Passin' the Buck

"Cat Scream" (G. Sam)
Lil' Buck, La Louisianne, 1969

Buck stopped

Our first Swamp Side features Paul “Lil’ Buck” Sinegal doing the guitar picking, probably with his band, the Top Cats, churning and burning some funk that pushes those meter needles up into the red from the get go. Released on La Louisianne, based in his hometown of Lafayette, LA, the “Cat Scream” single is ultra-rare in its original form, and one of the few records featuring Sinegal as front man. He’s appeared on many recordings as a session musician or group member over the years, and remains a revered guitarist in the Lafayette area to this day, focusing on the blues. I’m planning to go hear him play tomorrow night at the Blue Moon Saloon. Read the bio I have linked for more about his lengthy career.

The flip side of this single, “Monkey In A Sack”, is just slightly less scorching. Both songs can be found on the great, but now deleted, Kent (UK) CD, Lafayette Soul Show, a compilation of mostly La Louisianne r&b and blues sides by various artists – worth finding. And Funk45 has re-issued them on a 45. “Cat Scream” also appears on another UK CD collection, SuperFunk3. Allen Toussaint’s NYNO label released Lil’ Buck’s The Buck Starts Here CD, which has just a little funk mixed with the blues, in 1998. And more recently, local label Lucky Cat Records put out his latest CD, Bad Situation.