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The Ric and Ron record labels are as indigenous and vital to the music of New Orleans as Stax is to Memphis. It’s where Irma Thomas and Johnny Adams debuted, not to mention their many singles from such Crescent City stars as Eddie Bo, Professor Longhair and others. Craft Recordings, who brought us that wonderful set of Stax 68 in October, have marked the 60th anniversary of the pioneering New Orleans R&B label Ric Records and its sister label Ron Records with a collection of 28 hits, on Feelin’ Right Saturday Night; The Ric & Ron Anthology. Considering that these labels had a catalog on only 70 45-RPM singles and couple of obscure albums, this represents a substantial part of their output.
The compilation has classics from Professor Longhair (beginning appropriately with “Go to the Mardi Gras”),Irma Thomas (with her first hit (“Don’t Mess With My Man’), Eddie Bo (with five including “Every Dog Has Its Day”), Al Johnson, and the Joe Jones hit “You Talk Too Much.” Several others like Barbara Lynn, Chris Kenner, Tommy Ridgely are present too. There are two previously unreleased tracks with Professor Longhair doing a demo of “Tipitina” and Eddie Bo with “Good Enough for Me.” The liner notes from three-time Grammy-winning producer, Rounder Records stalwart and New Orleans musical historian Scott Billingham are an important part of the package too. Note: the sound is acceptable but far from pristine. Consider the age of these recordings.
These labels operated for only four years, between 1958-1962 and occupy a place in New Orleans music history that sits between hit-making producers and songwriters Dave Bartholomew.in the 1950s (Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis) and Allen Toussaint in the ‘60s and ‘70s (Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, the Meters). The sister labels were founded by Joe Ruffino, who began in the business as a salesman. Ruffino’s idea was that there were fresher sounds in the city and he hired guitarist/bandleader Edgar Blanchard, arranger/musician Harold Battiste and a young guitarist/pianist/songwriter Mac Rebennack, who later became known as Dr. John, to supervise and arrange the recordings.
Arguably, the most iconic of the artists to record for the label was the enduring Irma Thomas, introduced to Ruffino by bandleader and pianist Tommy Ridgely (whose “In the Same Old Way” is included here as well). Recording at nineteen years old, Irma recalls, “I was so naïve back then, but I came in and did my best. I stepped up to the microphone and sang – that was my job.”
Cosimo Matassa, the engineer and studio owner who recorded more classic records than anyone in the city – ever, said that Johnny Adams was the best singer that New Orleans ever produced. This writer would agree too. Adams, later known as the “tan canary,” had a voice that could range from a rich baritone to a smooth tenor to a pure falsetto. As you listen to his cuts, they are distinctly unlike the R&B cuts of the other artists. Blanchard and Rebennack knew they had a star, especially for ballads. Here he does the blues ballad “A Losing Battle,” written by Rebennack , the piano-driven blues “Life Is Such a Struggle” and “(Oh Why) I Won’t Cry.” On the latter you can hear him singing around Blanchard’s jazzy chords before breaking into a soft falsetto, an example of the kind of ballad perfect for his range. As Billington says, “I worked as Johnny’s producer from 1984 to his death in 1998 and found him to be most versatile and professional vocalist I’d ever encountered.”
Eddie Bo has five cuts, emblematic of his major role at Ric and Ron. Bo may be better know for later hard funk records such as “Hook and Sling,” “Check Your Bucket” and “We’re Doing It (Thang),” these singles show a versatile musician who could cross boundaries between jazz, fun and blues. Several other highlights include Barbara Lynn, Chris Kenner, and a couple from Al Johnson.
These recordings were essentially “sounds of the day,” probably not envisioned as having lasting impact. When Rounder bought the Ric & Ron catalog, tapes had been collecting dust for years in a suburban closet. Yet, we can thankfully celebrate the sister labels’ 60th anniversary, with this important gestation period of New Orleans R&B.
