John Leon Gross (September 14, 1912 Mike Leadbitter & John Broven, ''Ballin' with Archie'', Blues Unlimited no.76, October 1970, pp 9-10, reprinted at www.charliegillett.com
. Retrieved 19 February 2013 or 1916
Retrieved 19 February 2013 – January 8, 1973), who performed and recorded as Archibald, was an American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

pianist and singer who had a hit in 1950 with "Stack-A-Lee", a version of " Stagger Lee".

Biography

Leon Gross was born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, and learned piano as a child. Influenced in particular by local piano player Burnell Santiago, he began playing at parties, and later in

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s, and acquired the nickname "Archie Boy" which eventually became "Archibald". He served in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, before returning to New Orleans to play in bars and clubs.Biography by Bruce Eder at Allmusic
Retrieved 19 February 2013
Retrieved 19 February 2013 He signed to

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

, where he recorded thirteen songs between 1950 and 1952. At his first session in March 1950 he recorded "Stack-A-Lee" at

Cosimo Matassa Cosimo Vincent Matassa (April 13, 1926 – September 11, 2014) was an American recording engineer and studio owner, responsible for many R&B and early rock and roll recordings. Life and career Matassa was born in New Orleans in 1926.Komorowsk ...

's J&M Studio under the direction of bandleader

Dave Bartholomew David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century. Originally ...

. The song was based on a true story - the shooting of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton in

St Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

in 1895 - and had already been recorded by many artists including

Ma Rainey Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early blues recording artist. Dubbed the "Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of s ...

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He w ...

, and

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

, but Archibald's version was the first to achieve widespread national success. It reached no. 10 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

in the summer of 1950. He had to cancel a tour that year due to illness, and later recordings failed to match the commercial success of "Stack-A-Lee". However, such records as "Ballin' With Archie" and "Shake Shake Baby" remain highly regarded, and his style influenced other musicians including

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

Huey "Piano" Smith Huey Pierce Smith, known as Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934) is an American rhythm-and-blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll. His piano playing incorporated the boogie-woogie styles of Pete John ...

and

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

. They "featured Bartholomew's brash trumpet playing, Joe Harris, and Clarence Hall, respectively, on alto- and tenor-sax, and as solid a rock & roll beat as anything on Imperial...". Although Archibald never achieved mainstream commercial success, was hampered by illness, and did not record after 1952, he remained a popular entertainer in New Orleans clubs, including a long residency at the Poodle Patio Club. He died of a heart attack in New Orleans in 1973, reportedly after years of

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

Discography

* ''The Complete New Orleans Sessions 1950-1952'' (Krazy Kat, 1983)

Filmography

*'' Harlem Hotshots'' (1945)

References

External links

Illustrated Discography
by Stefan Wirz {{DEFAULTSORT:Archibald (musician) 1910s births 1973 deaths American blues pianists American male pianists Boogie-woogie pianists Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans African-American pianists American rhythm and blues musicians Imperial Records artists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century African-American musicians