Stormy Monday (Lou Rawls album)
| Stormy Monday | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Lou Rawls | ||||
| Released | 1962 | |||
| Recorded |
February 5–12, 1962 Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | R&B, vocal jazz | |||
| Length |
40:49 (Original LP) 45:34 (CD reissue) | |||
| Label |
Capitol 1714 | |||
| Producer | Nick Venet | |||
| Lou Rawls chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Reissue cover | ||||
 Blue Note reissue cover |
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Stormy Monday, also known as I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water, is the debut album of R&B singer Lou Rawls, released in 1962 on Capitol Records. Recorded in two sessions in February 1962, the album features a number of blues and jazz standards chosen by Rawls and backed by the Les McCann trio.[2] Stormy Monday was reissued in 1990 by Blue Note records.[3]
History
Excerpt from the album liner notes:
In 1962, when this album was made and when he turned 26, Lou Rawls' rich baritone was unknown, except to a few gospel music fans and Hollywood hipsters who caught his act at local night clubs like P.J.'s, The Troubador, Shelly Manne's Manne-Hole or Brother's on Santa Monica and Vine. A years earlier, Capitol A&R man Nick Venet had heard Rawls at Pandora's Box Coffee Shop, who was playing there for $10 a night plus pizza in late 1959, and signed him to the label.[4] One stillborn single emerged before Lou had the brainstorm to do an album of blues and jazz standards, backed by then up-and comer Les McCann and his trio, who were performing nearby at The Bit on Sunset Boulevard. Before his Grammy winning album Love Is a Hurtin' Thing, Stormy Monday was the first of more than 20 other albums Rawls would record on that label in only a decade.[5]
Track listing
Side One
- "(They Call It) Stormy Monday" (T-Bone Walker) – 3:45
- "God Bless the Child" (Arthur Herzog, Billie Holiday) – 4:30
- "See See Rider" (Ma Rainey) – 3:11
- "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell) – 5:57
- "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" (Andy Razaf, Weldon) – 4:00
Side Two
- "In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" (Leroy Carr, Don Raye) – 3:28
- "'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do" (Percy Grainger, Robert Prince, Clarence Williams) – 2:45
- "Lost and Lookin'" (Alexander, Lowell Jordan) – 3:12
- "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water" (Eddie Miller) – 3:55
- "Sweet Lover" (McFarland, Wyche) – 3:08
Reissue Tracks
- "Blues Is a Woman" (Rawls) - 2:58
- "A Little Les of Lou's Blues" (Rawls) - 2:23
- "(They Call It) Stormy Monday (Alternate Take)" (Walker) - 2:58
Personnel
Musicians
Additional personnel
- Nick Venet - producer
- Malcolm Addley - remixing
- Billy Vera - liner notes
Notes
References
- Stormy Monday album liner notes by Billy Vera. Capitol Records Inc.