Joan Selects Volume 11 - A Doo Wop Christmas

Re-upped just in time for a rhythm 'n' blues flavoured Christmas. More than 30 vocal group sides full of yuletide yearning, courtesy Joan K.

Download from here:

http://www27.zippyshare.com/v/35103022/file.html

The tracks ripped from crackly 45s:

01 - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - The Melodeers
02 - Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
03 - White Christmas - The Drifters
04 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Harmony Grits
05 - You're My Christmas Present - The Skyliners
06 - Can This Be Christmas - The Falcons
07 - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Cadillacs
08 - It's Christmas Time - The Five Keys
09 - Rockin' Santa Claus - The Martels
10 - It's Christmas Once Again - Frankie Lymon
11 - Merry Christmas To My Heart - The Sheps
12 - Merry Merry Christmas Baby - The Tune Weavers
13 - Merry Twist-Mas - The Marcels
14 - Merry Christmas Darling (And A Happy New Year) - The Uniques
15 - Mambo, Santa, Mambo - The Enchanters
16 - Mr. Santa's Boogie - The Marshalls
17 - Just A Lonely Christmas - The Moonglows
18 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
19 - (It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas - The Orioles
20 - A Christmas Long Ago (Jingle Jingle) - The Echelons
21 - Hey Santa Claus - The Moonglows
22 - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - The Orioles
23 - White Christmas - The Ravens
24 - After New Year's Eve - The Heartbeats
25 - Every Heart Is Home At Christmas - The Five Keys
26 - Happy Holiday - The Shells
27 - Christmas Is Coming At Last - The Rhythm Kings
28 - Rockin' & Rollin' With Santa Claus - The Hepsters
29 - Christmas Letter - La Fets and Kitty
30 - Have A Merry Christmas - The Robins
31 - Love For Christmas - The Ebonaires
32 - Merry Christmas - The Cameos

Label shots also courtesy Joan K:

Season's greetings to all of you. May we all continue to rock and roll through 2015!

Bill Doggett LP re-upped - Hot Doggett!

Dead rapidshare and megaupload links replaced - another request fulfilled! It's Christmas I tells ya. This LP was sent in by an anonymous donor some years ago. Cool organ / sax / guitar instrumental combo from King Records. Tracklist:

Side 1

1. High Heels

2. Honey Boy

3. True Blue

4. Wild Oats

5. Gumbo

6. Squashy

Side 2

1. Percy Speaks

2. Oof!

3. Shove Off

4. Quaker City

5. Who's Who

6. Early Bird

Download from here:

Bill Doggett - Hot Doggett (Mega)

Original post is here, although not much info in it:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/bill-doggett-hot-doggett-king-lp-514_4008.html

It's almost Christmas so a certain collection will have to be re-upped tomorrow ...

'Tis the Season of Honk - Freddie Mitchell, Noble Watts and Big Jay

And here's a belated ending to our round up of NYC tenor sax heroes of R&b and early rock 'n' roll. Freddie's here at last, in the shape of an Official LP compilation of some of his sides for Derby, where his outfit was virtually the house band, plus good stuff for Mercury and a few other labels. When Derby closed down, its masters were sold off and Freddie Mitchell sides turned up on LPs on the "X" subsidiary of RCA and on the Allegro / Royale budget label.

The latter was an imprint of a different RCA - not the well established Radio Corporation, but a budget label outfit called the Record Corporation of America. At least they reissued Freddie's sides under his own name, unlike the Remington / Masterseal / Plymouth budget LPs which released Freddie Mitchell sides under the pseudonym "Hen Gates" which is a saga which featured a few years ago on this blog. Just use the search window!

New download link:

http://www11.zippyshare.com/v/4962321/file.html

Original post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/freddie-mitchell-rockn-roll.html

And here's a reminder of a great Noble "Thin Man" Watts comp that has been re-upped. More NYC tenor sax action:

Download from:

http://www61.zippyshare.com/v/1169533/file.html

We now turn our rockin' attention to the West Coast and Big Jay McNeely.

