Esquerita facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esquerita
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Esquerita in the 1950s-60s(?), photographer unknown
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eskew Reeder, Jr. |
| Also known as |
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| Born | November 20, 1935 or 1938 Greenville, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | October 23, 1986 Harlem, New York, United States |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, pianist |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1950s–1980s |
Eskew Reeder, Jr. (born November 20, 1935 or 1938 – died October 23, 1986), was a talented American R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was best known by his stage name, Esquerita. People knew him for his super energetic and wild performances. Many believe he had a big influence on the famous rock and roll star Little Richard.
Contents
Early Life
Esquerita grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. His parents were Elizabeth and Eskew Reeder. He went to Sterling High School in Greenville from 1947 to 1950. While most records say his birth name was Eskew Reeder, Jr., some sources also call him Stephen Quincy Reeder. There's also a small mystery about his birth year; some say 1935, while others, including his social security records, say 1938.
Music Career
Starting Out in the 1950s and 1960s
Esquerita taught himself how to play the piano. His musical journey began with gospel music. As a teenager, he left high school and joined a gospel group called "Heavenly Echoes" in New York City.
When he started playing secular (non-religious) rock and roll music, he became known as Esquerita. He loved to stand out! He often wore lots of makeup, cool sunglasses, and even two wigs piled high to create a huge pompadour hairstyle.
His first solo recordings happened around 1958. A musician named Paul Peek helped him record some demo songs. These recordings helped Esquerita get a record deal with Capitol Records. A music critic once said his early songs were "some of the most untamed and unabashed sides ever issued by a major label."
Over the next few years, Esquerita recorded many singles in different cities like Nashville, Dallas, New Orleans, and Detroit. In 1959, he released his only album, Esquerita. He also recorded with famous musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and The Jordanaires (who were Elvis Presley's backup singers). Some of his most popular songs from this time include "Hey Miss Lucy" and "Rockin’ the Joint." In 1967, he changed his stage name again to Magnificent Malochi.
Later Years in the 1970s and 1980s
In the early 1970s, Esquerita helped write two songs for Little Richard's album, "The Rill Thing." These songs, "Dew Drop Inn" and "Freedom Blues," became hits for Little Richard. Esquerita also played keyboards for John P. Hammond in 1970.
After this, Esquerita wasn't as active in the music scene. However, he still performed in clubs in New York City. In 1984, he even made a special appearance with Little Richard at a book launch event in Manhattan. A music expert named Bill Lowery met Esquerita in New York in 1985. He said Esquerita was having a tough time and was working as a parking lot attendant, but he was still as flamboyant as ever!
Later Life and Passing
A few months before he passed away, Esquerita was seen washing car windshields for tips in Brooklyn. His father later shared that Esquerita passed away in 1986 due to health issues.
Music Released After His Death
Even after his passing, new music by Esquerita has been released. In 2012, Norton Records put out a new single and an album called Sinner Man: The Lost Session. These included songs he recorded in New York City back in 1966 that had never been heard before.
His Influence on Other Musicians
Esquerita is often mentioned as a very important early influence on Little Richard. Esquerita's look and wild performance style were very similar to Little Richard's. In fact, Esquerita was even more flamboyant in the 1950s!
Little Richard himself said that Esquerita influenced him and even taught him how to play the piano. He also said that Esquerita inspired him to get into show business.
A famous story about Little Richard's career beginning involves Esquerita's style. When Little Richard was recording his first big songs, his producer wasn't happy with the music. They took a break, and Richard started playing an energetic version of "Tutti Frutti" on a piano in a cafe, just like Esquerita would. The producer loved this wild style and knew it would be a hit!
Other musicians have also shown their appreciation for Esquerita. Mick Jones from the band The Clash wrote a song called "Esquerita" with his band Big Audio Dynamite. The band Lyres also recorded their own version of Esquerita's song "Gettin' Plenty Lovin'."
Esquerita also influenced zydeco musician Lynn August. When August was just 12 years old, he played drums for Esquerita for three years, mostly around New Orleans. Esquerita encouraged August to learn piano, and August later became known for playing the accordion. Lynn August even recorded his own version of Esquerita's song "Undivided Love."
