There aren’t many characters left in the music biz like Cajun soul great Bobby Charles — the man who wrote “Walking to New Orleans” for Fats Domino, was the first white artist signed to Chess Records, performed at The Last Waltz and, in 1972, released a stunning solo album (buy it on iTunes immediately). The reclusive 70-year-old, who lives a quiet life in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, will soon release Homemade Songs, 15 swampy soulful tracks, featuring pals like Dr. John and Spooner Oldham. Charles’ songwriting takes center stage. “I played the song ‘Cowboys and Indians’ for Fats while he was in the bathroom, takin’ a shit, a shower and a shave,” says Charles. “When he came out, he says, ‘Bobby, now that’s a gospel song!’ ” If you’re not convinced, listen to Bob Dylan. “He was more successful as a songwriter than a singer,” writes Dylan in the album’s liner notes. “And it’s a sin ’cause he’s a hell of a singer. He’s got one of the most melodious voices ever transferred to vinyl. The boy could sing like a bird — he still does.”
What a crazy fortnight for the S.S. One evening we worked our way to the bottom of a bottle of Maker’s Mark with Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill, who played us the Kings’ latest record, which will blow your mind. We threw a mescal-themed fiesta for Love as Laughter, whose Holy will become your new favorite album. We drank vodka with Mark Ronson, who told us his recent week in the studio with Amy Winehouse was “heartbreaking” but that he’s stoked about his upcoming collaboration with the Kaiser Chiefs. But perhaps no night was more fun than our annual DylanFest, in which we celebrated our hero’s 67th birthday with a 37-song concert in New York’s East Village. Yours Smokingly was on bass, with guests like Nikolai from the Strokes, Hymns, the Pierces, drummer Russell Simins, members of the Mooney Suzuki, Albert Hammond Jr.’s band and the Five O’Clock Heroes. At the finish, it was 3 a.m. on Bob’s b-day, but the party continued beyond the break of dawn.
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Movie scores come easily to Randy Newman. “There, I’ve got confidence,” he says. “I could write a song about a Bulgarian fan dancer if they give me an assignment.” But writing for himself is a different beast: “That’s more about confronting an empty room with nothing in my head.” But nine years after his last solo disc, Bad Love, Newman is back with Harps and Angels, a career achievement that features a barrage of brilliant, hilarious and brutally honest lyrics that tackle the Supreme Court (”I defy you to find me two Italians as tight-ass”), a chick who wears orthopedic shoes, and “Johnny Cougar’s” Chevy ads. “Before rap, I always thought I was writing the roughest stuff around, like ‘Rednecks,’ ” says Newman. “But I’m not sure you can shock anybody anymore.” Um, what about the song that declares that Koreans make better parents than Americans? “Oh, yeah,” says Newman. “I forgot about that one.”
[Photo: Getty]
