Tonky Honk Diz And The Doormen

£8.11

Genre:
Rhythm & Blues
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHM 1238

Writing a piece like this gives me the space to mention the artists, entertainers and players that really inspired this session, which was cut in a lively situation in the studio, serving up a selection of R&B and rock’n’roll standards, some new stuff and a couple of de-arranged numbers, such as ‘It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie’ and ‘Miss Bombilla Brown’, which I used to knock out with my old friends Sumpen’s Swingsters from Stockholm.

‘Roll ‘Em Pete’ was one of the first boogie woogie items that left a deep impression on me. Pete Johnson was one of the pianists my father listened to, along with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux-Lewis. ‘Evolution’ was written by the Oscar Wilde of the blues, Cousin Joe Pleasant, with whom I worked on some shows in 1974. Later on I was with a band called Juice On The Loose, named after one of Joe’s original pieces. He and I both loved Professor Longhair and the song of his I’ve recorded for this CD is ‘Misery’, an offshoot from ‘Tipitina’, a number I learned from working with Dr John, along with ‘Goodnight Irene’, which has the James Booker brand all over it.

Pete Thomas, my sax player with Diz and the Doormen back in 80s, introduced me to three tenor giants from the Fats Domino band: Walter Kimble, Roger Lewis and Mr Lee Allen. We recorded “Bluecoat Man” for Ace with a cast of London musicians including Don Weller, Pete Scott and the man Mac Rebennack affectionately called, Fonky Knuckle, the great Kieran O’Connor on drums. ‘One More Song’ is pure Fats. ‘I Got It’ is my favourite Little Richard tune.

In 1984 I cut a session with legendary Big Jay McNeely, who topped the Billboard charts with ‘Deacon’s Hop’ and also had a hit with ‘Something On Your Mind’. I was really fortunate to track him down in Europe to play on this album. He inspired the title track, ‘Tonky Honk’, which goes out to everyone mentioned here and to all the people who helped me along this road.

By Diz Watson

Share

Track listing

Show

Delivery & Returns

Show

We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Press quotes

Show

★★★★

Record Collector

Customer reviews

Show

Related products

Customers who bought this item also bought