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REVIEWS

Bobby Charles—Later Alligator! Recordings & Compositions

1955-62—Acrobat Double CD : ADDCD3391

How many of you can remember these songs… “Walking To New
Orleans”, “It Keeps Raining”, “Before I Grow Too Old”, “But I Do”,
“Let The Four Winds Blow”, “Only Time Will Tell” and “See You
Later Alligator”. You can? Great, but did you know that it was Bobby
Charles who wrote them?

This double CD set contains fifty-five tracks made up of A and B

sides, plus other recordings of Bobby Charles and, versions of his
compositions as recorded by artists like Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry,
Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Earl Carroll, John Fred, Frankie Ford and more!

The informative fifteen-page booklet with notes by Paul Watts reveals quite a history of Robert Charles
Guidry, aka Bobby Charles, both personal and professional.

As with many other artists through the years, a number of composer credits were given to some who
had little or no input in the construction of the particular songs. This, along with Bobby’s reluctance
to tour in support of a new record release, certainly played against him and contributed to his
subsequent lack of chart success.

Born in Abbeville, Louisiana in 1938, his first hit song came when he was just eighteen, “See You Later
Alligator” (Chess Records 1609 released November 1955). Most us heard the Bill Haley version long

before hearing the original, unless of course you were living in Louisiana at the time!!

Bobby Charles died at the age of 71 and, although there are other cd sets of his work available, this
fine 2021 compilation is a very good place to start if you feel inclined to investigate a pioneer of the
Swamp Pop sound.

RECOMMENDED

Bob Pearce

Various Artists—On Bended Knee : The Birth of Swamp Pop—
GVC Double CD GVC2033

Released back in 2012, this sixty-five track double set is a superb
introduction to the sounds of late fifties, early sixties Louisiana
‘Swamp Pop’ recordings. A mix of artists are featured, from Cookie

& The Cupcakes, Warren Storm, Johnnie Allan, Jimmy Clanton to
Earl King, Guitar Junior, Elton Anderson and many more!!

“An unlikely fusion of Cajun, Zydeco, R&B, R&R and C&W, it emerged
in the mid ‘50’s and was largely pioneered by young white Cajuns
and black Creoles. Ironically, it wasn’t called Swamp Pop at that
time – indeed, at first, it didn’t possess a separate identity. In fact,

the term wasn’t actually bestowed until the late ‘60’s, when it was coined by an Englishman, Pop/Rock