Julia Lee - Party Time (Capitol LP T-228)

Side 1:
01) King Size Papa
02) Snatch and Grab It
03) You Ain't Got It No More
04) Tell Me Daddy
05) Last Call For Alcohol
06) I Was Wrong

Side 2:
01) Tonight's The Night
02) I Didn't Like It The First Time
03) Ain't It A Crime
04) Don't Save It Too Long
05) After Hours Waltz
06) My Man Stands Out

Party Time (Mega)

Party Time (Zippy)

Many thanks to Marv for sending in this reconstituted 1955 Julia Lee Capitol LP. "Party Time" was first issued as a 10 inch LP (Capitol H228) in 1950. The 1980s brought a Pathe Marconi reissue of "Party Time" plus two more compilations of Julia's Capitol sides on Charly: "Tonight's The Night" and "Of Lions And Lambs" so no R&B revival party was complete without a few "naughty" tracks by Miss Lee and of course the hipper pubs would signal last orders with "Last Call For Alcohol."

It was quite the comeback for Julia Lee, but unfortunately she was not around to enjoy it, having died of a heart attack in Kansas City in 1958. Her career was remarkably long lived, starting during the roaring days of KC jazz. Her first recordings were made as pianist / vocalist with her brother George Lee's band back in the late 1920s. Stardom came late to Julia, when she hit the R&B charts with a series of suggestive songs in the late 1940s on the Capitol label.

Her first big success was in 1947 with "(Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It" which was followed by "King Size Papa" in early 1948. What was noteworthy was that due to the salacious content of these discs, success was achieved without the support of radio play, but was rather due to jukebox plays and word of mouth. Of course to the pure all things are pure and the classic format of Miss Lee's discs included a brief intro which would set the song in a pefectly innocent context so that whatever followed was all in the mind of the listener.

There'll be more Julia Lee in the next post but in the meantime welcome to the world of king size papas and men who stand out! Thanks to Marv!

Naughty Original Issues:

All discs by "Julia Lee And Her Boyfriends"

(Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It / I Was Wrong - Capitol 40028 - August 1947

King Size Papa / When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) - Capitol 40082 - January 1948

Tell Me, Daddy / (It Will Have To Do) Until The Real Thing Comes Along - Capitol 15144 - July 1948

I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song) / Sit Down And Drink It Over - Capitol 15367 - February 1949

Tonight's The Night / After Hours Waltz - Capitol 57-70013 - July 1949

Oh, Chuck It (In A Bucket) / You Ain't Got It No More - Capitol 57-70031 - September 1949

Don't Save It Too Long (The Money Song) / Ain't It A Crime? - Capitol 838 - February 1950

My Man Stands Out / Don't Come Too Soon - Capitol 1111 - July 1950

Goin' To Chicago Blues / Last Call (For Alcohol) - Capitol 2203 - August 1952

Issue information from 45worlds.com. Artwork from various sales sites and Discogs.com. Sounds from Marv.