Fact #171118
When:
Short story:
Esquerita, an outrageous Baton Rouge-based she-male who fashioned a successful recording career largely by impersonating Little Richard, dies of AIDS in Harlem Hospital, New York City, USA.Full article:
MEMORIES OF ESQUERITA
Phil Guy (Chicago bluesman who played around Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the fifties and sixties): Esquerita? Well, hell, I don't know how to describe Esquerita. God-dog! I'd describe him as Little Richard, Joe Turner, because he would sing all their stuff, and the way he would dress... But he was a music man ... er ... person. He would play all the clubs in Louisiana, he played that rock'n'roll in Little Richard's style and he could do that stuff, man, he really could.
He inspired me a lot, and I had a chance to play with him a few times, a lot of the local guys did, because he would go around by himself playing the organ a lot of the time, and he would just use a bass sometimes. No, he didn't use a band regularly, he would just play with a bass every once in a while, if he liked a band, he'd use the whole band but otherwise he would just be by himself.
I don't know where he came from, he just showed up in Baton Rouge. When we saw him we used to say, 'Wow, this guy's like Little Richard', the way he'd play and sing... and he'd switch when he walked! He had his big, big hair-do, big, much more than Richard's. He was just something to see. He'd dress like 1990s, like people dress now, he was dressing like that then! I never did hear him talk about Little Richard - people would be into his shows so much, they never would ask about Richard, but he would sing all his songs. For me, I liked him, his playing, because he always played the soulful stuff, and then he'd sing the blues, he'd just sing everything.
This was about in the sixties. There was a club in Baton Rouge called The Rose. Raful Neal (harmonica player) and myself used to play there and we would always run into Esquerita, he would have the Blue Monday at The Rose. I don't know...
I think he was a drag queen (laughs). Oh, he would come on, he'd prance across the stage like he was going to fight a bull or something, he'd wave his cape around, then he'd get on the piano or the organ and just go crazy or sit down, stand up, he'd do both. He was very, very popular around Baton Rouge and Louisiana - outside of there I don't know. He'd always be cracking jokes, I never did know when he was serious because he was a funny guy - with his music and his talking and showmanship, we'd just take him like that... When I left Baton Rouge in '69, he had just disappeared, I didn't see him no more...
Tabby Thomas (Baton Rouge bluesman and club-owner) : Esquerita was sort of like a female impersonator, and Esquerita would remind you of Little Richard. Little Richard hated her, you know. Boy, wherever Esquerita played, there was a packed house. Just Esquerita and an organ and a drum. Esquerita played organ and drums. I ain't seen esquerita since she left Baton Rouge.
I say 'she', but he is she or whatever. If Esquerita's still living, wherever Esquerita's at, Esquerita's got something going on... Esquerita died? Well, the last time I saw Esquerita, man, it was something. He just took over Baton Rouge. He was a hell of a good organ player and sang a whole lot of stuff, but he didn't have a kind of commercial voice. His yoice was heavy and everything, but Esquerita was a good entertainer. Esquerita was something else. man!
Lazy Lester (Louisiana bluesman): Oh yeah, I knew Esquerita, long ago. Yeah, there are stories about him, but I don't want to say nothing about the poor guy. He'd keep you laughing the whole time, he'd keep a smile on your face... You couldn't get rusty around him, he always had something new to say every day.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins : Did I ever run into Esquerita? Oh, come on - I done punched Esquerita out all over New York City! He done died on me. That made me mad because I wanted to punch on him some more! Esquerita said that he was a full-blooded Indian and that we had invaded his home and he wanted us to get out. I said, 'Well, first of all, let's go and get General Custer and tell him that shit, when y'all had that victory. If you're such an Indian, why don't you go to the White House and argue about your land?' Esquerita could never make it because, like Arthur Prysock always had to follow in the steps of Billy Eckstine, Esquerita couldn't make it because he was always in the footsteps of Little Richard.
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Phil Guy (Chicago bluesman who played around Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the fifties and sixties): Esquerita? Well, hell, I don't know how to describe Esquerita. God-dog! I'd describe him as Little Richard, Joe Turner, because he would sing all their stuff, and the way he would dress... But he was a music man ... er ... person. He would play all the clubs in Louisiana, he played that rock'n'roll in Little Richard's style and he could do that stuff, man, he really could.
He inspired me a lot, and I had a chance to play with him a few times, a lot of the local guys did, because he would go around by himself playing the organ a lot of the time, and he would just use a bass sometimes. No, he didn't use a band regularly, he would just play with a bass every once in a while, if he liked a band, he'd use the whole band but otherwise he would just be by himself.
I don't know where he came from, he just showed up in Baton Rouge. When we saw him we used to say, 'Wow, this guy's like Little Richard', the way he'd play and sing... and he'd switch when he walked! He had his big, big hair-do, big, much more than Richard's. He was just something to see. He'd dress like 1990s, like people dress now, he was dressing like that then! I never did hear him talk about Little Richard - people would be into his shows so much, they never would ask about Richard, but he would sing all his songs. For me, I liked him, his playing, because he always played the soulful stuff, and then he'd sing the blues, he'd just sing everything.
This was about in the sixties. There was a club in Baton Rouge called The Rose. Raful Neal (harmonica player) and myself used to play there and we would always run into Esquerita, he would have the Blue Monday at The Rose. I don't know...
I think he was a drag queen (laughs). Oh, he would come on, he'd prance across the stage like he was going to fight a bull or something, he'd wave his cape around, then he'd get on the piano or the organ and just go crazy or sit down, stand up, he'd do both. He was very, very popular around Baton Rouge and Louisiana - outside of there I don't know. He'd always be cracking jokes, I never did know when he was serious because he was a funny guy - with his music and his talking and showmanship, we'd just take him like that... When I left Baton Rouge in '69, he had just disappeared, I didn't see him no more...
Tabby Thomas (Baton Rouge bluesman and club-owner) : Esquerita was sort of like a female impersonator, and Esquerita would remind you of Little Richard. Little Richard hated her, you know. Boy, wherever Esquerita played, there was a packed house. Just Esquerita and an organ and a drum. Esquerita played organ and drums. I ain't seen esquerita since she left Baton Rouge.
I say 'she', but he is she or whatever. If Esquerita's still living, wherever Esquerita's at, Esquerita's got something going on... Esquerita died? Well, the last time I saw Esquerita, man, it was something. He just took over Baton Rouge. He was a hell of a good organ player and sang a whole lot of stuff, but he didn't have a kind of commercial voice. His yoice was heavy and everything, but Esquerita was a good entertainer. Esquerita was something else. man!
Lazy Lester (Louisiana bluesman): Oh yeah, I knew Esquerita, long ago. Yeah, there are stories about him, but I don't want to say nothing about the poor guy. He'd keep you laughing the whole time, he'd keep a smile on your face... You couldn't get rusty around him, he always had something new to say every day.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins : Did I ever run into Esquerita? Oh, come on - I done punched Esquerita out all over New York City! He done died on me. That made me mad because I wanted to punch on him some more! Esquerita said that he was a full-blooded Indian and that we had invaded his home and he wanted us to get out. I said, 'Well, first of all, let's go and get General Custer and tell him that shit, when y'all had that victory. If you're such an Indian, why don't you go to the White House and argue about your land?' Esquerita could never make it because, like Arthur Prysock always had to follow in the steps of Billy Eckstine, Esquerita couldn't make it because he was always in the footsteps of Little Richard.