Clarke Peters didn’t just grow up listening to Louis Jordan. The singing legend’s feelgood numbers also inspired his hit musical Five Guys Named Moe. With the show now revived for a new generation, he relives those hazy hellzapoppin’ days
My first encounter with Louis Jordan must have been somewhere between my first breath and five years old. In 1957, rock’n’roll was everywhere and AM radio ruled the airwaves in the car and at home. On long rides to Jones Beach in New York state, my father would surf the radio channels for something to sing along to or scat with. (You Dyed Your Hair) Chartreuse was one of those songs we sang, and I will always remember how Pops laughed. If today the sight of a woman with green hair is not so unusual, back then it must have seemed outrageous, and I’m sure the way Jordan sang the song – falsetto – added to my father’s amusement.
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