It looks like all rapidshare links are now dead. I've been expecting this but I wish I'd re-uploaded more stuff before it happened. I'll deal with requests for re-ups as and when I can. A request last week drew my attention to the situation and here is the new link for the in-demand LP - The Best of Big Jay McNeely. The download includes new label scans. Full gatefold sleeve is also included. Download from here:

http://www24.zippyshare.com/v/42177317/file.html

The original post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/big-jay-mcneely-best-of-big-jay-mcneely.html

Honk on, children!

Buddy Lucas and Jesse Powell

Almost at the end of the quick survey of 1950s NYC rock 'n' roll / R&B sax players. The "Gone All Stars" were led by Buddy Lucas who was a pretty ubiquitous figure on the New York recording scene, playing on many sessions for Jubilee, Groove, Savoy and a multiplicity of small labels. As well as leading his own groups, Buddy recorded with the Orioles, Little Anthony, Frankie Lymon, Edna McGriff, Little Willie John among many, many others.

Joan K supplied the rips and scans from the "Dancin' Bandstand" EP plus the "7-11" single. The original post (from 2008) is situated here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/05/gone-all-stars-featuring-buddy-lucas.html

The new download link for "Dancin' Bandstand" plus "7-11" is:

http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/jlEci1jP/file.html

Jesse Powell, like Buddy Lucas, recorded on many rock 'n' roll / R&B sessions for NYC based labels such as Jubilee and Josie, being especially associated with recordings by The Cadillacs. El Enmascarado supplied the Jubilee LP "Blow Man Blow" which despite its rousing title is a collection of ballad performances by Jesse.

The original post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/jesse-powell-blow-man-blow-jubilee-jlp.html

The download link for "Blow Man Blow" is here:

http://www16.zippyshare.com/v/BE19VIs9/file.html

I put together a home made compilation of rockin' tracks by Jesse Powell, entitled "The R&B Years". The original post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/jesse-powell-r-years.html

The download link is here:

http://www17.zippyshare.com/v/gNxhy8da/file.html

I was pleasantly surprised at the positive reaction to that quick "knock off" post. Sometimes spontaneous posts are much more successful than posts that are weeks or even months in the planning!

Still to come - Freddie Mitchell. He'll be along soon, honest!

Tiny Bradshaw LPs and those mighty 78s

It seems fitting to post the new links to 2 Tiny Bradshaw LPs as three of our recently featured tenor sax men had spells in his band - Red Prysock, Sil Austin and Noble Watts.

The main post on Tiny is about the King LP "A Tribute To The Late Tiny Bradshaw, The Great Composer." This magnificent post which is guaranteed to treble your brainpower, increase your vocabulary tenfold and transform you into the hippest character in your neighbourhood (if you aren't already) can be found here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/tribute-to-late-tiny-bradshaw-great_03.html

Not only do you get a fantastic LP to download, you also get biographical details and a pile of scans of labels and EP covers from Joan.

For those of you with a short attention span or who are already at the top of the hipness scale, the new download link for "The Great Composer" is:

Tiny Bradshaw The Great Composer (Mega)

The Krazy Kat LP "Stomping Room Only" can be found at:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/tiny-bradshaw-stomping-room-only.html

There is some duplication of tracks with "The Great Composer" but there are enough dynamite extras such as "T-99" and "Walk That Mess" to make it well worth your while downloading both albums.

The new download link for "Stomping Room Only" is:


Tiny Bradshaw Stomping Room Only (Mega)


We mustn't forget 3 superb 78s that El Emascarado ripped and sent in. These posts are well worth investigating for the streaming audio, label shots, and insights of El Enmascarado ( a real musician as well as failed Mexican wrestler). These posts can be found at:

Well Oh Well / I Hate You











http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/well-oh-well-tiny-bradshaw.html

South of the Orient / Later











http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/south-of-orient-later-tiny-bradshaw-his.html

Walkin' The Chalk Line / Bradshaw Boogie










http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/walkin-chalk-line-bradshaw-boogie-tiny.html

These tracks were featured in the downloadable series "Jump & Jive On 78".

