Chuck Berry - Berry Is On Top

Side 1:
01. Almost Grown
02. Carol
03. Maybelline
04. Sweet Little Rock & Roller
05. Anthony Boy
06. Johnny B. Goode

Side 2:
01. Little Queenie
02. Jo Jo Gun
03. Roll Over Beethoven
04. Around And Around
05. Hey Pedro
06. Blues For Hawaiians

Berry Is On Top (Mega)

Berry Is On Top (Zippy)

Originally issued as Chess LP 1435 in June 1959. The John Sippel sleevenotes on the back cover are the notes which appeared on the original issue. "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" was originally titled "Sweet Little Rock And Roll" on its single release.

There are quite a few classics on this LP but I would class "Hey Pedro" and "Blues For Hawaiians" as filler and not killer! The rest? Rock 'n' roll, baby, rock 'n' roll.

Traxfax

Maybellene - recorded on May 21st 1955. Chuck Berry (guitar, vocal) with Johnnie Johnson (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Jasper Thomas or Ebby Hardy (drums); Jerome Green (maracas).

Released on Chess 1604 b/w "Wee Wee Hours" in July 1955.

Roll Over Beethoven - recorded on April 16th, 1956. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar) with Johnnie Johnson (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Released on Chess 1626 b/w "Drifting Heart" in May 1956.

Johnny B. Goode - recorded on 29th or 30th December, 1957. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar) with Lafayette Leake (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums).

Released on Chess 1691 b/w "Around And Around" in April 1958.

Around And Around and Blues For Hawaiians - recorded on February 28th, 1958. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar, dubbed 2nd guitar) with unknown piano, electric bass, drums.

Around And Around - released on Chess 1691, B Side of "Roll Over Beethoven" in April 1958.

Blues For Hawaiians not released on single.

Carol and Hey Pedro recorded on May 2nd, 1958. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar) with Johnnie Johnson (piano on "Carol"); George Smith (bass); Ebby Hardy (drums).

Both sides released on Chess 1700 in August 1958.

Anthony Boy, Jo Jo Gun, Sweet Little Rock And Roll, were recorded on 28th September, 1958. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar) with Johnnie Johnson (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums) with possibly Bo Diddley (2nd guitar).

Sweet Little Rock And Roll / Jo Jo Gun - released on Chess 1709 in October 1958.

Anthony Boy / That's My Desire - released on Chess 1716 in January 1959.

Little Queenie - recorded in January 1959. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar) with Johnnie Johnson (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums); possiby Bo Diddley (2nd guitar).

Release - see below.

Almost Grown - recorded on February 17th, 1959. Chuck Berry (vocal, guitar) with Johnnie Johnson (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below (drums); Harvey and The Moonglows (vocal group).

Almost Grown / Little Queenie released on Chess 1722 in March 1959.

Little Richard - His Greatest Recordings

Side A:
01. Ready Teddy
02. Rip It Up
03. The Girl Can't Help It
04. I'll Never Let You Go
05. Miss Ann
06. Good Golly, Miss Molly
07. Lucille
08. Keep A Knockin'

Side B:
01. Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
02. Tutti Frutti
03. Heeby-Jeebies
04. Send Me Some Lovin'
05. Chicken Little Baby
06. Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey
07. She's Got It
08. Long Tall Sally

His Greatest Recordings (Mega)

His Greatest Recordings (Zippy)

Rock and roll starts here? Probably. We don't have all of Little Richard's greatest recordings on this collection as "Jenny Jenny" and "Slippin' And Slidin'" are missing. Indeed "Chicken Little Baby" is an odd choice for an LP of "greatest recordings" as it is basically a demo with Little Richard accompanying himself on piano. Later, when Specialty were desperately looking around for Little Richard material to release, they alighted on the demo and dubbed on some backing. It was pretty crap though, so only the Good Lord knows what it's doing in here.

Speaking of whom - this collection represents perhaps the greatest 2 year oeuvre in rock and roll history - the sides recorded for Specialty Records between September 1955 and October 1957 by THE wildman of rock, the man with the makeup, the pompadour, the pencil thin moustache, the suit that's two sizes too big, the screeching, wailing, sinning, debauched former Princess Lavonne, the Georgia Peach himself, laydeezingennelmen, the one and only Little Richard.

