Smokey Joe's La La
Class records 1966 – C-1517
notes:
He was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of songwriter and record
producer Leon René, and acquired the nickname "Googie" as a child.
studied piano, and began writing songs and working in his father's recording
studio. After serving in the US military in Europe, he returned to help set up
Class Records with his father and his business partner Preston Love.
René began recording himself in 1956, with the instrumental "Wham Bam",
credited to the Googie René Combo. Later records by the Combo featured –
as well as René on piano and organ – many of the leading session musicians in Los Angeles,
including guitarists Johnny Watson, René Hall, Howard Roberts, and Jimmy Nolen; bassist
Red Callender; saxophonists Plas Johnson and Clifford Scott; and drummer Earl Palmer.
Their recordings covered jump blues, rock and roll, and jazz.Some of the Googie René Combo's
recordings in the early 1960s have been described as "the start of hipster lounge music—
a form of jazz-infused pop with an easy-listening sheen".
tracklist:
A Smokey Joe's La La 2:49
B Needing You 2:31
Written-By – Joan Sampson