BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY

One of the most important all-around talents of rock’s first fifteen years, succeeding in a variety of ways, from songwriter, bandleader to producer and A&R head of various record labels as well as being a highly regarded pianist, singer and hit-making artist in his own right.

Paul Gayten was born in 1920 in New Orleans where 27 years later he lit the fuse that soon sparked rock ‘n’ roll, as his own ballad “True” became a national hit on the DeLuxe label that summer, as did “Since I Fell For You” by Annie Laurie who was backed by Gayten both on stage and in the studio. The success of those records (though neither one was close to rock styles) encouraged DeLuxe to sign more New Orleans artists when the opportunity presented itself, namely with Roy Brown whose “Good Rocking Tonight” late that summer launched rock ‘n’ roll.

But it was almost Gayten who did so first, as the flip side to “True” had been a rocking song called “Your Hands Ain’t Clean” that more than hinted at what was around the corner musically.

Though proficient in other styles, Gayten went on to release his most influential and popular records in the rock realm, as well as continuing to back Laurie, who achieved notable success as a rock artist herself over the years. Soon another of the artists he championed, Larry Darnell, became a star in his own right cutting songs written and backed by Gayten.

Gayten’s versatility made him invaluable to the various labels he recorded for over the years, among them Regal, OKeh and Chess, the latter of whom made him an A&R chief, a rare position for a black man in the 1950’s. He’s credited with discovering or nurturing a number of fairly prominent artists, among them Clarence “Frogman” Henry and Bobby Charles, writing some classic sides and playing on a multitude of hit records by other acts.

His own records were selling less by this point, but among them were a handful of instrumentals that remain highly valued among rock aficionados. By the early 1960’s he’d moved to Los Angeles and continued working for Chess but eventually started his own small label and gradually faded from the scene.

Of all of the early jack-of-all-trades in rock, Gayten may be least remembered, but his impact was incredibly diverse. He died in 1991 at the age of 71.
 
 
PAUL GAYTEN DISCOGRAPHY (Reviews To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):
 
 
I STILL LOVE YOU
(DeLuxe 1006; November, 1947)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie

PETER BLUE AND JASPER TOO
(DeLuxe 1118; December, 1947)
An addicting sounding song with Gayten’s choppy piano and a stinging guitar adding immeasurably to the feel, but frustratingly lacking a coherent story to pull it all together and make it truly transcendent. (6)

IN THE EVENING WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN
(DeLuxe 1118; December, 1947)
A notable re-working of the uptown blues song by Leroy Carr finds Gayten subtly embellishing the melody by virtue of a modern arrangement, in the process shifting the mood from downbeat to optimistic, a defining difference in attitude between blues and rock. (6)

ONE SWEET LETTER FROM YOU
(DeLuxe 1131; January, 1948)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

HEY LITTLE GIRL
(DeLuxe 1138; January, 1948)
A decidedly funky song made more famous down the road by Professor Longhair, but written and performed first by Gayten whose piano shines, while his laid back demeanor vocally is captivating enough but also lacks the urgency the song calls out for. (6)

STOP
(DeLuxe 1176; June, 1948)
Deliberately quirky, but effectively amusing with its stop/start structure, spoken verses and sung chorus and some extended piano playing with nice guitar accents to off-set it, this shows Gayten stretching out creatively even if the style was too odd to connect with listeners. (7)

SALLY LOU
(DeLuxe 1176; June, 1948)
Though it retains a few too many of the unusual aspects of the arrangement from the superior top side of the record, this manages to distance itself just enough with a more typical song structure and good playing and singing to make it a enjoyable. (5)

VOODOO MAN
(DeLuxe 3173; June, 1948)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

WONDERING BLUES
(DeLuxe 3173; June, 1948)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie. One of the most sparse, fragile, but alluring arrangements out there shows Gayten, who also wrote this, knew what he was doing. (8)

