Hen Gates, Man Of Mystery or Exploitation A Go Go

In response to a request from BabyHugz we proudly re-present the 3 "Hen Gates" LPs which were donated to the blog 9 years ago. These LPs were released on budget labels to cash in on the rock and roll craze of the 1950s.  Beneath the pseudonym "Hen Gates" lurk recycled R&B / Jazz tracks from the late 1940s and early 1950s, chiefly tracks originally released by Freddie Mitchell on the Derby label. Also in there are some sides recorded by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davies for Lenox around 1947. I suspect there may be other stuff by other artists too (Frank Culley? Morris Lane?) but life is too short to dwell on such esoterica.

The whole saga unfolded across a series of posts back in the spring of 2010 when an anonymous donor sent in "Let's All Dance To Rock And Roll" and followed up with "Rock and Roll". A different anonymous contributor sent in "Rock And Roll No. 2" and much below the line comment contributed towards the attempted identification of the origin of these tracks. The original relevant posts are here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/03/hen-gates-and-his-gaters-lets-all-dance.html

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/03/hen-gates-and-his-gaters-rock-and-roll.html

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/04/eddie-lockjaw-davis-hen-gates-shock.html

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/04/hen-gates-and-his-gaters-rock-and-roll.html

Click on the links to follow the whole tawdry and at times hilarious tale. However it should be remembered that behind the exploitation there are a lot of very good tenor sax tracks, and, yes, a few tracks spoiled by the plinky-plonk piano which was an unfortunate feature of some of Freddie Mitchell's Derby discs.

Here's yer link to the world of "Hen Gates" -

Hen Gates 3LPs (Mega)

Warning - 201 MB download!

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Eddie Davis ... Uptown

Side One:
01. Mean To Me
02. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm
03. This Can't Be Love
04. All Of You
05. If I Were A Bell

Side Two:
01. Night And Day
02. Together
03. Smooth-Ride
04. Yesterdays
05. There's A Small Hotel
06. The Happy Whistler

Eddie Davis ... Uptown

Originally released as King LP 606 in November 1958.

The return of Be Bop Wino after a much longer than anticipated absence! My apologies for such a long hiatus in posting - I guess I've managed to miss out the whole summer. When I last posted the summer solstice was upon us, the days were long and I was looking forward to a trip to Hamburg. Mission accomplished and a big shout out to two local bars - The Holsten Schwemme in St. Pauli and the Bergkate Gaststätte in Altona. Real pubs, friendly barflies, and not a tourist in sight (apart from my good self and my mates). Scots and Germans definitely make for a good drinking combination, especially if it involves Glaswegians and Hamburgers.

Now autumn is upon us and as we say in Glasgow "the nights are fair drawin' in," so what better way to spend some of the long dark nights than spreading the word on the bop to all and sundry. And let us also note in passing that this post marks the TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF BE BOP WINO.

So enough gabbin' and let's get down to business with this 1980s Swingtime reissue of another Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis album from King, "Uptown" from 1958. It's a seamless continuation of my previous post "Modern Jazz Expressions" which was originally issued in 1956, as "Uptown" contains tracks from the same 1955 sessions as well as from a later 1958 session on which Shirley Scott was the featured organist.

All tracks on Side A were recorded in June 1958 by The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Quartet (Eddie Davis on tenor sax, Shirley Scott on organ, Bill Pemberton on bass, Arthur Edgehill on drums) and these tracks were first issued on King LP 606.

The tracks on Side B were recorded by The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio in 1955 and 1956. Original issue of tracks recorded by first lineup of Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio (Eddie Davis on tenor sax, Doc Bagby on organ and Charlie Rice on drums) in April and August 1955:

"Smooth-Ride," Yesterdays," "There's A Small Hotel," "Night And Day" were first issued on King LP 606. "Together" was issued on King 4863 b/w "Foggy Day" in December 1955.

"The Happy Whistler" which was recorded in July 1956 with Shirley Scott replacing Doc Bagby was issued on King 4966 b/w "Teach Me Tonight" in September 1956.

The arrival of Shirley Scott as featured organist in the Eddie Davis group was the beginning of a successful partnership which lasted until 1960. The group expanded to a quintet for further King sessions in January and February 1957. In the autumn of 1957 Eddie rejoined the Count Basie Orchestra and played on what has been described as "the last great Count Basie album" - "The Atomic Mr. Basie" on Roulette. Two contrasting performances by Eddie on the Atomic album are well worth catching on YouTube - the uptempo "Whirly-Bird" and the slow, moody "After Supper."

In December 1957 Eddie reunited with Shirley Scott for the Roulette LP "Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman." In early 1958 the Eddie Davis group recorded more sides for Roulette and Roost. On June 14th 1958 they were back at King for the sides featured on Side One of "Downtown" and shortly afterwards (June 20th) the group started their fruitful spell at Prestige with the classic soul jazz LP "The Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis Cookbook" which was subsequently reissued as the "The Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis Cookbook Vol. 1" when 2 additional volumes appeared.

The Davis / Scott group's last recordings for Prestige were held on April 12th 1960. Eddie then formed a quintet with fellow "tough tenor" Johnny Griffin which had LPs on Prestige, Milestone and Jazzland.

And so with "Lockjaw" an established soul jazz legend, and bearing in mind that on this blog the 1960s haven't happened yet, Be Bop Wino leaves its readers to investigate for themselves the rest of his career which included another spell with Basie and a long recording career both as leader and sideman which lasted until 1985. Eddie Davis passed away in 1986.

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Modern Jazz Expressions

Side 1:
01. Dizzy Atmosphere
02. It's The Talk Of The Town
03. Leaping On Lenox
04. This Is Always
05. Bean-O
06. I'll Remember April

Side 2:
01. Moonlight In Vermont
02. Johnny Come Lately
03. You Go To My Head
04. Foggy Day
05. Tenderly
06. The Way You Look Tonight

Download from here:

Modern Jazz Expressions (Mega)

This LP was originally released as King LP 395-506 in 1956:

The LP was re-released in 1960 as "Modern Jazz by Eddie Davis" with a new front cover similar to that used on this 1988 Sing issue.