Then he found God, in Australia of all places, and the conveyor belt of howling rock and roll classics stopped. There were gospel recordings, there were comebacks as Little Richard strayed from the right hand path and got off the good foot, there were re-recordings of his Specialty hits for various labels like VeeJay and Modern, there were further spells of righteous preaching whenever he renounced sinning, and Little Richard became best known for being Little Richard. "He got what he wanted, but he lost what he had."

Nothing Little Richard subsequently recorded approached the level of his 1955 - 1957 sides, many of which were recorded at Cosimo Mattassa's J & M Studio in New Orleans with stunning backing by Lee Allen, Alvin "Red" Tyler and Earl Palmer. Some of the tracks on this collection feature Little Richard's own band, The Upsetters, who were almost as good as the New Orleans gang. Recording and release dates and personnel are listed below in the "Fax" section. The download includes an Easter egg which will make everything clear to the seekers after knowledge.

The Fax On The Rockin' Tracks:

Tutti Frutti recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 14th September, 1955. Personnel: Little Richard (vocal, piano); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Huey Smith (piano); Justin Adams (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Tutti Frutti / I'm Just A Lonely Guy - released on Specialty 561 in October 1955.

Chicken Little Baby demo recorded at the Specialty Office, Los Angeles in late 1955. Little Richard (piano, vocal).

A version with dubbed on drums and vocal group was released on Specialty LP 2104 "The Fabulous Little Richard" in March 1959.

Long Tall Sally and Miss Ann were recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 7th February, 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Long Tall Sally / Slippin' And Slidin' - released on Specialty 572 in March 1956.

Jenny Jenny / Miss Ann - released on Specialty 606 in May 1957.

Ready Teddy, Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey, and Rip It Up recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 9th May, 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Ernest McLean (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums). No piano on "Rip It Up."

Rip It Up / Ready Teddy - released on Specialty 579 in June 1956.

Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey - B-Side of Good Golly Miss Molly (Specialty 624) in January 1958.

Lucille and Heeby-Jeebies recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 30th July 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Roy Montrell (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Heeby-Jeebies / She's Got It - released on Specialty 584 in October 1956.

Lucille / Send Me Some Lovin' - released on Specialty 598 in February 1957.

Can't Believe You Wanna Leave  recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 1st August, 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Roy Montrell (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Released as B -Side of "Keep A Knockin'" on Specialty 611 in September 1957.

She's Got It recorded at Master Recorders, Los Angeles on 6th September 1956. Personnel: Little Richard and The Upsetters - Little Richard (piano, vocal); Wilbert Smith (tenor sax); Grady Gaines (tenor sax); Clifford Burks (tenor sax); Jewel Grant (baritone sax); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Olsie Richard Robinson (bass); Charles William Connor (drums).

Released as B-Side of Heeby Jeebies on Specialty 584 in October 1956.

Good Golly, Miss Molly recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 15th October 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Roy Montrell (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Good Golly Miss Molly / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey - released on Specialty 624 in January 1958.

The Girl Can't Help It and Send Me Some Lovin' were recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 16th October 1956. Personnel the same as the previous day, but add vocal group on "The Girl Can't Help It" - Adolph Smith, William Tircuit, Art Neville and Junior Gordon.

The Girl Can't Help It / All Around The World - released on Specialty 591 in November 1956.

Lucille / Send Me Some Lovin' - released on Specialty 598 in February 1957.

Keep A Knockin' recorded at a radio station in Washington D.C. on 16th January 1957. Personnel:  Little Richard and The Upsetters - Little Richard (piano, vocal); Wilbert Smith (tenor sax); Grady Gaines (tenor sax); Samuel Parker (baritone sax); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Olsie Richard Robinson (bass); Charles William Connor (drums).

Keep A Knockin' / Can't Believe You Wanna Leave - released on Specialty 611 in September 1957.

I'll Never Let You Go recorded at Master Recorders, Los Angeles on 18th October, 1957. Personnel: Little Richard and The Upsetters - Little Richard (piano, vocal); Clifford Burke (tenor sax); Wilbert Smith (tenor sax); Grady Gaines (tenor sax); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Olsie Richard Robinson (bass); Charles William Connor (drums).