WOMEN THESE DAYS
(DeLuxe 3177; July, 1948)
A sparse, evocative, haunting record seems more like an apparition than a fully formed song, it’s noncommercial in every way but stands as a tribute to Gayten’s creativity and quest for stylistic diversity and will stick with you long after it ends. (6)

BACK TRACKIN’
(DeLuxe 3177; July, 1948)
Quirky instrumental featuring Gayten’s piano and Jack Scott’s guitar trading off sounds like a dry-run through the song more than a finished product, something which became all the more apparent when Gayten re-cut it a year later on Regal with a much fuller arrangement. (4)

LONELY BLUES
(DeLuxe 3192; October, 1948)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

HIP SHAKIN’ MAMA
(DeLuxe 3199; November, 1948)
As sideman… behind Chubby Newsom.

CHUBBY’S CONFESSION
(DeLuxe 3199; November, 1948)
As sideman… behind Chubby Newsom.

DONT WORRY ‘BOUT NOTHIN’
(DeLuxe 3200; December, 1948)
As sideman… behind Eddie Gorman

BACK BITIN’ WOMAN
(DeLuxe 3204; January, 1949)
As sideman… behind Chubby Newsom.

BEDROOM BLUES
(DeLuxe 3204; January, 1949)
As sideman… behind Chubby Newsom.

TELEPHONE BLUES
(DeLuxe 3209; February, 1949)
As sideman… behind Eddie Gorman

BEEF BALL BABY
(DeLuxe 3209; February, 1949)
As sideman… behind Eddie Gorman

GAYTEN’S NIGHTMARE
(DeLuxe 3210; February, 1949)
A good idea that never gets fleshed out, its attempts at creating an atmospheric horror tableau is creatively stillborn as the accompanying music are aimless piano and sax riffs without a home from which to return. (3)

ANNIE’S BLUES
(DeLuxe 3211; March, 1949)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

CREOLE GAL
(DeLuxe 3215; April, 1949)
Far more effective for the vivid storyline and Gayten’s evocative singing than for the arrangement which leans too heavily on generic horn charts at the expense of local flavor. (5)

DR. DADDY-O (BACKTRACKIN’)
(Regal 3230; July, 1949)
Decidedly funky instrumental is a drastic re-working of an earlier cut by Gayten, this time with an arrangement highlighted by stellar turns from Gayten’s piano, Lee Allen’s sax and Robert Green’s drums, very idiosyncratic but lots of fun all the same. (7)

YOUNG BOY
(Coleman 118; August, 1949)
As sideman… behind Mr. Google Eyes.

POPPA STOPPA’S BE BOP BLUES
(Coleman 118; August, 1949)
As sideman… behind Mr. Google Eyes.

FISHTAIL
(Regal 3234; September, 1949)
Unappetizing dish in which none of the parts fit together and many barely fit in rock, resulting in a confusing and directionless record. (2)

CUTTIN’ OUT
(Regal 3235; September, 1949)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

MY ROUGH AND READY MAN
(Regal 3235; September, 1949)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

I’LL GET ALONG SOMEHOW PT. 1 & 2
(Regal 3236; September, 1949)
As sideman… behind Larry Darnell.

FOR YOU MY LOVE
(Regal 3240; October, 1949)
As sideman… behind Larry Darnell.

LOST MY BABY
(Regal 3240; October, 1949)
As sideman… behind Larry Darnell.

COOK’S TOUR
(Regal 3245; December, 1949)
A quirky instrumental brimming with a lot of ideas and while some of those, like the Dixieland interlude, don’t necessarily work, the overall energy combined with the stronger aspects, namely the saxophone lead, make for a pretty decent trip. (5)

YOU SHOULDN’T
(Regal 3245; December, 1949)
A fascinating avant garde experiment which has few connections stylistically to any dominant field in 1949 and so it only fits in rock by default, but while providing an interesting look at Gayten’s creative id the results fall short of it being something worth pursuing further. (4)

BABY WHAT’S NEW
(Regal 3246; December, 1949)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

BLUE AND DISGUSTED
(Regal 3246; December, 1949)
As sideman… behind Annie Laurie.

