Search - Clarence Frogman Henry :: Ain't Got No Home: Best of

Agile Vocal Chords

A. Sigur | 07/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Clarence Henry was born in Algiers - no not that Algiers but a little burgh in Louisiana - on March 19, 1937. At age 19, and having no previous recording experience, he manage to get himself a contract with Argo, cutting the novelty Ain't Got No Home b/w Troubles, Troubles. Released in late 1956 with Paul Gayten & His Orchestra backing, and billed as Clarence Henry "Frog Man" because of his vocal tricks on the A-side, the disc reached # 3 R&B and # 20 Billboard Top 100 in February 1957, making him a true overnight success.



But when nothing else immediately clicked on either chart, the bosses at Argo figured they had themselves another of those "one hit wonders" that seemed to be coming and going with regular monotony throughout the industry.



Indeed, even though the label stuck with him, it wasn't until 1961 that he returned to the charts with But I Do b/w Just My Baby And Me. This brought him back to prominence, reaching # 4 Billboard Hot 100 and # 9 R&B in April (note: if you have an original Argo 5378 45 of this hit penned by Bobby Charles, it may show it as I Don't Know Why, although most pressings showed But I Do).



In June he was back with the 1944 Mills Brothers hit, You Always Hurt The One You Love b/w Little Suzy, taking it to # 11 R&B and # 12 Hot 100. Three months later he had Lonely Street (not the same as the Andy Williams 1959 hit) reach # 19 R&B and # 57 Hot b/w Why Can't You. After that the hits became scarce with On Bended Knees going to # 64 Hot 100 in November 1961, followed by A Little Too Much which could only manage # 77 Hot 100 in January 1962.



As another reviewer says, this is a joyous little compilation that will offer delight to one and all. And not only do you get all six of his hit singles, but three of the flipsides as well."