Sil Austin LPs

Okay groovers, 3 LPs by Sil Austin have been re-upped, plus I've added "Slow Walk Rock" which originally appeared on the Schadenfreudian Therapy blog some years back. For that album I've brightened up the cover scans and re-tagged the mp3s.

Normally I only post my own rips or donated rips, but in this case as Schadenfreudian Therapy is no longer with us, I have succumbed to temptation. Many thanks to Baikinange for originally uploading this monstrously good LP.

The main Sil Austin post on which you will find both these LPs is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/sil-austin-everythings-shakin-mgw-12227.html

You will find an outline of Sil's career, download links, plus updated artwork for "Everything's Shakin'". Here are the new download links if you don't wish to read the original post although I strongly recommend that you do as it will transform you from a hopeless square into a stylish, suave and knowledgeable hepcat.

Everything's Shakin'

Slow Walk Rock

In 1959 Sil recorded an album of ballads with string and vocal chorus accompaniment. "Sil Austin Plays Pretty For The People" was quite a departure from his previous full-on rock 'n' roll LPs. A track from the album, "Danny Boy," was a pop hit for Sil thus justifying the new approach. You will find a link to a reissued and truncated version of the LP on this post:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/sil-austin-plays-pretty-for-people_19.html

I have updated the artwork to go with this album. Again, for those who have no wish to descend into the depths of the world of Be Bop Wino, here is the new download link:

Sil Austin Plays Pretty For The People

Sil Austin Plays Pretty For The People Again -

This 1967 follow up to "Sil Austin Plays Pretty For The People" was donated by Oracle, who ran a cool retro/jazz/lounge/latin blog called Portal Of Groove which is sadly no longer with us. The front cover, which appears to be populated by refugees from "Yellow Submarine", jars somewhat with the 1940s / 50s look of Be Bop Wino but Sil still looks pretty cool.

The original post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/sil-austin-plays-pretty-for-people.html

The download link is here:

Sil Austin Plays Pretty For The People Again

Many thanks to Oracle.

Coming soon - more Big Apple sax blast with Freddie Mitchell, Buddy Lucas and Jesse Powell. PLUS Tiny Bradshaw - the band which featured Red Prysock, Sil Austin and Noble Watts, although not all at the same time!

Bongo Blues / Dee's Boogie - Dee Williams Sextette (Savoy 684)

Recorded in Los Angeles, on February 18th, 1949. Released on February 29th, 1949.

Personnel: John Anderson (trumpet); Gene Montgomery (tenor sax); Richard Brown (baritone sax); Devonia "Dee" Williams (piano); Charles "Chuck" Norris (guitar); Morris Edwards (bass); Roy Porter (drums).

Devonia Williams was for many years the pianist in the Johnny Otis band. In 1949 she recorded some sides under her own name - "Bongo Blues" / "Dee's Boogie" was released as by the "Dee Williams Sextette" and "Midnite Creep" / " Double Trouble Hop" (Savoy 716) was released as by "The California Playboys."

"Bongo Blues" sold well. Billboard rated it highly: "Smart amalgam of Cu-bop and Harlem Jump, with the inevitable honk tenor to insure (sic) commercial potential." "Dee's Boogie" wasn't rated so highly: "Formula romper in the loose wig manner: pounding rhythm, one-note tenor solos with answering riffs."

The above line up is a good example of how musicians in 1940s Los Angeles could shuttle back and forth between jazz and R&B gigs. Gene Montgomery and Roy Porter were both members of the Howard McGhee band which in 1946 also featured Charlie Parker and Sonny Criss.

"Blow, Gene, Blow" is an unreleased track from the Dee Williams session which gives us a chance to hear Gene Montgomery  stretching out a bit. He can also be heard on "What Is This Thing Called Love" which was recorded at the same 1947 Elks Hall jam session which gave us "The Hunt" in which Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon squared off against each other. On "What Is This Thing Called Love" tenor sax duties are carried out by Gene Montgomery and Wild Bill Moore. Yep, the Wild Bill Moore of "We're Gonna Rock" fame.

