Esquerita
Encyclopedia
Esquerita was the stage name
of singer, songwriter and pianist Eskew Reeder Jr, originally known as Steven Quincy Reeder Jr. and also known as S.Q. Reeder and SQ Jr. A native of Greenville
, South Carolina
, he was born on November 20, 1935, and died in Harlem
, New York
on October 23, 1986, of AIDS
. He is credited with influencing rock and roll pioneer Little Richard
, though the extent and nature of Reeder's influence or vice-versa is uncertain.
Reeder was a self-taught piano player whose roots were in gospel music
. His music career started as a teenager, when he dropped out of high school and joined the gospel group "Heavenly Echoes" based in New York City
.
Little is known about Reeder's early career as a secular rock and roll
piano
player. As Esquerita, he often wore heavy makeup, sunglasses, and two wigs, piling his pompador high on his head.
The question of Reeder's influence on Little Richard
(Richard Penniman) is complicated by the fact that Reeder did not record until after Little Richard's initial mid-1950s recordings for RCA and Back Beat labels, which makes it unclear that Esquerita influenced Richard stylistically. However, early Little Richard recordings made at WGST Radio Station in Atlanta do not show the style that was to make Little Richard famous. Little Richard also had not intended to use what came to be his (and Esquerita's) characteristic style during his first New Orleans session for Specialty Records
. The session producer, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell had been unhappy with Penniman's initial songs on the session, so, taking a break from recording, he went with Richard to a local cafe, where Richard jumped on a piano and began singing an X-rated version of "Tutti Frutti
", in true Esquerita fashion. Blackwell felt that a cleaned-up version of the song with the same style of presentation would be just what his boss Art Rupe
was looking for, and this song launched Little Richard's career in 1955.
Reeder's first solo studio recordings came about when Paul Peek
got him to record some demos at a Greenville radio station (WESC) around 1958. At that time, Peek was a member of the rockabilly group The Blue Caps, led by manic performer Gene Vincent
. Peek even co-wrote "The Rock-Around" with Reeder, and Reeder played piano on the 1958 recording that launched the NRC (National Recording Corporation
) label. From these contacts and Paul Peek's influence with Capitol Records came a record contract for Reeder; Cub Koda
described the results as "some of the most untamed and unabashed sides ever issued by a major label." At this point, Eskew Reeder, Jr. adopted the stage name "Esquerita."
The ensuing years found Reeder cutting several singles with various backing musicians in studios in Nashville
, Dallas, New Orleans and Detroit. Capitol Records released the LP Esquerita in 1959, his only album in the traditional sense (that is, not a compilation of earlier singles, or re-issues). Some of the musicians he recorded with during this era included Jimi Hendrix
, Dr. John
, Allen Toussaint
, and The Jordanaires
(Elvis Presley
's backup singers). His best known songs from this time include: "Hey Miss Lucy", "Get Back Baby", "Getting’ Plenty of Lovin’", "Rockin’ the Joint", and "Oh Baby". In 1963, he recorded a session for Berry Gordy
's Motown Records
but the recordings were never released.
In 1968, Reeder changed his name to "The Magnificent Malochi" and signed with Brunswick Records
. He played keyboards on "Takin' Care Of Business" by John Hammond
in 1970. Shortly after this, he began to fade from the music scene, but Linda Hopkins
released a song written by Reeder called "Seven Days and Seven Nights" in 1973. Around this time, Esquerita formed a new group, consisting of Charles Neville (the saxophone player of The Neville Brothers) who then resided in Brooklyn, New York, and drummer Jerry Katz of Queens, New York. They and a few other musicians played a steady gig at Tommy Smalls Night Club on 50th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City. Several months later the group disbanded.
According to an interview with Billy Miller and Miriam Linna
in the ReSearch
book Incredibly Strange Music, Reeder occasionally performed at African-American gay
clubs under the name "Fabulash" during the 1970s. He was eventually tracked down by a writer for Kicks Magazine in 1983 or 1984, who found him performing in second-rate New York City
clubs. According to an article ("Who Was Esquerita?") by music historian Johnny Carter in an international oldies magazine, music maven Bill Lowery (who originated National Recording Corporation
and was involved in the Peek sessions for NRC) was approached by Esquerita on the street in New York in 1985 after a conference at Broadcast Music, Inc.. Lowery confirmed that Esquerita was down on his luck and was working as a parking lot attendant but was still as flamboyant as ever. A few months before his death he was seen washing windshields of cars for tips at an intersection in Brooklyn, NY. In this same article, Esquerita's father, Eskew Reeder Sr., said that his son had died of complications brought on by AIDS in 1986. Esquerita's father (who was born on March 25, 1907) died in February 1989, a little over two years after his son Esquerita's death. Eskew Sr.'s last known residence was Simpsonville, South Carolina
.
