Jimmy Witherspoon - Ain't Nobody's Business!

Side 1:
01) Ain't Nobody's Business Part 2
02) In The Evening
03) Frogomore Blues
04) McShann Bounce Part 1
05) How Long
06) Money's Getting Cheaper

Side 2:
01) Skid-Row Blues
02) Spoon Calls Hootie
03) Back Water Blues
04) Louie's Guitar Boogie
05) Destruction Blues
06) Ain't Nobody's Business Part 1

Ain't Nobody's Business! (Mega)

Ain't Nobody's Business! (Zippy)

Another LP which has lain unplayed for decades on the shelves of the vinyl vault. An unfortunate state of affairs as it provides a valuable snapshot of a period when one of the all time great blues shouters, Jimmy Witherspoon, enjoyed considerable success on the R&B charts. Witherspoon, of course, went on to have a decades long career as a jazz and blues singer but here we concentrate on 1947 - 1949 when his recordings for Supreme Records made a big noise on the sales charts.

Although the sleevenotes for this LP say that these recordings were made for Jack Lauderdale's Down Beat / Swing Time label, in fact with the exception of "Spoon Calls Hootie" and "Destruction Blues'" these tracks were recorded in November 1947 for Supreme Records, a small LA based label owned by dentist Al Patrick. The label had a limited but interesting roster of R&B artists which included Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay McShann, Buddy Tate, Paula Watson and Eddie Williams. Two lawsuits (brought by Decca and Black & White) plus the inevitable financial pressures of a small label having to support a nationwide smash hit (Witherspoon's "Ain't Nobody's Business") brought about the closure of the label in 1950 with most of its masters being bought up by Swing Time.

In the previous post "Jay McShann - The Band That Jumps The Blues!" we saw how pianist and former big band leader Jay McShann had migrated to the West Coast, leading small jump groups rather than full bands. In Vallejo California McShann came across Witherspoon and immediately signed him to his band which for a while could boast three vocalists - Crown Prince Waterford, Witherspoon and Numa Lee Davis. The band cut sides for Philo, Premier and Mercury (1945 - 1947) with Waterford and Davis dropping out, leaving Witherspoon as the sole vocalist fronting the band.

Supreme started recording Witherspoon who was now a solo act in October 1947. Further sessions followed in November 1947 with backing by Jay McShann who generously provided studio support for his former singer, and in a final late December 1947 session, backing was provided by the Buddy Tate band. To confuse matters somewhat, Witherspoon and McShann also recorded for Modern in late December 1947 with the Al "Cake" Wichard band.

Although a stash of recordings had been built up, Supreme didn't start releasing Witherspoon sides until the spring of 1948. Just as these platters hit the record shops, Witherspoon started recording for Down Beat, again backed by Jay McShann. He continued to record for Down Beat into the summer of 1948 and then started recording for Modern in the autumn of that year, staying with that label until 1952 when he switched to Federal.

Amidst the flurry of releases on Supreme, Down Beat and Modern in 1948-49, it was the Supreme recordings which made the biggest impact sales wise, with the two parter "Ain't Nobody's Business"  reaching number 1 in the R&B chart in the spring of 1949, and its follow up, "In The Evening" reaching number 7 in October of that year. Witherspoon enjoyed further success in 1950 with a double sided hit on Modern, "No Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl" both of which reached number 4 R&B.

Release Details - Titles as on original single releases

01) Ain't Nobody's Business Part 2 - Supreme 1506 / Swing Time 263

02) In The Evening - Supreme 1533

03) Frogomore Blues  - Supreme 1505

04) McShann's Bounce Part 1 - Supreme 1540 (Jay McShann)

05) How Long - Supreme 1545

06) Money's Getting Cheaper - Supreme 1501

07) Skid-Row Blues - Supreme 1545 / Swing Time 244

08) Spoon Calls Hootie - Down Beat / Swing Time 157

09) Back Water Blues - Supreme 1520

10) Louie's Guitar Boogie - Supreme 1501 (Louis Speiginer)

