A Non-Smok[e]y Place
September 4, 2020
"Smoky Places" (that's not a typo - there is no "e" in the song title) is a beach music classic. The lyrics are a bit scandalous for a 1961 song, along the lines of "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul that came out in 1972. Here are the lyrics:
Meeting in smokey places Hiding in shadowy corners Dancing where no one knows our faces Sharing love stolen in the night In smokey places
Oh oh how I cried On your wedding day Like, like my heart would break How you regret your wedding day Now paying for your bad mistake
Mmm Meeting in smokey places Hiding in shadowy corners Oh we are dancing where no one knows our faces Sharing love stolen in the night In smokey places
Some sunny day He will set you free Free to be my life Some sunny day Sweetheart, he'll set you free We'll be, we'll be satisfied
Meeting in smokey places
Hiding in shadowy corners We just keep dancing where no one knows our faces Sharing love stolen in the night In smokey places
Sharing love stolen in the night In smokey places
Sharing love stolen in the night In smokey places
The Corsairs were from La Grange, North Carolina. The group consisted of the three Uzzell brothers, Moses, Jay, James and their cousin, George Wooten. Initially they performed as The Gleems, and toured the East Coast, where they were overheard by Abner Spector. Changing their name in 1961 to The Corsairs (did you know that a "corsair" is a pirate ship?), they released their first single, "Time Waits" b/w "It Won't Be a Sin" on Smash Records. Switching to Tuff Records- Official Site they released "Smoky Places", which became a nationwide hit after being picked up for national distribution by Chess Records, hitting #10 R&B and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. The follow-up, "I'll Take You Home", peaked at #62, and they continued releasing singles until 1964, none of which managed to hit the charts.
"Smoky Places" was used in the 1994 movie, There Goes My Baby, and in the 2006 Sopranos episode "Mayham."
Jay Uzzell (born Jay Dee Uzzell) died on February 1, 2009.
Moses Uzzell Sr. (born Moses Linberg Uzzell) died on May 11, 2013, at age 80.
James Uzzell (born Deacon James Lee Uzzell on December 1, 1937 in Lenoir County, North Carolina) died on September 10, 2014, at age 76.
No word on the fourth member, George Wooten.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed The Corsairs among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. A fitting end for "Smoky Places," don't you think?