From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Feb 22, 2002  1:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Ernie K-Doe
 
ERNIE K-DOE

Born Ernest Kador, Jr., 22 February 1936, New Orleans, Louisiana
Died 5 July 2001, New Orleans, Louisiana

The son of a Baptist minister, K-Doe recorded his first single ("Honey
Love"/"No Mercy") in 1955 with a group called The Blue Diamonds. Solo
releases on Specialty and Ember followed before he was signed to Joe
Banashak's fledgling Minit label in 1960. His third single for Minit, the
number one smash "Mother-in-Law" (1961), written and produced by
Allen Toussaint, is one of the finest recordings to emerge from the
bubbling New Orleans scene of the early '60s.
The way Ernie remembers it, he literally found "Mother-in-Law" in an
overstuffed garbage can: "Allen Toussaint had written it and thrown it
away... I saw it in the garbage can and pulled it out. I looked at the words
and said, 'Hey man, this is good, I want to do it'." Other individuals, like
the tune's creator, have disputed Ernie's tale.
It was Benny Spellman (later noted for "Lipstick Traces" and "Fortune
Teller" in 1962) who provided the tune's hook with his deep intonation in
all the proper places. "Mother-in-Law" also took New Orleans R&B in a new
direction with a more funky sound. By 1960 the familiar riffing productions
of Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino were becoming a trifle stale, and
a change was needed. Allen Toussaint was the man with the new ideas
for Ernie K-Doe and other Minit artists such as Jessie HIll, Aaron Neville
and Irma Thomas.
During the next couple of years, his 45s filed on to the lower half of the
Billboard Top 100. After the good times at Minit had run out, Ernie started
a long love affair with soul music, forsaking his individual New Orleans
style for the latest soul sounds. In New Orleans he maintained a high
profile, both as a dynamic performer and a radio presenter.
He died of complications from liver disease.

Further reading: John Broven, Walking To New Orleans (1974), and
Jeff Hannusch, "I Hear You Knockin'" (1985).
Website: http://www.k-doe.com
CD: Ernie K-Doe, Absolutely the Best (Uni/Fuel, 2001)