(of The Clash
) wrote and recorded a song called "Esquerita" with his band Big Audio Dynamite
which appeared on the group's Tighten Up Vol. 88 album from 1988. Alternative rock band Lyres
recorded their own version of Esquerita's song "Gettin' Plenty Lovin'" which was released on Norton Records
in 1992.
Esquerita was an influence on zydeco
performer Lynn August, who played drums for Esquerita in the early 1960s. At the age of 12, August was playing drums for Fats Junior who happened to be opening a show for Esquerita, who let August play a couple of songs with him. After Esquerita spoke with August's mom, he was hired as Esquerita's drummer and played with Esquerita for three years, mostly around New Orleans. August said that Esquerita was playing an organ with pedals and only carried a drummer because he was such a great entertainer. Esquerita also encouraged August to take up piano. Lynn August later became known for his accordion playing. When Esquerita left New Orleans around 1963, August joined Jay Nelson's band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. August later recorded his own version of Esquerita's song "Undivided Love" which appears on his "Creole Cruiser" album from 1992.
The Adam Ant
/Marco Pirroni
song "Miss Thing", off their 1985 album Vive Le Rock
was about Esquerita.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of singer, songwriter and pianist Eskew Reeder Jr, originally known as Steven Quincy Reeder Jr. and also known as S.Q. Reeder and SQ Jr. A native of Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, he was born on November 20, 1935, and died in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on October 23, 1986, of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He is credited with influencing rock and roll pioneer Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, though the extent and nature of Reeder's influence or vice-versa is uncertain.
Biography
Eskew Reeder attended Sterling High School in Greenville from 1947 to 1950.Reeder was a self-taught piano player whose roots were in gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. His music career started as a teenager, when he dropped out of high school and joined the gospel group "Heavenly Echoes" based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Little is known about Reeder's early career as a secular rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
player. As Esquerita, he often wore heavy makeup, sunglasses, and two wigs, piling his pompador high on his head.
The question of Reeder's influence on Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
(Richard Penniman) is complicated by the fact that Reeder did not record until after Little Richard's initial mid-1950s recordings for RCA and Back Beat labels, which makes it unclear that Esquerita influenced Richard stylistically. However, early Little Richard recordings made at WGST Radio Station in Atlanta do not show the style that was to make Little Richard famous. Little Richard also had not intended to use what came to be his (and Esquerita's) characteristic style during his first New Orleans session for Specialty Records
Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe when he parted company with a couple of his original partners...
. The session producer, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell had been unhappy with Penniman's initial songs on the session, so, taking a break from recording, he went with Richard to a local cafe, where Richard jumped on a piano and began singing an X-rated version of "Tutti Frutti
Tutti Frutti (song)
"Tutti Frutti" is a 1955 song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop!" and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the...
", in true Esquerita fashion. Blackwell felt that a cleaned-up version of the song with the same style of presentation would be just what his boss Art Rupe
Art Rupe
Arthur N. "Art" Rupe is an American music industry executive and record producer. He started Specialty Records, noted for its rhythm & blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music recordings, in Los Angeles in 1946.-Career:Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Rupe...
was looking for, and this song launched Little Richard's career in 1955.
Reeder's first solo studio recordings came about when Paul Peek
Paul Peek
Paul Edward Peek Jr was an early rockabilly pioneer. Peek was born in High Point, NC was raised in Greenville, SC. Paul learned to play the guitar, steel guitar and bass while he was 12 years old. When he was 14 he played in several local country bands...
got him to record some demos at a Greenville radio station (WESC) around 1958. At that time, Peek was a member of the rockabilly group The Blue Caps, led by manic performer Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
. Peek even co-wrote "The Rock-Around" with Reeder, and Reeder played piano on the 1958 recording that launched the NRC (National Recording Corporation
National Recording Corporation
-Early years:National Recording Corporation was incorporated in Atlanta in 1958. Founders were Bill Lowery, at the time the number one Country Music disc jockey and already a successful music publisher, and Boots Woodall, whose band recorded for Capitol, King, and Bullet Records and performed on...
) label. From these contacts and Paul Peek's influence with Capitol Records came a record contract for Reeder; Cub Koda
Cub Koda
Michael "Cub" Koda was an American rock and roll singer, guitarist, songwriter, disc jockey, music critic, and record compiler. Rolling Stone magazine felt that Koda was best known for writing the song "Smokin' in the Boys' Room", which reached #3 on the 1974 Billboard charts as performed by...
described the results as "some of the most untamed and unabashed sides ever issued by a major label." At this point, Eskew Reeder, Jr. adopted the stage name "Esquerita."
