Legend Is Now

Claiborne Joseph Cheramie was born in Harvey, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. An early interest in country music lead to young C.J., as he has always been known, becoming a good drummer by the time he hit twelve years old. He later added guitar and bass to his repertoire. By the early fifties the C.J. Cheramie Trio were regulars on Radio WWEZ out of New Orleans, with a thirteen minute slot on Saturdays. To this very day the C.J. Cheramie Trio can be found gigging in and around The Big Easy on any day of the week, but it was only for a short, tempestuous four years that C.J. performed under the alter-ego Joe Clay. Those years were from 1956 to 1960. And the story goes like this. C.J.'s reputation had lead to appearances on the famed Louisiana Hayride at the age of sixteen, where he made friends with the emerging firebrand, Elvis Presley. At least that's where they first met. Elvis played Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park, New Orleans on Thursday September 1st 1955. They had previously played The Louisiana Hayride on Saturday August 27th. D.J. Fontana had joined the group on a regular basis starting August 8th, but on September 1st he was sick. Joe was playing support on the gig and he stepped in to take D.J.'s place. One of Joe Clay's many brushes with fate. Early in 1956 one of the producers and broadcasting jocks at WWEZ, Jolly Charlie, received a letter from an agent for RCA Victor Records, which said they were on the lookout for regional acts to sign to their new subsidiary, Vik. This was a matter of mere months after 'Elvis the Pelvis' had been lured away from Sun Records in Memphis and had inked to the RCA Victor parent company. Vik had been set up as a response to the new Big Beat music that the teenagers were clambering for. In this way Joe Clay's first release on the label would be sandwiched between releases by Eddie Fontaine and The Treniers. Quite an eclectic bunch. Other artists on the label were Mickey & Sylvia, of 'Love Is Strange' fame, and Mickey Baker would soon play a part in the Joe Clay story. But that's getting ahead of ourselves. When the Trio were presented with the letter, young C.J. took up the challenge, and said he would cut a demo. He recorded 'Shake Rattle And Roll' and 'Flip Flop And Fly,' accompanying himself on a borrowed guitar, at the radio station offices in the Jung Hotel on Canal Street, New Orleans. He handed the tape back to Jolly Charlie. A month later C.J. got a call from RCA Records producer Herman Diaz Jr. In New York. Would he like to make a record? On April 25th 1956, Diaz flew C.J. up to Houston to the famed Gold Star Studio where Starday Records were cutting their great rockabilly sides. On the session C.J. was accompanied by Starday session stalwarts

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