Pete Fountain "The Blues"

Jun 24, 2010 03:33 PM Filed in: Now Playing
TheBluesReissue1972
When I was in Jr. High my big sister came home with a Pete Fountain album called "The Blues". It was right around the time I was obsessed with Tolkien's The Hobbit, and as I read and re-read that book, this album was playing and playing, and playing again, over and over. To this day I can't hear a song from Pete Fountain's "The Blues" without seeing in my mind's eye Thorin Oakenshield & Company riding their ponies in the rain, cloak hoods pulled up against the wet wind with little Bilbo Baggins bopping along in tow. I kid you not. It's Hobbit music to me!

I loved that album. My sister had the 1972 reissue of what was originally a 1959 release. They updated the cover, but thankfully left the music alone! Unfortunately though, as is so often the case, this gem of a recording has never been released on CD, despite the fact that Pete Fountain is one of the most famous musicians ever to come out of New Orleans having played weekly for two years on the Lawrence Welk show in the late 1950's and for decades after that appearing on TV show after TV show including the Ed Sullivan, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Andy Williams specials and some 59 appearances on Johnny Carson's “The Tonight Show". His clarinet and swinging Dixieland jazz were broadcast far and wide for many, many years. In addition Pete recorded some 100 albums with "The Blues" being one of his three LP's to go gold. Pete stopped performing publicly around 2003 or so I believe, but on my first ever trip to New Orleans back around 1991 I did get to hear him live in his club at the Hilton Hotel. It was the highlight of my trip and a memory I treasure to this day. I went to sleep that night with visions of soggy hobbits bopping in my head!
Now over the years Pete did re-record at least 7 of the songs from the album with new ensembles and in some cases new arrangements, but to my ears he never recaptured the magic of the original 12 song set on the LP. So, after a few decades' worth of waiting, I finally decided to digitize my vinyl copy of "The Blues". Ah, how sweet it is! And so here for your listening pleasure (with the original 1959 artwork no less,) a few tracks from my own personal Hobbit soundtrack, Pete Fountain's "The Blues".
TheBlues1959


Blue Fountain

Lonesome Road

My Inspiration

The Memphis Blues



PS - If you like what you hear, bop on over to my Crow Corner page where I have the full set of 12 tracks ready for download. Just spreading the love...thank you, Pete!  Cheers, JB