From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Tue Apr 30, 2002  2:10 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Bobby Marchan
 
BOBBY MARCHAN

Born Oscar James Gibson, 30 April 1930, Youngstown, Ohio
Died 5 December 1999, New Orleans, Louisiana

Marchan was a New Orleans entertainer who had moderate success both
as a rock 'n' roller and a soul singer. His long-time career as a female
impersonator reflected a time-honored tradition in black entertainment
going back to medicine shows. He began performing in Ohio as a drag
comic singer, and in 1954 made his way to New Orleans as a member of
a drag-queen troupe called the Powder Box Revue. Also during that year,
he made his first records for California-based Aladdin Records. In 1957,
he joined Huey Piano Smith and the Clowns as lead vocalist and, with
his distinctive vocals and pianist Smith's boogie-woogie stylings, recorded
a succession of infectious rock 'n' roll hits, notably "Rocking Pneumonia
And The Boogie Woogie Flu", "High Blood Pressure" and "Don't You Just
Know It". Marchan left the Clowns in 1960 after leaping on the charts with a
melodramatic version of "There Is Something On Your Mind" (# 1 R&B and
# 31 pop), a cover of Big Jay McNeely's hit of the previous year.
Marchan's version made an impact because of an impassioned recitation
involving sexual jealousy and murder that was lifted from an earlier New
Orleans hit, Larry Darnell's "I'll Get Along Somehow" from 1949. He had
a moderate hit in 1966 with "Shake Your Tambourine" (# 14 R&B).
He continued to record into the mid-70s, but with no further success.
In between singing engagements, Marchan worked as a female impersonator
on New Orleans' Bourbon Street, and was a master of ceremonies at many clubs.

CD's: Clown Jewels : The Ace Masters, 1956-75 (Westside). 24 tracks, both
solo recordings and tracks credited to Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns.
There Is Something On Your Mind (Collectables, 2000). 18 tracks.
For an obituary see: http://elvispelvis.com/bobbymarchan.htm