Original issue on singles of the tracks  from "Modern Jazz Expressions":

Bean-O / This Is Always (King 4801) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - May 1955

Punch / It's The Talk Of The Town (King 4813) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - July 1955

Together / Foggy Day (King 4863) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - December 1955

Scatter / The Way You Look Tonight (King 4904) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - March 1956

Tenderly / Dizzy Atmosphere (King 4928) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - June 1956

"Leaping On Lenox," "I'll Remember April," "Moonlight In Vermont," "You Go To My Head" and "Johnny Come Lately" first issued on "Modern Jazz Expressions."

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (the nickname came from the way he blew his sax) was born in New York City in 1921. His sax style was what was known as "mainstream", i.e. rooted in the big band swing era yet he played in varied settings, starting with big bands in the early to mid 1940s, especially with Cootie Williams and also in brief stints with Lucky Millinder and Andy Kirk. His first recordings with his own small group were made in May 1946 for Haven. In December 1946 his group recorded with bopper Fats Navarro for Savoy.

Further Eddie Davis small group recordings were made for Apollo in April 1947 and Lenox sometime in 1947 / 48. Somewhat surrealistically some of Eddie's Lenox sides turned up years later under the pseudonym Hen Gates on "rock and roll" compilations issued by the budget Plymouth label.

In 1948 (possibly during the AFM recording ban) Eddie cut four sides for Bob Shad's "Sittin' In With" label. In 1949 Eddie was involved in several R&B leaning sessions: with blues shouter Carl "King Karl" Davis for National; with Jesse Stone ("Cole Slaw") for Victor; with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson for King; and under his own name ("Mountain Oysters") with Bill Doggett also for King.

Eddie's next few recording sessions in 1950-51 were more on the jazz side with live sessions at Birdland being recorded with Gene Parrish, Miles Davis and Slim Gaillard. In October 1951 he was on a session with trombonist Benny Green for Prestige and both artists featured shortly afterwards on a live recording by a group led by Sonny Criss at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

In 1952 Eddie joined the reformed Count Basie big band. A 78 rpm single release of "Paradise Squat" (Mercury 89104) featuring hot soloing by Eddie became a big hit for the Count whose use of the organ rather than the piano pointed the way for future Lockjaw releases.

Eddie's stay with Basie lasted into early 1953 (he would return in 1957) but even before splitting from the Basie outfit Lockjaw started recording with small groups which featured the organ - with Bill Doggett and then with Billy Taylor, both for Roost. Further sessions for Roost in 1953 and 1954 featured Eddie Bonnemere on piano and Charlie Rice on drums with some very tasty sax by Eddie.

In 1954 the Eddie Davis Trio lineup of Eddie on sax, Doc Bagby on organ and Charlie Rice on drums came together, recording "Just Too Marvelous" / "Heartaches" for Roost and sometime in the spring of 1954 the trio plus Sonny Stitt were recorded live at Birdland. Sessions for King commenced on April 11th 1955, with further sessions on April 19th and April 20th. Further King sessions were held in August 1955 and February 1956.

As can be seen from the release details above, these sessions resulted in a string of singles as well as this LP. The singles were reviewed in the R&B section of Billboard, so despite the album title "Modern Jazz Expressions" it is obvious that these sides were aimed at the jukebox crowd who liked to hear some good hot blowing (with the occasional ballad) on mostly easily recognizable standards.

When the next King session was held in July 1956 there was a change in personnel with Shirley Scott replacing Doc Bagby on organ. This was the start of a fruitful collaboration which would last until 1960, but that is a tale for our next post on Be Bop Wino.

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Cherry Red Blues (re-up)

Volume One

Side One:
1. Cherry Red
2. Ashes On My Pillow
3. Kidney Stew
4. Queen Bee Blues
5. Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red
6. Lonesome Train

Side Two:
1. Person To Person
2. My Big Brass Bed Is Gone
3. Rainy Mornin' Blues
4. I Need You Tonight
5. Featherbed Mama
6. Good Bread Alley

Volume Two

Side One:
1. I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock
2. I'm Weak But Willing
3. No Good Woman Blues
4. Jump And Grunt
5. Big Mouth Gal

Side Two:
1. The People On My Party Line
2. Peas And Rice
3. I Trusted You (But You Double-Crossed Me)
4. Bald Headed Blues
5. If You Don't Think I'm Sinking

All tracks recorded for King 1949 – 1952, except “Cherry Red” and “Kidney Stew”, which were recorded for Bethlehem in 1957.

Download this 2LP set from here:

Cherry Red Blues (Mega)

The original post (27th September 2010) is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/eddie-cleanhead-vinson-cherry-red-blues.html

We continue the Eddie Vinson story with a re-up of one of my favourite compilations. This 2LP set of Eddie's King recordings was one of the first "real" R&B collections I ever bought - nearly forty years ago. Read the original post for my reminiscence of purchasing the discs which helped to make me the man I am today - a bop-addled dropout. Listener beware!

I've added a whole load of brain-wrecking background information below. Read on at your peril.

Recording dates for the tracks:

Volume One

1. Cherry Red (New York, September, 1957)
2. Ashes On My Pillow (Cincinnati, August 10, 1949)
3. Kidney Stew (New York, September, 1957)
4. Queen Bee Blues (New York, May 22, 1950)
5. Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red (Cincinnati, August 10, 1949)
6. Lonesome Train (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)
7. Person To Person (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)
8. My Big Brass Bed Is Gone (New York, May 22, 1950)
9. Rainy Mornin' Blues (New York, March 20, 1951)
10. I Need You Tonight (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)
11. Featherbed Mama (Cincinnati, August 30, 1949)
12. Good Bread Alley (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)

Volume Two

1. I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock (Cincinnati, August 10, 1949)
2. I'm Weak But Willing (Cincinnati, August 30, 1949)
3. No Good Woman Blues (Cincinnati, August 30, 1949)
4. Jump And Grunt (New York, May 22, 1950)
5. Big Mouth Gal (New York, May, 1950)
6. The People On My Party Line (New York, March 20, 1951)
7. Peas And Rice (New York, May, 1950)
8. I Trusted You (But You Double-Crossed Me) (New York, May, 1950)
9. Bald Headed Blues (New York, May, 1950)
10. If You Don't Think I'm Sinking (New York, May 22, 1950)

The sessions:

(Tracks in italics are not on this compilation)

