YOU TALK TOO MUCH-THE RIC AND RON STORY VOLUME 1.

dereksmusicblog ♦ March 8, 2014 ♦ Leave a comment

YOU TALK TOO MUCH-THE RIC AND RON STORY VOLUME 1.

Joe Ruffino founded his Ric and Ron labels in 1958. For the next five years, they were one of New Orleans’ premier independent R&B labels. During this five year period, artists of the calibre of Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, Johnny Adams, Eddie Bo and Eddie Laing released singles on the Ric and Ron labels. Many of these singles were written or produced by Joe Ruffino. This was pretty good going for someone who originally, had started out in the record distribution business. Little did Joe realise that Ric and Ron would become so successful, so much so, that a whole host of labels would model themselves on his labels. What Joe would also surprised Joe Ruffino is that forty-one years after his labels shut their doors for the last time, interest in the music released by Ric and Ron has never been higher. That’s why Ace Records have recently released You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1.

On You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1, are twenty-four tracks from the vaults of Ric and Ron. There’s contributions from Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, Al Johnson,  Tommy Ridgley and Joe Jones. Compiled by Tony Rounce who wrote the sleeve-notes, this is the first in a series of compilations featuring the music released by Ric and Ron. Before I tell you about the music on On You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1, I’ll briefly tell you the story behind Ric and Ron.

It was back in 1958, in New Orleans when Joe Ruffino founded his Ric and Ron labels. He named them after his sons. Ric and Ron were independent R&B labels. They weren’t the first R&B labels in New Orleans, but they’d be one of the most important and influential. That’s no surprise, the man heading Ric and Ron was a music industry veteran.

Previously, Joe had worked in the record distribution business. He’d been employed by the New Orleans’ distributor Record Sales. Joe had also worked with Johnny Vincent, who owned the Ace and Vin labels. They were based in Jackson, Mississippi. However, Joe was Johnny’s man in New Orleans. He looked after the companies’ interest. One way he did this, was by bringing new acts to Johnny. Two of these acts were The Supremes and Lenny Capello. However, eventually, Joe tired of working for other people. Now was the time to head out on his own.

Johnny Vincent, as a token of his gratitude, gave Joe some Ace masters. This would help Joe’s nascent labels, Ric and Ron. The first thing Joe did, was hire Edgar Blanchard, who Joe appointed his head of A&R. However, Edgar was also an artist and features on  You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1 with Let’s Get It. Written by Joe and Edgar, it was the B-Side to Lonesome Guitar, a guitar driven instrumental. Released on Ric in 1958, this was Edgar’s first and only single for Ric. Not long after this, Edgar signed Ric’s first artist, Al Johnson.

Al only released two singles on Ric. His debut on Ric was You Done Me Wrong. Released on Ric, in 1958, it was penned by Al. It’s a dramatic, soulful and heart wrenching ballad. Two years later, Al released his best known song Carnival Time. It was written by Joe and Al and became Al’s theme song. After that, Al became known as Mr. Carnival Time. Having signed Al, Edgar Blanchard left Ric. His successors would be legends of New Orleans music.

Harold Battiste took over from Edgar. His successor was Malcolm “Mac” Rebenack. He’d go on to find fame as Dr. John, the Gris Gris man. So would some of Ric’s artists.

Midway through 1958, Joe added Johnny Adams to his roster. Johnny would release more singles on Ric and Ron than any other artist. His first single was I Won’t Cry, penned by Joe with Dorothy LaBostrie. There are two versions on You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1. There’s the original version released in 1959 and a demo version, that first released in 1959. Despite a vocal oozing hurt and heartbreak, I Won’t Cry wasn’t a commercial success in 1959. Ironically, Johnny rerecorded the song in 1970 and it reached the US R&B top forty. The followup to I Won’t Cry was Come On, which was penned by Joe, Dr. John and Seth David. 

Another artist signed in mid-1958 was Eddie Bo. Eddie was one of the many talented piano players to come out of New Orleans. A talented singer, songwriter and pianist, Eddie not only enjoyed a solo career on Ric, but penned tracks for other artists. He too contributes two tracks to You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1. The best is Tell It Like It Is, which was written by William Allen and Dorothy Johnson which was Eddie’s pseudonym. Dorothy was his wife.  Feisty and sassy, stabs of grizzled horns accompany Eddie on a track that was released in 1960. His other contribution is You Got Your Mojo Working. It came from the pen of William Allen and Dorothy Johnson. With a moody, bluesy sound, it’s truly irresistible.

Early in 1959, Tommy Ridgley was signed by Joe. This proved a shrewd move, because Tommy introduced Joe to a young Irma Thomas. He also released a string of singles on Ric. His debut was Is It True. Tucked away on the B-Side was Let’s Try And Talk It Over. It’s a track Tommy wrote and brings to life. Tommy’s vocal is a combination of emotion, hope and hurt. It’s as if he’s lived the lyrics. Is It True was the first of a string of singles Tommy released on Ric.

