For the week of May 22, 1961, when I was a freshman in high school back in Louisville, KY, five killer rock ‘n roll 45-rpm records ruled the Billboard Hot 100.
The top five were, in order, “Mother-in-Law” by Ernie K-Doe; “Runaway” by Del Shannon; “Daddy’s Home” by Shep and the Limelights; “One Hundred Pounds of Clay” by Gene McDaniels; and “Travelin’ Man” by Ricky Nelson.
“Mother-in-Law” was a song I always liked, partly because it was easy to sing along to — especially those opening notes — and it was unique.
Although I would never have put “Mother-in-Law in my list of all-time favorites, last week I gained a new appreciation for it. What got me thinking about it — and singing it and listening to it on YouTube — was hearing that the writer of the song, Allen Toussaint, a New Orleans musician, died of a heart attack at age 77.
Allen Toussaint
I can’t say I’d paid much attention to Toussaint, although he was a New Orleans legend, but in his obit I read that he had written “Mother-in-Law” and another great oldie, “Working in the Coal Mine,” which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of July 23, 1966.
A story about Toussaint in today’s Kansas City Star got me thinking about “Mother-in-Law” even more. That’s because the writer of the story, Star music critic Timothy Finn, didn’t even mention “Mother-in-Law.” He touched on “Working in the Coal Mine,” but the bulk of his story was about Toussaint and his impact on the music industry.
That story sent me back to YouTube to listen to “Mother-in-Law” several more times, and I turned it up for Patty and Brooks to hear. When I went into the kitchen, Patty, a very good singer, was singing along and bobbing her head to the melody.
I wanted to know more about that song, so I dug into Google.
The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, by Fred Bronson, paid high tribute to the song, saying it “earned a place in rock history by spreading the gospel piano of the New Orleans sound, as championed by Toussaint.”
Of course, you can’t talk about “Mother-in-Law” without talking about Ernie K-Doe.
He was born Ernest Kador Jr. and was raised in New Orleans by an aunt. Kador began singing in his church as a boy. He was first noticed by a talent scout when he was with a group called the Blue Diamonds. The scout signed him to one record label, but he bounced to another and then to a third, called Minit, where Toussaint worked.
The owner of the company was a man named Joe Banashak, who suggested that Ernie start going by the last name of K-Doe because “Kador” was too hard to pronounce.
Toussaint had already written “Mother-in-Law,” and K-Doe took a fancy to it because he was having marital problems and blamed them partly on his mother-in-law.
The song was an immediate hit. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits describes the crux of its appeal:
“The irresistible hook in the song is Benny Spellman’s deep bass voice intoning “mother-in-law” after K-Doe pauses at the appropriate places.”
The opening notes, of course, are what immediately come to mind and begin running through the head. Just the mention of the song makes me smile because, as The Billboard Book of Number One hits says, it is “the ultimate mother-in-law joke.”
K-Doe sings the song with a combination of angst and resignation:
She thinks her advice is a contribution
But if she will leave that will be a solution…
…As was the case with many “one-hit wonders,” K-Doe’s career reached its apex with his first big song. The Billboard Book of Number One hits says:
His final chart entry was ‘Popeye Joe’ in February 1962. He continued to record for Minit until it was sold to Liberty in 1965, and then signed with Duke Records. After three years, he returned to producer Toussaint, but without productive results. K-Doe died of liver failure at University Hospital in New Orleans on July 5, 2001. He was 65.
While K-Doe muddled along, Toussaint went on to become a legend. But Ernie K-Doe helped push him to legendary status, and I’m sure he appreciated that. Together, they gave us this incredible song, which is as fresh today as it was when it was released more than half a century ago and which people will continue to enjoy for years to come.
…The full lyrics:
She worries me so, mother-in-law, mother-in-law
If she leaves us alone, we would have a happy home
Sent down from below
Mother-in-law, mother-in-law, mother-in-law, mother-in-law
To me, they’re about the same, mother-in-law, mother-in-law
Every time I open my mouth, she steps in, tries to put me out
How could she stoop so low?
Mother-in-law, mother-in-law, mother-in-law, mother-in-law
She asks me what I make, mother-in-law, mother-in-law
She thinks her advice is a contribution
But if she will leave that will be a solution
And don’t come back no more
Mother-in-law, mother-in-law…
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
My favorite Allen Toussaint song is ‘Sneaking Sally Through the Alley’ that I first remember hearing in the 80’s made popular by Robert Palmer. I mistakenly downloaded Allen Toussaint’s version last year and have been listening to it ever since. I saw Allen a couple of years ago at the Midland. What a great American Artist. Sorry to hear about all this but thanks for posting!
I’m not familiar with that song, Bill, but I’ll listen to it.
…An old friend just sent me an email (don’t know why he didn’t post a comment), relating that when he was in about the 7th grade, a friend brought over a batch of records, one of which was “Mother-in-Law.” My friend wrote:
“We played it on the “hi-fi. Mom came in and picked up the record out of the stack and looked it over, raising an eyebrow. She said, ‘Gee, I always thought he was saying ‘Murmurring low’, not ‘Mother in Law!’ “
When i was a kid i got 3 stations that molded my musical tastes. CKLW out of Detroit (across the river in Canada) was heavy into early Motown., WLS in Chicago (now a talk station) and in the late evening WLAC out of Nashville. It would come into range about 9:00 and then go away after midnight it would drop off until the following evening and play country western until they hit the power and played blues – real blues and RB. They played everything from Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters to Ike and Tina Turner and Bobby Bland.
At the time I had been thrown out of the high school in my district and so I was attending an inner city high school (which contrary to popular opinion gave me a much better education that the got bucks school I got thrown out of because the teachers who taught there actually gave a shit about the kids). Since I stayed up late listening to WLAC every night I was always tired in the morning, but first period was math and so I made a deal with the teacher that i wouldn’t be a pain in the ass if he let me sleep and he agreed as long as I got a’s on the tests and it worked out great.
One block away from the school was the Avenue. Huddle BBQ was on the corner and there were two pool halls one right across the street from the other in the same block. And so on free periods i would run down and either play pool, or sit in the Huddle and listen to I Idolize You and Turn On Your Lovelight on the jukebox until it was time to go to class.
It was a phenomenal time and I loved the school. The school band sucked except for the drum section and the had a couple of tunes that rocked the drum section that were awesome and anyone who was anyone sat in the junior section. Once when we won city in basketball. we had a pep session and the cheerleaders from the other schools all came down to wish us well in the next leg of the tourney. It was absolutely hilarious when the band launched into Tiger Tango and the drum section lit it up I thought those cheer leaders were going to panic.
Today I hear the same licks from those songs being played by people who have no idea where they came from. They don’t realize how much of Led Zepplin’s music was stolen outright from those early blues masters, or understand what Freddy and BB King did to modernize rock into the power trios that dominated the 70’s.
PS, Jason, brother, it’s a thread about music, save the link for sometime when someone might give a shit.
Good stories, John. Love to hear about people’s formative esperiences.
…I didn’t even notice Jason’s link until you mentioned it…Took it down. When the blog is about music, the comments should be about music, too.
It’s good you’re here to give him “commenting” lessons.
With rare exception this blog has been a home for logical debate and friendly civil dialogue and it needs to stay that way.
Yeah, well when I’m “on topic”, I get shit like this – “And with that, I’m shutting down the comments. The whole thing makes my blood boil…”
So what fuckin’ difference does it make?
I can tell when I’m not welcome.
Jim, the song sucks and the subject matter is in poor taste.
John nobody give a shit anyway, even when they should.
Last post from me on this site (insert sigh of relief from Jim), Adios Amigos!