One-hit wonder Ernie K-Doe

A rock song beloved by those of us who were teenagers in the 1950s and early '60s is Mother-In-Law, a chart topper in 1961. Born in New Orleans as Ernest Kador, this Baptist minister's son, like many young black performers of that era, started as a gospel singer, then edged into rock and blues music. He sang with a group called The Blue Diamonds before adopting the stage name Ernie K-Doe. His one great hit appeared in 1961, accompanied by deep-voiced Benny Spellman performing this song written by Allen Toussaint, who later became quite famous.

K-Doe had a New Orleans radio show for a while in the 1980s, and in 1994, he opened a club, the Mother-In-Law Lounge, in that city. He took his energeic act to clubs and theaters in other cities, liked playing drums as well as singing, and sometimes took the stage wearing a cape and/or a crown. He died in 2001 and was given a proper sendoff in the form of a jazz funeral-- as only New Orleans can do it.