Very little instrumentation in this one and I like that, getting into the sparseness of the tune. The girls have an answer to everything as if I ain’t heard enough backtalk in my life already.
Definitely a Sunu grove, West African vibe. The authentic inner-city New Orleans sound, reminiscent of the 70s, with Caribbean accents a la Jesse Hill and Stevie Wonder, is courtesy of Fathead. Dr. John wrote in his sleeve notes.
“You Swore” is the first track on Dr. John – Creole Moon realised in 2001. It starts with a drum intro, with the keyboards of Dr. John playing the main theme that has more than a hint of Stevie Wonder “Superstition” to it, with Catherine Russell and Nikki Richards doing the answering back chorus, with percussion fills in-between the spaces created by the vocals and a wonderful sax solo on the fade out of the song.
David “Fathead” Newman, played Saxophone on this track.
David “Fathead” Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s and early 1960s recordings by singer-pianist Ray Charles. He also worked with some of the top names in the music industry, including Aretha Franklin, B. B. King, Nat King Cole, and Donny Hathaway, Dr. John to name a few.
The name Fathead came by when his high school music caught him pretending to read sheet music—with the page upside-down.
In 1958, Newman recorded his first album under his own name: Ray Charles Presents David “Fathead” Newman. Ray played piano on the album, and it took off like a rocket. One of the songs on the disc, “Hard Times,” was used as a theme song by more than a few disc jockeys across the nation. It also became Newman’s signature song.
Newman was portrayed by Bokeem Woodbine in the 2004 Ray Charles biopic Ray. While praising Jammie Foxx’s performance as Ray Charles, Newman disputed the accuracy of the film’s depiction of himself, in particular, its portrayal of him as having introduced Charles to hard drugs.
