Soul Jazz Records presents a second volume of New Orleans Funk and Soul that brings you more of the same as the first volume. Saturday Night Fish Fry is an essential release featuring a second mixture of New Orleans Funk and Soul ranging from all-time classics from The Meters, Eddie Bo and Lee Dorsey alongside super rare funk classics such as Roger and The Gypsies and Inell Young as well as deep soul from the likes of Eldridge Holmes and Irma Thomas. The release shows the roots of Funk as well as featuring Deep Soul and R'n'B. About the artists on this record: EDDIE BO is one of the cornerstones of New Orleans Funk. As well as some of the definitive moments in the story of Funk music ("Hook and Sling", "Check Your Bucket" "Check Mr Popeye"), Eddie Bo was one of the main producers of New Orleans music in the mid-60s thru to the start of the 1970s where he worked as house producer at New Orleans labels such as Minit and Seven B. INELL YOUNG- OLIVER MORGAN- Two local New Orleans artists, both produced by Eddie Bo. As well as releasing productions on a number of small local labels, such as Scram, Big 9 and Gold Cup, Eddie Bo was the in-house producer at Seven-B records for a period at the end of the 1960s. Oliver Morgan's "Roll Call" is a classic Eddie Bo style party song and Inell Young's "Next Ball Game" contains the funkiest drums ever recorded! BETTY HARRIS - New Orleans singer who worked mainly in the 1960s with producer Allen Toussaint. "Break In The Road" is a rare funk classic that features The Meters as the backing band. GATURS- The Gaturs were Wilson Turbinton's funk-jazz group that released a few singles in New Orleans at the beginning of the 1970s that have since achieved cult status ("Gatur Bait" and "Cold Bear"). Wilson Turbinton has had a career that began in the 1960s as a soul singer, as Willie Tee. After the Gaturs he formed a new group that featured a group of Mardi Gras Indians known as The Wild Magnolias: WILD MAGNOLIAS- Every year at Mardi Gras, different tribes of Mardi Gras Indians march through the streets of New Orleans singing songs, playing drums and dancing. At the beginning of the 1970s two of these tribes were offered recording contracts: The Wild Magnolias and The Wild Tchoupitillas. "Soul,Soul,Soul" is based on an old tribal song and features Bo Dollis (the Tribe leader) on vocals. LEE DORSEY - Boxer, Car Mechanic, Card Player and singer! Lee Dorsey' s voice sums up the sound of New Orleans. Again produced by Allen Toussaint and featuring the musical accompanyment of The Meters ,"Give It Up" and "Yes We Can" are two classic pieces of New Orleans Funk. "Yes We Can" later became a number 1 hit for The Pointer Sisters. DR JOHN -Dr John, The Night Tripper, is another New Orleans institution who has been making and promoting New Orleans music, especially Funk, for over 40 years. From working as A&R, songwriter and producer at Johnny Vincent's Ace Records to fronting a Voodoo shop in New Orleans, Dr John developed a unique Voodoo Funk sound as featured here with "Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya". DIXIE CUPS - Barbara Ann Hawkins, Joan Marie Johnson, and Rosa Lee Hawkins were collectively known as the Dixie Cups. "Iko Iko" was a reworking of Sugar Boy Crawford's "Jock O Mo". The lyrics include Creole and Carnival references and the song is pure New Orleans. SMOKEY JOHNSON - Smokey Johnson is possibly the funkiest New Orleans drummers of all. His syncopated rhythms led the way for many drummers to follow-For instance, Smokey Johnson taught Zigaboo Modeliste, The Meters drummer, to play. Smokey Johnson had many hits in New Orleans but never had a hit that broke out of the city. THE METERS- The Meters are New Orleans' most famous Funk group. From the second part of the 1960s through to the mid-seventies they had a string of hits that no one could touch. Tracks such as "Cissy Strut", "A Message From The Meters", "Handclapping Song" and "Ease Back" were all national hits. As well as their success as a group they also worked as session men on many New Orleans records produced by Allen Toussaint. For instance, on this record the Meters are the backing group on Lee Dorsey's "Give It Up" and "Yes,We Can Can" and Betty Harris' "Break In The Road". ELDRIDGE HOLMES- One of a stream of New Orleans singers that Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn produced for a number of small labels that they owned in New Orleans. "Where Is Love" came out on the Deesu label and "Humpback" was leased to Jetset records. Both these tracks were local hits. HUEY PIANO SMITH - One of the original New Orleans' piano players, alongside others such as Professor Longhair, Eddie Bo and Allen Toussaint, Huey Piano Smith played a style based on relentless syncopated rhythm and call and response singing, a sound that would in the mid- 60s evolve into funk. "Little Liza Jane" was Huey's first hit and was recorded in 1958, by far the earliest recording here. BOBBY AND THE HEAVYWEIGHTS- DAVID BATTISTE AND THE GLADIATORS- SALT- Three super-rare one-off funk/soul productions from New Orleans: With the New Orleans music industry based around the independent record label/producer, one-off releases by unknown groups were common. Most were recorded at Cosimo Matassa's studio and would only have local distribution. Here's three of the best. IRMA THOMAS - The Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas' first recording is this classic "You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don't Take My Man" released on Joe Ruffino's Ron Records and written by Dorothy Labostrie, one of New Orleans' finest songwriters. "Ruler of My Heart" was the blueprint for Otis Redding's "Pain In My Heart". Irma Thomas' classic original version was written and produced by Allen Toussaint and released on the Minit label. (THIS ALBUM IS DELETED)