EsqueritaRockin' the Joint

Wikipedia Entry:
Esquerita was the stage name of singer, songwriter and pianist Eskew Reeder Jr. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on November 20, 1935, and died in Harlem on October 23, 1986, of AIDS. He is remembered as an influence on rock and roll pioneer Little Richard, though the extent and nature of Reeder's influence is uncertain.


Eskew Reeder (ne:Steven Quincy Reeder Jr, SQ Jr.) attended Sterling High School in Greenville from 1947 to 1950. Little is known about this manic rock and roll piano player, and he is perhaps best-known as an influence on Little Richard (Richard Penniman). As Reeder did not record until after Little Richard's initial mid-1950s recordings for RCA and Back Beat labels, it is clear that Esquerita influenced Richard stylistically. Esquerita was known for wearing heavy makeup and two wigs, piling his pompador even higher than Richard's. Early Little Richard recordings were made at WGST Radio Station in Atlanta, and they do not show the style that was to make Little Richard famous. Little Richard had not intended to use the style in his first New Orleans session for Specialty Records. Taking a break from the session, producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell had gone with Richard to a local cafe, where Richard jumped on a piano and began singing an X-rated version of "Tutti Frutti", in true Esquerita fashion. Blackwell had been unhappy with the initial songs on the session, and felt that a cleaned-up version of the song with the same style of presentation would be just what his boss Art Rupe was looking for. The rest is history.

01 Oh Baby.mp3
02 Please Come Home.mp3
03 Sarah Lee.mp3
04 I Live the Life I Love [Version 1].mp3
05 Katie Mae.mp3
06 Wait a Minute Baby.mp3
07 Rockin' the Joint.mp3
08 Golly Golly, Annie Mae.mp3
09 I Found Her.mp3
10 Hey Miss Lucy.mp3
11 I'm Battie over Hattie.mp3
12 Crazy Crazy Feeling.mp3
13 Espuerita and the Voola.mp3
14 She Left Me Crying.mp3
15 Why Did It Take You So Long.mp3
16 Gettin' Plenty of Lovin'.mp3
17 Believe Me When I Say Rock 'N' Roll Is Here to Stay.mp3
18 Laid Off.mp3
19 I Live the Life I Love [Version 2].mp3
20 This Thing Called Love.mp3
21 Get Back Baby.mp3
22 Baby Come Back.mp3
23 Baby You Can Depend on Me.mp3
24 Just Another Lie.mp3
25 You Can't Pull Me Down.mp3
26 I Need You.mp3
27 Maybe Baby.mp3
28 Hole in My Heart.mp3

Esquerita Back.jpg
Esquerita Front.jpg