RIP Bobby Charles, songwriter, 71

[Wayback]

Bobby Charles, singer-songwriter penned such hits as Fats Domino's "Walking to New Orleans" and "See You Later Alligator" by Bill Haley and the Comets, died Thursday. He was 71.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/14/entertainment/e155110S66.DTL&tsp=1

[mshray]

If he was 71 when he died, then he could only have been, at most, 17 when he wrote "See You Later Alligator".  It peaked at #6 in 1956.

[RGMike]

If he was 71 when he died, then he could only have been, at most, 17 when he wrote "See You Later Alligator".  It peaked at #6 in 1956.

the Autumn King on KPOO last nite did a short tribute, including his orig version of "Alligator" as well as something from a 1972 LP he did with Rick Danko and much of The Band

http://theheatwarps.blogspot.com/2008/02/bobby-charles.html

http://blog.allmusic.com/2010/01/15/rip-bobby-charles/

He also has an LP he just finished with Dr John that's set for release next month.

[urth]

If he was 71 when he died, then he could only have been, at most, 17 when he wrote "See You Later Alligator".  It peaked at #6 in 1956.

Not surprising--a lot of those N'awlins musicians were teenagers when they started out. Allen Toussaint certainly, also Lee Dorsey and Aaron Neville I think.