Panama Francis All-Stars 1949

Side 1:
01) Jitterbug Jump (unreleased)
02) Honey Blues - Gotham 243
03) The Crackerjack - Gotham 225
04) Panama's Jump (unreleased title)
05) Peach Tree Shuffle - Gotham 225
06) Satchel Shuffle - Gotham 214
07) Pussycats At Midnight - Gotham 214
08) Out Of Nowhere (unreleased take)

Side 2:
01) Jitterbug Jump (unreleased take)
02) Honey Blues (unreleased take)
03) The Crackerjack (unreleased take)
04) Panama's Jump (unreleased title)
05) Satchel Shuffle (unreleased take)
06) Out Of Nowhere (unreleased take)
07) Scrambled Eggs - Gotham 243

Panama Francis All-Stars 1949 (Mega)

Panama Francis All-Stars 1949 (Zippy)

This LP was originally posted back in 2008 but the post remained "unre-upped" after the first takedown of the blog so here it is with all new complete artwork and a little bit of additional incomplete information on the first release of the tracks.

The notes on the back cover are very comprehensive and are a must read on the background of Panama Francis. Anyway here's what I wrote on the original post _

This Krazy Kat LP (KK 813) from 1987 collects tracks recorded by drummer Panama Francis and a small band for Gotham Records over two sessions in 1949. Panama Francis had played in the bands of Roy Eldridge, Lucky Millinder and Cab Calloway. A small unit of the Lucky Millinder group recorded for Queen (King subsidiary) under the name of Panama Francis and his Miamians while Millinder was under contract to Decca (other Millinder sessions were recorded for Queen by a group led by Bullmoose Jackson). Panama led his own group for a short time before joining the Willie Bryant band and then moving on to the Cab Calloway outfit.

It was while he was with Calloway that he recorded his first session for Gotham in 1948, leading a small group of musicians from the Calloway band under the name of the Panama Francis All-Stars. In the 1949 New York City sessions featured here, Panama led a different group of musicians which probably had Danny Turner on soprano, alto and baritone saxes, George Kelly on tenor sax, Doc Bagby on piano and Herb Gordy on bass.

The music is that mixture of jazz and early R&B which is the very stuff of the bebopwino blog. Only six of these sides were ever released, on 3 Gotham singles. The final track, “Scrambled Eggs”, is a real oddity. It is a take of “Jitterbug Jump” with loads of added echo and dubbed on sax and organ. To my ears it sounds ghastly, while the original undubbed track is a fine piece of sax-led proto-R&B.

Panama Francis, of course, went on to become one of the top session musicians in New York, playing on many R&B and Rock’n’Roll hit recordings.

Original Releases:

Satchel Shuffle / Pussy Cats At Midnight - Panama Francis and His All Stars - Gotham 214 - 1950

The Crackerjack / Peach Tree Shuffle - Panama Francis and Orchestra - Gotham 225 - July 1950

Billboard 1st July 1950

Scrambled Eggs / Honey Blues - Panama Francis All-Stars - Gotham 243 - 1950

You can listen to "Stompin' With Panama" which was recorded for Gotham with musicians from the Cab Calloway band in 1948 or early 1949 on the Internet Archive here:

Stompin' With Panama

Mucho rockin' rhythm to come on Be Bop Wino!

Tiny Bradshaw - Breaking Up The House

Side 1:
01) Breaking Up The House
02) Walk That Mess
03) The Train Kept A-Rollin'
04) T-99
05) Bradshaw Boogie
06) Walkin' The Chalk Line
07) Mailman's Sack
08) Snaggle Tooth Ruth

Side 2:
01) Rippin' And Runnin'
02) The Blues Came Pouring Down
03) Two Dry Bones On The Pantry Shelf
04) Brad's Blues
05) Boodie Green
06) Well Oh Well
07) Newspaper Boy Blues
08) One, Two, Three, Kick Blues

Breaking Up The House (Mega)

Breaking Up The House (Zippy)

A 1980s Charly comp which includes some (but not all) of Tiny Bradshaw's R&B hits from the early 1950s. The emphasis on this collection is on the vocal efforts of bandleader Bradshaw who was a fine blues shouter, plus sides featuring vocalists Tiny Kennedy and Dorena Deane.

