In the 1950s, independent labels were capitalizing on the demand for records with regional appeal. In Memphis, Sun Records churned out rockabilly and blues singles, while in Cincinnati, King specialized in country and R&B. A Nashville-based label, Excello, would become synonymous with swamp blues, an earthy sound that flourished around Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Swamp blues owed more to the basic blues styling of Jimmy Reed than to the intensity of Muddy Waters or Howlin’ Wolf. Emphasizing electric guitar, harmonica, and in the words of King of the Swamp Blues Tabby Thomas, a “big, funky backbeat,” swamp blues borrowed liberally from blues, country, and R&B—the same elements that made early rock ‘n’ roll so exciting.

Notable for the use of echo effects and reverb, the Excello sides recorded in Louisiana were some of the greatest swamp blues of the 1950s and 60s. Producer Jay Miller’s small studio in Crowley, Louisiana, turned out national hits by Slim Harpo (“Rainin’ in My Heart”) and Lightnin’ Slim (“Rooster Blues”), as well as regional hits by Carol Fran (“Emmitt Lee”) and Lazy Lester (“I Hear You Knockin’”).

Lightnin' Slim: “Rooster Blues”
Recorded September, 1959, Crowley, Louisiana
Known to his family as Otis Hicks, guitarist Lightnin' Slim spent over a decade with Excello, churning out numerous regional hits. This, his only national chart appearance, reached #23 on the R&B charts in November of 1959, and is an outstanding example of the uniquely reverb-heavy production of archetypical swamp blues.

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