Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2009 - (Page 94) The Undying Career of the Late Ernie K-Doe An obscure old song makes posthumous waves for an R&B legend Ernie K-Doe — the New Orleans R&B singer of “Mother-In-Law” fame — passed away in July of 2001, in the midst of a latecareer resurgence. As discussed in these pages (Winter 2001-2002) the last year of K-Doe’s life found him riding as the King of a Mardi Gras parade (Krewe du Vieux) and filming a Hollywood movie (Happy Here and Now). While all the other characters were fictional, K-Doe played himself and debuted two new, original songs. In addition, K-Doe’s twilight era found him idolized by an unlikely young grunge-andslacker audience whom he beneficently and collectively called “the children.” They, in turn, referred to him as “The Emperor” — the grandiose, self-coronating moniker that K-Doe bestowed on himself circa 1998. Had Ernie K-Doe lived, his upswing seemed destined to blossom into a major, national-level comeback. This phenomenon unfolded despite that the fact that, after decades of hard living, K-Doe had lost much of his vocal range and fancy footwork. A large part of K-Doe’s appeal at this point, therefore, was his unbridled, flamboyant eccentricity. Even so, Ernie K-Doe remained totally committed to his craft as an accomplished rhythm & blues performer. His manic energy and pure love of music never faltered, and audiences responded to his intensity, diminished rough edges and all. Since K-Doe’s passing, his widow, Antoinette, has refused to let this career momentum falter. Valiantly and effectively, with considerable entrepreneurial flair, she has kept her husband’s legacy alive. Her bar, the Mother-In-Law Lounge — originally conceived as a living shrine to KDoe — is now a funky-but-chic nightspot in New Orleans, attracting an incredibly diverse clientele. (It is also an important community gathering place for hurricane relief, benefit concerts, and the like.) In addition, Mrs. K-Doe has taken a quantum leap into surrealism by commissioning a life-size statue of her late husband, made from a department store mannequin. It (he?) stands watch over the lounge and makes the rounds with her at events around town. (On such occasions, the Widow K-Doe has been heard to comment “I’m working poor Ernie to death!”) The statue has been featured in the TimesPicayune ‘s weekly assemblage of “Partying Shots” by photographer Stephen Forster. And in July, 2006, Offbeat magazine ran a cover shot of Antoinette and the statue “dining” sumptuously at Galatoire’s. Not a bad postscript for a guy who died eight years ago — but the story doesn’t end there. In 2007, the British drugstore chain Boots used an obscure K-Doe song, “Here Come The Girls,” in their annual Christmas commercial. (In the U.K., such TV ads entail considerable effort and expense that are comparable to Superbowl commercials, and generate similar interest, among the public and the ad industry alike.) Thanks to K-Doe’s strong singing, the ad’s fine cinematography, and its perceived themes of “giddy optimism” and “celebratory feminism” — to quote some arty pundits at the British newspaper The Independent — Boots created an improbable hit. Quickly released as a single, “Here Come The Girls” spent several weeks on the U.K. pop charts. Its success led, in turn, to a new reissue compilation also entitled Here Come The Girls (Great American Music Company.) Beyond the faddish, ephemeral appeal of a popular commercial, Here Come The Girls features peakform work by both K-Doe and his producer, the multi-talented Allen Toussaint. Along with several bonus tracks, the CD includes, in its entirety, an album from 1970 that was simply entitled Ernie K-Doe. (In music critic parlance, such works are accurately if pretentiously described as “eponymous.”) Released by the long-defunct Janus Records, it appeared with little fanfare and quickly vanished with nary a trace. More’s the pity, because Ernie K-Doe was a gem. As befits a company named for a Roman god with two faces, Ernie K-Doe ranged from serious artistry to utter silliness. “Here Come The Girls,” the leadoff song, begins with a military parade beat that segues into second-line funk and one of the most intricate, syncopated arrangements that Allen Toussaint had ever written thus far. This percussive blend underscores the melding of European and Afro-Caribbean drumming in 19th-century New Orleans, and the lasting Ernie K-Doe’s manic energy and pure love of music never faltered, and audiences responded to his intensity, diminished rough edges and all. 94 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Spring 2009
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