On 7 April 2024 it was announced that Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, an early disciple of Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, had died aged 87.
Born in New Orleans in 1937, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry had taken piano lessons from the age of eight and, hoping to emulate his aforementioned heroes, started out with Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers and the band of saxophonist Eddie Smith.
“When I was going to school, I wanted to be Fats Domino and would wear a wig with two plaits and call myself Professor Longhair,” Henry once told the Associated Press. “I like the Fats Domino rhythm, but I play my own chords and my own style.”
The nickname ‘Frogman’ came from a vocal trick he had developed while teasing girls during his schooldays. His big break came when Chess A&R man Paul Gayten heard him sing his own composition Ain’t Got No Home. That trademark croak was utilised to great effect on this signature tune where the singer transitions from a lonely boy to a lonely girl to lonely frog.
Ain’t Got No Home, which was listed in the NME’s 100 Best Songs of the 1950s, was recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in September 1956 and peaked at No.3 on the US R&B chart and No.20 on the pop chart.
A Beloved Icon
It was five years before Henry landed his next success with (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do. Penned by Louisiana songwriter Bobby Charles with Gayten and covered by Bobby Vinton in 1972, the track reached US No.4 and was Henry’s introduction to UK audiences. Peaking at No.3 over here, it was the first of three chart entries he enjoyed on this side of the pond in 1961, the others being: You Always Hurt The One You Love (No.6) and Lonely Street/Why Can’t You (No.42).
A package tour of the UK in 1962 with Bobby Vee and Tony Orlando And The Springfields, led to an 18-date trek across the US and Canada with the Fab Four in 1964, where the amiable singer witnessed Beatlemania at first hand. “I saw things with The Beatles that I had never seen before on tour,” Henry told OffBeat in 2004. “Doctors and nurses and ambulances all around at every show.”
Following his brief dalliance with fame and a run of hits, Henry focused on live performances over recording. A regular fixture in the clubs on Bourbon Street in his hometown, he continued to play well into his 80s and was due to perform at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
A beloved icon of New Orleans music, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry’s sound was very much inspired by – and typical of – the Big Easy R&B idiom. His contribution to the genre was recognised by the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and he received a Pioneer Award from the R&B Foundation.
No cause of death has been given, though it has been reported that he’d recently undergone an unspecified surgery.
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Dan Biggane
Dan Biggane is a writer for Vintage Rock and Classic Pop magazines. A former entertainment editor at the Bath Chronicle newspaper, he’s interviewed numerous big names from the world of rock’n’roll, including Dion, Jerry Allison, and Slim Jim Phantom. He has also contributed a number of cover features for Vintage Rock including Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Billy Fury and Bo Diddley.