Released as the B-Side of Baby Face on Specialty 654 in August 1958.

 Further Listening

Little Richard's Specialty sides have remained in print in one form or another since the 1950's. They're public domain now in the UK so there is a multiplicity of reasonably priced collections available. Beware of issues of his post Specialty sides which may contain re-recordings of his greatest hits.

I have this Jasmine set in my CD collection -

"She Knows How To Rock" - a 2 CD collection of the great man's Specialty singles in chronological order. Includes the sides he recorded in a brief return to the label in 1964. Jasmine JASCD 545.

I also have - 

"The Specialty Sessions" (3SPCD 8508-2) - a 3 CD collection which includes loads of outtakes, alternate takes and generally more Little Richard than most casual fans need. Each CD has notes by Ray Topping and also included is a 20 page booklet which, unfortunately, seems to be the same book which was issued when this set was released on vinyl and has simply been reduced in size for the CD box. This has made the text illegible without the aid of an electron microscope. However thanks to the invention of scanners and graphic image software the booklet can now be made legible again.

Mo' rockin' stuff in the pipeline!

He's Got It!

Tough Stuff (Sun's Instrumental Gold)

Side A:
01. Raunchy - Bill Justis
02. College Man - Bill Justis
03. Flip Flop And Bop - Bill Justis
04. The Snuggle - Bill Justis
05. Bop Train - Bill Justis
06. 706 Union - Brad Suggs
07. Cloudy - Brad Suggs
08. Groovy Train - Wade Cagle

Side B:
01. Bo Diddley - Jimmy Van Eaton
02. Thunderbird - Sonny Burgess
03. Itchy - Sonny Burgess
04. In The Mood - The Hawk
05. Lewis Workout - Jerry Lee Lewis
06. Eddie's Blues - Eddie Bush
07. Jack's Jump - Frank Frost
08. Crawlback - Frank Frost

Tough Stuff (Mega)

Tough Stuff (Zippy)

Summertime posts tend to be pretty thin on the ground on "Be Bop Wino." Last year, for example, saw July and August being entirely missed out. One reason for the summer scarcity is that during the long, hot, sunny days I embark on my annual "Kicks-athon" which is where I load up the media player with a stack of instrumental, rockabilly, surf and rockin' R&B tracks, turn on auto-DJ, and stretch out with a couple of old copies of the only rock 'n' roll magazine worth a damn - "Kicks."

Founded by Miriam Linna and the late and much missed Billy Miller, "Kicks" was a revelation to me when a work colleague passed on a copy of the seventh and last issue. It was a window on a weird alternative universe where early 1960s teen instrumental groups, surf bands, stoned rockabillies, drunken hillbillies, doo wop groups and wild, wild R&B shouters still ruled the airwaves. And the writing was just as wild as the music! I can say that "Kicks" was partly responsible for making me the man I am today, i.e. a hopeless dropout.

So this summer I'm gonna attempt to keep the Kicks spirit alive on Be Bop Wino with rockin' stuff hot off my new turntable. This doesn't mean there'll be a surge of rockabilly and surf on the blog as I just don't have the vinyl for that. Besides, there are other blogs that do that kind of stuff far better than I could hope to do. I'm thinking of Uncle Gil and Twilightzone and there's a myriad of others where you can pick up on the necessary twangin' thang for your very own Kicks-athon. R&B is still the meat and drink of Be Bop Wino, but we may occasionally "stray" from the usual path in the next few weeks.

"Tough Stuff" - old Charly comp of instros originally issued on Sun and Phillips International. "Raunchy" by Bill Justis was a huge international hit, charting twice in the UK in 1958 for example. The rest of the tracks are not so well known (outside of the cognoscenti), but it's all good jumpin' fun. The Sonny Burgess tracks featuring Billy Lee Riley on harmonica are absolute standouts but the unissued sides by Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Bush (Carl Mann's guitarist) are basically jams which lack focus and were never intended to be released. "Eddie's Blues" with its distorted guitar workout foreshadows a thousand aimless guitar noodles which started to appear from 1966 onwards. Indeed at times it's hard to believe that the recording dates from 1959.

