Right Hand Man - Lafayette Thomas - Vol 02

Lafayette Thomas Vol.2 1954-62 In 1955, Thomas released his third solo single 'The Thing/Weekly Blues', this time on the tiny Trilyte Records label owned by Ollie Hunt. The 'Thing' moniker was a reference to Thomas’s acrobatic stage manners. 1957 saw his fourth solo release, 'Cockroach Run', a great mid-tempo instrumental, paired with a weird novelty flip side credited to The Jumping Judge & His Court. Thomas continued to record with Jimmy McCracklin & His Blues Blasters throughout the 1950s, and his playing on 'Beer Tavern Girl' is some of his finest work behind McCracklin. That guitar break is pure genius! He also did one-off sessions in 1957 and 1958 with Juke Boy Bonner (misspelled Barner) and Big Mama Thornton & The Hi-Tones. Thomas is credited on the Thornton sessions, but I don’t hear any guitar on the A-side, and if there's any guitar on the flip, it's buried somewhere deep in the mix. Too bad because both sides are phenomenal! In 1958, Thomas recorded for the Rhythm Recordings label again (now named Rhythm Records), this time with pianist Roy Hawkins. He released four brilliant tracks that demonstrate the breadth of Thomas’s playing. Later in 1958, Thomas relocated to New York City, where he worked with piano players Little Brother Montgomery and Memphis Slim. He appears on Montgomery's 'Tasty Blues' LP released in 1961 and Memphis Slim's 'Just Blues' LP, also from 1961 (later reissued as ‘Bluesville’). In 1959, he released his fifth solo single, 'Please Come Back To Me/Lafayette’s A’ Comin’, on Savoy with Sammy Price on piano. After his time in New York, Thomas returned to California and collaborated with McCracklin once more, this time contributing to McCracklin's album 'Jimmy McCracklin Sings'. He is also featured on singles by Al & Nettie and with Camille And The Creations. In 1969, he appeared on an Oakland Blues compilation, and in 1972, he appeared on a Sugar Pie DeSanto single. His last recordings were a couple of Soul/Funk records with Papa & The Utopians and The Luscious Three. Lafayette 'Thing' Thomas died of a heart attack in 1977 in Brisbane, California, at the age of 48.