Cincinnati, August 10, 1949 -

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Henderson Williams (trumpet); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Harry Porter (tenor saxes); Al Townsend (baritone sax); Wynton Kelly (piano); Frank Skeete (bass) Leon Abrams (drums):

Ashes On My Pillow (King 4355)

I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock (King 4331)

Wineola (King 4313)

Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red (King 4313)

Cincinnati, August 16, 1949 -

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with same personnel as above:

Eddie's Bounce (instrumental) (King 4381)

Cincinnati, August 30, 1949 -

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Calvin Hughes (trumpet); James Buxton (trombone); Harry Porter and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (tenor saxes); Wynton Kelly (piano); Frank Skeete (bass); Leon Abrams (drums):

I'm Weak But Willing (King 4331)

Sittin' On It All The Time (unreleased)

Featherbed Mama (King 4442)

No Good Woman Blues (King 4355)

New York, May 1950 -
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Rostelle Reese (trumpet); Cornelius Tate (trumpet); Rudolph Williams (tenor sax); Orrington Hall (baritone sax); Milt Larkins (piano); Dave Richmond (bass); Rudolph Nichols (drums):

Bald Headed Blues (King 4442)
I Trusted You Baby (But You Double-crossed Me) (King 4426)
Peas And Rice (King 4414)
Big Mouth Gal (King 4426)

New York, May 22nd, 1950 -
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Joe Wilder (trumpet); Tyree Glenn (trombone); Buddy Tate (tenor sax); Bill Graham (baritone sax); Milt Buckner (piano); Gene Ramey (bass); Percy Brice (drums):

My Big Brass Bed Is Gone (King 4381)
Queen Bee Blues (King 4396)
If You Don't Think I'm Sinking (Look What
A Hole I'm In) (King 4414)
Jump And Grunt (instrumental) (King 4396)

New York, March 20th, 1951 -
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Rostelle Reese (trumpet); Milt Larkins (trombone); Lee Pope (tenor sax); Freddie Washington (piano); Billy Taylor (bass); Percy Brice (drums):

Rainy Mornin' Blues (King 4465)
Home Boy (King 4456)
The People On My Party Line (King 4465)
Time After Time (King 4456)

Cincinnati, 7th July, 1952 -
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Charles F. Lee (trumpet); Slide Hampton (trombone); Charlie Rouse (tenor sax); Walter Hiles (baritone sax); Joe Lawson (piano); John Faire (guitar); Car Lee (bass); Wilbur Hogan (drums):

Lonesome Train (trumpet, piano out) (King 4582)
Person To Person (King 4582)
I Need You Tonight (King 4563)
Good Bread Alley (guitar out) (King 4563)

New York, September 1957 -
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (alto sax, vocals) with: Joe Newman (trumpet); Henry Coker (trombone); Paul Quinichette (tenor sax); Bill Graham (baritone sax;) Nat Pierce (piano); Turk Van Lake (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Ed Thigpen (drums):

Cherry Red (Bethlehem BCP 5005)
Kidney Stew (Bethlehem BCP 5005)

The original releases:
(Tracks in italics are not on this compilation)

Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red / Wineola (King 4313) - October 1949

I'm Weak But Willing / I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock (King 4331) - January 1950

Ashes On My Pillow / No Good Woman Blues (King 4355) - May 1950

My Big Brass Bed Is Gone / Eddie's Bounce (King 4381) - July 1950

Queen Bee Blues / Jump And Grunt (King 4396) - September 1950

If You Don't Think I'm Sinking (Look What a Hole I'm In) / Peas And Rice (King 4414) - December 1950

I Trusted You Baby (But You Double-Crossed Me) / Big Mouth Gal (King 4426) - January 1951

Featherbed Mama / Bald Headed Blues (King 4442) - May 1951

Home Boy / Time After Time (King 4456) - June 1951

Rainy Mornin' Blues / The People On My Party Line (King 4465) - August 1951

Good Bread Alley / I Need You Tonight (King 4563) - September 1952

Lonesome Train / Person To Person (King 4582) - December 1952

Cherry Red and Kidney Stew were issued on the Bethlehem LP "Eddie Vinson Sings: Cleanhead's Back In Town" (BCP - 5005) in December 1957.

If you want to hear the complete Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson on King in crystal clear sound quality then you must purchase the Ace CD "Bald Headed Blues" (CDCHD 877). This is a collection which I highly recommend. It scores 10/10 on the Be Bop Wino scale of hipness.

Cootie Williams & His Orchestra - Echoes Of Harlem (re-up)

Side 1
1. Echoes Of Harlem
2. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
3. Tess' Torch Song (vocal – Pearl Bailey)
4. You Talk A Little Trash
5. Sweet Lorraine
6. Cherry Red Blues (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
7. 'Round Midnight
8. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)

Side 2
1. Blue Garden Blues
2. Floogie Boo (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
3. I Don't Know
4. Gotta Do Some War Work (vocal – Cootie Williams)
5. My Old Flame
6. Now I Know (vocal – Pearl Bailey)
7. Somebody's Gotta Go (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
8. Honeysuckle Rose

Download from here:

http://www120.zippyshare.com/v/QH3DNNhx/file.html

Original post (4th September 2010) is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/cootie-williams-his-orchestra-echoes-of.html

Read the post and the back cover of the LP for the background to these recordings and information on the personnel.

Recorded in New York City for Hit/Majestic on the 4th and 6th of January and the 22nd of August 1944.

1. Echoes Of Harlem (January 6, 1944)

2. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (January 6, 1944)

3. Tess' Torch Song (January 6, 1944)

4. You Talk A Little Trash (January 4, 1944)

5. Sweet Lorraine (January 6, 1944)

6. Cherry Red Blues (January 6, 1944)

7. 'Round Midnight (August 22, 1944)

8. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't? (August 22, 1944)

9. Blue Garden Blues (August 22, 1944)

10. Floogie Boo (January 4, 1944)

11. I Don't Know (January 4, 1944)

12. Gotta Do Some War Work (January 4, 1944)

13. My Old Flame (January 6, 1944)

14. Now I Know (January 6, 1944)

15. Somebody's Gotta Go (August 22, 1944)

16. Honeysuckle Rose (January 6, 1944)

Original 78 rpm releases:

Hit 7075 - Now I Know / Tess's Torch song - April 1944

Hit 7084 (Majestic 7084) - Cherry Red Blues / Things Ain't What They Used To Be - April 1944

Hit 7108 (Majestic 7108) - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? / Blues Garden Blues - September 1944

Hit 7119 (Majestic 7119) also Hit 7148 - Somebody's Gotta Go / 'Round Midnight - December 1944

*Hit 7131 (Majestic 7131) - I'm Beginning To See The Light / Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week - March 1945 - not on this LP. See next post "Typhoon."