That said, this is an entertaining collection and a good soundtrack for summer fun, fun, fun. The sleeve notes by Sun expert Martin Hawkins are very informative and are the ideal poolside reading while you sip a long cool one.

Original Release Details

Bill Justis - Raunchy / The Midnite Man - Phillips International 3519 - September 1957.

Bill Justis - College Man / The Stranger - Phillips International 3522 - February 1958.

Bill Justis - Bop Train / String Of Pearls-Cha Hot Cha - Phillips International 3535 - October 1958.

Bill Justis - Flip Flop And Bop and The Snuggle issued on P.I. LP 1950 - "Cloud 9" - August 1960.

Brad Suggs - 706 Union / Low Outside - Phillips International 3545 - September 1959.

Brad Suggs - Cloudy / Partly Cloudy - Phillips International 3554 - April 1960.

Wade Cagle And The Escorts - Groovy Train / Highland Rock - Sun 360 - April 1961.

Jimmy Van Eaton - Bo Diddley - unissued Sun recording, 1959. Another version was recorded and issued on Nita 127 in 1960.

Sonny Burgess - Thunderbird / Itchy - Sun 304 - August 1958.

The Hawk - In The Mood / I Get The Blues When It Rains - Phillips International 3559 - August 1960. "The Hawk" is Jerry Lee Lewis.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Lewis Workout - unissued Sun recording, 1959.

Eddie Bush - Eddie's Blues - unissued Sun recording, October 1959. Eddie Bush was the guitarist in Carl Mann's band.

Frank Frost with The Night Hawks - Jack's Jump - issued on PILP 1975 "Hey Boss Man!" - 1962.

Frank Frost - Jelly Roll King / Crawlback - Phillips International 3578 - June 1962.

The Best Of Ember Records

Side A:
01. Walking With Mr. Lee - Lee Allen
02. Fountain Of Love - The Starlarks
03. Bing Bong - The Silhouettes
04. Hold Me Close - The Marktones
05. Get A Job - The Silhouettes
06. Pocahontas - The Camelots
07. Talk It Over - The Marktones
08. Miss Thing - The Silhouettes
09. I Am Lonely - The Silhouettes
10. Can't We Fall In Love - The Illusions

Side B:
01. Dear Diary - The Smooth-Tones
02. Send Me A Picture Baby - The Starlarks
03. Three Precious Words - The Edsels
04. Why Don't You Write Me - The Barries
05. Smoke From Your Cigarette - The Fabulons
06. Paradise Hill - The Embers
07. How High Is The Mountain - The Illusions
08. Voodoo Eyes - The Silhouettes
09. What Brought Us Together - The Edsels
10. Mary-Ann - The Barries

The Golden Groups Volume 6 (Mega)

The Golden Groups Volume 6 (Zippy)

The sun beats down on a parched Glasgow in this memorable World Cup summer so naturally your dedicated blues 'n' rhythm correspondent goes vinyl hunting in the shops of this increasingly hip and trendy part of the city's South Side, and lo, what is this I see? A second hand copy of an LP from Relic's Golden Groups series, a series which I totally ignored back when you could find them in the browsers of hipper record shops. So as this is all I've got of the roughly fifty million compilations Relic released on just about any record company which ever issued doowop, it's pointless to ask me to post any more.

I've always had mixed feelings towards doo wop, but heck, it's summer and I'm in the mood for some not too heavy teen type sounds, so kick back and relax to the sound of Ember Records. There's lots of goodies here, ranging from the label's earliest days in 1953 to its last shots at glory in the early 1960s. The Silhouettes in particular demand the attention of the discerning musical palate, but The Five Satins who get mentioned in the sleeve notes are missing. Where'd they go?

I won't be going into the usual depth of background information over the next month or two so that I can concentrate on ripping more vinyl for Be Bop Wino's Summer of Rock 'n' Roll. Just dig the sounds, cats 'n' kittens!

