A really good album just showed up on the music streaming services: Looziana Wing Dang Doo by the New Orleans band Beau Swank. You should check it out. Okay, I’ll admit to some bias here because this is my father’s band, and he wrote all of the songs. But trust me: he is a very talented songwriter, and these songs are great. If you want to start with just one song, my favorite is probably Track 8, “Back in Thibodaux,” but I also love Track 2, “Marigny Mambo.” Those are Apple Music links, but you can listen to the album on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Pandora, iHeartRadio, or just about any other streaming music service that is out there. Here is some information on this album and the impressive musicians in Beau Swank. And at the end of this post, I have some bonus links and a video from a live performance.
Looziana Wing Dang Doo!
The album Looziana Wing Dang Doo! from Beau Swank is collection of songs that celebrate New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana. In New Orleans, The Livin’ is Easy (Track 1) on Frenchman Street, where the hipsters meet to do the Marigny Mambo (Track 2). We made it through Hurricane Katrina, and The New New Orleans (Track 3) is our revival. Up Burgundy on a Sunday cruise we meet the Bywater’s daughter, the beautiful Dauphine (Track 4). And on River Road and Oak, we see the Batture Girl (Track 5).
Heading outside of the city, we cruise through Bridge City (Track 6) and Paradis (Track 7) before we find ourselves Back In Thibodaux (Track 8). In Lafayette, we do the two-step as we dance the Lafayette Waltz (Track 9). We pass a good time enjoying the Looziana Wing Dang Doo (Track 10). And of course, we celebrate the voodoo swamp chant ChaQueVuLeMau (Track 11). We finish up our dancing with the Bon Ton Boogie (Track 12). And we finish up the year with a Crescent City Christmas (Track 13).
Beau Swank is a cast of well-seasoned musicians. The band was founded by New Orleans musician Bob Richardson, who wrote all of the songs, plays rhythm guitar, and sings lead vocals on this album. The studio magic was sparked by Buzzy “Beano” Langford (guitarist for The Topcats), who served as co-producer. The other artists on this album include:
- Mike Barras. Barras is a first-call drummer seen on many Jazz Fest stages. He has performed with Amanda Shaw, Jim McCormick, the Joe Krown Organ Combo, Gregg Allman, Aaron Neville, Jimmy Buffett, and many others.
- Zen Crook. Crook is a Nashville cat on the keyboard, and it seems like he played with almost everyone in the 1970s and 1980s including Emmylou Harris, Kenny Rogers, Roy Orbison, and Ricky Nelson. He was also featured on the Grammy-nominated album by Joe Maphis, Flat-Picking Spectacular.
- Ronnie Rauber. Rauber plays bass guitar for Beau Swank. He toured during the 1970s and 1980s with The Roamin’ Togas, a Louisiana supergroup.
- Skeet Stiller. Stiller plays lead guitar with Beau Swank. He has also played with the New Orleans group Pigeon Town.
- Mike Loupe. Loupe played guitar and horns on this album, and he is often seen performing throughout the French Quarter.
- Dwight Breland. Breland played played steel guitar on the song “Lafayette Waltz.” He has played with many other Cajun and rock artists over the years including Waylon Thibodeaux and Beaubassin.
Sit back, open the windows, and smell the gumbo and the sauce piquante. Beau Swank is at the wheel, so you can relax as you enjoy the album.
More from Beau Swank
For more from Beau Swank, an EP called Gras Deux is also available on Apple Music and elsewhere. It features four of the songs on Looziana Wing Dang Doo, but the singer on those tracks is Pete Adams (who was the lead singer of The Roamin’ Togas), so the songs have a different sound. I prefer the versions of the songs on Looziana Wing Dang Doo, but Pete Adams does have a great voice.
There is also a great cover of the song “Back to Thibodaux” that was recorded by the Louisiana band The Abita Stumps on their 2024 album You Know Why I’m Here. (Apple Music link.) They played it as a slow song, which almost makes it sound like a completely different song. It’s a fun change, even though I prefer the original.
And finally, one of my all-time favorite songs that my father wrote and that Beau Swank performed is not available on an album, but there is a YouTube video of the band performing the song live at the famous venue Rock ‘N’ Bowl in New Orleans in 2021. It is called “Mexican Eyes.” The tune is catchy, and it tells a sweet (fictional) story of a man who works making doughnuts in Brownsville, Texas, while daydreaming about a woman he met one night in Tijuana, Mexico. Here is that video, and I’ll end this post with the lyrics:
Mexican Eyes
In a room down the hall
In a hole in the wall
Charlie dreams that he’s south of the border
In a little café
Just down Mexico way
With the brown eyes of Poncho’s sweet daughter
As they danced round and round
To the guitars and sweet harmonies
As he stares at the mixer
that goes round and round
In the backroom of Joe’s Bakery
And he dreams about
A Tijuana night
The moon sung oh so low
And he was high as a Mexican kite
The mariachis played
To the dance of the Mexican flies
Ai yi yi yi
Dreaming of Mexican eyes
Well he’s covered with flour
He works by hour
Across from the Brownsville train station
Yeah he works baking doughnuts
And the job makes him so nuts
He dreams of his one week vacation
With cool margaritas
And sweet senoritas
All Day
The look of surprise
In Maria’s brown eyes
Whenever ‘ol Poncho’s away
And he dreams about
A Tijuana night
And the moon sung oh so low
He was high as a Mexican kite
And the mariachis played
To the dance of the Mexican flies
Ai yi yi yi
Dreaming of Mexican eyes
Yi yi yi yi
Dreaming of Mexican eyes
(c) 1995 Robert Richardson