No writer has done more to chronicle the vibrant sounds of New Orleans rhythm & blues than Jeff Hannusch, a transplanted Canadian who made the Crescent City his home. In his first book, I Hear You Knockin: The Sound of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, published in 1985, Hannusch weaves together the stories of the citys key singers, musicians, producers, record companies, and venues, as told by those who were there as the music developed during the 1950s and 60s. Chapters on Professor Longhair, Dave Bartholomew, Allen Toussaint, Roy Brown, Guitar Slim, Irma Thomas, Earl King, Ernie K-Doe, and other artists are complemented by the tales of music business veterans such as Johnny Vincent of Ace Records, producer Marshall Sehorn, and pioneering African-American DJ Vernon Dr. Daddy-O Winslow. The book was published by Swallow Publications, Inc., an arm of Floyd Soileaus legendary Cajun music operation in Ville Platte, Louisiana.