Original Release Details

01. Walking With Mr. Lee - Lee Allen And His Band - Ember E-1027, November 1957

02. Fountain Of Love - The Starlarks - Ember E-1013, February 1957

03. Bing Bong - The Silhouettes - Ember E-1037, August 1958

04. Hold Me Close - The Marktones - Ember E-1022, August 1957

05. Get A Job - The Silhouettes - Ember E-1029, December 1957

06. Pocahontas - The Camelots - Ember E-1108, August 1964

07. Talk It Over - The Marktones - Ember E-1022, August 1957

08. Miss Thing - The Silhouettes - Ember E-1032, March 1958

09. I Am Lonely - The Silhouettes - Ember E-1029, December 1957

10. Can't We Fall In Love - The Illusions - Ember E-1071, February 1961

11. Dear Diary - The Smooth-Tones - Ember E-1001, March 1956

12. Send Me A Picture Baby - The Starlarks - Ember E-1013, February 1957

13. Three Precious Words - The Edsels - Ember E-1078, August 1961

14. Why Don't You Write Me - The Barries - Vernon V102, July 1963

15. Smoke From Your Cigarette - The Fabulons - Ember E-1069, December (?) 1960

16. Paradise Hill - The Embers - Ember 101, February 1953

17. How High Is The Mountain - The Illusions - Ember E-1071, February 1961

18. Voodoo Eyes - The Silhouettes - Ember E-1037, August 1958

19. What Brought Us Together - The Edsels - Tammy 45-1010, (?) 1960

20. Mary-Ann - The Barries - Ember E-1101, February 1964

Notes

The Silhouettes - Get A Job / I Am Lonely originally released on Junior 45-593 in November 1957.

Marv Goldberg article on The Silhouettes

The Edsels - Three Precious Words / Let's Go also released on Tammy 45-1014 in September 1961.

Tammy was a label based in Youngstown, Ohio, and was run by Larry Greene, a vocalist with The Edsels. Tammy had a distibution deal with Ember.

The Barries - Why Don't You Write Me / Mary-Ann was released on Vernon Records in July 1963. Ember released Tonight-Tonight / Mary-Ann in February 1964.

The Embers - Paradise Hill / Sound Of Love was first released on Ember 101 in February 1953. The masters were sold to Herald and re-released on Herald 410 in May 1953.

Huey "Piano" Smith - Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu

Side A:
01. Rocking Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu Pt 1 - Huey Smith and The Clowns
02. Rocking Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu Pt 2 - Huey Smith and The Clowns
03. Little Chickee Wah Wah - Huey And Jerry
04. Little Liza Jane - Huey Smith and his Rhythm Aces
05. Just A Lonely Clown - Huey Smith and His Clowns
06. Hush Your Mouth - Bobby Marchan with Huey Smith & his Band
07. Don't You Know Yockomo - Huey "Piano" Smith with his Clowns

Side B:
01. High Blood Pressure - Huey (Piano) Smith And The Clowns
02. Don't You Just Know It - Huey (Piano) Smith And The Clowns
03. Well I'll Be John Brown - Huey "Piano" Smith with his Clowns
04. Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas And The Sinus Blues - Huey Smith
05. Dearest Darling (You're The One) - Huey Smith
06. She Got Low Down - Huey "Piano" Smith And His Clowns
07. Second Line - Huey & Curley

Rockin' Pneumonia (Mega)

Rockin' Pneumonia (Zippy)

Huey "Piano" Smith's 1950's hits embodied the very spirit of New Orleans R&B / rock 'n' roll - infectious, danceable, exuding a party atmosphere. Juke box classics guaranteed to get the good times rolling. His first solo recordings for Savoy, made in 1953, were mediocre to say the least. OK they were awful, poorly sung by Huey, dirges that should have been a whole lot better than they turned out to be. Yet a few years later he was churning out great New Orleans R&B for Johnny Vincent's Ace label. How come?

Well for a start he turned over singing duties to a vocal group of shifting personnel called The Clowns whose unison chanting of the novelty / nursery rhyme lyrics accompanied by rhythmomatic handclapping always got the party going. Then there was the addition of lead vocalist Bobby Marchan, indefatigable leader of a troupe of female impersonators. And of course there was a red hot backing band, with Huey on piano and another shifting population of top New Orleans musicians which usually featured such as Red Tyler, Lee Allen, Roland Cook, Earl King and Hungry Williams.

So be prepared to party hearty as you listen to this early Ace (UK) compilation of some (but not quite all) of Huey's top sides. I've changed some of the song titles to their original titles on single. I've also added the proper artist credits as they appeared on those singles sixty years ago. Full details below.

