pingouin missed one!
Esquerita was born Eskew Reeder (or S.Q. Reeder, according to some sources) in 1935, in Greenville, South Carolina. In 1986 he died in Harlem and was buried in an unmarked grave.
What happened in between those two dates was more interesting: In his prime, in the late 1950s, Esquerita had a pompadour or conk six inches or more in height. He played piano and sang like hell, and generally made Little Richard look safe and normal. He first began performing in church back in Greenville in 1945. In his teens, he toured and occasionally recorded with gospel groups before turning to rock and roll.
He was "discovered" by Paul Peek, Gene Vincent's rhythm guitarist, in 1958, and continued to collaborate with Peek from time to time on into the early 1960s.
Esquerita's recording career lasted from 1958 until 1968, roughly speaking, though the best years were the early ones. He had no hits, in any case. He continued to perform until his death.
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