Huey Piano Smith & the Clowns

Biography

Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns were a seminal New Orleans R&B and early rock and roll group built around pianist, songwriter, and bandleader Huey "Piano" Smith, born January 26, 1934, in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.[2][1] Smith grew up immersed in the city’s rich piano tradition, writing his first tune, "Robertson Street Boogie," at age eight and playing in clubs by his mid-teens.[2] Deeply influenced by Professor Longhair’s rolling, syncopated style, he developed a distinctive shuffling right-hand piano break that became a hallmark of New Orleans R&B and influenced many Southern players.[2] As a teenager he worked as a session pianist, backing leading local figures like Guitar Slim (Eddie Jones), Earl King, Lloyd Price, Smiley Lewis, and Little Richard on key 1950s recordings, which helped shape his feel for danceable, good‑humored R&B.[2][1]

In 1957 Smith formed his own group, Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns, with vocalist Bobby Marchan and signed a long‑term deal with Ace Records under producer Johnny Vincent.[2][1] The Clowns specialized in high‑energy party records built around Smith’s rolling piano, comic call‑and‑response vocals, and a loose, street‑corner ensemble sound. Their breakthrough came with "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" (1957), a Top Five R&B hit that became an enduring rock and roll standard, followed by the 1958 double‑sided smash "Don't You Just Know It" / "High Blood Pressure," which reached the pop Top 10 and R&B Top Five.[1][3] Although Smith wrote and recorded "Sea Cruise" in 1959, Ace Records replaced his vocal with that of white teen singer Frankie Ford for the commercial single, giving Ford the national hit while Smith’s band provided the backing track.[1][3] Over the next few years the Clowns’ lineup shifted—Marchan eventually departed after solo success and was replaced by singers such as Gerri Hall and Curley Moore—while Smith tried further novelty hits and briefly recorded for labels including Imperial and Instant.[1][2]

Smith continued to perform through the 1960s under several names—Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns, the Hueys, the Pitter Pats, and Shindig Smith and the Soul Shakers—but never recaptured his late‑1950s chart heights.[2][1] By the 1970s he largely withdrew from the music business, focusing on his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, though he made select comebacks, including a 1971 remake of "Rockin' Pneumonia" and appearances with a re‑formed Clowns lineup at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Tipitina’s in 1979 and 1981.[2][3] Despite inconsistent commercial recognition and disputes over credit and royalties, Smith & the Clowns left a lasting legacy: their joyous, piano‑driven New Orleans R&B sound and comic "Clowns" concept influenced generations of rock and R&B artists, and "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" and "Don't You Just Know It" remain staples of the early rock canon, repeatedly covered and celebrated as foundational party records.[3][5]

Fun Facts

• Huey Smith wrote his first song, "Robertson Street Boogie," at just eight years old, naming it after the New Orleans street where he lived and performing it as part of a duo called Slick and Doc.[2]
• The vocals on the classic hit "Sea Cruise" are not by Huey Smith—although he wrote the song and his band cut the original track, Ace Records had white teen singer Frankie Ford overdub his vocal onto Smith’s backing, and Ford received the hit.[1][3]
• One of the Clowns’ early vocalists, Bobby Marchan, was a well‑known female impersonator and drag performer, giving the group’s live show a flamboyant, vaudeville‑like edge that matched their name.[1][5]
• Future cult comedy star Rudy Ray Moore (later famous as Dolemite) once worked as the Clowns’ driver during their touring years, linking the band indirectly to 1970s blaxploitation film culture.[5]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Professor Longhair - Major stylistic influence on Huey Smith’s piano style, particularly his rolling, syncopated New Orleans R&B approach. (Smith’s overall piano style and shuffling right-hand break were influenced by Professor Longhair’s innovative work rather than one specific collaboration.) [1940s–1950s (formative years; cited in career retrospectives)]