Here Come The Fax On The Trax ...

Little Liza Jane recorded in New Orleans, 1956. Personnel:

Huey Smith and his Rhythm Aces: Lee Allen (tenor sax); Red Tyler (baritone sax); Huey Smith (piano); Earl King and/or Mac Rebennack (guitar); Roland Cook (bass); probably Earl Palmer (drums).

Original release: Everybody's Whalin' / Little Liza Jane - Huey Smith and His Rhythm Aces, on Ace 521 in November 1956.

Rocking Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu, Parts 1 and 2, and "Just A Lonely Clown" recorded in Jackson, Mississippi, 1957. Personnel: 

Huey Smith (piano); Lee Allen and Red Tyler (saxes); Earl King (guitar); with unknown piano, bass, drums. The Clowns (vocals) - Bobby Marchan, Johnny Williams, Sid Raphael, Gerri Hall, Eugene Francis.

Original releases: Rocking Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu Parts 1 and 2 - Huey Smith and The Clowns, on Ace 530 in June 1957.

Just A Lonely Clown / Free Single And Disengaged - Huey Smith and His Clowns, on Ace 538 in October 1957.

Little Chickee Wah Wah recorded in New Orleans in 1957. Personnel:

Huey Smith (piano, vocal); Mac Rebennack (guitar); Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums); Gerri Hall (vocal); unknown bass.

Original release: Little Chickee Wah Wah / I Think You Jiving Me - Huey And Jerry, on Vin 1000 in 1958.

High Blood Pressure and Don't You Just Know It were recorded in New Orleans in December 1957. Personnel:

Huey (Piano) Smith and the Clowns : Lee Allen, Robert Parker (tenor saxes); Red Tyler (baritone sax); Huey Smith (piano); Earl King (guitar); Roland Cook (bass) Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums); The Clowns : Bobby Marchan (lead vocal) with possibly same personnel as on Rockin Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu.

Original release: High Blood Pressure / Don't You Just Know It - Huey (Piano) Smith And The Clowns, on Ace 545 in January 1958.

Hush Your Mouth and Well I'll Be John Brown were recorded in New Orleans in 1957. Session credited to Bobby Marchan and The Clowns. "Well I'll Be John Brown" credited to Huey Smith on its original release. Personnel:

Bobby Marchan (vocal); Alvin "Red" Tyler (tenor sax); Huey Smith (piano) with unknown tenor and baritone saxes, bass, drums and unknown vocal group.

Original release: see below

Don't You Know Yockomo recorded in New Orleans in 1958. Personnel:

Bobby Marchan (lead vocal); Gerri Hall (vocal); Huey Smith (piano); The Clowns (vocal group - probably the same as on Rocking Pneumonia) with rest of instrumental group probably similar to High Blood Pressure session.

Original release: Don't You Know Yockomo / Well I'll Be John Brown - Huey "Piano" Smith with his Clowns, on Ace 553 in November 1958.

Hush Your Mouth / Quit My Job - Bobby Marchan with Huey Smith & his Band, on Ace 595 in June 1960

Dearest Darling (You're The One) and Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas And The Sinus Blues recorded in New Orleans in 1959. Personnel:

Bobby Marchan (vocal); Huey Smith (piano) with similar personnel to "Don't You Know Yockomo" session.

Original release: Dearest Darling (You're The One) / Tu-Ber-Cu-Lucas And The Sinus Blues - Huey Smith, on Ace 571 in September 1959.

She Got Low Down recorded in New Orleans in 1961. Personnel:

Huey "Piano" Smith & The Clowns: Lee Allen and Alvin "Red" Tyler (tenor saxes); Huey Smith (piano); with unknown bass and drums; Curley Moore, Billy Brooks, Gerri Hall (vocal group).

Original release - She Got Low Down / Mean, Mean Man - Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns, on Ace 638 in November 1961.

Second Line recorded in New Orleans, circa 1963-64. Personnel:

Huey Smith (piano, vocal); Curley Moore (vocal); rest unknown.