The ensuing years found Reeder cutting several singles with various backing musicians in studios in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Dallas, New Orleans and Detroit. Capitol Records released the LP Esquerita in 1959, his only album in the traditional sense (that is, not a compilation of earlier singles, or re-issues). Some of the musicians he recorded with during this era included Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
, Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
, and The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
(Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's backup singers). His best known songs from this time include: "Hey Miss Lucy", "Get Back Baby", "Getting’ Plenty of Lovin’", "Rockin’ the Joint", and "Oh Baby". In 1963, he recorded a session for Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
's Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
but the recordings were never released.
In 1968, Reeder changed his name to "The Magnificent Malochi" and signed with Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
. He played keyboards on "Takin' Care Of Business" by John Hammond
John P. Hammond
John Paul Hammond is an American blues singer and guitarist. The son of record producer John H. Hammond, he is sometimes referred to as "John Hammond, Jr.".-Background:...
in 1970. Shortly after this, he began to fade from the music scene, but Linda Hopkins
Linda Hopkins
Linda Hopkins is an African American actress and blues and gospel singer. She has recorded classic, traditional, and urban blues, and performed R&B and soul, jazz, and show tunes, all with distinction and style since the 1950s....
released a song written by Reeder called "Seven Days and Seven Nights" in 1973. Around this time, Esquerita formed a new group, consisting of Charles Neville (the saxophone player of The Neville Brothers) who then resided in Brooklyn, New York, and drummer Jerry Katz of Queens, New York. They and a few other musicians played a steady gig at Tommy Smalls Night Club on 50th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City. Several months later the group disbanded.
According to an interview with Billy Miller and Miriam Linna
Miriam Linna
Miriam Linna has run the Brooklyn-based independent record label Norton Records since 1986 with her husband—the producer and singer-songwriter Billy Miller...
in the ReSearch
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
book Incredibly Strange Music, Reeder occasionally performed at African-American gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
clubs under the name "Fabulash" during the 1970s. He was eventually tracked down by a writer for Kicks Magazine in 1983 or 1984, who found him performing in second-rate New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
clubs. According to an article ("Who Was Esquerita?") by music historian Johnny Carter in an international oldies magazine, music maven Bill Lowery (who originated National Recording Corporation
National Recording Corporation
-Early years:National Recording Corporation was incorporated in Atlanta in 1958. Founders were Bill Lowery, at the time the number one Country Music disc jockey and already a successful music publisher, and Boots Woodall, whose band recorded for Capitol, King, and Bullet Records and performed on...
and was involved in the Peek sessions for NRC) was approached by Esquerita on the street in New York in 1985 after a conference at Broadcast Music, Inc.. Lowery confirmed that Esquerita was down on his luck and was working as a parking lot attendant but was still as flamboyant as ever. A few months before his death he was seen washing windshields of cars for tips at an intersection in Brooklyn, NY. In this same article, Esquerita's father, Eskew Reeder Sr., said that his son had died of complications brought on by AIDS in 1986. Esquerita's father (who was born on March 25, 1907) died in February 1989, a little over two years after his son Esquerita's death. Eskew Sr.'s last known residence was Simpsonville, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Influence
Mick JonesMick Jones (The Clash)
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
(of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
) wrote and recorded a song called "Esquerita" with his band Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite are a British musical group formed in 1984 by the ex-guitarist and singer of the Clash, Mick Jones. The group are noted for their effective mixture of varied musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk...
which appeared on the group's Tighten Up Vol. 88 album from 1988. Alternative rock band Lyres
Lyres (band)
Lyres are a Boston-area garage rock band led by Jeff "Monoman" Conolly. Lyres were founded in 1979 following the breakup of DMZ. Their most popular songs included "Don't Give It Up Now," "What A Girl Can't Do" and "Help You Ann"...
recorded their own version of Esquerita's song "Gettin' Plenty Lovin'" which was released on Norton Records
Norton Records
For the Canadian independent record label of the same name, see Matt Minglewood.Norton Records, a New York City based independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller, maintains a focus on primitive, retro rock'n'roll, rockabilly, garage punk, garage rock, lounge music...
in 1992.
Esquerita was an influence on zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
performer Lynn August, who played drums for Esquerita in the early 1960s. At the age of 12, August was playing drums for Fats Junior who happened to be opening a show for Esquerita, who let August play a couple of songs with him. After Esquerita spoke with August's mom, he was hired as Esquerita's drummer and played with Esquerita for three years, mostly around New Orleans. August said that Esquerita was playing an organ with pedals and only carried a drummer because he was such a great entertainer. Esquerita also encouraged August to take up piano. Lynn August later became known for his accordion playing. When Esquerita left New Orleans around 1963, August joined Jay Nelson's band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. August later recorded his own version of Esquerita's song "Undivided Love" which appears on his "Creole Cruiser" album from 1992.
The Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
/Marco Pirroni
Marco Pirroni
Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer...
song "Miss Thing", off their 1985 album Vive Le Rock
Vive Le Rock
Vive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985.This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
was about Esquerita.
Solo singles
- Oh Baby/Please Come Home (Capitol #4007) (1958)
- Rockin' The Joint/Esquerita And The Voola (Capitol #4058) (1958)
- Laid Off/Just Another Lie (Capitol #4145) (1959)
- Hey Miss Lucy/Battie Over Hattie (Capitol #1075) (promo) (1959)
- Green Door/I Waited Too Long (Minit #648) (1962) (as Eskew Reeder)
- Never Again/We Had Love (Minit #658) (1962) (as Eskew Reeder)
- The Flu/Undivided Love (Instant # 3258) (1963) (as Eskew Reeder Jr.)
- I Woke Up This Morning/I Woke Up This Morning Part Two (Instant #3268) (1963) (as Eskew Reeder Jr.)
- A Tear/Johnny Little (Everest #2025) (1963) (as Eskew Reeder)
- Stubborn Old Me (Motown) (1963) (unreleased)
- I Want To Know/Just In Time (Okeh #7239) (1966) (as S. Q. Reeder)
- Tell The World About You/Two Ton Tessie (Okeh #7254) (1966) (as S. Q. Reeder)
- Dew Drop Inn/You Better Believe In Me (Cross-Tone #1007) (1967) (as Eskew "Esque-Rita" Reeder)
- Mama Your Daddy's Come Home/As Time Goes By (Brunswick #55359) (4/1968) (as Magnificent Malochi)
- Hey Miss Lucy/Hole In My Heart (Capitol #81382) (Germany) (1973)
- Hey Miss Lucy/Gettin' Plenty Lovin’ (Capitol #C006-81-709) (Old Rock New Roll Volume 5 Series) (France)
- Dew Drop Inn/Rockin’ The Joint (Norton #014) (1991)
- You Better Believe Me/What Was Wrong (Norton #149) (2009)
Compilations and re-issues
- Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol) (1990)
- I Never Danced Nowhere! (Charly #CD-224) (1990)
- Chart Scrapers (Century CD-10976) (1994)
- Sock It to Me Baby (Bear Family #BCD-15504) (1994)
- Believe Me When I Say Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay (Collectables) (1998)
- Rockin' the Joint (Collectables) (1998)
Piano appearances by Esquerita
- Didn't It Rain/Your God Is My God (Baton #216) (1955) (The Heavenly Echoes)
- The Rock Around/Sweet Skinny Jenny (NRC #001) (1957, 1987) (Paul Peek)
- Mexican Rock 'n' Roll (Instrumental)/Mexicali Baby (Capitol #3884) (2/1958) (The Rio Rockers)
- Love Is A Many Splendored Thing/Southern Style (Hermitage #776) (1962) (The Eskerettes)
- I Trusted In You/Southern Style (Hermitage #10545-H-306) (1962) (Willie B.) (backup vocals by The Eskerettes)
- Good Golly Miss Molly (Vee Jay) (12/1964) (Little Richard)
- Slippin' And Slidin' (Vee Jay) (12/1964) (Little Richard)
- The Explosive Little Richard (Okeh #14117) (1/1967) (Little Richard)
- Stingy Jenny (Brunswick) (6/1968) (Little Richard) (co-wrote)
- Freedom Blues/Dew Drop Inn (Reprise #0907) (4/1970) (Little Richard) (co-wrote both sides)
- Greenwood Mississippi (Reprise #942) (1970) (Little Richard) (co-wrote)
- Takin' Care Of Business (CBS) (1970) (John Hammond) (from album "Source Point")
Unconfirmed Claims
- Didn't It Rain Part 1/Didn't It Rain Part 2 (1959?) (The Clovertones & Rev. Willie Green). Enrica 122, reissued on Eagle Records CD, EA-R 90421 (2001), and recently reissued on vinyl (posing as Enrica 122 again) (the Esquerita link appears only on the back of the Eagle CD; there is no mention of him elsewhere)
- Touch Of The Spirit (Evangelist Rosa Shaw). Rae-Cox 103 (1962), reissued on Eagle Records CD, EA-R 90420 (2001). The original single credits Robert Banks as keyboardist - organ, presumeably - but nothing is mentioned about Esquerita.
- Hour Of Prayer (Evangelist Rosa Shaw). Rae-Cox 103 (1962), reissued on Eagle Records CD, EA-R 90420 (2001). The claim on the back of the Eagle CD is that Esquerita appears on piano; however, this track (Hour of Prayer) is only vocal—there is no instrumental backing.
- Didn't It Rain/I Hear Voices (by Screamin Jay Hawkins) (Norton #127) (2005) (reissue of 2 tracks from the Eagle CDs (EA-R 90420 and EA-R 90421, see above).