"Tee Nah Nah" - Vann "Piano Man" Walls
The wonderful Van "Piano Man" Walls arrives here at Atlantic Records, a man seriously responsible for the success of many future classic songs of Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and The Clovers. His performing brilliance generally came from his diligence and tenacity: in other words, he would just play the everlovin' shit out of his instrument, scattering shattered piano notes all over a song whether it demanded such a rock 'n' roll drive or not. It was a unique way of performing that would often make funny songs gritty, lounge numbers blood-boiling, and wild songs even wilder.
Unfortunately, that is not quite what this tune will demonstrate. Van plays some fine piano licks on the song, and Brownie McGhee (Sticks McGhee's brother) gives an amusing vocal performance, but the composition itself is way too generic with too little musical meat provided by the backing players. A mildly entertaining song as a whole but hardly an essential recording.
Verdict: Decent
NOTE: For some bizarre reason, the only song on Apple Music marked as Walls's "Tee Nah Nah" is actually Joe Morris's "Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace". So, the only way you can hear the song on Apple Music listening to...you guessed it, a recording marked as Joe Morris's "Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace" on a compilation titled Rhythm and Blues of the 50's Vol. 1. Follow the link above and you should be fine.
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