BELLBOY BOOGIE
(Regal 3255; February, 1950)
An inventive re-imagining of a similarly titled Todd Rhodes instrumental from the summer of 1947 as Gayten shifts the focus from horns to Jack Scott’s biting guitar which gives an aggressive modern feel to this which perfectly suits the evolving sonic textures of rock. (6)

PACK YOUR RAGS AND GO
(Regal 3260; February, 1950)
As sideman… behind Larry Darnell.

I’LL NEVER BE FREE
(Regal 3258; April, 1950)
Gayten’s innovative arrangement highlights the emotional aspects of the song thanks to how effectively he and Annie Laurie trade off lines and invest them with genuine feeling, making this the best rendition of the popular tune as well as arguably the pinnacle of their partnership. (8)

YOU OUGHT TO KNOW
(Regal 3258; April, 1950)
Though technically impressive with a convincing vocal and some neat arranging touches, the mournful mood he casts is so bleak and unrelenting that without at least a more dominant melody to offset it we’re made to feel almost uncomfortable eavesdropping on his misery. (4)

I AIN’T GONNA LET YOU IN
(Regal 3273; June, 1950)
Showing good acting ability as he’s asked to shoulder the spoken comedic parts in this war of wills with Annie Laurie, the song itself doesn’t give either of them nearly enough to do causing this winning pairing to fall a little short. (6)

GOODNIGHT IRENE
(Regal 3281; August, 1950)
A surprisingly soulful rendition of the giant folk hit that was sweeping the country at the time, as Gayten bends the song ever so slightly to his own artistic will, offset by the Coleman Brothers gospel group providing more respectful backing. (7)

OOH LA LA
(Regal 3281; August, 1950)
Though musically this is more in line with Gayten’s usual quirkiness and has a good atmosphere, the scenario might be a little troubling but because he comes across as overeager himself rather than predatory you can enjoy it more for the positive aspects of the song. (5)

GOLD AIN’T EVERYTHING
(Regal 3282; September, 1950)
Another solid cover record for Gayten who delivers a straightforward reading of the Gene Gilbeaux hit and imparts it with his usual distinctive charm with a really nice sax solo by jazz great Edward Barefield who shows he could rock too. (7)

IF YOU GOT THE MONEY, HONEY, I GOT THE TIME
(Regal 3302; October, 1950)
Continuing the cover record kick he’s on, this one is a questionable choice because of its country origins but Gayten manages to remove many of those elements with an inventive arrangement and attitude adjustment to give it a new identity. (6)

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!
(Regal 3312; February, 1951)
Though the attempt to get a hit out of covering a pop novelty record is pretty shallow, the effort turned in by Gayten and his band can’t be questioned as they suitably rock this up and if not for a few big-band holdover styled horns early on, they might’ve melted the wax. (7)

LONESOME FOR MY BABY
(OKeh 6847; December, 1951)
In his first release for the subsidiary of a major pop label Gayten tries to show he’s a candidate to be “promoted” to Columbia with this decidedly genteel song and performance which despite some nice melodic touches is too far from rock’s core values to make an impact here. (3)

ALL ALONE AND LONELY
(OKeh 6847; December, 1951)
A faster pace than the flip side but otherwise a similarly themed song which is plagued with the same issues of being stylistically compromised thanks to big band horns and a pop vocal mindset that’s barely tempered by a slightly rocking sax solo. (3)

HAPPY DAYS
(OKeh 6870; March, 1952)
After a slow start thanks to classier horns than necessary Gayten picks things up with increasingly rhythmic vocals and a scorching sax solo which does enough to win you over even if on the whole his commitment to the style fluctuates. (6)

THEY ALL ASK FOR YOU (DOWN AT THE ZOO)
(OKeh 6908; August, 1952)
A novelty song using “ass” as its drawing card for immature listeners, this weak effort is beneath Gayten as both a singer and writer, but the saving grace is the relentless rhythm track highlighted by a great sax solo and the first ever distorted guitar found in rock. (3)