A track from our imminent Jukebox Mambo comp of hot Latin R&B crossover numbers, Percy Mayfield's 'Louisiana' is a typically haunting tribute to the swampy Bayou state of his upbringing, set to an energetic Creole rumba and a cool horn riff. On the flip side, something very interesting, this the original demo version of 'Hit The Road Jack' as sung acapella by Mayfield and submitted to Art Rupe at Specialty records. Specialty was winding down operations at the time but somehow one Ray Charles got wind of the song. Ray had been a long time friend and fan of Mayfield, and obviously heard something in the demo. He opted to record it and the rest falls into history as 'Hit the Road Jack' became one of Ray Charles' biggest ever sellers and perhaps even his signature song. Few people would have realized that the composer was such a talent in his own right, our own Percy Mayfield, 'the poet of the blues'.