The "King of Swamp Pop,"
Johnnie Allan has produced a CD of swamp pop tunes that he "guarantees, cher," will be the
Ultimate Louisiana Experience. Hyperbole, perhaps, until you see the massive lineup of musicians assisting him on the recording. Just to name some of the musical artists, there are
Rufus Thibodeaux and
Beau Thomas on fiddles,
Steve Riley on piano and accordion,
Roddie Romero on slide guitar,
Richard Comeaux on steel guitar and dobro,
Tony Ardoin on rub boards, guitar, and vocals,
Danny Collet on accordion,
Junior Guidry on bass,
Harry Simoneaux on saxophone,
Gerald Melancon on drums, and
Chet Blackstone on keyboards. Together, the musical aggregation puts down one big fantastic sound, fronted by
Allan on his guitar. They play some classics by
Clifton Chenier, such as "I'm a Hog for You, Baby," and a lot of original material from the pen of the bandleader. Singing in both English and French,
Allan covers some territory with tunes such as "Les Chords de Tu Coeur," "Sleeping on the Floor," the obligatory "Alligator Walk," and "It's Not Fun to Get Old." Actually, the way
Allan is playing at over 60, getting older does not seem too bad. In fact, it sounds real good.