In an earlier post of the LP "A Tribute To The Late Tiny Bradshaw" there is an overview of Bradshaw's career detailing his evolution from 1930s big band front man, through small group swing in the mid 1940s, to leader of a stomping R&B jump band when he joined King Records in late 1949. His raucous brand of hard rocking jump blues sold well in the early 1950s with "Well Oh Well" reaching number 2 in the R&B charts in May 1950 while "I'm Going To Have Myself A Ball" was at number 5 in October 1950, and "Walkin' The Chalk Line" reached number 10 in September 1951.

Billboard, July 1950

Two hits in 1953, "Soft" and "Heavy Juice" were instrumentals featuring Red Prysock on tenor sax. These set the pattern for much of the band's remaining recorded output in 1954 and 1955 as ill health (a series of strokes or heart attacks depending on who you read) forced Tiny to increasingly take a back seat as far as musical activity was concerned. The band however did keep going, with Red Prysock being replaced by Sil Austin who was in turn replaced by Noble "Thin Man" Watts on a series of good instrumental releases for the juke box crowd.

Billboard June 1954 - the last Tiny disc to see chart action

The tracks on this LP were recorded between 1950 and 1952 when Bradshaw's blues ballin' and squallin' was at its artistic and commercial height. His powerful voice was backed by a suitably powerful band which featured tenor sax man Rufus Gore and Orrington Hall on alto and baritone saxes. When Gore left he was replaced by former Tiny Grimes sax player Red Prysock although Gore would return to join Prysock and Hall in a blow the roof off the joint sax lineup.

So this LP is mostly classic Tiny although there are a couple of tracks ("Rippin' And Runnin'" and "Newspaper Boy Blues") where vocals, both male and "female" parts, are by Tiny Kennedy. There's also "One, Two, Three, Kick Blues" where the band backs bloozy chantoozy Dorena Deane. A welcome bonus is a hitherto unreleased track "Snaggle Tooth Ruth" which is lots of fun. All this and a classic 1980s Nozbig cover by Dave Gibson. What more could you want, rhythm fans?

Original Release Details:

Well Oh Well / I Hate You - King 4357 - April 1950

Boodie Green / After You've Gone - King 4376 - August 1950

Breaking Up The House / If You Don't Love Me, Tell Me So - King 4417 - December 1950

Walk That Mess / One, Two, Three, Kick Blues - King 4427 - February 1951

Two Dry Bones On The Pantry Shelf / Brad's Blues - King 4447 - April 1951

Bradshaw Boogie / Walkin' The Chalk Line - King 4457 - June 1951

T-99 / Long Time Baby - King 4487 - September 1951

The Train Kept A-Rollin' / Knockin' Blues - King 4497 - February 1952

Mailman's Sack / Newspaper Boy Blues - King 4537 - April 1952

Lay It On The Line / Rippin' And Runnin' - King 4547 - July 1952

Heavy Juice / The Blues Came Pouring Down - King 4621 - May 1953

Snaggle Tooth Ruth - first issued on this LP

Elsewhere On The Blog:

A Tribute To The Late Tiny Bradshaw The Great Composer

King LP of mainly instrumental sides by the Bradshaw band. Includes the two big hits featuring Red Prysock, "Soft" and "Heavy Juice." Post includes biography of Tiny Bradshaw.

Tiny Bradshaw - Stomping Room Only

Krazy Kat compilation of best of Bradshaw (no "Soft" though) quite a bit of duplication with "Breaking Up The House."

General update post on all things Tiny Bradshaw on the blog, including links to El Enmascarado's 78 rpm singles:

Tiny Bradshaw LPs and those Mighty 78s

Scan by El Enmascarado

Above 2 scans from Joan

More R&B coming soon including loose as a goose West Coast sounds from Marv, untamed Detroit vocal group shenanigans from Charlie B and an LP by an old favourite ripped by my good self. Perhaps another look at Earl Bostic to be thrown in? Stay tuned.

Jay McShann - The Band That Jumps The Blues!