The following four 78 rpm discs were released on Hit album H-122 ("Echoes Of Harlem") in October 1944:

Hit 8087 - My Old Flame / Echoes of Harlem

Hit 8088 - Sweet Lorraine / Honeysuckle Rose

Hit 8089 - You Talk a Little Trash / Floogie Boo

Hit 8090 - I Don't Know / Gotta Do Some War Work (Do Some War Work Baby)

"Hot Jazz" and "Race" Records

 

I originally meant to make this post solely about a Leo Parker December 1947 single release on Savoy - "Wild Leo" / "El Sino" but while browsing online through the Billboard issues of the period (available free via Google Books) I found myself reading up on the reviews of other releases. That's how this post "growed and growed" as I found myself wandering down the highways and byways of  late 1940s jazz and R&B.

 

So let's start with "Wild Leo" / "El Sino" (Savoy 912):

 



Recorded in Detroit, October 4th, 1947. Personnel: Howard McGhee (trumpet); Gene Ammons (tenor sax); Leo Parker (baritone sax); Junior Mance (piano); Gene Wright (bass); Chuck Williams (drums).

The disc was reviewed in the Billboard issue of December 13th, 1947. Of "Wild Leo" Billboard said: "Showcase for the bary horn of Leo Parker with boppish backgrounds." As for "El Sino": "Medium tempoed be-bop riffer with top notch Parker bary, Navarro trumpet solos." The trumpet player was in fact Howard McGhee, but Fats Navarro performs on a track further down this post.

The Leo Parker platter was reviewed in the "Hot Jazz" section. On the same page were reviews under the heading "Race" which was the term used by Billboard at the time for what would later (from June 1949 onwards) be called "Rhythm and Blues" in the trade journal. The platter in this section which caught my eye was the Bull Moose Jackson release on King 4181, "I Love You, Yes I Do" / "Sneaky Pete":



Recorded in New York City, August 1947. Personnel, largely unknown, except Bull Moose Jackson (vocals, tenor sax). This disc went on to become the fourth largest rhythm seller of 1948, behind "Tomorrow Night" by Lonnie Johnson, "King Size Papa" by Julia Lee and "Long Gone, parts 1 and 2" by Sonny Thompson. Bull Moose was the top selling rhythm artist of 1948, easily outselling Louis Jordan thanks to big hits like "I Love You, Yes I Do", "All My Love Belongs To You", "I Can't Go On Without You" and "Love Me Tonight".

Many Bull Moose discs featured a ballad on one side and a jump tune on the other side. Collections of his material which were released from the 1980s onwards tended to feature the latter, often featuring "lee-rics" such as "Big Ten Inch" and "I Want A Bow Legged Woman." His ballads were generally consigned to the dustbin of musical history. However, I managed to resurrect "I Love You, Yes I Do" from a 1979 "Old King Gold" LP, hence the dodgy sound quality despite some TLC on my conversion software.

Continuing my Billboard search on Leo Parker, I came across this Savoy advert in the issue of 20th November, 1948:

 

What Billboard rather condescendingly labelled "race" records are advertised by Savoy under "Tops in Pops" and "Tops in Bop" is used for jazz releases, which is preferable to the rather archaic sounding "hot jazz." In the late 1940s, Savoy was a big backer of both be-bop and sax-driven r&b. The biggest seller of the discs advertised above was Hal Singer's storming "Corn Bread" which was the 9th biggest selling rhythm platter of 1948 and the second biggest selling  rhythm instrumental on the charts, behind Sonny Thompson's "Long Gone" (Miracle 126) which featured Eddie Chamblee on tenor sax.



Baritone sax man Paul Williams' "Waxie Maxie" was also a good seller, although his "Thirty-Five Thirty" was an even bigger success. Other sax instros on Savoy that year included "September Song" by Don Byas and two from Wild Bill Moore: "Bubbles" and "We're Gonna Rock." Other labels were in on the sax action too - King / Gotham with "Temptation" by Earl Bostic, and Atlantic with "Blue Harlem" and "Midnight Special" by the Tiny Grimes band featuring Red Prysock.

Enough from me, it's time to rock and bop to four of the tracks from the above advert: "Waxie Maxie" by Paul Williams; "Spinal" by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and his Be-Boppers (with Fats Navarro); "Cornbread" by Hal Singer; and "Barbados" by Charlie Parker.

Swingin' Saxophones Volume 2

Side One
1. Breaking The Blues - James Moody
2. No Dues - Arnett Cobb
3. Cozy's Beat - Cozy Eggleston
4. Red Top - Gene Ammons
5. Serenade - Earl Bostic
6. Harlem Nocturne - Willis Jackson

Side Two
1. A La Carte - Roland Kirk
2. Groovin' - Illinois Jacquet
3. Fuzzy - Gene Ammons
4. Weary Blues - Illinois Jacquet
5. The Way You Look Tonight - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
6. Triple Threat - Roland Kirk

At last, a follow-up to “Swingin’ Saxophones” on the mysterious Saarland based “Bop und Rhythm” label has arrived in my inbox. There was obviously a gap of a few years between the issues, with the second volume covering tracks recorded between 1950 and 1956, a period when the swing era was receding into the past, thus perhaps rendering the title of the LP somewhat anachronistic (translation – outta time).

Our compiler was obviously a fan of the “big hitters” of the saxophone and wasn’t too concerned about any differentiation between jazz and r&b. In fact you can dance to most of the tracks on here. Let’s call it juke box jazz. Not so much an album, more a state of mind.

There are no discographical details on the cover, but I’ve done a bit of research and listed the date of recording, personnel and original release of each track below. It’s obviously a bootleg, judging by the background noise on most tracks, but sound quality is good. Download and groove to these hiptastic vibes. Or just click your fingers by the virtual juke box.

