One of my favorite rock ‘n’ roll drummers died recently. Charles Conner, born in 1935, is best known as Little Richard’s touring or road drummer in the ’50s. The band was called The Upsetters and was so explosive that Richard preferred it to his studio band led by Dave Bartholomew and drummer Earl Palmer. Keep A Knockin’ is one of very few recordings of The Upsetters live.
- Keep A Knockin‘, Little Richard
Connor began his career in 1950 and played with all the Big Easy instrumentalists and vocalists and others as well. The Upsetters lasted from 1953 to 1958, when Richard went into the ministry. Before that happened, Connor went into the studio to record Lucille with Little Richard in the spring of 1957.
- Lucille, Little Richard
Where did Connor get his chops? By watching other New Orleans percussionists such as Earl Palmer, Hungry Williams, Smokey Johnson, John Boudreaux, and Ziggy Modeliste.
- Drum Village, Earl Palmer
Of all the Big Easy drummers, Earl Palmer (1924-2008) is known for his session work, TV work, and movie soundtracks after moving to Los Angeles in 1957, as well as backing up most of Little Richard’s and Fats Domino’s hits—along with nearly every other R&B and rock ‘n’ roll artist to enter Cosimo Matassa‘s studio in the ’50s and ’60s. Palmer flew back to New Orleans to cut I’m Walkin’.
- I’m Walkin’, Fats Domino
No other drummer I can think of would record not only Fat’s version of I’m Walkin’ but competitor Ricky Nelson’s version as well—in a different style, of course. While Palmer is known for his contribution of a strong back beat to the world of rock ‘n’ roll, he could just as easy play jazz or pop. It was Palmer who put down the drums on Lovin’ Feelin’ produced by Phil Spector. His first number one pop song was You Send Me by Sam Cooke in the summer of 1957.
- You Send Me, Sam Cooke
One of the fastest drummers around the Crescent City, Charles “Hungry” Williams (1935-1986) frequently played in Huey “Piano” Smith’s band and was known for his experiments with adapting Latin percussion patterns to the drum set. He got the name “Hungry” because he always ate so much. Williams came upon the well-known drum set figure of performing the high-low conga accents with rimshot-on-snare and open snare or tom-tom, as he did in Smith’s Free, Single and Disengaged.
- Free, Single and Disengaged, Huey “Piano” Smith
New Orleans was full of crazy types of rhythms and beats. The use of the bass drum was usually pronounced, due to the second-line chorus found in street funerals. Straight rock ‘n’ roll also was standard.
- Sea Cruise, Frankie Ford
When Earl Palmer left New Orleans to live in Los Angeles in 1957, one of the drummers that took his place in the studio was drummer John Boudreaux (1936-2017), who was very influential in the music scene. He learned to play R&B, jazz, funk and everything in between. He was a perfect single stroke roller.
- I Know, Barbara George
When Charles Williams left New Orleans for New York City, Boudreaux took over studio chores for Earl Palmer and Williams. He was involved in union activities of a sort when he and other studio cats formed their own record company, AFO (“All For One”), so they could have a say in their future—like get paid. “John was one of the best two or three drummers . . . he could do whatever needed to be done,” according to Cosimo Matassa of J&M Recording Studio. Boudreaux drummed on a lot of early ’60s New Orleans hits like the 1961 monster Mother in Law.
Like most other drummers, Smokey Johnson (1936-2015) filled in for studio drummer Earl Palmer, and like Palmer and others knew the value of the bass drum. Johnson was 12 years old when he learned to play drums after starting on the trombone. He got so good at it he earned his nickname for all the smoke coming out of the bass drum. He played on Professor Longhair’s Big Chief and even influenced Motown rhythm.
- Big Chief, Professor Longhair
Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste at 72 years old is still alive and very active, currently living in San Francisco. Ziggy is famous for forming the funk band The Meters in 1965.
- Cissy Strut, The Meters
Modeliste is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style of drumming. Due to his work with the band he is credited as an integral part of bringing New Orleans second-line grooves into popular music.