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Bobby Marchan (born Oscar James Gibson, April 30, 1930 – December 5, 1999) (2025). 9780313344237, Praeger Publishers. ISBN 9780313344237 was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, recording artist, bandleader, MC, and Drag queen. He was the key singer in the early lineup of Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns along with Gerri Hall and Roosevelt Wright.
From 1957, Marchan also toured with the Clowns, the band led by Huey "Piano" Smith, sometimes performing as lead singer and bandleader in place of Smith, who reputedly would stay in New Orleans to write and record while his band played clubs and toured. The touring band included James Booker on piano. Marchan also recorded with the band, singing on Huey Smith and the Clowns' hit records, but only after "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" was recorded. "Don't You Just Know It" amongst others during this time had Marchan singing on them.
In 1959, he left the Clowns and resumed his solo career, on Bobby Robinson's Fire Records record label. He had a chart-topper on the national R&B chart in 1960 with "There's Something on Your Mind", a cover version of a song written and first performed by Big Jay McNeely, but with Marchan adding lengthy spoken word passages. His follow-ups on Fire, however, were less commercially successful, and in 1963 he signed for Stax Records, where he was assigned to their subsidiary label Volt records, on the recommendation of Otis Redding. Two singles were released including a cover of Donnie Elbert's "What Can I Do"Rounce, Tony, sleeve notes for Bobby Marchan: Get Down With It: The Soul Sides. Kent CD (2011) before he soon moved on to the Dial label, where in 1965 he recorded his own song "Get Down With It". The song was covered by Little Richard, and then reworked in 1971 by British glam rock band Slade as "Get Down and Get with It", giving the band their first UK singles chart hit.
After moving to Cameo-Parkway Records he had some success with "There's Something About You, Baby", and then his second solo R&B chart hit in 1966 with "Shake Your Tambourine". However, later records on various labels, including Ace, were unsuccessful, and by the early 1970s Marchan had returned to club work in New Orleans as a female impersonator and MC. He regularly performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. His final studio based work was in 1987 when he released a reworking of his biggest hit, "There Is Something On Your Mind" on Al Bell's Edge label.
He also set up his own production company, Manicure Productions, in the 1980s. In the 1990s his company Manicure was involved in hip hop music booking and promotion including Take Fo' Records bounce music artist DJ Jubilee. Marchan was also involved with the formation of Cash Money Records.
Marchan died from liver cancer in Gretna, Louisiana on December 5, 1999, aged 69.
Chart hits
With Huey (Piano) Smith and the Clowns
Solo
External links
Categories: 1930 Births, 1999 Deaths, American Rhythm And Blues Singers, Musicians From Youngstown, Ohio, American Blues Singers, American Bandleaders, Ace Records Artists, Dot Records Artists, African-american Drag Queens, American Drag Queens, Fire Records Artists, 20th-century African-american Male Singers, 20th-century American Male Singers, 20th-century American Singers, 20th-century American Lgbtq People, Deaths From Liver Cancer In The United States, Deaths From Cancer In Louisiana, African-american Lgbtq People, Huey "piano" Smith And His Clowns Members
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