Guitar Gable
Guitar Gable | |
---|---|
Birth name | Gabriel Perrodin |
Born | Bellevue, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States | August 17, 1937
Died | January 28, 2017 Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. | (aged 79)
Genres | Swamp blues Louisiana blues Swamp pop[1] |
Occupation(s) | Singer, guitarist, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Labels | Excello, various |
Gabriel Perrodin (August 17, 1937 – January 28, 2017), known as Guitar Gable, was an American Louisiana blues, swamp blues and swamp pop musician. He was best known for recording the original version of "This Should Go On Forever", and his part in the vibrant swamp blues and pop scene in Louisiana in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
Gable was born in Bellevue,
Introduced to the record producer
Guitar Gable and the Musical Kings had earlier recorded their own debut single for Excello in 1956. His first track was the pacy instrumental "Congo Mombo", which relied on the melody of "Frankie and Johnny".[5] The A-side of the single was "Life Problem", which featured King Karl's vocals. The follow-up release included the swamp pop classic, "Irene", which later influenced Jimmy Clanton's "Just A Dream".[4]
Subsequent releases followed a similar pattern with Gable's Caribbean-laced instrumentals such as "Congo Mombo," "Guitar Rhumbo" and "Gumbo Mombo," pitched against rock and roll tracks including "Cool, Calm, Collected" and "Walking in the Park." It was the blues influenced ballads including "Irene," "Life Problem" and "This Should Go On Forever" that caused most interest.[3] The latter track was recorded by Gable and his band in 1958, but did not find favour with Miller. A cover version was recorded by Rod Bernard, and it reached the Top 20 of the US Billboard R&B chart. Gable's original was finally released in February 1959, but failed to match the success of Bernard's cover.[5]
Gable and Karl left Miller and Excello in disgust, and were reduced to issuing work on the much smaller labels of La Louisianne and Tamm into the early 1960s.[3] Gable served in the armed forces but later continued with his own band, maintaining a following in local clubs until 1968. In the 1970s, Gable performed regularly with Lil' Bob and the Lollipops,[5] before he initially retired from performing in the 1980s.[4]
In 1990 Gable appeared on Lil' Bob's CD Back Again for the Vidrine label.
Gable's guitar work featured on Slim Harpo's 2011 compilation album, Rocks.[8]
Gable died in hospital at Opelousas, Louisiana, on January 28, 2017, at the age of 79.[9][10]
Discography
Singles
Date | A-side | B-side | Label | Credit(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 1956 | "Life Problem" (Featuring King Karl) | "Congo Mombo" | Excello 2082 | Guitar Gable and the Musical Kings |
November 1956 | "Guitar Rhumbo" | "Irene" (Vocal: King Karl) | Excello 2094 | Guitar Gable and the Musical Kings |
May 1957 | "It's Hard, But It's Fair" | "Cool, Calm, Collected" | Excello 2108 | Guitar Gable |
October 1957 | "Gumbo Mombo" | "What's The Matter With My Baby" (Vocal: King Karl) | Excello 2122 | Guitar Gable |
June 1958 | "Walking in the Park" (Vocal: King Karl) | "Have Mercy on Me" (Vocal: King Karl) | Excello 2140 | Guitar Gable |
February 1959 | "This Should Go On Forever" | "Please Operator" | Excello 2153 | Guitar Gable |
Albums
Year | Title | Label | Credit(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Cool, Calm, Collected (The Legendary Jay Miller Series – Volume 36) | Flyright FLY-599 | Guitar Gable with King Karl |
Selected compilation albums
Date | Title | Label | Song by Gable |
---|---|---|---|
June 1960 | Tunes To Be Remembered | Excello LPS-8001 | "Congo Mombo" |
1972 | The Excello Story | Excello LPS-8025 | "This Should Go On Forever" |
1999 | The Excello Story, Volume 2: 1955–1957 | Hip-O/MCA HIPD-40150 | "Congo Mombo", "Irene" |
1999 | The Excello Story, Volume 3: 1957–1961 | Hip-O/MCA HIPD-40156 | "This Should Go On Forever" |
2015 | The Excello Blues Story | Day One (UK) Records [5060255182833] | "Congo Mombo", "Life Problem" |
See also
- List of Swamp blues musicians
- List of Louisiana blues musicians
- Louisiana Creole people
References
- ^ "Guitar Gable | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ ISBN 978-0807169322.
- ^ a b c d "Guitar Gable & the Musical Kings at the Eleventh Annual Ponderosa Stomp – New Orleans". Ponderosastomp.com. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ a b c d "Guitar Gable". Rockabilly.nl. 1937-08-17. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ ISBN 9781604737257. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ "Illustrated Slim Harpo discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ISBN 9781578061167. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ "Rocks – Slim Harpo | Credits". AllMusic. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ Gabriel Perrodin obituary, WilliamsFuneralHomes.net. Retrieved 31 January 2017
- The Advertiser. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Discography : Guitar Gable". Monola.net. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ "Guitar Gable : Discography". 45cat. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ "WangDangDula : Discography". Koti.mbnet.fi. 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
- ^ "Excello Records discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2014-03-20.