Anyway, here's the Dee Williams Sextette with "Blow, Gene, Blow":

Coming soon on Be Bop Wino: more NYC rocking R&B sax from Sil Austin, Buddy Lucas and Jesse Powell, a very weird 78 rpm disc by Tadd Dameron's Big Ten, courtesy El Enmascarado, and an all day drinking session with The Clovers, with input from Joan. Also in the pipeline - just what is the truth behind The Twist? And There's Good News Tonight > There's Good Blues Tonight > There's Good Rockin' Tonight. Plus whatever else takes my fancy!

Red Prysock LPs

On with the Big Beat honkfest! In this post we feature updates to previous Red Prysock posts, especially the revamped "Cryin' My Heart Out" Saxophonograph LP. For a little bit of fun I thought I'd come up with a new front cover which is more "in period" as it utilizes a 1940s photo of Red with Tiny Grimes in New York. The real cover and label artwork is below.

The original (improved) "Cryin' My Heart Out" post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/red-prysock-cryin-my-heart-out.html

Download "Cryin' My Heart Out" from here:

http://www17.zippyshare.com/v/6bATpyif/file.html

An anonymous donor sent in "The Big Sound Of Red Prysock" which is a 1964 LP on the budget Forum Circle label. The original post is here: 

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/big-sound-of-red-prysock-fc-9083_4157.html

I can't find any discographical information on this release but having listened to it earlier today I can say that "Castle Rock" is one of the best honk tracks I've ever heard.

Download "The Big Sound Of Red Prysock" from here:

http://www90.zippyshare.com/v/uVi8bBTY/file.html

Back in 2010, Jeff sent in a copy of the Sil Austin v Red Prysock sax duel LP, "Battle Royal." You can read the original post with comments from Jeff here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/sil-austin-red-prysock-battle-royal-mg.html

Download "Battle Royal" from here:

http://www8.zippyshare.com/v/iAsYLY6f/file.html

Coming soon - more New York honk with Sil Austin, Buddy Lucas and Freddie Mitchell.

Dance The Rock & Roll (Atlantic LP 8013)

Side 1

1. Willis Jackson - Gator's Groove

2. Chuck Calhoun - Hey Tiger

3. Tommy Ridgley - Jam Up

4. Arnett Cobb - Flying Home Mambo

5. Joe Morris - Wow!

6. Arnett Cobb - Mr Pogo

7. Frank Culley - Gone After Hours

Side 2

1. Arnett Cobb - Light Like That

2. Joe Morris - Weasel Walk

3. Frank Culley - Culley Flower

4. Willis Jackson - Rock! Rock! Rock!

5. Frank Culley - Hop 'N' Twist

6. Chuck Calhoun - Barrel House

7. Tiny Grimes - Midnight Special

LP cover from the PopBopRockTilUDrop blog.

LP originally released in 1958

Download from:

Dance The Rock & Roll (Mega)

Ah yes, there's nothing like a bit of rock 'n' roll exploitation to bring in the money, and here's as fine an example as any, although with a lot more class than budget label "Hen Gates" albums. Atlantic Records, despite being the premier R&B label in the land, wasn't above recycling its back catalogue under a slightly misleading cover. They even had a Ray Charles twist album, and to describe the tracks on "Dance The Rock & Roll" as, well, rock 'n' roll, was surely stretching things a bit.

That said, from a 21st century perspective this is a fine collection of R&B sax tracks. They date from 1948 through to 1955. No doubt some of them could be considered to be genuine rock 'n' roll or as near as dammit, but Tiny Grimes, Joe Morris and Frank Culley surely don't come under that description. Fifty six years later, however, arguing over which tracks can be described as R&B, rock 'n' roll, or even jazz just doesn't seem to matter any more. It's a cracking collection of New York Big Beat Honk with, as well as the credited artists, Hal Singer, Sam "The Man" Taylor, Red Prysock, Lee Allen (on temporary transfer from New Orleans) and Johnny Griffin on board. "Chuck Calhoun" is the pseudonym of Jesse Stone who was very much the creator of the backbeat based Atlantic sound of the 1950s.

