Archibald was one of the last in the long line of traditional New Orleans pianist entertainers. It had seemed that he had a promising future ahead of him when his first record, "Stack-A-Lee", sold well enough on Imperial to enter the R&B charts in October 1950. The record was in two parts and Archibald had plenty of scop to perform this old folk song as he must have done many times before in the bars and clubs of New Orelans, including a healthy ration of his delightful piano work. A tour of the West Coast was organized but this was cancelled when Archibald fell sick with ulcer trouble. Although he had further records on Imperial and Colony, he never had the chance again and was not recorded after 1952. Johnny Vincent tried to record him for his Ace label in the late 1950s, but said Archibald's voice had gone; Archibald himself said Vincent did not offer enough money. Archibald was born Leon T. Gross in 1912 on September 14 at 12:16 a.m., just off Plum and Hillary in New Orleans, as he used to delight in telling. When he started playing fraternity houses and the wild parties in the early days he was known as "Archie Boy" and he was mainly influenced by Burnell Santiago, the self-styled "King of Boogie" as well as other pianists like Eileen Dufeau, Miss Isobel and Stack-O-Lee. He was drafted into the Army in the war years and on his return continued playing in New Orleans before he was signed by Al Young, the talent scout for Imperial in 1950. "Stack-A-Lee" was his first record.
He was a resident at the Poodle Patio Club on Bourbon Street for many years, but when a small party visited him in 1970 at his small, wooden one-storey home on 4th Street, it was clear times were not exactly good. He was suspicious, but after passing a bottle of whisky his confidence improved and he sat down at his battered piano and proceeded to give as good a show as one could wish for on a wet Saturday April morning. He sang in a Kansas City shouting style, fond of scat improvisation, and among the songs he played were "Stack-A-Lee", "Blueberry Hill", "Swanee River Hop", "Early Morning Blues", "Pinetop's Boogie", "Muskrat Ramble", and an amazing "Hungarian Rhapsody Boogie". Even singing and playing in his own living room, he had tremendous presence, and it was easy to imagine his popularity in the bar clubs of New Orleans.
Somehow, Archibald's importance as one of the last links of the old New Orleans piano style has been overlooked, and now it's too late becuase he died of a heart attack in 1973 (January 8). So sadly, his music must remain a relic of the past, a magnificent pianist whose boogieing New Orleans style never came to grips with the rock & roll age. One album might have made all the difference.(From "Rhythm & Blues in New Orleans", by John Broven, copyright 1974)
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