11) Destruction Blues - Down Beat / Swing Time 161

12) Ain't Nobody's Business Part 1 - Supreme 1506 / Swing Time 263

In chronological order. All tracks credited to Jimmy Witherspoon unless otherwise noted (in brackets):

Louie's Guitar Boogie (Louis Speiginer) / Money's Getting Cheaper - Supreme 1501 - May 1948

Frogomore Blues / Wee Baby Blues - Supreme 1505 - August / September (?) 1948

Call My Baby / Spoon Calls Hootie - Down Beat 157 - circa October 1948

Funny Style Baby / Destruction Blues - Down Beat 161 - circa October 1948

Ain't Nobody's Business Part 1 / Ain't Nobody's Business Part 2 - Supreme 1506 - February 1949

Back Water Blues / Third Floor Blues - Supreme 1520 - April 1949

In The Evening (Jimmy Witherspoon) / Six-Foot-Two Blues (Buddy Tate Orchestra vcl - Jimmy Witherspoon) - Supreme 1533 - September 1949

McShann's Bounce Part 1 / McShann's Bounce Part 2 (Jay McShann At The Piano) - Supreme 1540 - circa October 1949

How Long / Skid-Row Blues - Supreme 1545 - November 1949

 

Label shots adapted from The Internet Archive.

Recommended Purchase:

Cold Blooded Boogie (Night Train International NTI CD 7008)

20 hollerin' tracks from Supreme and Down Beat. At the time of posting there are copies going very cheaply on ebay.co.uk. Worth a look!

Jay McShann - The Band That Jumps The Blues!

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

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

The Band That Jumps The Blues (Mega)

The Band That Jumps The Blues (Zippy)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Original Release Details

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

04) Buttermilk - Down Beat 172 - Jay McShann

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elsewhere on the blog:

Hootie's K.C. Blues

 

Percy Mayfield - The Voice Within (re-up)

Side 1:
01. How Wrong Can A Good Man Be
02. Leary Blues
03. The Hunt Is On
04. Hopeless
05. Two Hearts Are Greater Than One
06. Lonesome Highway
07. I Dare You, Baby
08. How Deep Is The Well

Side 2:
01. The Lonely One
02. The Bachelor Blues
03. Sugar Mama - Peachy Papa
04. The Voice Within
05. My Heart
06. Are You Out There?
07. The Bluest Blues
08. My Story About A Woman

Ripped @ 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www18.zippyshare.com/v/yMV2UzRx/file.html

Re-upped in response to a request by Barefoot Boogaloo. Apologies for the delay, but I had to go out and buy a new scanner. I had become increasingly aware that my LP cover scans were suffering in quality due to fogging on the inside of my scanner glass. An attempt to fix this ended badly so there was nothing for it but to dig deep and invest in a new scanner. As for stitching together the LP cover scans (you need to do four to get a complete cover), I decided to try out Microsoft's ICE free software and the results are as you see on this post. I'm pretty pleased with the scanner and the software and I believe that scanning LP covers will not be such a laborious task as it used to be.

The original post (11th October, 2008) of "The Voice Within" is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/percy-mayfield-voice-within.html

It's worth a read - not only for an outline of the career of Percy Mayfield, but also for some melancholy musings over the corporatisation of Byres Road in the West End of Glasgow. Eight years on, and the trend continues unabated. Surely there can't be any business premises left to convert into coffee shops or pseudo hipster eateries? The 2008 post was prompted by the closure of Lost In Music where I bought this LP not long before the curtain came down on that source of second hand vinyl. The comments on the original post are also informative.

There is a reference to The Hound at the beginning of that post - he had posted a soundclip of the single "The Voice Within" on his blog a few weeks before I posted this LP on Be Bop Wino. A couple of years later The Hound posted an article on Percy Mayfield which you can find here:

http://thehoundblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/percy-mayfield.html

As for the sounds on this platter, I don't think I've listened to the tracks since I posted them originally and I must say on re-listening I've found that it makes for hypnotic listening, a litany of heartbreak and personal woe with only an occasional uptempo track to provide relief. I like it. Percy Mayfield was a true poet of the blues as his outstanding songwriting and performances on this album demonstrate.