This is a reconstruction of the original LP. Twelve of the fourteen tracks are from the "Atlantic Honkers" double LP set. The exceptions are the Tiny Grimes and Tommy Ridgley tracks which are from the first two volumes of the double LP series "Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947 - 1974." The cover is from the admirable PopBopRockTilUDrop blog. It is probably the worst designed LP cover in the entire history of recorded music, but don't let that put you off. Download this latest episode of the Big Beat Honkfest and play loud, loud, loud!

The tracks:

1. Willis Jackson - Gator's Groove

2. Chuck Calhoun - Hey Tiger

3. Tommy Ridgley - Jam Up

4. Arnett Cobb - Flying Home Mambo

5. Joe Morris - Wow!

6. Arnett Cobb - Mr Pogo

7. Frank Culley - Gone After Hours

8. Arnett Cobb - Light Like That

9. Joe Morris - Weasel Walk

10. Frank Culley - Culley Flower

11. Willis Jackson - Rock! Rock! Rock!

12. Frank Culley - Hop 'N' Twist

13. Chuck Calhoun - Barrel House

14. Tiny Grimes - Midnight Special

Recording details:

Willis Jackson (tenor sax) - "Gator's Groove" and "Rock! Rock! Rock!" recorded in NYC on May 23rd, 1952. Rest of personnel unknown. "Rock! Rock! Rock!" originally released on Atlantic 976. "Gator's Groove" originally issued on Atlantic 975.

Chuck Calhoun and his Atlantic All-Stars - "Hey Tiger" and "Barrel House" recorded in NYC on 24th June, 1955. Personnel: Jesse Stone, aka "Chuck Calhoun" (leader, arranger); Hal Singer, Sam "The Man" Taylor (tenor saxes); Mickey Baker (guitar), rest unknown. Both sides originally released on Atlantic 1120.

Tommy Ridgley - "Jam Up" recorded in NYC, August 8th 1954. Personnel: Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); rest unknown. Originally released on Atlantic 1039.

Arnett Cobb - "Mr Pogo" recorded NYC, 19th April, 1954. Personnel: Ed Lewis (trumpet); Al Grey (trombone); Arnett Cobb (tenor sax); Charlie Ferguson (tenor and baritone saxes); George Rhodes (piano); Walter Buchanan (bass); Al Walker (drums); Bill Sanford (arranger). Originally released on Atlantic 1042.

"Light Like That" and "Flying Home Mambo" recorded in NYC on January 19th, 1955. Personnel same as for "Mr Pogo". Both sides originally released on Atlantic 1056.

Joe Morris - "Wow!" recorded in NYC on September 19th, 1948. "Weasel Walk" recorded in NYC on December 22nd, 1948. Personnel on both tracks:  Joe Morris (trumpet); Matthew Gee (trombone); Johnny Griffin (tenor sax); Bill McLemore (baritone sax); Elmo Hope (piano); Percy Heath (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Both sides originally released on Atlantic 870.

Frank Culley - "Hop 'n' Twist" (aka "Fish Tail") recorded in NYC, September 1949. Personnel: Frank Culley (tenor sax); Harry Van Walls (piano); rest unknown. Originally released on Atlantic 902.

"Gone After Hours" recorded in NYC, August 12th, 1950. Personnel as for "Hop 'n' Twist." Originally released on Atlantic 922.

"Culley Flower" recorded in NYC on 27th February, 1951. Personnel: Wallace Wilson (trumpet); Walter "Phatz" Morris (trombone); Frank Culley (tenor sax); Randy Weston (piano); Count Edmondson (bass); Connie Kay (drums). Originally released on Atlantic 935.

Tiny Grimes - "Midnight Special" (aka "See See Rider") recorded in Cleveland on May 1st, 1948. Personnel: The Tiny Grimes Quintet -  Red Prysock (tenor sax); Jimmy Saunders (piano); Tiny Grimes (guitar), Ike Isaacs (bass); Jerry Potter (drums). Originally released on Atlantic 865 (B side of "Annie Laurie"). 

Al King, Warren Lucky and Haywood Henry - Thunderbolt!

