DESCRIPTION:
Time for yet another 'dusty old musty'..."Cindy Lou" was originally cut by The Boogie Ramblers for Eddie Shuler's small Goldband label
out of Lake Charles, LA. in 1955. However, it was to take another three years and a change of name to Cookie & The Cupcakes before they eventually hit it big on the Billboard pop chart in early 1959 with "Mathilda" recorded for Lyric Records in 1958. They followed this up
with a number of highly regarded but less commercially successful singles in the early 1960's, including "Belinda", "Betty and Dupree" and
"Got You On My Mind". My own version of "Cindy Lou" was cut sometime in the early '70s, before the UK Sonet label came into the picture.
The same session also brought "Hip Shakin' Mama" to life, which I also have uploaded here on YT. The 'trebly' sounding lead guitar is,
of course, my old Hagström 'plank' from 1960, but I added the Gretsch Country Gent for the rhythm part in the mid '70s after I signed the deal
with the Sonet label in 1974. It wasn't intentionally, but my version of this old Swamp pop anthem somehow turned out quite bluesy, probably
yet another attempt from my part not to do a strict cover of the original! Hope you like it....P.S. As you might have noticed I originally uploaded this song here on You Tube on July 24, 2009, but this is a slightly re-edited version! D.S.

TRIVIA:

Cookie and the Cupcakes are an American swamp pop band from south Louisiana, best known for their 1959 hit "Mathilda".
The band originally started as The Boogie Ramblers, led by Shelton Dunaway. Huey "Cookie" Thierry (1936–1997) joined the band in 1952, and shared lead vocals and tenor sax with Dunaway. Other original members were Sidney "Hot Rod" Reynaud (tenor sax), Marshall Laday (or LeDee) (guitar), Ernest Jacobs (piano), Joe "Blue" Landry (bass) and Ivory Jackson (drums). The band was based in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
They started playing in 1953 as the house band at the Moulin Rouge Club in Lake Charles, LA. In 1955, the Boogie Ramblers released "Cindy Lou" and "Such As Love" on Eddie Shuler's Goldband Records out of Lake Charles, LA. They became a popular regional live act, and toured with big names like Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. In 1956, Cookie began being the band's front man and the name of the band was changed to "Cookie and the Boogie Ramblers." Soon after, the band was changed to its final name after hearing it shouted in jest from an audience. In 1957, they recorded their signature song 'Mathilda' for Judd Records. After initial struggles to get the song recorded they were able to use KAOK's studio. The record rose to #47 on the Billboard pop chart in early 1959, and is regarded as the unofficial anthem of the swamp pop genre. They followed up with a number of highly regarded but less commercially successful singles in the early 1960s, including "Belinda", "Betty and Dupree", and "Got You on My Mind", the latter reached The Billboards Hot 100 in May 1963.
In August 1965, Thierry moved to Los Angeles, leaving the Cupcakes to continue without him. Cookie was replaced as lead singer by "Little Alfred" (or "Lil' Alfred") Babino (January 5, 1944 – November 14, 2006). With Ernest Jacobs as bandleader, the group continued for several years but dispersed in the early 1970s.
Thierry was rediscovered in the 1990s and played at occasional blues festivals, reunited with the rest of the band, until his death in 1997. Thereafter, the band, led by Lil' Alfred, continued to perform at clubs in Louisiana and southeast Texas. Babino died at his residence in Lake Charles, in 2006.