Original release: At The Mardi Gras / Second Line - Huey & Curley, on Ace 671 X in 1964

Elsewhere On The Blog

Huey 'Piano' Smith & His Clowns - Having A Good Time (Ace LP 1004)

Originally posted in August 2008, this was a reconstitution by Joan of an LP originally issued in 1959. Joan used rips from 45 rpm singles and EPs to put the LP "back together" and also provided some scans of original Ace label singles. I recently re-upped the LP in answer to a request and improved the tagging and boosted the volume slightly.

From The CD Collection:

Westside CD WESM 516 issued in 1997

24-track collection of Huey's biggies on Ace released on Westside, who issued a whole lotta Ace goodies back in the late 1990's. Volume 2 did appear but by that time I reckoned I had all the Huey I needed. If you come across this CD going second hand for a reasonable price then you're sorted for Huey and his Clowns.

 

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)

Joan Selects Volume 23 - "The Talking Bridge"

01. There Goes The Boy - The Ly-Dells
02. The Wind - Nolan Strong & The Diablos
03. Doctor Baby - The Five Dollars
04. Late Rising Moon - Earl Curry And The Blenders
05. Moments Like This - The Baltineers
06. Sindy (Aka Cindy) - The Cobras
07. True Love Gone - The Enchanters
08. Love Me My Darling - The Sharps
09. No One To Love Me - The (Chapaka) Sha-Weez
10. It'll Be Easy - The Sultans
11. Carolyn - The Five Kids
12. These Four Letters - The El Pollos
13. Counting My Teardrops - The Jayhawks
14. I Do Believe - The Crystals
15. Glory Of Love - The Velvetones
16. Are You Lonesome Tonight - Elvis Presley
17. Ten Commandments Of Love - Harvey & The Moonglows
18. Bring Back Your Love (To Me) - The Smoothtones
19. My Love And Your Love - The Spinners
20. Letter To A School Girl - The Delacardos
21. The Lonely Telephone - The Quintones
22. Just For You And I - The Supremes
23. Please Come Home - The Five Embers
24. Love Call - The Ebonaires
25. The Letter - The Medallions
26. Memories Of El Monte - The Penguins
27. The Wind - The Jesters
28. A Lonely Island - Peter Pete & The Lovers
29. There Goes - The Enchanters
30. I Found My Love - The Velvetones
31. I Understand - The G-Clefs
32. The Drunkard - The Thrillers
33. When You Love - Cliff Butler And His Doves
34. A Prayer At Gettysburg - The Velvitones
35. A Letter To An Angel - The Five Shillings
36. Promise Me - The Tempos
37. Teen Prayer - The Velveteens
38. When You Come To The End Of The Day - The Ink Spots

Joan Selects Volume 23 (Mega)

Joan Selects Volume 23 (Zippy)

It's a welcome return to the blog for Joan as she gives us this compilation which showcases the phenomenon of the "talking bridge" in vocal group harmony records. Quite a few of these tracks have featured already in some of Joan's compilations (especially Encore Appearance Volume 2) but doo wop fans will appreciate this carefully collated treasure trove where they can indulge their weakness for heartfelt spoken pleas to their hearts' content. Some of these talking bridges may be intended to be taken seriously, while others are perhaps more tongue in cheek (I'm thinking of "The Glory Of Love" by The Velvetones as an example of the latter).

There's plenty to appreciate here. Nolan Strong & The Diablos ethereal "The Wind," Elvis' immortal "the world's a stage" rap on "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and perhaps my favourite, the genuinely moving "Memories Of El Monte" by The Penguins, a 1963 Frank Zappa / Ray Collins composition which beautifully evokes an already fast disappearing world. And that isn't even scraping the surface of this collection.

There is a folder of label shots included in the download and a track list (reproduced on the post) with release details. Bitrates vary and there is surface noise on many of the tracks, but as I always say, "baby that IS rock and roll!"

Over to Joan:

This new release of Joan Selects (volume 23) is a collection of group harmony songs primarily from the heyday of group harmony, 1950-1962. The theme here with all these songs is that each features what has been called the "talking bridge", first used by the Ink Spots with Orville "Hoppy" Jones providing the spoken or talking bridge in the 1930's and 1940's, wherein one of the verses, or a poem or a love letter is recited by a member of the group over the background harmony. The Ink Spots are represented (appropriately) with their 1954 opus - "When You Come To The End Of the Day" released on King Records.