Having introduced Joe to Irma Thomas, little did Joe realise that here was New Orleans’ Soul Queen in waiting. Irma released the rocky Don’t Mess With My Man in November 1959 on Ron. Written by Dorothy LaBostrie, it shows what the nineteen year old Irma Thomas was capable of. By the time Irma released I May Be Wrong in April 1960, she’d matured. She delivers a heart-wrenching performance of a track Joe wrote with William Allen and Eddie Bo. Eddie cowrote using the alias Dolores Johnson. This was his wife’s name. I May Be Wrong was a tantalising taste of what Irma was capable of. Unfortunately, as soon as Irma left Ric, the hits started coming. She’d go on to become on of New Orleans’ most successful musical exports.

The same can be said of a true musical legend, Professor Longhair. By 1959, when Professor Longhair released Go To The Mardi Gras, he was forty-one. He was a musical institution in New Orleans. It’s no exaggeration to say he was one of the finest pianists of his generation. That’s apparent on Go To The Mardi Gras, which Professor Longhair wrote using his real name, Henry Byrd, it features Dr. John on guitar, which was his original musical weapon of choice. This was the second time Professor Longhair had recorded this track. Quite simply, joyous describes this version, which gave Ron its biggest hit single. Professor Longhair contributes his 1960 single Cuttin’ Out (Hey Now Baby). which he wrote. Again, he demonstrates why he’s one of New Orleans’ best pianists. A real hidden gem is a demo of Professor Longhair’s Tipitina, which he cowrote with Cosimo Matassa.

In 1960, Joe let another successful artist slip through his hands. This was Chris Kenner, who released Rocket To The Moon in 1960. It was a track Chris had written. He would become a successful singer and songwriter. One of his best known and biggest hits was Land Of 1000 Dances, which was released in 1962 on Instant Records. Before that, Chris had written his 1961 hit I Like It. This was the start of a string of hit singles for Chris, who was the one that got away for Joe Ruffino.

Other singles released during 1960 were Martha Carter’s Nobody Knows (How I Feel About You). Martha was discovered by Eddie Bo. Using his Dorothy Johnson alias, Eddie and William cowrote Nobody Knows (How I Feel About You). Released on Ron, in October 1960, it wasn’t a commercial success and proved to be Martha’s only single. 

Another single released in 1960, was Joe Jones’ You Talk Too Much. This was a song Joe had recorded for Roulette. Written by Joe and Reginald Hall, it proved to Ric’s biggest single. They didn’t release the song. So, when Joe’s contract with Roulette ended, he recut the song. It was produced by Harold Battiste. On its release on Ric, towards the end of 1960, it was the label’s most successful single. It reached number three in the US Billboard 100 and nine in the US R&B Charts. Never again, would Ric nor Ron enjoy this level of commercial success.

So, that’s the story of You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1, which was recently released by Ace Records. It features twenty-four tracks released on Ric and Ron between 1958 and 1960. With contributions from Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, Johnny Adams, Eddie Bo and Eddie Laing, it’s no surprise that Ric and Ron are held in such high esteem by connoisseurs of R&B. Bluesy, funky, sassy and soulful describes the music, which is the perfect introduction to Joe Ruffino’s two labels. Sadly, despite being seen as one of the most important and influential of New Orleans’ independent R&B labels, mostly, commercial success eluded Ric and Ron.

Despite that, the next generation of record label owners modelled their companies on Ric and Ron. I can see why. Joe seemed unafraid to hire the best person for the job. This included Edgar Blanchard, Harold Battiste and Malcolm “Mac” Rebenack. They were Joe’s A&R men. He trusted them to find him artists who would bring success to his label. They had good ears, discovering artists like Irma Thomas and Chris Kenner, before they found fame. Then there was the decision to have Professor Longhair recut the classic Go To The Mardi Gras. This resulted in one of the label’s biggest singles. It was topped only by Joe Jones’ You Talk Too Much, which had been rejected by Roulette. Seeing the potential in the song, Harold Battiste produced a second version of the single. The decision was vindicated, when the recut version of You Talk Too Much became the label’s biggest single. That single, like so many on You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1, are timeless.

Indeed, much of the music on You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1, is among the finest R&B released by New Orleans labels between 1958 and 1960. Well known artist and unknowns sit side by side on You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1. They have one thing in common, and that they recorded some timeless R&B. Backed by some of New Orleans’ finest musicians, these artists are responsible for some of the finest music released on Joe Ruffino Ric and Ron labels. It features on Ace Records latest compilation You Talk Too Much-The Ric and Ron Story Volume 1, which is the perfect introduction to the Ric and Ron labels.

YOU TALK TOO MUCH-THE RIC AND RON STORY VOLUME 1.