The song "Miss Thing" by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, released in 1985, was also about Esquerita.
Discography
Solo Singles
- "Oh Baby"/"Please Come Home" (Capitol #4007) (1958)
- "Rockin' The Joint"/"Esquerita And The Voola" (Capitol #4058) (1958)
- "Laid Off"/"Just Another Lie" (Capitol #4145) (1959)
- "Hey Miss Lucy"/"Battie Over Hattie" (Capitol #1075) (promo) (1959)
- "Green Door"/"I Waited Too Long" (Minit #648) (1962) (as Eskew Reeder)
- "Never Again"/"We Had Love" (Minit #658) (1962) (as Eskew Reeder)
- "The Flu"/"Undivided Love" (Instant # 3258) (1963) (as Eskew Reeder Jr.)
- "I Woke Up This Morning"/"I Woke Up This Morning Part Two" (Instant #3268) (1963) (as Eskew Reeder Jr.)
- "A Tear"/"Johnny Little" (Everest #2025) (1963) (as Eskew Reeder)
- "Stubborn Old Me" (Motown) (1963) (unreleased)
- "I Want To Know"/"Just In Time" (Okeh #7239) (1966) (as S. Q. Reeder)
- "Tell The World About You"/"Two Ton Tessie" (Okeh #7254) (1966) (as S. Q. Reeder)
- "Dew Drop Inn"/"You Better Believe In Me" (Cross-Tone #1007) (1967) (as Eskew "Esque-Rita" Reeder)
- "Mama Your Daddy's Come Home"/"As Time Goes" By (Brunswick #55359) (4/1968) (as Magnificent Malochi)
- "Hey Miss Lucy"/"Hole In My Heart" (Capitol #81382) (Germany) (1973)
- "Hey Miss Lucy"/"Gettin' Plenty Lovin’" (Capitol #C006-81-709) (Old Rock New Roll Volume 5 Series) (France)
- "Dew Drop Inn"/"Rockin’ The Joint" (Norton #014) (1991)
- "You Better Believe Me"/"What Was Wrong" (Norton #149) (2009)
- "Hittin' On Nothing"/"Letter Full Of Tears" (Norton #170) (2012)
Main Albums
- Esquerita (Capitol #1186) (1959)
- Vintage Voola (Norton #202) (1987)
- Sinner Man: The Lost Session (Norton #ED-281) (2012)
Compilations and Re-issues
- Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol) (1990)
- I Never Danced Nowhere! (Charly #CD-224) (1990)
- Chart Scrapers (Century CD-10976) (1994)
- Sock It to Me Baby (Bear Family #BCD-15504) (1994)
- Believe Me When I Say Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay (Collectables) (1998)
- Rockin' the Joint (Collectables) (1998)
Piano Appearances by Esquerita
- "Didn't It Rain"/"Your God Is My God" (Baton #216) (1955) (The Heavenly Echoes)
- "The Rock Around"/"Sweet Skinny Jenny" (NRC #001) (1957, 1987) (Paul Peek)
- "Mexican Rock 'n' Roll (Instrumental)"/"Mexicali Baby" (Capitol #3884) (2/1958) (The Rio Rockers)
- "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing"/"Southern Style" (Hermitage #776) (1962) (The Eskerettes)
- "I Trusted In You"/"Southern Style" (Hermitage #10545-H-306) (1962) (Willie B.) (backup vocals by The Eskerettes)
- "Good Golly Miss Molly" (Vee Jay) (12/1964) (Little Richard)
- "Slippin' And Slidin'" (Vee Jay) (12/1964) (Little Richard)
- The Explosive Little Richard (Okeh #14117) (1/1967) (Little Richard)
- "Stingy Jenny" (Brunswick) (6/1968) (Little Richard) (co-wrote)
- "Freedom Blues"/"Dew Drop Inn" (Reprise #0907) (4/1970) (Little Richard) (co-wrote both sides)
- "Greenwood Mississippi" (Reprise #942) (1970) (Little Richard) (co-wrote)
- "Takin' Care Of Business" (CBS) (1970) (John Hammond) (from the album Source Point)