Download from here:

Swingin' Saxophones Volume Two (Mega)

1. Breaking The Blues by James Moody was recorded in Chicago in November 1956. Personnel: Johnny Coles (tp); William Shepherd (tb); James Moody (ts); Numa "Pee Wee" Moore (bar); Jimmy Boyd (p); John Lathan (b); Clarence Johnson (d)
Originally released on Argo LP 603, “Flute ‘n’ the Blues.”

2. No Dues by Arnett Cobb was recorded in Chicago on February 17th 1956. Personnel: Ed Lewis (tp); Al Grey (tb); Arnett Cobb (ts); Harold Cumberbatch (bar,as); Lloyd Mayers (p); Jimmy Mobley (b); Al Jones (d)
Originally released on Vee-Jay 190.

3. Cozy's Beat by Cozy Eggleston was recorded in Chicago on August 23rd, 1952.
Personnel: Marie Eggleston (as); Cozy Eggleston (ts); Jimmy Boyd (p); Ellis Hunter (g); Curtis Ferguson (b) Chuck Williams (d)
Originally released on States 133.

4. Red Top by Gene Ammons was recorded in Chicago on April 15th, 1953.
Personnel: John Coles (tp); Lino Murray (tb); Gene Ammons (ts); Mack Easton (ts,bar); John Houston (p) unknown (g); Benny Stuberville (b); George Brown (d)
Originally released on United 149.

5. Serenade by Earl Bostic was recorded in New York on March 23rd, 1950.
Personnel: Earl Bostic (as); Count Hastings (ts); Gene Redd (vib); Clifton Smalls (p); Al Casey (g); Kester Betts (b); Joe Marshall (d)
Originally released on King 4369.

6. Harlem Nocturne by Willis Jackson was recorded in New York on July 9th, 1951.
Personnel: John H Russell (tp); Walter “Phatz” Morris (tb); Otis Sutton (as, bar); Willis Jackson (ts); Jimmy Evans (p); Leonard Swain (b); Emmanuel Sims (d)
Originally released on Atlantic 946.

7. A La Carte by Roland Kirk was recorded in New York on November 9th, 1956.
Personnel: Roland Kirk (ts); James Madison (p); Carl Pruitt (b); Henry Duncan (d)
Originally released on the King LP “Triple Threat”, King LP539

8. Groovin' by Illinois Jacquet was recorded in New York on May 24th, 1951.
Personnel: Illinois Jacquet (ts); Hank Jones (p); John Collins (g); Gene Ramey (b); Art Blakey (d)
Originally released on Clef 8968.

9. Fuzzy by Gene Ammons was recorded in Chicago on April 15th, 1953.
Personnel: John Coles (tp); Lino Murray (tb); Gene Ammons (ts); Mack Easton (ts,bar); John Houston (p) unknown (g); Benny Stuberville (b); George Brown (d)
Originally released on United 185.

10. Weary Blues by Illinois Jacquet was recorded in New York on May 24th, 1951.
Personnel: Illinois Jacquet (ts); Hank Jones (p); John Collins (g); Gene Ramey (b); Art Blakey (d)
Originally released on Clef 8968

11. The Way You Look Tonight by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was recorded in Cincinnati on August 16th, 1955.
Personnel: Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (ts); Doc Bagby (org); Charlie Rice (d)
Originally released on King 4904.

12. Triple Threat by Roland Kirk was recorded in New York on November 9th, 1956.
Personnel: Roland Kirk (ts); James Madison (p); Carl Pruitt (b); Henry Duncan (d)
Originally released on the King LP “Triple Threat”, King LP539

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Cherry Red Blues

Volume One

Side One:

1. Cherry Red
2. Ashes On My Pillow
3. Kidney Stew
4. Queen Bee Blues
5. Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red
6. Lonesome Train

Side Two:

1. Person To Person
2. My Big Brass Bed Is Gone
3. Rainy Mornin' Blues
4. I Need You Tonight
5. Featherbed Mama
6. Good Bread Alley

Volume Two

Side One:

1. I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock
2. I'm Weak But Willing
3. No Good Woman Blues
4. Jump And Grunt
5. Big Mouth Gal

Side Two:

1. The People On My Party Line
2. Peas And Rice
3. I Trusted You (But You Double-Crossed Me)
4. Bald Headed Blues
5. If You Don't Think I'm Sinking

All tracks recorded for King 1949 – 1952, except “Cherry Red” and “Kidney Stew”, which were recorded for Bethlehem in 1957.

Oh what an album to have as the follow up to the “Mr Cleanhead Steps Out” post! This 2LP set on the Gusto label was one of the earliest collections of the honkin’ and screamin’ variety of R&B that I bought. And not in some hip record store stacked full of obscure American imports either, but somewhat surrealistically in the basement of Littlewood’s department store in Argyle Street, Glasgow. They didn’t have much of a record department, but for some unknown reason they’d laid in a stock of Gusto LPs, mostly double album sets of the likes of Wynonie Harris, Little Willie John, Roy Brown, Freddie King, and on one set a mixture of tracks by Memphis Slim, Pete “Guitar” Lewis and Little Willie Littlefield. They sold for a modest £2.99 each and how I wish I’d bought the lot and not just the five which currently lurk on my vinyl shelves.

But to our tale … back in 1947 Eddie Vinson had enjoyed his biggest chart hit on Mercury with “Kidney Stew” / “Old Maid Boogie.” During that year he’d cut his big band back to a small jump combo and had been recording right up to within a couple of days of the start of the second AFM recording ban. When he resumed his recording career on August 10th 1949, he had signed with Syd Nathan’s King Records with whom he would stay until July 1952, laying down a series of dynamite blues tracks backed by tight-as-a-gnat’s-chuff combos which featured rip-roaring tenor sax from Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Buddy Tate and Lee Pope (who had played with Eddie back in the Cootie Williams band days.)

Despite the superb quality of these tracks (they are responsible for my 30 year addiction to this kind of music) they mostly didn’t sell well at the time. “Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red” did reasonable business in 1949, although nowhere nearly as successfully as the hit to which it was a rather belated answer record, “Cherry Red Blues,” which Eddie had recorded with the Cootie Williams Orchestra back in 1944. Of the other King sides, “I’m Gonna Wind Your Clock” (1950) and “Person To Person” (1953) also managed to brush the charts.