There is some surface noise on some of these tracks, especially on the rockin' "I Dare You Baby" which has a few clicks and pops. Sorry about that folks. The sleevenotes by Dick Shurman include commentary on the tracks by Percy Mayfield himself.

Additional information:

How Wrong Can A Good Man Be / Leary Blues were released on Supreme 1549 in 1949. The A side was titled "How Wrong Can I Be". Re-released on Swing Time 262 in March 1951 with "Leary Blues" as the A side, and the B side titled "How Wrong Can a Good Man Be." Recorded in 1947. Personnel as per LP sleeve, i.e. Percy Mayfield (vocal); Vernon Smith (trumpet); Marshall Royal (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Chuck Norris (guitar); Roy Hamilton (bass); Henry Williams (drums).

The Hunt Is On was released on Specialty SP 425 (B side of "The Big Question") in March 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 22nd, 1952. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Willard McDaniel (piano); Mitchell Webb (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Hopeless was released on Specialty SP 416 (b/w "Cry Baby) in November 1951. Recorded in Los Angeles on July 27th, 1951. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes) Maurice Simon (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Lee Young (drums).

Two Hearts Are Greater Than One was released on Specialty SP 432 (B side of "Louisiana") in May 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles October 23rd, 1950. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis and Jack McVea (tenor saxes); Charles Waller (baritone sax)); Lee Wesley Jones (piano); Chuck Norris (guitar); Red Callender (bass); Lee Young (drums).

Lonesome Highway was released on Specialty SP 439 (b/w "My Heart") in September 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles on March 31st 1952. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis and James Jackson (tenor saxes); Willard McDaniel (piano); Chuck Norris (guitar); David Bryant (bass); William "Bill" Douglass (drums).

I Dare You Baby was released on Specialty SP 451 (b/w "The River's Invitation") in January 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on July 27th, 1951. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Maurice Simon (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Lee Young (drums).

How Deep Is The Well was released on Specialty SP 473 (b/w "The Bachelor Blues") in September 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on July 27th, 1951. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Maurice Simon (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Lee Young (drums).

The Lonely One was released on Specialty SP 460 (b/w "Lost Mind") in April 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 29th 1953. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Hubert "Bumps" Myers (tenor sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Ulysses Livingston (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

The Bachelor Blues was released on Specialty SP 473 (B side of "How Deep Is The Well") in September 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 29th 1953. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Hubert "Bumps" Myers (tenor sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Ulysses Livingston (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Sugar Mama - Peachy Papa was released on Specialty SP 499 (b/w "You Don't Exist Any More") in June 1954. Recorded in Los Angeles on March 23rd 1954. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Joy Hamilton (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

The Voice Within was released on Specialty SP 544 (b/w "Baby You're Rich") in March 1955. Recorded in Los Angeles on October 18th 1954. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Harold Grant (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

My Heart was released on Specialty SP 439 (B side of "Lonesome Highway") in September 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 22nd, 1952. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Willard McDaniel (piano); Mitchell Webb (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Are You Out There? was released on Chess 1599 (b/w "Double Dealing") in June 1955. Recorded in Chicago on April 12th 1955. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Fred Clark (tenor sax) with unknown tenor sax, piano, bass, drums.

The Bluest Blues was released on Cash 1041 (B side of "Look The Whole World Over") in 1956. Recorded in Los Angeles. Date unknown - possibly in 1956 but possibly a late 1940s Supreme track leased to John Dolphin.

My Story About A Woman - unissued track recorded at Chess session in June 1955. Probably same session as "Are You Out There?"

