Before African Americans got to asserting themselves to take care of their own pride as the phrase 'Black is beautiful', many black entertainers seemed to do their jobs toward white audiences by showing themselves not to be against whites, as singing or playing jazz standards or classics, playing charming roles on movies. There was minstrel show (whites making up as black performers), and some rock 'n' roll movies with white stars showed wild and comical blacks including Little Richard, Fats Domino. In that circumstances Bobby Marchan led the troupe of female impersonators called The Powder Box Revue and performed comedies and songs.
Though Bobby Marchan was born in Ohio, he got spotlights in the music field since he joined as a member of Huey 'Piano' Smith & His Clowns in New Orleans. I got acquainted with Clowns on Dr. John's "Gumbo" , and I gave myself up to their novelty songs with proper combinations of his high vocal and other female vocal and other bass vocal, backed by the easy-going rhythms and horns and rolling piano.In the Japanese compilation "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu", I'm sure you should feel good by listening to the songs like Bobby Marchan's Chickee Wah Wah, Rockin' Behind the Iron Curtain (which are in the Clowns' style), Clowns' Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boobie Woogie Flu, High Blood Pressure, Don't You Just Know It, We Like Birdland on their peak. Bobby's a-little-shrieking delivery, ranging from falsetto to low voice, has peculiar and pretty taste, and Clowns sound good not as mere novelty singers and players. (Listen to I Think You're Jiving Me !)
There are various CDs of Clowns, but you can find a few Bobby Marchan's CD. "The Very Best of Bobby Marchan" is quite different from Clowns in its mood and you should feel strange if you listen to it. Particularly, There's Something on Your Mind, during the break melodramatically reciting the story of a man shooting his sweetheart and his best friend, is a type you can never hear on the radio in Japan. Its original was the muddy and fine version of sax player Big Jay McNeely & Band (you can hear on "Golden Age of American Rock'N'Roll Vol. 3"). While other CDs like "1000 Volts of Stax" contain his songs backed by that sound of Otis Redding (that is, Booker T & The MG's and The Memphis Horns) and on "Cameo Parkway 1957-1967" you can hear his sides including a moderate hit Shake Your Tambourine, I recommend you to listen to Clowns' CDs in Ace Records years, especially the best compiling essential songs ("Having a Good Time").
Although Bobby Marchan moved from label to label for one more hit, he finally settled in New Orleans, where he hosted "Gong Shows" and did booking and managing rap musicians, while he continued to be a comedian in drug. He looked quite old when I saw him on the stage of The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on a search result of a web-photo. After wandering and wandering he found New Orleans accepting his style and he found himself feel at ease in this almost-home town. (2004/06/29)(2005/06/05)