There were probably two reasons for this lack of success. In the first few years of Eddie’s spell with King, Syd Nathan was promoting similar sounding sides by Wynonie Harris and Roy Brown, leaving little time or money to provide similar promotion for Eddie. In the latter years of Eddie’s King spell, trends and tastes in R&B were changing and vocal groups like The Dominoes and The Clovers were selling heavily to a new generation of R&B fans to whom Eddie, Wynonie and Roy must have seemed, well, kind of old fashioned.

From January 1954 to February 1955 Eddie was back with his old label Mercury for whom he recorded more stirring R&B tracks backed by groups led by Arnett Cobb and Leroy Kirkland, but once again sales were disappointing and obscurity beckoned. It was Eddie’s jazz background which saved him from the fate of so many of his R&B contemporaries. In 1957 he recorded the album “Cleanhead’s Back In Town” for jazz label Bethlehem which was distributed by King (being bought over by that label in 1960). He was backed by musicians from the Count Basie Orchestra and two of the tracks have snuck on to this compilation – “Cherry Red” and “Kidney Stew” – both reworkings of his old 1940s hits. I only discovered this recently as they don’t sound any different from the King material and it simply never occurred to me that they could be from later sessions for a different label.

Scan courtesy of Robert Termorshuizen

Scan courtesy of Robert Termorshuizen

Eddie’s music career lasted right up to the year of his death in 1988. There were jazz recordings, including a session with Cannonball and Nat Adderley (he had jammed with them many years previously in Florida) and an R&B comeback with the Johnny Otis Show at Monterey. There were tours and recording sessions in the UK and Europe, including the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival and there was a spell being backed by R&B band Roomful Of Blues. Forty years on, fans of both R&B and jazz were still able to enjoy live and recorded performances by one of the originals from the golden years of the 1940s, an era which for many now seems lost in the mists of time but which lives on in the hearts of latter day hepcats of all ages.

"Cleanhead" tribute in Blues & Rhythm, August 1988

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Volume One

1. Cherry Red (New York, September, 1957)
2. Ashes On My Pillow (Cincinnati, August 10, 1949)
3. Kidney Stew (New York, September, 1957)
4. Queen Bee Blues (New York, May 22, 1950)
5. Somebody Done Stole My Cherry Red (Cincinnati, August 10, 1949)
6. Lonesome Train (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)
7. Person To Person (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)
8. My Big Brass Bed Is Gone (New York, May 22, 1950)
9. Rainy Mornin' Blues (New York, March 20, 1951)
10. I Need You Tonight (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)
11. Featherbed Mama (Cincinnati, August 30, 1949)
12. Good Bread Alley (Cincinnati, July 7, 1952)

Volume Two

1. I'm Gonna Wind Your Clock (Cincinnati, August 10, 1949)
2. I'm Weak But Willing (Cincinnati, August 30, 1949)
3. No Good Woman Blues (Cincinnati, August 30, 1949)
4. Jump And Grunt (New York, May 22, 1950)
5. Big Mouth Gal (New York, May, 1950)
6. The People On My Party Line (New York, March 20, 1951)
7. Peas And Rice (New York, May, 1950)
8. I Trusted You (But You Double-Crossed Me) (New York, May, 1950)
9. Bald Headed Blues (New York, May, 1950)
10. If You Don't Think I'm Sinking (New York, May 22, 1950)

Recommended purchase:

Ace CDCHD 877

It just has to be “Bald Headed Blues (his complete King recordings 1949-52)" on Ace CDCHD 877. 26 tracks from the original masters with sleeve notes by Dave Penny. Included is the previously unissued Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson version of “Sittin’ On It All The Time,” a particularly wild version of which was a hit for Wynonie Harris in 1950. It is, of course, a raunched up rehash of Cleanhead’s old 1947 hit “Old Maid Boogie.” This particular CD belongs in my all time top 10 of R&B reissues by Ace. Go git it!

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Mr Cleanhead Steps Out

Side A
1. Mr Cleanhead Steps Out
2. When My Baby Left Me (Cootie Williams)
3. Juice Head Baby (Cootie Williams)
4. Kidney Stew Blues
5. I've Been So Good
6. It's A Groovy Affair
7. Old Maid Boogie
8. Shavetail

Side B
1. Gonna Send You Back Where I Got You From
2. Luxury Tax Blues
3. Wrong Girl Blues
4. Friday Fish Fry
5. I Took The Front Door In
6. Home Boy
7. Eddie's Bounce
8. Time After Time

Let’s get the nickname out of the way first. Eddie Vinson earned the soubriquet of “Cleanhead” after an overenthusiastic application of lye-based hair straightener burned his scalp and left him with a head as smooth as a baby’s bottom. By the time his hair started to grow back, Eddie had become so enamoured of his new look that he kept his head shaved for ever after.

He was born in Houston, Texas, in December 1917. Music ran in the family, both parents being pianists and a grandfather being a violinist. At around the age of 17 Eddie took up the alto saxophone and was soon so proficient that he was attracting the attention of local bands. However, it was with the territory band of Chester Boone that Eddie commenced his musical career. A former member of the Boone band was trumpeter and fellow native of Houston, Milt Larkin, who formed his own band in 1936, taking tenor sax man Arnett Cobb from the Boone outfit. Cobb recommended Vinson to Larkin and by 1937 Eddie was a member of what soon became the hottest territory band in Texas.

Sadly, the Larkin outfit remained unrecorded but it soon acquired a formidable reputation in battles against not only fellow territory bands, but also against national “name” bands. In the late 1930s and early 1940s the Milt Larkin band included musicians like Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, Tom Archia, Russell Jacquet and even T-Bone Walker for a short spell. At this time Eddie’s vocal efforts were limited to ballad singing, but while singing the blues in an impromptu backstage session in late 1941 he was overheard by former Duke Ellington trumpet player Cootie Williams.