                         

Side A
1. Warren Lucky - Paradise Rock
2. Warren Lucky - Thunderbolt
3. Warren Lucky - Paradise Roll
4. Warren Lucky - Fish Bait
5. Al King - Jay Bird
6. Al King - Melancholy Horn
7. Al King - Strollin' Out

Side B
1. Al King - Flyin' With The King
2. Al King - A King Is Blue
3. Al King - Big Wind
4. Al King - Royal Crown Blues
5. Haywood Henry - Sweet Georgia Brown
6. Al King - Easy Ridin'
7. Al King - Joy Ride

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from:

Thunderbolt! (Mega)

or

Thunderbolt! (Zippy)

This is a re-up of an LP I posted back in March 2008. I've added new front and back cover scans along with label scans. Back when I originally posted this album I hadn't worked out how to scan a complete LP cover so here, very belatedly, is a properly reproduced set of covers.

I recently reread the John A. Jackson biography of Alan Freed, "Big Beat Heat" which is one of my favourite R&B / rock 'n' roll books. It has rekindled my interest in the sax driven band sound that Freed used for his live rock 'n' roll shows, starting with Paul Williams at the infamous Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland in 1952. Later he had the Buddy Johnson band and even the Count Basie band provide accompaniment for his theater and studio shows. He also organised his own Alan Freed Big Rock 'n' Roll band in which at various times prominent New York based sax players such as Freddie Mitchell, Sam "The Man" Taylor, Buddy Lucas, Red Prysock and Big Al Sears served.

So fired up by all this Big Beat sax action, I'll be embarking on a series of posts of the finest NYC rockin' instrumental sounds of the mid 1950s. The bad news is that most of them are re-ups, but there will be new stuff mixed in there too. Re-ups will all feature upgraded cover and label scans and revised tagging so that they can be downloaded straight to your rockin' media player.

There is of course another reason for so many recent re-ups. Although existing Rapidshare links on the blog still appear to be working, I don't expect this to last much longer. After a drastic and mistaken change to their pricing policy which now includes the cessation of its free upload service, I expect that Rapidshare will soon disappear. I am therefore trying to transfer stuff over to zippyshare and I am also taking the opportunity to upgrade posts from the early days of the blog.

This LP features rockin' sax instros from the Joe Davis group of labels. I've added information I've found on the the release of these sides along with some Billboard reviews I found online. These reviews tend to be pretty unflattering, but the music contained herein is still more than worthy of your rockin' attention. Depend upon it, honk fans!

The tracks:

1. Warren Lucky - Paradise Rock
2. Warren Lucky - Thunderbolt
3. Warren Lucky - Paradise Roll
4. Warren Lucky - Fish Bait
5. Al King - Jay Bird
6. Al King - Melancholy Horn
7. Al King - Strollin' Out
8. Al King - Flyin' With The King
9. Al King - A King Is Blue
10. Al King - Big Wind
11. Al King - Royal Crown Blues
12. Haywood Henry - Sweet Georgia Brown
13. Al King - Easy Ridin'
14. Al King - Joy Ride

Session Details:

8. Al King - Flyin' With The King
9. Al King - A King Is Blue
10. Al King - Big Wind
11. Al King - Royal Crown Blues

Recorded as by Al (Tenor Sax) King and His Royal Crowns, NYC, December 4th 1952.
Personnel: Al King (tenor sax); Harry Van Walls (piano); Johnny Saunders (guitar); Thomas Barney (bass); Ernie Heyward (drums)

Big Wind / Royal Crown Blues released on MGM 11430, January / February 1953

Flyin' With The King / A King Is Blue released on MGM 11508, June 1953
"Okay instrumental honker of wider musical than commercial interest." / "More of the same stuff, tho this is a slow mood blues." - Billboard

5. Al King - Jay Bird
6. Al King - Melancholy Horn
7. Al King - Strollin' Out
13. Al King - Easy Ridin'
14. Al King - Joy Ride

Recorded as by Al King and His Kingsmen, NYC, February 15th 1956
Personnel: Al King (tenor sax); Solomon Moore (baritone sax); James Sigler (piano / organ); Eddie McFadden (guitar); Thomas Barney (bass); Francisco De Silva (drums)

Joy Ride / Melancholy Horn released on Davis 448, June 1956
"An instrumental side with tenor sax setting a mad pace for the band. The blowing, for all its sound and fury has no clear aim. Even as dance music it is poorly conceived." / "Tenor and baritone saxes kick a simple riff back and forth without seeming to know what to do with it. The basic idea is repetitious and unimaginative." - Billboard (ouch!)