Key Collaborators

• Bobby Marchan - Lead vocalist and key frontman for Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns; also a sometime drag performer who helped shape the group’s comic, theatrical stage persona. (Early Ace Records singles including "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" and other late‑1950s Clowns releases.) [1957–1960 (and reunion shows in 1979/1981)]
• “Scarface” John Williams - Vocalist in the Clowns, part of the original recording lineup that sang on key hits. (Original recording of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu"; later a 1971 remake of "Rocking Pneumonia" with Smith.) [Late 1950s (with Clowns); 1971 (Cotillion remake)]
• Gerri Hall (Gerry Hall) - Female singer in the Clowns, known for comic and energetic vocal parts; replaced Marchan in the group after his departure and appeared in later reunion lineups. (Late Ace-era Clowns sides; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival reunion sets.) [Early 1960s; 1979–1981 performances]
• Curley Moore - Male vocalist with the Clowns after Marchan’s departure; also part of later re‑formed versions of the group. (Early 1960s Clowns recordings; 1979 Jazz & Heritage Festival set.) [Early 1960s; 1979]
• Roosevelt Wright - Teenaged bass singer recruited into the Clowns and a long‑standing member noted in later retrospectives. (Clowns’ live shows and recordings through the late 1950s and later reunion; specific tracks not always individually credited.) [Late 1950s–1970s; 1979 reunion]
• Frankie Ford - Teen singer whose vocal was overdubbed on Smith’s original backing track for "Sea Cruise," turning it into a national hit; not a band member but closely linked through this recording. ("Sea Cruise" (1959 hit single written by Huey Smith, recorded with his band track and Ford’s overdubbed vocal).) [1959]
• Earl King - New Orleans guitarist and singer; Smith worked as a session pianist on his records before and during the Clowns era. ("Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" and other early‑1950s Earl King sessions.) [Early–mid 1950s]
• Guitar Slim (Eddie Jones) - Flamboyant R&B guitarist and early partner; Smith played clubs and recorded with him as a teenager, gaining live and studio experience. (Club work and early recordings leading up to Guitar Slim’s fame (e.g., sessions around "The Things That I Used to Do" period).) [Late 1940s–early 1950s]
• Smiley Lewis - New Orleans R&B singer; Smith played piano on key records. ("I Hear You Knocking" and other Smiley Lewis sides recorded at J&M Studio.) [Mid‑1950s]
• Little Richard - Smith served as the piano player with Little Richard’s first band in studio sessions, gaining national‑level rock and roll exposure. (Specialty Records sessions with Little Richard in 1955.) [1955]
• Lloyd Price - New Orleans R&B star; Smith played piano on some of his studio sessions. (Mid‑1950s R&B sessions for Specialty and related labels.) [Mid‑1950s]

Artists Influenced

• Johnny Rivers - Scored a major 1972 hit with a cover of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," helping to cement the song’s status as a rock standard and bringing Smith’s work to a new generation. ("Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" (1972 cover single).) [Early 1970s]
• Aerosmith - Covered "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," reflecting how Smith’s New Orleans rock and R&B groove influenced mainstream rock bands. (Cover versions of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" in performance/recordings cited in retrospectives.) [1970s and later (covers and tributes)]
• Grateful Dead - Performed or recorded "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," showing the song’s reach into jam‑band and roots‑rock circles. (Live covers of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.") [1970s–1980s live era]
• Bruce Springsteen - Covered "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," acknowledging Smith’s role in early rock and roll and party‑record traditions. (Live and/or session covers of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" referenced in rock histories.) [Late 20th century (various performances)]
• Deep Purple - Recorded or performed "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," demonstrating Smith’s influence extending even into hard rock. (Cover of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.") [1970s–1980s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
2. Silent Night ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
3. Happy New Year ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
4. All I Want for Christmas ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
5. White Christmas Blues ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
6. I Wrote to Santa Claus ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
7. Almost Time for Santa ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
8. Rock & Roll Santa Claus ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
9. Jingle Bells ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)
10. Doing the Santa Claus ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia