SMITH, HUEY (PIANO)

born Jan. 26, 1934, New Orleans, La., U.S. American pianist, bandleader, songwriter, and vocalist, a principal figure in the 1950s rock and roll that became known as the New Orleans sound. Smith contributed vocals and his aggressive, boogie-based piano style to the rhythm-and-blues recordings of others before forming his own band. For a time Huey Smith and the Clowns, which featured singer-comedian Bobby Marchan and outstanding New Orleans instrumentalists, toured widely as a result of their 195758 novelty hits Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu and Don't You Just Know It. The latter, with its Koobo, kooba, kooba, kooba chorus, was a favourite of American teenagers. The band's final hit was the 1959 Smith song Sea Cruise, sung by a white youth, Frankie Ford.