A lot of rock ’n’ roll backstories are more matter of fact than glamorous. Case in point: The Claudettes’ Johnny Iguana was on assignment for Collector’s Choice Music when he first ran across rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson’s “Whirlpool.”
“I discovered her 1962 b-side while writing copy for the catalog,” says Iguana. “I thought it would work great for us, especially if we slowed it down a bit and amped up the sort of ‘misterioso’ side of it.”
The Claudettes’ pianist and chief composer has a bit of a track record, playing with the likes of Derek Trucks, Johnny Winter, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and James Cotton. Iguana fronts the Chicago-based punk-organ outfit Oh My God and is also one of the writers behind the original score for the Emmy-winning series The Bear. The forthcoming Garage Glamour is his seventh LP with the Claudettes. It’s set for release on June 5 via the Pravda label.
Yet another decadently danceable cocktail of rock, funk and soul, Garage Glamour has some interesting affiliations. Jeffrey “JQ” Qaiyum, who also worked on music for The Bear, co-produced two tracks, while Iguana’s uncle, Grammy-winning reissue guru Steve Berkowitz, contributed his own studio skills to another healthy chunk of the album. Octogenarian blues legend and Muddy Waters Band alum John Primer appears on the lead-off “(You Are My) Whole World,” knocking out a powerful duet with lead singer Rachel Williams.
A lanky six-foot whirlwind onstage, Williams is a relatively new acquisition, joining the band in 2023. In her first studio appearance with the Claudettes, she asserts herself in numerous ways across Garage Glamour’s 10 tracks, “Whirlpool” included.
“Wanda Jackson is perennially hip, and ‘Whirlpool’ is the first cover song we’ve released since our first days as just a piano-and-drums duo,” says Iguana. “Rachel’s seductive vocal really reels the listener in.”
We’re proud to premiere the Claudettes’ “Whirlpool.”
—Hobart Rowland
See the Claudettes live.