Side 1:
01) Hot Biscuits - Jay McShann
02) Slow Drag Blues - Jay McShann
03) M. R. Boogie - Maxine Reed
04) Buttermilk - Jay McShann
05) Skid-Row Blues (alt take) - Jimmy Witherspoon
06) Soft Winds - Jay McShann

Side 2:
01) No Name Boogie - Boogie Woogie Jackson
02) Thinking About My Baby - Lois Booker
03) Jeronimo - Jay McShann
04) 12 O'Clock Whistle - Jay McShann
05) Mello Drag - Jay McShann
06) Eatin' Watermelon - Crown Prince Waterford

The Band That Jumps The Blues (Mega)

The Band That Jumps The Blues (Zippy)

In August 2010 (I can't believe it was that long ago) I posted an LP of pianist and bandleader Jay McShann's early 1940s big band sides recorded for Decca in Dallas, Chicago and New York. The post explored the story of McShann's start in Kansas City back in the 1930s when the city's corrupt administration maintained a rather flexible and doubtlessly well greased attitude towards liquor licensing and other aspects of a convivial nightlife which led to KC acquiring a reputation as the Gomorrah of the Mid West. A by product of all this laxity was a burgeoning jazz scene which spawned great bands such as those of Count Basie, Andy Kirk and Jay McShann.

When KC became a rather more respectable city in the late '30s, there was an exodus of musicians as venues closed down. Jay's big band was one of the last to leave but soon built themselves a formidable reputation when they hit NYC and took on more established outfits in band battles. They had a big hit with "Confessin' The Blues" which featured band vocalist Walter Brown. See "Hootie's K.C. Blues" post for more tales and music from that period.

"The Band That Jumps The Blues" brings together tracks from the late '40s when Jay's big band days were well behind him and he was recording with a series of small groups in a much more R&B vein. All of the tracks were recorded in 1948 and 1949 for Jack Lauderdale's LA based Down Beat label, with the exception of Jimmy Witherspoon's "Skid-Row Boogie" which was recorded in 1947 for Supreme, another LA label whose masters were bought by Lauderdale for reissue on Down Beat and / or its renamed successor Swing Time.

McShann had arrived on the West Coast around 1945, picking up a new blues shouter in Jimmy Witherspoon. Numa Lee Davis and Crown Prince Waterford were also vocalists in the band which had its first LA recording session in July 1945 for the newly formed label Philo which would later become Aladdin. In the same month the band recorded for Premier with the masters eventually being acquired by Mercury. "Shipyard Woman Blues" for example was first released on Premier in late 1945 and then rereleased on Mercury in August 1946. There were further sessions for Mercury in September and November 1946, and in May 1947.

In November 1947 McShann's band backed Jimmy Witherspoon, who had gone solo, on sessions for Supreme. There was a massive R&B hit for one of the resulting discs, a two parter version of "Ain't Nobody's Business." The Supreme masters were later purchased by Jack Lauderdale the owner of Down Beat / Swing Time records and reissued in the early 1950s.

In early 1948 the McShann band backed Lois Booker on a session for Down Beat. "Thinking About My Baby" was credited to Booker, while the B-Side instrumental, "No Name Boogie" was credited to "Boogie Woogie Jackson", a pseudonym for McShann. The McShann band also provided backing for Jimmy Witherspoon at more Down Beat sessions in the spring of 1948 and in June 1948. In July 1948 McShann and his band, which included Buddy Floyd on tenor sax and Tiny Webb on guitar, were back in the studio for a Down Beat session which produced a top ten R&B hit instrumental in "Hot Biscuits." Another release from this session was under the name of vocalist Maxine Reed - "M.R. Boogie."

Clifford Scott was the tenor saxman in McShann's band when they recorded a session for Aladdin in February 1949 with only one single being released. Another Down Beat session sometime in mid 1949 had Maxwell Davis on tenor sax. A session with Crown Prince Waterford on an unknown date in 1949 was perhaps the last Down Beat session by Jay McShann. He recorded for the Rex Hollywood label sometime in 1949 with two released discs including the two parter "Jay's Blues" being on sale in April 1949.

McShann backed Witherspoon on a few Modern sides in 1950 and in October 1951 he was back at Mercury recording with a band which included Ben Webster. In September 1955 he recorded a session in Chicago for Vee Jay which resulted in a big R&B hit - "Hands Off" credited to McShann and vocalist Priscilla Bowman. Another Vee Jay session in January 1956 with Priscilla Bowman marked the end of McShann's R&B recording career but in common with other KC musicians he had the jazz reputation which ensured a long and fruitful working life in that field. He died in December 2006, one of the last survivors of the roaring days of Kansas City jazz.

