Here’s a hard-rocking Saturday morning waker-upper, “Cadillac Walk” by Willy DeVille.
Willy Deville, of course, was the founder and front man of Mink Deville, one of the original breakout bands at Manhattan’s famed CBGB, along with Blondie, Talking Heads, the Ramones, and the Patti Smith Group. The song “Cadillac Walk” is thoroughly identified with Mink and Willy, obscuring the fact that it was actually written by tunesmith Moon Martin, who also penned the mega-hit “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” for Robert Palmer.
While Mink DeVille guitarist Louis X. Erlander originally performed the blazing slide guitar in “Walk,” here the licks are dealt by Willy himself. Decades after helping to found punk rock, DeVille co-wrote the theme song to the film The Princess Bride, “Storybook Love,” with Mark Knopfler. He kicked decades of heroin addiction, settled in New Mexico, and embraced American roots music with all his might.
Willy (born William Borsey) died of pancreatic cancer at age 58 in 2009. You can explore his extensive and eclectic musical catalog here. Meanwhile, here’s a kick-ass live performance video of “Cadillac Walk.”
I bought the LP with ‘Cadillac Walk’ many years ago, mainly for ‘Spanish Stroll’, which was played a lot on UK radio at the time, so this track was a bonus, along with the rest. Still got it…
DeVille never got his due in America. With the name and the look he and the band were tagged as a punk novelty act. Or something, but people never got it. Hugely underrated artist.