Remainder of this session unreleased.

1. Warren Lucky - Paradise Rock
2. Warren Lucky - Thunderbolt
3. Warren Lucky - Paradise Roll
4. Warren Lucky - Fish Bait

Recorded as by Warren (Tenor Sax) Luckey and Combo, NYC March 3rd 1955
Personnel: Warren Lucky (tenor sax); Haywood Henry (baritone sax); Ernest Hayes (piano); Mickey Baker (guitar); Peck Morrison (bass); Specs Bailey (drums)

Paradise Rock / Paradise Roll released on Jay-Dee 809, March 1956
Thunderbolt / Fish Bait released on Beacon 105, ? 1955

12. Haywood Henry - Sweet Georgia Brown

Recorded NYC July 7th 1955
Personnel: Haywood Henry (baritone sax); Al Williams (piano); Everett Barksdale (guitar); Bill Pemberton (bass); Bobby Donaldson (drums)

Sweet Georgia Brown / Tenderly released on Hudco, 1955.

Around The Clock Battle - Wynonie Harris v Big Vernon

Wynonie Harris: Around The Clock Blues, Parts 1 and 2:

Philo 103, recorded in Los Angeles in July, 1945.

Personnel: Wynonie "Mr Blues" Harris (vocal) accompanied by Johnny Otis' All Stars - Teddy Edwards (tenor sax); Lee Jones (piano); Stan Morgan (guitar); Bob Kesterton (bass); Johnny Otis (drums). Also at session but not audible on these sides - Howard McGhee (trumpet).

"Big Vernon": Around The Clock Parts 1 and 2:

Stag 508, recorded in San Francisco in November, 1947.

Personnel: "Big Vernon" (Joe Turner) vocals; Pete Johnson (piano).

In our previous post we looked at the possible origins of "Around The Clock" in Trixie Smith's "My Man Rocks Me" from 1922. The Wynonie Harris two parter on Philo (soon to become Aladdin Records) kicked off a series of cover versions by Jimmy Rushing (with Johnny Otis), Numa Lee Davis (with Russell Jacquet), Willie Bryant, Pearl Traylor (with Howard McGhee) and "Big Vernon" who was Big Joe Turner going under a pseudonym.

"Well, sometimes I think I will,

 Yes, and sometimes I think I won't,

 Sometimes I think I will,

 Yes, and sometimes I think I won't,

 Sometimes I believe I do,

 And then again I believe I don't."

This introduction to the Wynonie version will be familiar to rock and roll fans - Chuck Berry used it in his recording of "Reelin' And Rockin'" which I guess is a continuation of the "Around The Clock" theme, only with the activity described now being dancing at the teen hop. Times and audiences had changed by 1958.

So to our battle of the blues - Wynonie v Big Vernon. Who is the winner? Wynonie with his jazz band backing or Joe with just his old cohort Pete Johnson bangin' the boogie on the keyboard? You decide!

Okay, I can't resist getting back to Chuck, so here is "Reelin' And Rockin'" recorded at the end of 1957, with Lafayette Leake on piano, Willie Dixon on bass and Fred Below on drums. The target audience is now high school hop teenagers and not the drunken reprobates who constituted Wynonie's record buying public. But Chuck being Chuck he manages to work in a sly

"I looked at my watch, and to my surprise,

 I was dancin' with a woman that was twice my size"

In 1972 Mr Berry recorded a live version at a gig in England. This time "Reelin' And Rockin'" was restored to the pantheon of "Around The Clock" as Chuck tore through a no holds barred description of a sexual marathon of truly staggering proportions. Here's the 1957 version suitable for the kids, ripped from a vinyl copy of the "One Dozen Berrys" LP:

Chuck Berry: Reelin' And Rockin':

It's half a century and a world away from Trixie Smith ...