Original Release Details

01) Hot Biscuits - Down Beat 165 - Jay McShann
02) Slow Drag Blues - Down Beat 165 - Jay McShann
03) M.R. Boogie - Down Beat 159 - Maxine Reed

04) Buttermilk - Down Beat 172 - Jay McShann

05) Skid-Row Blues - alt. take of Supreme 1545 / Swing Time 244 - Jimmy Witherspoon
06) Soft Winds - Down Beat 205 - Jay McShann

07) No Name Boogie - Down Beat 150 - "Boogie Woogie Jackson"
08) Thinking About My Baby - Down Beat 150 - Lois Booker
09) Jeronimo - Swing Time 314 - Jay McShann
10) 12 O'Clock Whistle - Down Beat 172 - Jay McShann

11) Mello Drag - Swing Time 314 - Jay McShann
12) Eatin' Watermelon - Torch 6911- Crown Prince Waterford

Thinking About My Baby / No Name Boogie - Lois Booker, B-Side instrumental credited to "Boogie Woogie Jackson" - Down Beat 150 - circa September / October 1948

M.R. Boogie / Afraid Of Darkness - Maxine Reed and The D.B. Orchestra - Down Beat 159 - October 1948

Hot Biscuits / Slow Drag Blues - Jay McShann and The Band That Jumps The Blues - Down Beat 165 - October 1948

Buttermilk / 12 O'Clock Whistle - Jay McShann and The Band That Jumps The Blues - Down Beat 172 - February 1949

Soft Winds / Someone To Watch Over Me - Jay McShann & His Band That Jumps The Blues - Down Beat 205 - May 1949

Skid-Row Blues - track on this LP is an alternate take of the track released on Supreme 1545 - Jimmy Witherspoon, B-Side of How Long, released November 1949, and re-released as Swing Time 244 in December 1951

Jeronimo / Mello Drag - Jay McShann - Swingtime 314 - October 1952

Eatin' Watermelon / Love Awhile - Crown Prince Waterford - Torch 6911 - released 1952 (purchased 1949 Down Beat master). Torch was a small Dallas TX label with only 3 known releases.

Elsewhere on the blog:

Hootie's K.C. Blues

 

Bull Moose Jackson Sings His All-Time Hits

Side 1:
01) I Love You Yes I Do
02) I Can't Go On Without You
03) Cherokee Boogie
04) My Little Baby
05) I Want A Bowlegged Woman
06) Have You No Mercy

Side 2:
01) All My Love Belongs To You
02) Little Girl Don't Cry
03) Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me
04) Sometimes I Wonder
05) Sneaky Pete
06) I Never Loved Anyone But You

Bull Moose Jackson Sings (Mega)

Bull Moose Jackson Sings (Zippy)

Thanks to Marv for a "restoration" of Audio Lab AL-1524 which was released in March 1960. Of course the 12 sides were originally released as singles on King much earlier, in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most of the music on this album consists of ballads which were big sellers for Bull Moose but there are a few rockers, including the risque "I Want A Bow Legged Woman" and "Sneaky Pete", and the R&B versions of two Country hits - "Cherokee Boogie" originally by "King Of The Hillbilly Piano Players" Moon Mullican, and "Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me" which was originally by harmonica ace Wayne Raney.

Billboard, 14th March 1960

I must also thank Joan who supplied the rip of track 4, "My Little Baby" and additional artwork below:

Original 78 rpm release of "Sneaky Pete"

King EP-211, released in 1953

Original release of the tracks on Audio Lab AL-1524

I Love You Yes I Do / Sneaky Pete - King 4181 - October 1947. A double sided hit with "I Love You Yes I Do" reaching number 1 in the R&B chart and number 24 in the pop chart.

All My Love Belongs To You / I Want A Bowlegged Woman - King 4189 - February 1948. The A-Side reached number 3 in the R&B chart, while the B-Side reached number 5.