Williams had come south to Houston with the intention of signing Arnett Cobb to the new band he was forming back up in New York. Cobb refused to budge, but after three attempts at persuasion Eddie Vinson made the long rail journey to New York City to become the star of The Cootie Williams Orchestra. In 1944 the band recorded several sessions for Hit / Majestic and it was the numbers which featured the distinctive voice of Vinson which became hits. “Cherry Red Blues” made it to number two on the Harlem Hit Parade and “Somebody’s Got To Go” reached number one.

In mid-1945 the Cootie Williams band signed with Capitol Records. In the first half of the year Eddie had been drafted and his alto sax chair was temporarily filled by Charlie Parker. Eddie’s asthmatic condition (which accounted for the peculiar wheeze and catch in his singing voice) plus the collapse of the Third Reich meant that his absence was a short one. He was back with the band for the July recording sessions at which he sang “When My Baby Left Me” and “Juice Head Baby.”

These were his last recordings for the Cootie Williams band. Having established himself as a major star (top R&B band vocalist in 1944), Eddie felt it was time to strike out on his own and before the year was out he was fronting his own big band on Mercury Records. There were fifteen men swingin’ on the fine instrumental “Mr Cleanhead Steps Out” which was backed with a remake of “Juice Head Baby.” The first single issued from the session had some superb blues hollerin’ – “I’ve Been So Good,” backed with a catchy swing instrumental “It’s A Groovy Affair.” The next session produced two further remakes of numbers Eddie originally recorded with Cootie Williams – “Cherry Red Blues” and “Somebody’s Got To Go.”


Original 78rpm disc scans courtesy El Enmascadero Del Platter

Before the end of 1945 there was a third recording session for the big band, but there was a gap of ten months before the band hit the studio again in October 1946, recording a lone single, “Cleanhead Blues” / “When A Woman Loves Her Juice.”

1947 is often cited as the year the big bands really hit trouble. At the beginning of the year many of the best known groups broke up. Benny Carter, Les Brown, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James all disbanded their aggregations, although some were to subsequently reform. In January of 1947 Eddie Vinson was back in the recording studio, but this time with a reduced seven piece line-up. The session produced his biggest hit under his own name – “Kidney Stew” / “Old Maid Boogie,” the eighth top selling R&B single of 1947.

There was one last big band session in mid-1947 (“Gonna Send You Back Where I Got You From”) but all subsequent recordings were with small jump band line-ups. Eddie’s stay with the Mercury label lasted until December 1947 with the last sides being made on the 28th as the second AFM strike loomed. “I Took The Front Door In” was a standard blues shout from Eddie, but “Shavetail” and “Friday Fish Fry” are interesting bop influenced instrumentals. Although it was his blues singing which provided Eddie with his biggest hits, it was his fine jazzy alto sax playing which would help prolong his career once the jumpin’ and shoutin’ style of rhythm and blues had gone out of fashion.

Eddie’s recording career didn’t resume until August 1949 when he signed with King Records with whom he stayed until July 1952. The King sides were the first Eddie Vinson records I ever heard (on a Gusto 2LP set) and mighty impressive they were too. But despite the outstanding musicianship on display (“Lockjaw” Davis and Buddy Tate were in the backing bands), none of the sides were hits. This was probably due not only to King honcho Syd Nathan concentrating on his two biggest R&B stars of the time, Roy Brown and Wynonie Harris, but also to the fact that by the early fifties Eddie’s jazzy jump blues was going out of style.

Of the three King sides on this LP, “Home Boy” is a loping blues shuffle with a great tenor sax break by Lee Pope who had been with Eddie since the days of the Cootie Williams band. “Eddie’s Bounce” is another boppish instrumental and most unusually, “Time After Time” is a ballad sung by Eddie, which takes us all the way back to his days as a featured ballad singer in the Milt Larkin band.

Some of Eddie’s King sides will feature in an upcoming post, but you can find a selection of them on the blog in Volume 3 and Volume 4 of the “Battle of the Blues” albums.

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1. Mr Cleanhead Steps Out (Mercury 2031, December (?) 1945)
2. When My Baby Left Me (Capitol 266, July 1945)*
3. Juice Head Baby (Capitol 237, May or July 1945)*
4. Kidney Stew Blues (Mercury 8028, January 1947)
5. I've Been So Good (Mercury 2030, December 1945)
6. It's A Groovy Affair (Mercury 2030, December 1945)
7. Old Maid Boogie (Mercury 8028, January 1947)
8. Shavetail (Mercury 8244, December 1947)
9. Gonna Send You Back Where I Got You From (Mercury 8051, April 1947)
10. Luxury Tax Blues (Mercury 8051, April 1947)
11. Wrong Girl Blues (Mercury 8244, June 1947)
12. Friday Fish Fry (Mercury 8110, December 1947)
13. I Took The Front Door In (Mercury 8138, December 1947)
14. Home Boy (King 4456, March 1951)
15. Eddie's Bounce (King 4381, August 1949)
16. Time After Time (King 4456, March 1951)

* = Cootie Williams & His Orchestra

Recommended listening – The JSP 4 CD set “Honk for Texas” as already recommended on the Big Jim Wynn post. Over 2 CDs of Eddie, from Cootie to King. Plus about one and a half CDs of Jim Wynn. Get it!

Cootie Williams & His Orchestra - Echoes Of Harlem

Side 1
1. Echoes Of Harlem
2. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
3. Tess' Torch Song (vocal – Pearl Bailey)
4. You Talk A Little Trash
5. Sweet Lorraine
6. Cherry Red Blues (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
7. 'Round Midnight
8. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)

Side 2
1. Blue Garden Blues
2. Floogie Boo (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
3. I Don't Know
4. Gotta Do Some War Work (vocal – Cootie Williams)
5. My Old Flame
6. Now I Know (vocal – Pearl Bailey)
7. Somebody's Gotta Go (vocal – Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson)
8. Honeysuckle Rose

Continuing our look at the big band roots of rhythm and blues, we come to the Cootie Williams Orchestra. This 1986 Affinity LP offers a fascinating mix of influences and trends with former Duke Ellington “growl” trumpet player Cootie Williams leading a band which included pioneer bop pianist Bud Powell, alto sax player and blues shouter Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, powerful tenor sax men Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Sam “The Man” Taylor, and future R&B bandleader Leroy Kirkland on guitar. And there’s the additional ingredient of the vocal presence of star of stage, screen and radio Pearl Bailey on what are among her earliest recordings.