As you can see from the above, Maxwell Davis was an ever present on the Los Angeles recordings, as tenor sax player, bandleader and arranger. A true giant of West Coast R&B whose vital role in the development of rhythm and blues is all too often forgotten, but on Be Bop Wino we do not forget!

Three Requested Re-Ups

Apologies for my prolonged absence to all you hepcats out there. No excuses - I just needed a rest. There have been requests for re-ups while I was in limbo, so here are three LPs which were posted more years ago than I care to remember, starting with -

Great King / Federal comp of 1950s chantoozie sides featuring some stompers and some tear stained ballads. All backed by some of the greatest jump and jazz bands of the time, including the Johnny Otis band (anonymously), Earl Bostic, Hot Lips Page, Bill Doggett, Jimmy Coe, Buddy Banks, Lucky Millinder, Roy Milton and Sonny Thompson.

Tracklist:

Side 1

1. Dorothy Ellis - He's Gone

2. Lil Greenwood - Grandpa Can Boogie Too

3. Earl Bostic & His Orchestra - Portrait Of A Faded Love

4. Duke Hampton & His Orchestra - Please Be Good To Me

5. Fluffy Hunter - Climb The Wall

6. Roy Milton & His Orchestra - You're Gonna Suffer Baby

7. Sarah McLawler - I Need You Now

8. Gene Redd & His Orchestra - I Dreamed The Blues

Side 2

1. Bill Doggett Trio - No More In Life

2. Marion Abernathy - Undecided

3. Flo Garvin - I'm On The Outside Looking In

4. Flo Garvin - Let Me Keep You Warm

5. Lorraine Lester - You Can't Have Me Now

6. Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra - It's A Sad, Sad Feeling

7. Dorothy Ellis - Slowly Going Out Of My Mind

8. Sugar Pie - Please Be True

New link:

http://www85.zippyshare.com/v/cc6O4AdS/file.html

Original post (August 2008) here:

:http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/rare-blues-girls-from-king_3236.html

Superb compilation of sides recorded by Basie tenor sax player Buddy Tate for LA indie label Supreme in December 1947. Small group swing, blues and jump with Jimmy Witherspoon on board for a couple of vocal outings.

Tracklist:

Side 1

1. Tate's A Jumpin' (Take 4)

2. Blue And Sentimental

3. Vine Street Breakdown (Take 4)

4. Ballin' From Day To Day

5. Six Foot Two Blues

6. Kansas City Local (Take 3)

Side 2

1. Kansas City Local (Take 5)

2. The Things You Done For Me Baby

3. Vine Street Breakdown (Take 1)

4. Early Morning Blues

5. Good Morning Judge

6. Tate's A Jumpin' (Take 2)

New link:

http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/rgPa25KO/file.html

Original post (March 2008) here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/buddy-tate-jumpin-on-west-coast_357.html

Rock and roll sides from the Plas, recorded for Capitol in 1957. LP donated by Big Al (the bloggers' pal!) back in 2010. This comp is quite different from the other 2 re-ups on this post, being a mix of novelty, space age pop, jazz noir, burlesque and general 50s instro mood music.

Tracklist:

Side 1

1. Hoppin' Mad

2. Blow Your Blues Away

3. Popcorn

4. Downstairs

5. The Loop

6. Swanee River Rock

7. The Big Twist

Side 2

1. Little Rockin' Deacon

2. You Send Me

3. Robin's Nest Cha Cha

4. Plas Jazz

5. Come Rain or Come Shine

6. Dinah

7. Everyone Knows

New link:

http://www16.zippyshare.com/v/RgUThBP6/file.html

Original and very informative post (from June 2010) here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/plas-johnson-rockin-with-plas.html

Zippyshare links will expire if files aren't downloaded during a period of 30 days. I'm afraid that I failed to check my zippyshare account for several months and we have therefore lost some of the early Joan Selects comps. I'll try to get these back up again.

The last year and a half has been a struggle on the blog with firstly all rapidshare download links going down the tubes and then the divshare streaming audio service imploding. My advice is to download or listen while you can, for the opportunity to access the riches of Be Bop Wino may be fleeting. And that's a metaphor for life in general. Here endeth the lesson for tonight.

