Huey 'Piano' Smith

An enormously talented piano player whose skills influenced a host of fine players, Huey 'Piano' Smith (born 1934), wrote whimsical songs - the most famous being Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu - that were as infectious as they were zany. Born in New Orleans, Smith studied at the Grunewald School of Music and was heavily influenced by Professor Longhair. By the time he was fifteen, Smith was gigging with Guitar Slim. Soon after, he began playing lucrative sessions and writing hit songs for other artists. Myabe his own voice left something to be desired but, on a package tour playing piano for Shirley & Lee, Smith decided to hook up with vocalist Bobby Marchan - and The Clowns were formed. Their onstage show was wittily comic, the music tight and entertaining, and with hits such as 'Pneumonia' and 'Don't You Just Know It', Huey 'Piano' Smith & the Clowns proved to be a popular live draw in the late fifties.