I Can't Go On Without You / Fare Thee Well, Deacon Jones - King 4230 - June 1948. The A-Side was another number 1 R&B hit.

Moosey / Little Girl Don't Cry - King 4288 - April 1949. "Little Girl Don't Cry" was the fifth best selling R&B single of 1949.

Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me / Is That All I Mean To You - King 4322 - October 1949. A-Side was sitting at number 5 in the R&B chart in December 1949.

Sometimes I Wonder / Time Alone Will Tell - King 4373 - June 1950

Without Your Love / Have You No Mercy - King 4422 - December 1950

 

My Little Baby / Forget And Forgive - King 4433 - April 1951

Cherokee Boogie (Eh-Oh-Aleena) / I'm Lucky I Have You - King 4472 - September 1951

I'll Be Home For Christmas / I Never Loved Anyone But You - King 4493 - November 1951

Information from 45Worlds.com, Discogs.com and Billboard magazine.

Elsewhere On The Blog

Moose On The Loose (Original Post) 

Moose On The Loose Download (Mega)

Big Fat Mamas Are Back In Style Again (Original Post)

Big Fat Mamas Are Back In Style Again Download (Mega)

Thanks again to Marv and Joan.

Piano Red In Concert

Side 1:
01. Wrong Yo-Yo
02. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
03. Umph-Umph-Umph
04. Got You On My Mind
05. Fattenin' Frogs For Snakes
06. Rockin' With Red

Side 2:
01. Jump Man Jump
02. Do She Love Me
03. Real Good Thing
04. Pay It No Mind
05. Six O'Clock Bounce
06. Please Tell Me Baby
07. Jumpin' With Daddy
08. Goodbye

Piano Red In Concert (Mega)

Piano Red In Concert (Zippy)

A rather beat up second hand copy of a repro (or bootleg if you prefer) issue of an LP which was originally released in July 1956 on Groove as LG-1002, along with two EPs (both titled "Piano Red In Concert") which between them featured 8 of the tracks on this album.

The LP title is slightly misleading as only Side 1 was recorded live in March 1956 at the Magnolia Ballroom in Atlanta. The tracks on Side 2 were recorded at two sessions in Nashville in the Spring of 1955, with five out of the eight being issued on single while the remaining three tracks made their debut on this album.

I love this ragged but right 12-inch helping of raucous honky tonk piano, shouted blues, real down in the alley gutbucket sax honking, and if you listen carefully, some tasty guitar. And yes I know this is getting slightly repetitive but when I bought the LP second hand through mail order about 5 years ago, I wasn't very impressed with it. The sound quality was rather indistinct on the studio tracks on Side 2 and there were quite a few clicks and pops so I'm delighted to report that it scrubs up very well on mp3, although there is still some surface noise.

The music? Well, Piano Red sounds like he could have been thumping the ivories in a Wild West Saloon in the 1870s, or perhaps in a New Orleans bordello around 1905, or maybe even in a Chicago speakeasy in the Roaring 20s, so what the heck is he doing producing wild R&B in the 1950s? His is an unusual background when you look at the rest of his R&B contemporaries of the time. He was born Willie Lee Perryman in Hampton, a small town 30 miles from Atlanta in 1911. Both he and his elder brother Rufus were albino. Rufus carved out a successful career as a blues pianist under the name "Speckled Red," a reference to his skin colour.

Willie followed in his brother's footsteps in the 1930s but didn't have the same success. Although he took part in a recording session for Vocalion in 1936 along with Blind Willie McTell his sides weren't released. "Piano Red" as Willie was now known gave up being a full time professional musician and went to work as an upholsterer. He kept playing gigs at small local joints at weekends and in 1950 he was "spotted" at one of these by Atlanta record shop owner John Young who tipped off the local RCA Victor distributor who in turn alerted the company and a recording session was arranged for the 25th July 1950 in Atlanta.

When Piano Red's first single "Rockin' With Red" / "Red's Boogie" came out in late 1950 it was a double sided hit, becoming the 25th best selling R&B record of 1951. More hits followed - "Right String But The Wrong Yo-Yo," "Just Right Bounce" and "Layin' The Boogie" all charted in 1951, making Piano Red the 9th best selling R&B artist of that year.