Coming soon - new stuff! Including a crackly Crown LP sent in by El Enmascarado and an 80s comp of the greatest drunken vocal group of all time. Stay salty!

Blow Wynn Blow / J.W. Bop - Jim Wynn and his Orchestra (Supreme 1509)

Listen to "Blow Wynn Blow"


Listen to "J.W. Bop"

Many thanks to El Emascarado for the new improved rips from this 78 rpm disc by Big Jim Wynn. Hope you dig the superior sound quality! Please click on the LP cover below to link to a previous post with biographical details of the man himself.

The personnel on "Blow Wynn Blow" and "J.W. Bop" was as follows:
Jim Wynn - baritone sax on "Blow Wynn Blow" and tenor sax on "J.W. Bop, Eddie Preston - trumpet, Eddie Hale - alto sax, Pete Peterson or Freddie Simon or Eddie Davis - tenor sax, Zel Kindred - piano, Shifty Henry - bass, Robert 'Snake' Sims - drums.

The tracks were recorded in November 1948. Both are good romping instrumentals which sit smack dab in the middle of what I like to call the Be Bop Wino zone - honkingly good R&B veering towards jazz.

Big Jim Wynn - Blow Wynn Blow

Side A
1. Ee-Bobaliba
2. Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
3. I Want A Little Girl
4. Cherry Red
5. Rock Woogie
6. Shipyard Woman
7. J.W. Bop
8. In A Rhapsody In Minor

Side B
1. Blow Wynn Blow
2. Jelly Kelly Blues
3. Fat Meat
4. Farewell Baby
5. Put Me Down Blues
6. I'm The Boss (At My House)
7. Goofin' Off
8. Down To The Ocean

A pioneering R&B saxman on both tenor and baritone, Big Jim Wynn could consider himself unlucky on two counts. First off, while working the LA nightspots with his small jump band in the mid 1940s he wrote an infectious ditty called “Ee-Bobaliba” which became a staple of his act. Such was its popularity with the club audiences, Big Jim even renamed his band the “The Bobalibans.”

In 1945 Helen Humes (accompanied by the Bill Doggett Octet) recorded a version for the new LA indy label Philo. “Be-Baba-Liba” as it was now called was one of the biggest R&B hits of the year, but as Miss Humes took composer credits, not a cent wended its way to Big Jim’s pocket. To add insult to injury, Lionel Hampton recorded a version called “Hey! Ba-ba-re-bop” which became the second top selling R&B record of 1946, tucked in behind Louis Jordan’s “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie." Composer credits for the rewrite were taken by Curly Hammer and Lionel Hampton, so once again Big Jim got zilch.

Big Jim and his band recorded his song for 4 Star in late 1945, but despite a fine lead vocal by Claude Trenier, this version remained in the shadows of the “cover” versions by Humes and Hampton. Big Jim’s version is a great jump record, but the problem was that the combination of nonsense syllables and standard blues verses lent itself to rewrites and the subsequent loss of composer credits and record sales to more established acts.

In fact Big Jim Wynn was destined never to have a hit record, despite doing the rounds of the LA indies such as 4 Star, Gilt Edge, Modern, Supreme and Specialty as well as the major label Mercury. Apart from writing “Ee-bobaliba”, Big Jim is probably best remembered by R&B fans for providing the backing on many of T-Bone Walker’s fine recordings for Imperial in the early 1950s. The two had first played together in the LA club scene as far back as the late 1930s when T-Bone was doing a dance act. Big Jim’s band not only worked in the studio with T-Bone but also accompanied him on the road. As the band included Eddie Davis on tenor sax, Big Jim moved over to baritone sax.

