Song of the Day 10/25: Ernie K-Doe, “Mother In Law”
Talk about being cancelled — when’s the last time you heard a mother-in-law joke?
The meddling mother-in-law is a trope as old as comedy, and back when more risqué topics were off-limits it was frequently employed. Mothers-in-law were milked for laughs routinely by comedians and sitcoms, but it wasn’t until 1961 that New Orleans composer and producer Allen Toussaint brought the lament to rock ‘n’ roll.
This first hit of Toussaint’s long, storied career propelled Ernie K-Doe from the Chitlin’ Circuit to the top of the Billboard charts. Since this is National Mother-in-Law Day — Hallmark leaves no opportunity unturned — here it is.
K-Doe followed “Mother in Law” with a string of Toussaint tunes, including “A Certain Girl,” later covered by the Yardbirds and Warren Zevon, to diminishing effect. He recorded sporadically after that without much success, but his 1971 single of a Toussaint funk tune, “Here Come the Girls,” reached the UK charts in 2008 after it was used in an advert.
Though he didn’t record much, K-Doe never stopped performing, and became a Crescent City icon. He hosted a radio show int he ’80s, and in the ’90s took to billing himself as Emperor of the Universe and performing in a cape and crown. He was given a traditional jazz funeral when he died in 2001. Cemetery space being scarce in New Orleans, he shares his grave with several other people — including his second mother-in-law.
I did a bike tour of NOLA several years ago and the tour guide took us to the Mother-in-Law Lounge (Now owned by Kermit Ruffins) but started by Ernie. It was a classic story about how Ernie had pissed away much of his money on wine and women. But his new wife put an end to that and had him buy the lounge.
The two of them ran the place (she died during Mardi Gras a few years after Ernie). The tour guide told about how he stopped by the lounge one evening around 11 with a friend of his. Ernie was behind the bar. The friend ordered a beer and the guide ordered a gin and tonic (or something similar). Ernie pours the beer and then disappears behind a curtain for a few minutes. Then he makes himself busy washing glasses and what-not.
10 minutes later, Mrs. K-Doe comes through the curtain in a robe and slippers and makes the gin and tonic.
Apparently Ernie was under strict orders that he poured the beer and she made the cocktails. I think they both got beer for the second round.