Although the chart hits dried up, he continued to be a big live attraction and his records on RCA and its subsidiary Groove had a good following. What was surprising was that he had considerable appeal with a younger audience, both white and black, despite the fact that his style was rooted in the pre-war era. Perhaps the explanation for this lies in the mix of material he performed - the double entendre of  the likes of "Rockin' With Red"and "Wrong Yo-Yo" was mixed in with rockers like "Jump, Man, Jump," sentimental standards like "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and even country hits such as Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'." This was backed up by raucous R&B bands, perhaps the best being the one on this record, the "Blow Top" Lynn band out of Atlanta.

Piano Red was dropped by RCA / Groove in 1958 and his career seemed to have finally reached the end but there was another comeback in the first half of the 1960's with a new name, a new band and a new sound. This time Willie Perryman was Doctor Feelgood who along with his Interns recorded for Columbia and Okeh from 1961 - 1966. And when that was played out,well there were plenty more albums to record and jazz and blues festivals to play, both in Europe and America. In fact his last recording was in late 1984, about 10 months before he passed away in July 1985.

EP covers courtesy Joan K

Fax On The Piano Poundin' Trax

Side 1, tracks 1-6 recorded live at the Magnolia Ballroom, Atlanta, Georgia on March 5th, 1956. Personnel: Willie Lee Perryman (Piano Red) vocal / piano with - John Peek (trumpet); Clyde "Blow Top" Lynn (tenor sax); Wesley Jackson (guitar); Kid Miller (bass); Put Jackson (drums). Also present was Bertha Colbert (vocal) who duetted with Piano Red on "I'm Nobody's Fool" (not included on this LP). 

Side 2.

"Pay It No Mind",  "Jump Man Jump"  and "Do She Love Me" were recorded in Nashville on February 14th, 1955. Personnel: Piano Red (vocal, piano) with Clyde "Blow Top" Lynn (tenor sax); Wesley Jackson (guitar); George "Kid" Miller (bass); James "Put" Jackson (drums).

Pay It No Mind / Jump Man Jump - released on Groove 4G-0101 in March 1955.

Do She Love Me - first released on this LP and EP EGA 6 (Piano Red In Concert).

"Real Good Thing", "Six O'Clock Bounce", "Please Tell Me Baby", "Jumpin' With Daddy," and "Goodbye" aka "Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye" were recorded in Nashville on July 25th, 1955. Personnel - same as February 14th, 1955 session, add The Four Students (vocal group) on "Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye."

Six O' Clock Bounce / Goodbye - released on Groove 4G-0118 in August 1955.

She Knocks Me Out / Jumpin' With Daddy - released on Groove 4G-0136 in January 1956.

Real Good Thing; Please Tell Me Baby - first released on this LP. "Real Good Thing" also released on EP EGA 6 (Piano Red In Concert). "Please Tell Me Baby" also released on EP EGA 7 (Piano Red In Concert).

I'm off to Amsterdam this weekend so the next blog post will be around the middle of next week. Keep a rockin'! Tot ziens!

Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers

Side 1:
01. Pink Champagne
02. I've Got A Right To Cry
03. The Honeydripper
04. Rhythm In The Barnyard Part 1
05. Little Joe's Boogie
06. So Alone
07. Rain, Rain, Rain

Side 2:
01. Boogie Woogie Lou
02. Tanya
03. Dripper's Boogie
04. Freight Train Blues
05. The Big Dipper
06. Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice
07. Do You Love Me Pretty Baby?

Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers (Mega)

Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers (Zippy)

A 1980s compilation of some of the sides Joe Liggins recorded for Specialty between 1950 and 1954. The Joe Liggins story has already been outlined on previous posts of his 1940s Exclusive sides compiled on the Jukebox Lil LPs "The Honey Dripper" and "Darktown Strutters Ball."

This collection includes some of the Specialty re-recordings of Joe's Exclusive hits - "The Honeydripper" (his big 1945 hit), "I've Got A Right To Cry" and "Tanya" which were both originally hits in 1946, plus "Dripper's Boogie," another 1946 side.

However it was Joe's new material which provided a short series of big sellers on Specialty. "Pink Champagne" was the top selling R&B record of 1950. "Little Joe's Boogie" was a hit in 1951 along with a side not on this compilation, "Frankie Lee." Compared to the 1940s sides, the tracks on this LP are punchier, with the regular Honeydrippers lineup being augmented by sax players such as Maxwell Davis and Floyd Turnham. This is good California jump with extra zing!

