47 years ago today, David Bowie releases the exceptional Low, an album so sonically unique, it can’t become dated. Eight songs 3:00 and under on side 1, with four soundscapes on side 2. Bowie did next to nothing to promote the album, though a promo video exists for “Be My Wife,” a song that would remain on and off in Bowie’s setlists for years to come. In an earlier version of David Bowie, he referenced The Hollywood Argyles hit “Alley Oop” in his own “Life On Mars,” tossing in the line “look at that caveman go” as an homage. “Alley Oop” was the first successful songwriting venture for Dallas Frazier, who died on this day in 2022. Here he is in 2016 with Marty Stuart and Mrs. Stuart, the great Connie Smith:

Dallas had some albums on Capitol and RCA, though he had far more success as a songwriter. His debut album Elvira was a success, as was his next album Tell It Like It Is. Oh, yes, it’s, that “Elvira.”

Among the hundreds that recorded Frazier’s songs are artists who are no slouches in songwriting themselves: Willie, Merle, Waylon, Rodney Crowell, Charley Pride, Brenda Lee, Roy Head, and Glen Campbell. The best known Frazier song, of course, is “Elvira.” The Oak Ridge Boys had a huge crossover hit, getting to #1 on the Country singles chart and #5 on the Hot 100. Heavy-hitters such as George Jones and Connie Smith recorded full albums of Dallas’ songs. Like this one:

For the many successes Frazier enjoyed as a songwriter, the number of credits pales in comparison to those of the magnificent Allen Touissant, born on this day in New Orleans in 1938. Documenting the staggering number of songs Allen had a hand in–as composer, arranger, producer, or artist in his own right–would be a project unto itself. Just a very few of them: “Workin’ in the Coalmine,” “Poison Ivy,” “Mother-in-law,” “What Do You Want the Girl To Do,” “A Certain Girl,” and “Lipstick Traces.” Irma Thomas recorded his “Ruler of My Heart,” which Otis Redding adapted as “Pain in My Heart.” Otis’ version credited himself as the composer, prompting Allen to file suit against Redding and STAX Records, winning out of court with the credit changed to Naomi Neville. That was one of two writing pseudonyms Allen used, the other being Clarence Touissant. Naomi and Clarence were his parents. One of his greatest songs is one of his simplest, the three chord gem “Fortune Teller.” So many have recorded it, among them Iggy, The Rolling Stones (as the B-side to another Touissant classic “Poison Ivy”), The Hollies, and The Who. . Robert Plant & Alison Krauss did a fantastic version with Marc Ribot letting loose on their album Raising Sand. It was a part of their setlists in 2022 & 2023:

TODAY’S PLAYLIST is a SomethingIsHappening all too brief compendium of some of the work Allen had a hand in.

I had the honor of meeting Allen Touissant, in the audience at Bob Dylan’s 2006 show at City Center, NYC. I saw him walking to his seat. No one seemed to notice him, or apparently recognize him. I was speechless, but still walked a section down to say hello. He seemed genuinely kind, and humble enough to seemingly be surprised at being recognized, even thanking me for saying hello. Bob is an admirer of Allen’s work, even cutting Touissant’s “Freedom for the Stallion” for what eventually became his album Empire Burlesque. It didn’t make the final, but it lives on the interweb:

Allen relocated to New York after Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. He lost damn near every possession he had, as well as his famous Sea-Saint Studios, which was located at 3809 Clematis Street. He appeared frequently at Joe’s Pub while in New York. One of his best late period releases was the album The River In Reverse, with his huge admirer, Elvis Costello. He went home to New Orleans a few years later and lived there till the end of his life, which came in 2015 while on tour in Spain. A mural of Allen, painted by Brendon Palmer-Angell https://www.brendonart.com/ can be found at 1441 N. Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. A photo by Eli Mergel:

SomethingIsHappening will have a 2nd post going out today to acknowledge the 60th anniversary of….