Big Jim’s live act was something to behold as he pioneered many of the tricks which would be taken up by more renowned “honkers.” As George Moonoogian says in his sleevenotes: “He would kick, dance, shuffle, strut, go down on his knees, roll and literally provide his own mini-show on stage, all the while blowing wild solos on his sax. He was the first of the Los Angeles area sax players to perform these antics on stage …” And here bad luck struck a second time, as one Cecil J. McNeely was a regular spectator at Big Jim’s shows and “borrowed” his act to carve out a (thank God) long career as king of the tenor sax wildmen.

As the fifties wore on, Big Jim concentrated more and more on session work, with the occasional foray on the road backing acts such as Etta James and Richard Berry. Even in the 1970’s, and now aged well over sixty, he was still appearing live with the Johnny Otis show and managing to tear up the audience with his wild stage shenanigans. As he said in an interview: “One of my desires is to live to be a hundred. I try to keep in shape by exercise and eating health foods…” Well they do say that bad luck comes in threes. Within a year of that interview he was dead.

This 1985 LP was issued on the “Whiskey, Women and …” label, which was a joint enterprise run by the magazine of the same name and Mr R&B records. I only ever did find one issue of the “Whiskey, Women and …” magazine, in the Glasgow branch of Tower Records. The magazine (which was indescribably brilliant), the record shop, and the record company are, like Big Jim Wynn himself, no longer with us.


Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

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

1. Ee-Bobaliba (4-Star 1026, 1945)
2. Buzz, Buzz, Buzz (4-Star 1026, 1945)
3. I Want A Little Girl (4-Star 1025, 1945)
4. Cherry Red (Gilt Edge 528, 1945)
5. Rock Woogie (Gilt Edge 528, 1945)
6. Shipyard Woman (Gilt Edge 527, 1945)
7. J.W. Bop (Supreme 1509, 1948)
8. In A Rhapsody In Minor (Gilt Edge 531, 1945)
9. Blow Wynn Blow (Supreme, 1509, 1948)
10. Jelly Kelly Blues (Gilt Edge 531, 1945)
11. Fat Meat (Specialty 312, 1948)
12. Farewell Baby (Supreme, 1522, 1948)
13. Put Me Down Blues (Specialty 312, 1948)
14. I'm The Boss (At My House) (Million 2004, 1954)
15. Goofin' Off (Supreme 1522, 1948)
16. Down To The Ocean (Million 2004, 1954)

Recommended purchase:

The 4 CD set “Honk for Texas” on the JSP label (JSP7760) has one CD entirely devoted to Big Jim Wynn, plus 10 tracks on another CD shared with Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. You’ve just gotta buy this one!

Buddy Tate - Jumpin' On The West Coast!

Count Basie tenor saxman Buddy Tate cut these sides for Jack Lauderdale’s Supreme label in Los Angeles in two sessions in December 1947. The Basie band was in Los Angeles for an engagement at the Meadowland ballroom. A recording strike was due to start at midnight on December 31st 1947 and record companies were frantically stockpiling recordings. The front line of the small group backing Tate was recruited from the Basie band, Jimmy Witherspoon (at that time with Jay McShann) sat in on a couple of numbers, and Bill Doggett (with the Willie Bryant band) was on piano.

These recordings sit nicely in what I like to call “The Bebopwino Zone” – where jazz meets jump and blues. There’s a bit of a bop influence as well, so fans of bop, swing and early R&B should be happy with this one.

Ripped at 320 kbps from the 1972 Black Lion LP. Password = greaseyspoon

Download link:

http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/rgPa25KO/file.html

1. Tate's A Jumpin' (Take 4)
2. Blue And Sentimental
3. Vine Street Breakdown (Take 4)
4. Ballin' From Day To Day **
5. Six Foot Two Blues *
6. Kansas City Local (Take 3)
7. Kansas City Local (Take 5)
8. The Things You Done For Me Baby **
9. Vine Street Breakdown (Take 1)
10. Early Morning Blues *
11. Good Morning Judge **
12. Tate's A Jumpin' (Take 2)

* vocal – Jimmy Witherspoon
** vocal – Charlie Price