As you are aware, it is Musical Pairings’ goal to introduce our readers to music they may not have heard of before. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be “new” music, though. For example, I’m willing to bet that most of our readers are not familiar with the great New Orleans musician Eddie Bo. He was an amazing songwriter and during the course of his career, (1955-2009) he developed a prolific songbook that masterfully spans numerous genres including jazz, funk, soul, rock and R&B. Nonetheless, once you’ve heard some of his stuff, I think you‘ll agree: it is bewildering that Eddie Bo never reached superstar level. When he passed away last month, the world lost an amazing musician.
Sugary, sweet and tangy, the lemon-sugar coated baked pancake is well paired with Eddie Bo. Eddie’s best charting track, “Hook and Sling,” opens with sparse, frantic percussion and an upbeat, rhythmic guitar riff. In the middle of the track, punchy horns briefly join the fun, and quickly disappear. Eddie shouts, “Go on with your bad self. Hot. But I just can’t stop doing the Hook and Sling.” This stuff is guaranteed to get people dancing or tapping their toes.
With its simple, groovy guitar rhythm, the track, “If Its Good To You (Its Good For You)” is easily one of the catchiest funk cuts you’ll ever hear (and probably my favorite Eddie Bo track). “Funky Jam” is pure strut and swagger. Likewise, the track, “Hey Mama Here Comes the Preacher,” is one of the most soulful instrumental funk songs ever put to wax. “Funky Yeah” is also instrumental and features a phenomenal, shredding rock n’ roll guitar riff.
Unfortunately, Eddie Bo records are incredibly hard to find in stores. Most of his music, especially his soul and funk tracks, were originally only available as 45’s and were infrequently available on LP or CD. To my knowledge the few Eddie Bo CDs that were made are currently out-of-print. Fortunately for those of you who aren’t into crate digging at record stores, the good people at iTunes have several of his records available for digital download including an incredible collection of his funk era work: Eddie Bo and the Soul Finders – The Hook and Sling. The people over at Funky16Corners offer a sample download of Eddie Bo – If Its Good To You (Its Good For You) Part 1. You can also check out Eddie Bo – Check Your Bucket (Parts 1 and 2). Also, to give you a sense of Eddie’s versatility as an artist, download Funky Yeah. Finally, thanks to my friend Andrew for introducing me to the music of Eddie Bo and thus being able to share it with you. Don’t forget to head back to http://eating-sf.com/ to read Kasey’s delicious baked pancake recipe.
