Rockin' Sidney !
Louisiana !
Rockin' Sidney Simien was born into a sharecropper's family in the tiny farming community of Lebeau, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. He was a veteran Cajun-Zydeco musician who played almost every style of music, from the Caribbean beat to blues.
Although his success is based upon his identity within the Zydeco music community, Sidney did not start out playing the accordion or seeking fame as a Zydeco artist.
He sort of stumbled into it in the mid 1970s, having tried his hand at swamp pop and the blues. Heavily influenced by local legends like Slim Harpo and Cookie & the Cupcakes, Sidney made his first R&B-styled recordings on the Louisiana record labels Fame and Jin during the late 1950s. He was often backed by George Lewis on harmonica and Katie Webster on piano. Rockin’ Sidney also recorded on Rod Records.
Donning a turban, he came to Goldband in 1965 as the "Count Rockin' Sidney," and continued to record R&B and soul numbers including "Something Working Baby" and "Soul Christmas" with his band "The Dukes."
In the mid-seventies, Rockin' Sidney began working on Clifton Chenier-style zydeco songs on the piano accordion. His 30-year music career took off in 1985 with "Don't Mess With My Toot-Toot," a song he had penned ten years earlier. "Toot-Toot" brought Rockin' Sidney a Grammy nomination, and sold over a million copies.
Anyway, enjoy those classic early Jin Singles !
Gumbo !
Rockin' Sidney:
* I Would If I Could *
* Past Bedtime *
* It Really Is A Hurtin' Thing *
Comments
I love the way he has his name on the front, so when it's on the hatrack, people will know the Outlandish-est Cat with the Most is Rockin' Sidney!!
Did you ever hear of The Fabulous Ottomans, Rev. They're Spanish Turbaned R'n'B playing the Dracula Festival in Valencia in October !!
http://www.myspace.com/thefabulousottomans
Turbans were originally invented to keep cool in the desert heat. The long strip of cloth was soaked in water at a well, and then wrapped around the head. The layers of wet cloth kept wet all day in the hot dry air. This technique was used long before the beginnings of Islamic religions.
Contemporary turbans come in many shapes, sizes, and colors.
* Middle Eastern, Central Asian, South Asian, Islamic, and Sikh turban wearers usually wind their turban anew for each wearing, using long strips of cloth. The cloth is usually five meters or less. However, some elaborate South Asian turbans may be permanently formed and sewn to a foundation.
* Turbans are worn as women's hats in Western countries. They are usually sewn to a foundation, so that they can be donned or removed easily. Now that fewer Western women wear hats they are less common. However, turbans are still worn by female cancer patients who have lost their hair to chemotherapy and wish to cover their heads. Some women use wigs; others prefer scarves and turbans.
* Women of the West Indies often cover their heads with intricately tied scarves which may be called scarves, head wraps, or turbans.
In Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, etc., men seen wearing turbans in public are likely to be Sikhs, who wear turbans to cover the long uncut hair worn as a sign of their commitment to the Sikh faith.
The turban is closely associated with the Sikh faith. Those who undergo initiation-Khande di Pahul (A type of Baptisim) to join the Khalsa are forbidden to cut their hair as well as non-baptised Sikhs. Such men are required to wear a turban to manage their long hair. For initiated women, a turban is not required, but some do wear one. Un-initiated Sikhs are still required to leave their hair unshorn. The vast majority of people who wear turbans in Western countries are Sikhs. In India, a turban is commonly called pagṛī (ਪਗੜੀ). Sikhs often call it dastār (ਦਸਤਾਰ), a more respectful Punjabi word for 'turban'.
Rajput men from the Indian state of Rajasthan wear distinctive turbans. In Hindi, a turban is called a pagṛī (पगड़ी) or sāfā (साफ़ा). Many styles of turbans are found in Rajasthan; it is said that the style of the turban changes with every 15 km you travel. In some areas, especially in Rajasthan the turban's size may indicate the position of the person in society. 'Royalty' in different parts of India have distinctly different styles of turbans, as do the 'peasants', who often just wear a towel wound around the head.
The people of the Indian districts of Mysore and Kodagu wear turbans called Mysore peta. Distinguished people are honoured by the award of a Mysore peta in a formal ceremony. In Kodagu district people wear it with traditional dress on special occasions such as marriages.
The men of many Islamic cultures have worn or wear turbans. They are called imamah (Arabic: عمامة), dastār (Persian: دستار), sāfā (Hindustani: साफ़ा سافا), and many other words in local languages
* Turbans are worn by Muslim scholars (ulema) in many countries.
* In some countries, wearing a black turban is a claim to status as a sayyid, or descendant of Muhammad.
* Black turbans were imposed by the controversial Taliban regime in Afghanistan. [1]
* In Sudan, large white turbans are worn; they generally connote high social status.
In modern Persian Gulf countries, the turban has been replaced by the plain or checkered scarf (called keffiyeh, ghutrah or shumagh), though the turban tradition is still strong in Oman (see Sultan Qaboos of Oman).
Turbans have been worn by men and women since the 17th century, without ever becoming very common. Now that hats are infrequently worn, turbans too are relatively uncommon. They are worn primarily by women of West Indian descent and by female cancer patients.
Some African-American men wear scarves on their heads, and sometimes these scarves are elaborated to the point that they might be called turbans.
Spread The Good Word, your favourite source for turbans.
Scroll down on the left to the "Turban Hall of Fame"