Huey Smith

Huey Smith (born January 26, 1934, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.—died February 13, 2023, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) was an American pianist, bandleader, songwriter, and vocalist, a principal figure in the 1950s rock and roll that became known as the New Orleans sound.

Smith contributed vocals and his aggressive boogie-based piano style to the rhythm-and-blues recordings of others before forming his own band. For a time Huey Smith and the Clowns, which featured singer-comedian Bobby Marchan and outstanding New Orleans instrumentalists, toured widely as a result of their 1957–58 novelty hits “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” and “Don’t You Just Know It.” The latter, with its “Koobo, kooba, kooba, kooba” chorus, was a favourite of American teenagers. The band’s final hit was the 1959 Smith song “Sea Cruise,” sung by a white youth, Frankie Ford. Smith’s performances grew increasingly infrequent, and in the early 1980s his focus turned to religion as he became a Jehovah’s Witness.