Home Is Where The Mystery Is

"I'm Going Home" (E. Bocage - T. Terry)
Betty Taylor, NOLA, 1964/5
LISTEN

We’ll send this out for all the New Orleanians venturing back to their home. It’s from another single that appears in the impressive Eddie Bo discography at soulgeneration. Bo(cage) co-wrote both sides, “I’m Going Home” b/w “You’re A Winner”, and likely produced them, though I’ve found nothing to back that up. His co-writer, T. Terry, was Theresa Terry, I discovered, but the name rang no bells at first. Then, I remembered that T. Terry also showed up on the writer’s credits with Bocage and Burmak (?) on Oliver Morgan’s single, “Who Shot The La La”. Looking further in the discography, I saw that, along with Bo and D(elores) Johnson (the name of his second wife and one of his songwriting aliases), Terry is co-writer on one of his Blue Jay singles, "Gotta Have More" b/w "Come To Me" from around the same time as our feature. But, there that trail turns cold. Nothing much about vocalist Betty Taylor or the recording session(s) is known, either.

[As I have since discovered and discussed in my 2008 post on Marie Boubarere, who recorded a live version of this song for Nola, Ms Taylor and Ms Boubarere were one and the same woman, whose actual name was Marie DuBarry. She recorded one known single under her own name for White Cliffs. What I still don't know is why she had those two aliases and what ever happened to her.]

“I’m Going Home” was released in 1964 or 1965 on the newly formed NOLA (New Orleans, LA) label. The single was directly preceded on NOLA by Eddie Bo’s “Everybody's Somebody's Fool” b/w “A Heap See”. Because the pair had back to back singles and Bo was one of the writers on Betty Taylor’s tunes, it’s probable that he had at least a hand in working with the singer. Bo’s association with NOLA was short-lived, as he only did that one for them before moving on to issue records under various of his own imprints, as well acting as producer, talent scout and artist for labels such as Seven-B and Scram. Meanwhile, as far as I can tell, Ms Taylor never recorded again [under that name - see above].

While there is nothing exactly exceptional about this single, there’s nothing wrong with it either. The track has that laid back, popeye groove that so many records from the Crescent City had in the early to mid-1960’s. The drums have a casual, syncopated stumble to them that is so natural that you might miss it at first. Taylor displays a bluesy resignation to her vocal that well fits the song’s tale about a woman ready to leave her disrespecting man for her mama’s arms; and you can tell she is from New Orleans, when she says “burled beans” for “boiled beans”.

I first heard “I’m Going Home” on Night Train’s 1996 CD compilation New Orleans Popeye Party. Recently I ran across this copy among the many boxes of 45s I acquired this summer and am still sorting through. I prefer this side to the flip, because it sounds more like a New Orleans record. “You’re A Winner” is a bit more mainstream popish; and Taylor’s vocal doesn’t quite sell it. But the drums still have that same insouciant funk. All in all, this is a good little Bo-related record from one of the HOTG’s mystery artists.