Fax on the Jumpin' Trax

Pink Champagne recorded in Los Angeles on January 20th, 1950. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal , piano), with Willie Jackson (alto and baritone saxes); James Jackson and Maxwell Davis (tenor saxes); Frank Pasley (guitar); Eddie A. Davis (bass); Peppy Prince (drums).

Rhythm In The Barnyard Part 1; I've Got A Right To Cry - recorded in Los Angeles on April 13th, 1950. Personnel as above.

The Honeydripper - recorded in Los Angeles on April 24th, 1950. Personnel as above except Floyd Turnham replaces Maxwell Davis on tenor sax.

Little Joe's Boogie - recorded in Los Angeles on October 1st, 1950. Personnel as above.

So Alone - recorded in Los Angeles on June 28th, 1951. Personnel:  Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Willie Jackson (alto and baritone saxes); James Jackson (tenor sax); William Woodman (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (sax, clarinet); Harold Grant (guitar); William Cooper (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums).

Boogie Woogie Lou; Rain, Rain, Rain - recorded in Los Angeles on October 11th, 1951. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Floyd Turnham (sax, clarinet); Maxwell Davis and William Woodman (tenor saxes); Harold Grant (guitar); William Cooper (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums); Candy Rivers (vocal) on "Rain, Rain, Rain".

Tanya; Dripper's Boogie - recorded in Los Angeles on March 20th, 1952. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Willie Jackson (alto and baritone saxes); William Woodman (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (sax, clarinet); Harold Grant (guitar); William Cooper (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums).

Freight Train Blues - recorded in Los Angeles on December 10th, 1952. Personnel: as above but add Dell (Christine) St. John (vocal). 

The Big Dipper; Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice - recorded in Los Angeles on July 8th, 1953. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Jewell Grant (alto sax); Ewell "Bo" Rhambo and William Woodman (tenor saxes); Floyd Turnham (clarinet, sax); Harold Grant (guitar); Red Callender (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums).

Do You Love Me Pretty Baby? - recorded in Los Angeles on March 12th, 1954. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano); with: Lawrence E. Lofton (trombone); Floyd Turnham (tenor sax); Harold Grant (guitar); Theodore Shirley (bass); Earl Carter (drums).

The Releases:

Pink Champagne / Sentimental Lover - released on Specialty 355 in April 1950.

I've Got A Right To Cry / The Honeydripper - released on Specialty 338 in June 1950.

Rhythm In The Barnyard Part 1 / Rhythm In The Barnyard Part II - released on Specialty 368 in July 1950.

Little Joe's Boogie / Daddy On My Mind - released on Specialty 379 in December 1950. 

Oh How I Miss You / So Alone - released on Specialty 413 in October 1951.

Boogie Woogie Lou / Rain, Rain, Rain - released on Specialty 426 in March 1952.

Tanya / Dripper's Boogie - released on Specialty 430 in April 1952.

Freight Train Blues / Blues For Tanya - released on Specialty 453 in January 1953.

The Big Dipper / Everyone's Down On Me - released on Specialty 474 in September 1953.

Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice / Do You Love Me Pretty Baby? - released on Specialty 529 in August 1954.

Elsewhere On The Blog

Joe Liggins & His Honey Drippers - Darktown Strutters Ball

Joe Liggins - The Honey Dripper

El Enmascarado 78 rpm rips:

Dripper's Boogie Parts 1 and 2 (Exclusive 232)

Lover's Lament / Miss Betty's Blues (Exclusive 213)

Blow Mr. Jackson / The Blues (Exclusive 244)

Worried / How Come (Exclusive 262)

Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball

Side One:
01. Have A Ball - Joe Houston Orchestra
02. Houston's Hot House - Joe Houston Orchestra
03. Leo's Boogie - Leo Parker And His Mad Lads
04. Cool Leo - Leo Parker And His Mad Lads
05. SOS - Charlie Singleton And His Band
06. Please Don't Leave Me Here - Charlie Singleton And His Band
07. Artistry In Mood - Joe Thomas And His Orchestra