Elvis Presley is included because his talking bridge closely resembles the talking bridge from The Velvetones "Glory Of Love". The selection presented here by The Penguins "Memories of El Monte" was written by Frank Zappa. Also it is fun to note that with the Harvey and the Moonglows "Ten Commandments Of Love" that there are less than ten commandments recited in the song. Lead vocalist of The Shaweez (Chapaka Shaweez) was James "Sugarboy" Crawford of New Orleans.


01 The Ly-Dells - "There Goes The Boy" - Released On: Pam P-103 Release date: 1961 
02 The Diablos - "The Wind" - Released On: Fortune 511 Release date: 1954
03 The Five Dollars - "Doctor Baby" - Released On: Fortune 821 Release date: 1955
04 The Blenders (Earl Curry) - "Late Rising Moon" - Released On: R and B RB-1304 Release date: 1954
05 The Baltineers - "Moments Like This" - Released On: Teenage 1000 Release date: 1956
06 The Cobras - "Sindy" - Released On: Modern 45x964 Release date: 1955
07 The Enchanters - "True Love Gone" - Released On: Coral 9-61736 Release date: 1956
08 The Sharps - "Love Me My Darling" - Released On: 2 Mikes 2M-101A Release date: 1954
09 The Sha-Weez - "No One To Love Me" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3170 Release date: 1952
10 The Sultans - "It'll Be Easy" - Released On: Tilt 45-782-V Release date: 1961
11 The Five Kids - "Carolyn" - Released On: Maxwell 101 A Release date: 1955
12 The El Pollos - "These Four Letters" - Released On: Studio St.999 Release date: 1958
13 The Jayhawks - "Counting My Teardrops" - Released On: Flash CR-105-A Release date: 10/1955
14 The Crystals - "I Do Believe" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3355 Release date: 1957
15 The Velvetones - "The Glory Of Love" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3372 Release date: 1957
16 Elvis Presley - "Are You Lonesome Tonight" - Released On: RCA 47-7810 Release date: 1960
17 Harvey and the Moonglows - "Ten Commandments of Love" - Released On: Chess 1705 Release date: 1958
18 The Smoothtones - "Bring Back Your Love (To Me)" - Released On: Jem 412-45 Release date: 1955 
19 The Spinners - "My Love and Your Love" - Released On: Rhythm 125 Release date: 1958
20 The Delacardos - "Letter To A School Girl" - Released On: Elgey 1001 Release date: 1959
21 The Quintones - "The Lonely Telephone" - Released On: Jordan 45-1601-B Release date: 1955 
22 The Supremes - "Just For You and I" - Released On: Ace 534 Release date: 1957
23 The Five Embers - "Please Come Home" - Released On: Gem 224-X45 Release date: 1954
24 The Ebonaires - "Love Call" - Released On: Lena L-1001 Release date: 1959
25 The Medallions (Vernon Green) - "The Letter" - Released On: Dootone 347-B--45 Release date: 1954
26 The Penguins - "Memories Of El Monte" - Released On: Original Sound OS-27 Release date: 1963
27 The Jesters - "The Wind" - Released On: Winley 242-A Release date: 1960
28 The Lovers - "A Lonely Island" - Released On: Derby 1030 Release date: 1960
29 The Enchanters - "There Goes" - Released On: Coral 9-61832 Release date: 7/1957
30 The Velvetones - "I Found My Love" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3391 Release date: 1957
31 The G-Cleffs -  "I Understand"  Released on Terrace 45-7500 Release date: 1961
32 The Thrillers - "The Drunkard" - Released on Big Town 45-109 Release date: 8/1953
33 The Doves (Cliff Butler) - "When You Love" - Released on States S-123 Release date: 1953
34 The Velvitones - "A Prayer At Gettysburg" - Released on Milmart 113 x 45 Release date: 1959
35 The Five Schillings - "A Letter To An Angel" - Released on Decca 9-30722 Release date: 1958
36 The Tempos - "Promise Me" - Released on Rhythm 121 Release date: 1958
37 The Velveteens - "Teen Prayer" - Released on Stark ST 102 Release date: 1961
38 The Ink Spots - "When You Come To The End Of The Day" - Released On: King 45--1425 Release date: 1954

Just a few of the label shots included in the download:

With many, many thanks to Joan K.