Cootie Williams was born with the rather more mundane moniker of Charles Melvin Williams in Mobile, Alabama in 1910. The nickname “Cootie” originated in early childhood when his father got into the habit of calling “Cootie, Cootie” when young Charles was learning to walk.

Cootie began playing the trumpet in his early teens and at the age of 14 he spent summer touring with the Young family band. That’s Young as in young Lester Young who made his debut with his family group. Cootie turned pro in 1926, having spells with territory bands like that of Eagle “Eye” Shields and the Alonzo Ross Deluxe Syncopators. After a couple of years at this level Cootie moved to New York where he had brief spells with Chick Webb and Fletcher Henderson. In 1929 Cootie began an eleven year association with Duke Ellington during which he came to be regarded as the foremost trumpeter of his generation.

At the end of 1940 the world of jazz was rocked by Cootie’s sensational move from the Ellington band to Benny Goodman’s orchestra where he recorded with the full band and small groups featuring Lionel Hampton and Charlie Christian. Before 1941 was out however, Cootie was looking to lead his own big band. He took a trip down to Texas intent on enticing Arnett Cobb away from the territory band of Milt Larkin but instead it was Larkin's alto sax player Eddie Vinson who made the journey to New York to join the new band. Williams’ outfit was very much a blues-based dance band which suited Vinson who quickly became the star of the band’s appearances at the Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theatre.

The band’s first recordings were for Columbia / Okeh in April 1942 and included a version of Thelonius Monk’s “Epistrophy”, retitled “Fly Right.” Eddie Vinson was given a vocal outing on “When My Baby Left Me.”

The first AFM recording ban led to a delay before the next recording sessions were held on January 4th and 6th 1944 for the Hit/Majestic diskery. By now Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Bud Powell had joined the band. The sessions were split between small group and full band line ups and account for 12 of the 16 tracks on this LP. The remaining 4 tracks are from a full band session recorded for Hit/Majestic in August 1944, by which time Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis had been replaced by Sam “The Man” Taylor and Leroy Kirkland had joined the band.

The tracks include Ellingtonian swing (a revival of “Echoes of Harlem”), early bop (the first ever recording of Thelonius Monks’ “’Round Midnight”) and proto - R&B (Vinson’s “Cherry Red Blues” and a cover of Louis Jordan’s “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t?”)

In early 1945 Charlie Parker was brought in to replace Eddie Vinson who had been drafted but by the time the next recording session (for Capitol) came round at the end of May, 1945, Vinson was back for a rousing “Juice Head Baby.” Before the end of 1945 Vinson left to form his own big band and it has to be said that the Cootie Williams band was never quite the same again. And at this point the curtain falls on our humble post but you can follow the further fortunes of Cootie Williams and Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson on subsequent posts. Stay tuned, you crazy swingsters!

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Recorded in New York City for Hit/Majestic in January and August 1944.

1. Echoes Of Harlem (January 6, 1944)
2. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (January 6, 1944)
3. Tess' Torch Song (January 6, 1944)
4. You Talk A Little Trash (January 4, 1944)
5. Sweet Lorraine (January 6, 1944)
6. Cherry Red Blues (January 6, 1944)
7. 'Round Midnight (August 22, 1944)
8. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't? (August 22, 1944)
9. Blue Garden Blues (August 22, 1944)
10. Floogie Boo (January 4, 1944)
11. I Don't Know (January 4, 1944)
12. Gotta Do Some War Work (January 4, 1944)
13. My Old Flame (January 6, 1944)
14. Now I Know (January 6, 1944)
15. Somebody's Gotta Go (August 22, 1944)
16. Honeysuckle Rose (January 6, 1944)

Hen Gates And His Gaters - Rock And Roll No. 2 (Plymouth P-12-149)

It’s exploitation a go-go as the Hen Gates saga continues, thanks to this second Plymouth LP of the mysterious Mr Gates. Thanks very much to the anonymous sax fan who sent this in, and he is a different anonymous sax fan from the one who kicked the whole Hen Gates thing off a few posts back.

Track 5, “Madeira Roll”, is Freddie Mitchell’s “Hot Ice”. Track 10 “Rock Daddy Rock” is also a definite Freddie Mitchell track with a new title – “Madera Hop”. Track 11 “Bee Bee Roll” is “Leapin’ On Lenox” by Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. If you’ve been following the Hen Gates posts you’ll know that these 3 tracks turned up on the previous Plymouth Gates LP “Rock And Roll”, and here they are again.

I’m not going to attempt to make any more match ups of the tracks here with the previous Hen Gates and Freddie Mitchell posts, for that road leads to certain insanity. However don’t hesitate to try it for yourselves!

Mojo Killian has kindly sent in more information with match ups between the tracks on this LP and those on previous Hen Gates LPs, especially the Masterseal album.

Thanks, Mojo and here we go:

Ok, folks, here's what I found out:
1. Moondog Rock = Rock Me Sugar on Masterseal LP "Let's All Dance to Rock and Roll"
2. Stompin' And Rockin' = Love To Rock With You on Masterseal LP
3. The Big Fish = Choo Choo Rock from Masterseal LP
4. Move It = Rock'n And Walk'n on Masterseal LP
5. Madeira Roll = Hold It on "Rock And Roll" (Plymouth 144) = Hot Ice
6. Sneaky Pete = T.N.T. on "Rock And Roll"
7. Go Everybody = Juke Box Rock on Masterseal LP
8. Till Tom Rock = Rock Around Rosie on Masterseal LP
9. Swinging To The Rock And Roll = The New Rock on Masterseal LP
10. Rock Daddy Rock = Rockin' & Rollin' Hop on "Rock And Roll" (Plymouth 144)
11. Bee Bee Roll = Look And Listen on "Rock And Roll" (= Leapin' On Lenox)
12. Zing Zang Roll = Bear Walk on "Rock And Roll"

Mojo Kilian

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1. Moondog Rock
2. Stompin' And Rockin'
3. The Big Fish
4. Move It
5. Madeira Roll
6. Sneaky Pete
7. Go Everybody
8. Till Tom Rock
9. Swinging To The Rock And Roll
10. Rock Daddy Rock
11. Bee Bee Roll
12. Zing Zang Roll