{"product_id":"huey-piano-smith-and-the-rocking-pneumonia-blues-9780807152959","title":"Huey \"piano\" Smith and the Rocking Pneumonia Blues","description":"\u003cp\u003eHuey Piano Smith's musical legacy stands alongside that of fellow New Orleans legends Dr. John, Fats Domino, Ernie K-Doe, and Allen Toussaint. His 1957 classic, Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu, made Billboard's top R\u0026amp;B singles chart, and hundreds of artists including Aerosmith, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, Johnny Rivers, and Chubby Checker have recorded his songs. \u003cbr\u003eThe first biography of the artist responsible for hits Don't You Just Know It, High Blood Pressure, and Sea Cruise, Huey Piano Smith and the Rocking Pneumonia Blues follows the musician's extraordinary life from his Depression-era childhood to his teen years as a pianist for blues star Guitar Slim to his mainstream success in the 1950s and '60s. Drawing from extensive interviews and court records, author and journalist John Wirt also provides new insights on Smith's professional disappointments and financial struggles in the 1980s and '90s as he battled over royalties from his most successful and profitable work. \u003cbr\u003eAn enigmatic and guarded personality in a profession of extroverted performers, Smith made farreaching contributions to the New Orleans music scene as a songwriter, pianist, and producer. Wirt reveals that Smith's numerous collaborations with other artists -- including the Clowns, the Pitter Pats, the Hueys, and Shindig Smith and the Soul Shakers -- served as vehicles for his creative vision rather than simply as an anonymous backup for a leading front man.\u003cbr\u003eThroughout this intimate account, Wirt details Smith's significant impact on rock and roll history and underscores both the longevity of his music -- which has entertained and inspired for over five decades -- and the musician's personal endurance in the face of hardship and opposition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Louisiana State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/24\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780807152959\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 294\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.08h x 6.03w x 0.92d","brand":"John Wirt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36644073996444,"sku":"9780807152959","price":29.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_f55adc9a-c6a5-4f2c-88c8-d5a1d541ac36.jpg?v=1603857856","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/huey-piano-smith-and-the-rocking-pneumonia-blues-9780807152959","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}