Let's have some rocking r&b for a change. Through the 60s all I had of Wilbert Harrison was the old Top Rank 45 of Kansas City (which I first heard by the Beatles, with a bit of Hey hey hey on the end, they copied the more frantic Little Richard Specialty version) which had a wonderful shuffly charm like the best of the Jimmy Reed or Buster Brown sides.
In the late 60s Canned Heat covered Wilbert`s epic Let`s Work Together (later annihilated by Bryan Ferry and the howlin Jerry Hall) which Dave Edmunds had been figuring on doing, then decided to do Smiley Lewis` great I Hear You Knockin instead which gave him a deserved UK no 1 and a Billboard no 2.
But here`s dapper uncle Wilbert plonked in front of a piano with his atmospheric ciggie trailing smoke throughout his fine rendition of the old New Orleans saga Stagger Lee, mighty fine it is too despite the brupt cut off. No idea when or where, but just glad it exists (one day the holy grail of Larry Williams footage will be realised -don't be fooled by that Billy Preston Shindig clip of Short Fat Fannie (steady Shaun) claimed to be Mr Williams, it aint.
What we also need is some more Wilbert preferably with Wild Jimmy Spurrill on guitar and several shouts of " Ah moustache".
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