Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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EAGLIN, Snooks

(b Fird [Ford] Eaglin, 21 January 1936, New Orleans; d 18 February 2009) New Orleans guitarist, singer, songwriter, blind since infancy. He played in the Flamingoes at age c.16 with Allen Toussaint, and became an all-round entertainer typed as a bluesman, though Toussaint says he came up through the church rather than blues. He wrote 'Lucille', a hit for Little Richard.

His album Street Singer on Folkways '58 was also on Storyville; he recorded for folklorist Harry Oster's Folk-Lyric label in 1960 and made R&B singles on Imperial '60-1 (own inimitable covers of Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew, Jesse Belvin etc didn't sell; Complete Imperial Sessions was later a Capitol CD). Further recordings were Rural Blues on Prestige/Bluesville '61 (later Fantasy), Portraits In Blues Vol. 1 '61-2 on Storyville. He preferred working with a combo, was semi-retired but talked back into the concert hall, then the studio by enthusiast Quint Davis for Snooks Eaglin '71 (vol. 2 of the Legacy of the Blues series) on GNP including 'Lucille' (after 15 years of hearing Little Richard's version, the solo was refreshing), also instrumental 'Funky Malaguena', one of his best-known tunes, and other riches. Down Yonder was also on GNP. He gigged with Professor Longhair and recorded demos with him '71-2 (issued '87 on Rounder); Possum Up A Simmon Tree '71 on Arhoolie, Baby You Can Get Your Gun '87, Out Of Nowhere, Soul's Edge and Teasing You were all on Black Top.

Toussaint said that Eaglin's finger style was unusual, and that there was nothing he couldn't do on the guitar. Quint Davis had become producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where Eaglin was a popular attraction, and compared losing him to losing 'a Dizzy Gillespie, a Professor Longhair, a Johnny Adams or a Gatemouth Brown. He’s one of those unique giants of New Orleans music.'