017
  5. ↑ Eskew Reeder Jr. Biography on The Hound NYC on November 3, 2009
  6. ↑ This Is My Story by Steve Kolanjian, Clive Anderson on Black Cat Rockabilly , accessed May 13, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Esquerita
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steven Quincy Reeder, Jr. (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American R&B singer
DATE OF BIRTH November 20, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Greenville, South Carolina
DATE OF DEATH October 23, 1986
Place of death New York City