Bobby Lacour

New Orleans singer/guitarist Bobby Lacour may well have started his career as a jazz player in the early 60s, before trying his hand at R & B. In any event he seems to have had his first solo sessions for Allen Toussaint in 1965 but nothing was issued at the time. They did finally appear on Sundazed’s fine double CD “Get Low Down” under the name “Bobby Lu Cure” (despite my trying to tell them this was the same guy). The catchy “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” is nice easy paced Crescent City music, featuring some lovely piano touches from the Great Man. Send My Love To Me is a typical New Orleans soul ballad of the period, a dead slow - almost full stop – pace with some tasty guitar (Lacour himself?) and a heartfelt vocal on top. And is that Toussaint I can hear doing the background vocals?

By the end of the decade Lacour had his first release on John Berthelot’s Great Southern label. Daddy Want You Home is a slow sensual song featuring a restrained Lacour vocal over a horn rich Louisiana band. Nice sax work (Berthelot himself?) and tasteful guitar (Lacour again?) make this a memorable ballad. The flip "If I Had My Life To Live Over" is a swinging jazzy tune that could only come from New Orleans. This 45 also came out on Joe and Sylvia Robinson’s New Jersey All Platinum label – I wonder how it got there.

Like so many other artists Lacour popped up on Senator Jones’ Hep Me label as well. His initial offering “Commandments Of Love” was a version of the Larry Williams song best known for the version on Okeh by Little Richard. I think Lacour sounds at his very best on this string laden track. His next release has the famous dancer “I Found What I Wanted” on it. This lovely George Jackson / Raymond Moore song has had a couple of versions of it – Mary Wells, George himself – but I think Bobby’s rendition might just be the best cut. The flip Too Hurt To Cry from the same writers’ prestigious songbook is another winner. Now there aren’t many vocalists that can get near Candi Staton when she puts her mind to it as she does on her cut, and the backing of the Fame Gang behind her is as impeccable as ever, but I must confess a fondness for Lacour’s effort. The pace is much reduced which seems to help the number, and Bobby himself adopts such a world weary tone on his vocal that the emotional impact is enhanced. Well worth listening with an open mind I think. This track was replaced by the midpaced “Cry Like A Baby” (not the Dan Penn song) on Bobby’s final Hep Me release.

Lacour continued to make music in New Orleans, playing jazz with Rudy Balliu and Max Collie for example, into the 90s at least.

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