Now here’s a wild one, swamp boogie queen Katie Webster coupled with Rockin’ “My Toot Toot” Sidney on this previously unavailable Goldband release. In the late ’50s, Webster worked many a session as a back-up vocalist in J.D. Miller’s Crowley studio as well as Eddie Shuler’s Lake Charles studio where she assisted on Phil Phillip’s “Sea of Love” with Lonnie Brooks and Lazy Lester. Soon thereafter, Shuler began recording Webster as a featured vocalist and piano player but never released the bulk of these sessions. The date of this one is not given nor was Shuler certain, thinking it was either the early ’60s or mid-’70s when I contacted him. Judging by Sidney’s Afro, mutton-chop sideburns and wide mod collars, the ’70s seem closer, assuming the cover photo was taken around the same time. The cover depicting Sidney holding his accordion suggests he did squeezebox with Webster though Shuler thinks of him as his guitar man. Sidney possibly played both if these sessions were done over time.

In any event, Webster and Sidney fans will likely be intrigued. The recording is a typical Gold Band one; an airy sound loaded with mid-range. Webster’s vocals are indeed powerful, even considering that they’re up front in the mix. Her keyboards are clearer on some tracks than others but the focus here revolves around her voice and the song’s lyrical content. The tunes are a mixture of ballads, soul and R&B while there’re a few Webster-Sidney duets like “My River” and “Shed So Many Tears.” Despite the dated sound, many of the songs such as “Cajun Pogo” and “Woke Up With Snow In My Hair,” are likable in a campy sort of way. It’s a far cry from her later bluesy, sexier material but nonetheless, it’s a valid snapshot of a Southern powerhouse who always made her presence known no matter what the setting.