Poonanny

Originating in Birmingham, Alabama, the bawdy blues performer Joe Poonanny acquired the nickname God Father of the Chitlin' Circuit. Across the street from a show bar stood his parents’ house, giving him a direct window view of the drummer onstage and fueling his own ambitions at the kit, an urge that intensified after he saw The Gene Krupa Story. He maintained a daily practice routine that resulted in his first paid engagement at age 17. Years of drumming followed, yet he eventually sought steadier involvement and shifted in 1975 to behind-the-scenes work running nightclubs and overseeing bands. That phase ended in 1981 when he stepped away, objecting to the surrounding lifestyle. Ever the joker, he built his profile by delivering risqué, double-entendre blues numbers in clubs and cabarets, though recording waited until 1993, when Waldoxy Records issued Poonanny Be Still!. The album quickly caught fire across the South, leading to further releases that included The Grindin’ Man, Ponyrider, and That Baby Ain’t Black Enough!