Side Two:
01. Tearing Hair - Joe Thomas And His Orchestra
02. Turntable - Morris Lane And His Combo
03. What Did Sam Say - Paul Bascomb And His Orchestra
04. Ain't Nothin' Shakin' - Paul Bascomb And His Orchestra
05. Forty-Nine-Fifty - Bumps Myers Sextet
06. Memphis Hop - Bumps Myers Sextet
07. September Song - Morris Lane And His Combo

Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball (Zippy)

Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball (Mega)

As I'm currently operating without a turntable, the next few posts will consist mainly of revivals of material posted in the earliest days of the blog with upgraded artwork and updated information. In addition I have a few other "projects" in mid development, so Be Bop Wino will keep going despite the (temporary) equipment crisis.

"Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball" was originally posted in August 2008 back when I still hadn't mastered the art of scanning a complete LP cover. This time round you get improved artwork plus additional information on these mainly obscure sides. If ever an LP embodied the ethos of Be Bop Wino it was this one with its mix of jazzers and early R&B tenor sax men all blowing fit to bust.

The notes on the back cover are very readable and I've added some more info below, although details remain somewhat hazy for a few of these sides. Here we go -

Have A Ball / Houston's Hot House by The Joe Houston Orchestra (Modern 850), released in December 1951. Recorded in Baton Rouge in the autumn of 1951. Personnel: Walter Miller (trumpet) ; August "Dimes" Dupont (alto sax); Joe Houston (tenor sax); Marian McKinley (piano); Robert Gray (bass); Robert Byrd (drums); Lois Butler (vocal on "Have A Ball").

Cool Leo / Leo's Boogie by Leo Parker And His Mad Lads (United 141), released in January 1953. Recorded in Chicago on November 15th, 1952. Personnel: Leo Parker (baritone sax); Andy Johnson (piano); Remo Biondi (guitar, violin); Ira Pettiford (bass); Jack Parker (drums).

Please Don't Leave Me Here To Cry / S.O.S. by Charlie Singleton and His Band (Lee 208). Release date unknown. Recorded in New York 1950-51. Personnel: Charlie Singleton (tenor sax); unknown (baritone sax); Gildo Mahones (piano); unknown (guitar); Martin Rivera (bass); John Godfrey (drums); Jake Vaughan (vocal on "Please Don't Leave Me Here To Cry").

Tearing Hair by Joe Thomas, His Sax and His Orchestra (King 4318). Other side was "My Baby Done Left Me." Released in October 1949. Recorded in New York on May 21st, 1949. Personnel: Joe Thomas (tenor sax) with Emmett Berry and John Grimes (trumpets); Dickie Harris (trombone); Ben Kynard (baritone sax); George Rhodes (piano); George Duvivier (bass); Joe Marshall (drums).

Artistry In Moods by Joe Thomas, His Sax and His Orchestra (King 4339). Other side was "Wham-A-Lam." Released in February 1950. Recorded in New York on November 28th, 1949. Personnel: Joe Thomas (tenor sax) with Emmett Berry and John Grimes (trumpets); Dickie Harris (trombone); Ben Kynard (baritone sax); George Rhodes (piano); George Duvivier (bass); Joe Marshall (drums).

September Song / Turntable by Morris Lane and his Combo (Continental 6074), released in August 1948. Reviewed in Billboard, August 28th, 1948. Recording date unknown - thought to be in early 1947. Personnel: Morris Lane (tenor sax) with unknown small combo.

Ain't Nothin' Shakin' / What Did Sam Say? (London 17002) by Paul Bascomb and His Orchestra. Release date unknown, probably in 1949. Recorded in New York, 1949. Personnel: Eddie Lewis (trumpet); Frank Porter, Tommy Waters (alto saxes); Paul Bascomb (tenor sax,vocal); Harold Wallace (baritone sax); Duke Jordan (piano); James McCray (bass); George DeHart (drums).

Memphis Hop / Forty-Nine-Fifty (Selective 106) by the Bumps Myers Sextet. Release date unknown, possibly August 1949. Recorded in Los Angeles in May / June 1949. Personnel: Bumps Myers (tenor sax) with unknown small combo.

Ride that riff, baby!