"Mother-in-Law" is a 1961 song recorded by

Ernie K-Doe Ernest Kador Jr. (February 22, 1933 – July 5, 2001), known by the stage name Ernie K-Doe, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law", which went to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart in the U ...

. It was a number-one hit in the U.S. on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. The song was written and produced by

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

, who also played the piano solo. It was issued by

Minit Records Minit Records was an American independent record label, originally based in New Orleans and founded by Joe Banashak in 1959. Ernie K. Doe, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, and Benny Spellman were early artists on the label. Later artists included Bobb ...

. After several unsuccessful takes, Toussaint balled up the composition and threw it away as he was leaving the room. One of the

backup singers A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

, Willie Harper, thought that it was such a good song that he convinced K-Doe to give it one more try. A cover version by

The Newbeats ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

was also included on their 1965 album '' Big Beat Sounds By The Newbeats.''

References

1961 songs 1961 singles Songs written by Allen Toussaint The Newbeats songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Minit Records singles {{1960s-R&B-song-stub

See also

References