Joan Selects Volume 26 - What's The Word?

01) Drunk - Jimmy Liggins
02) WPLJ - The Four Deuces
03) Quiet Whiskey - Wynonie Harris
04) Pink Champagne - Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers
05) Wine Wine Wine - The Nightcaps
06) One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer - Amos Milburn
07) Who Drank My Beer While I Was In The Rear - Dave Bartholomew
08) I Ain't Drunk - Jimmy Liggins
09) Bloodshot Eyes - Wynonie Harris
10) Down It Went - The Four Deuces
11) Mambo Shevitz - Melino with The Crows
12) Tabarin - The Four Flames
13) One Mint Julep - The Clovers
14) Thunderbird - Hal Page and the Whalers
15) The Drunkard - The Thrillers
16) Alcohol And Jake Blues - Tommy Johnson
17) Baptize Me In Wine - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
18) Wine Women Whiskey - Papa Lightfoot
19) I Got Loaded - Peppermint Harris
20) Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Stick McGhee
21) Corn Whiskey - The Empires
22) Pour The Corn - Hal Paige and the Whalers
23) Cherry Wine - Little Esther
24) Empty Bottles - The Robins
25) Drunk Again - Champion Jack Dupree
26) Sneaky Pete - Bull Moose Jackson
27) Serve Another Round - The Five Keys
28) Cheap Old Wine And Whiskey - Jack "The Bear" Parker
29) Be Bop Wino - The Lamplighters
30) Bartender Blues - The Chocolateers
31) Wine Woogie - Marvin Phillips
32) Alligator Wine - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
33) Port Wine - Bill Samuels
34) Beer Bottle Boogie - Bobby Plater Orchestra
35) Barfly - Sonny Til and The Orioles
36) Let Me Go Home Whiskey - Amos Milburn
37) Fat Backs And Corn Whiskey - Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five
38) Pass The Juice Miss Lucy - The Joe Morris Orchestra
39) Bar Fly Blues - Jay McShann & Jimmy Witherspoon
40) Let's Go To The Liquor Store - Tuff Green
41) Whiskey Do Your Stuff - Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five
42) Drinkin' Beer - J.B. Summers
43) Beer Bottle Boogie - Marylyn Scott
44) Wine-O-Wine - Willis Jackson
45) No More Alcohol - Jimmy Liggins and His Orchestra
46) Sittin' Here Drinking - Christine Kittrell
47) Bar Room Blues - Roy Brown
48) Drinkin' Blues - Jo Jo Adams & Tom Archia
49) Waiting & Drinking - Calvin Boze
50) Looped - Melvin Smith
51) Juiced - Billy Love (credited to Jackie Brenston)
52) Tequila - The Champs

Joan Selects Volume 26 (Mega)

Joan Selects Volume 26 (Zippy)

What's the word? Thunder Bird! Is this the drunkenest compilation ever? As the world goes to hell in a handcart, Joan returns to remind fans of real R&B that all is not lost for there is always solace to be found in the bottle. Any bottle. Wine, beer, whiskey, paint stripper, whatever. So welcome to the world of rhythm 'n' booze where the joys of all day drinking, nay, all year drinking are celebrated amidst a bevvy of drunken sax solos and occasional incomprehensible gibbering (that's you, Screamin' Jay!).

Amidst the raucous celebration of alcohol fuelled good times there is a leavening of more reflective late night, after closing time regret. Amos Milburn, Peppermint Harris, and Christine Kittrell evoke the atmosphere of the wee small hours when Joe ain't gonna set 'em up any more. Not even "one more for the road."

Boozehounds the wide world over will be familiar with many of these tracks, but the art of the compilation lies in mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar in the shaker and pouring out a cocktail which satisfies. This particular concoction has tickled my taste buds so effectively that it's been getting constant play on my media player for the last several days and like fine wine, it just keeps improving over time.

Included in the plain brown wrapper are not only vintage sounds but also a package of label scans, all provided by Joan who deserves a special toast. So my R&B friends, please stagger to your feet, raise your glasses to our benefactor, and drunkenly bawl "Cheersh!"

01 Jimmy Liggins - "Drunk" - Released on: Specialty SP-470-45 in August 1953

02 The Four Deuces - "WPLJ" (White Port Lemon Juice) Released On Music City 45-790 in September(?) 1955

03 Wynonie Harris - "Quiet Whiskey" - Released on King 45-4685 in December 1953

04 Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers - "Pink Champagne" - Released on Specialty SP 355-A in April 1950

05 The Nightcaps - "Wine Wine Wine" - Released on Vandan VR 7491 in October 1960

06 Amos Milburn - "One Scotch, One Bourbon One Beer" Released on Aladdin 45-3197 in August 1953

07 Dave Bartholomew - "Who Drank My Beer While I Was In The Rear?" - Released on Imperial 45-5210 in December 1952

08 Jimmy Liggins - "I Ain't Drunk" - Released On Aladdin 45-3250 in July 1954

09 Wynonie Harris - "Bloodshot Eyes" Released on King 4461-AA in July 1951

10 The Four Deuces - "Down It Went" - Released On Music City 45-794 in September(?) 1955

11 Melino with The Crows - "Mambo Shevitz (Man O Man)" - Released On Tico 45-108 in April 1954

12 The Four Flames - "Tabarin" - Released On Fidelity 3001 / Unique 005A in November 1951

13 The Clovers - "One Mint Julep" - Released on Atlantic 45-963 in March 1952

14 Hal Page and The Whalers - "Thunder Bird" - Released on J&S J-1601A in October 1957

15 The Thrillers - "The Drunkard" - Released on Big Town 45-109 in October 1953

16 Tommy Johnson - "Alcohol and Jake Blues" - Released on Paramount 12950-A in July 1930

17 Screamin' Jay Hawkins - "Baptize Me In Wine" - Released on Apollo 528-45 in December 1958

18 Papa Lightfoot - "Wine, Women and Whiskey" - Released on Imperial 5289 in June 1954

19 Peppermint Harris - "I Got Loaded" - Released on Aladdin 45-3097 in September 1951

20 Stick McGhee - "Drinking Wine Spo-De-Odee" - Released on Atlantic 873 in March 1949

21 The Empires - "Corn Whiskey" - Released on Harlem 45-2325 in late 1954

22 Hal Paige and the Whalers - "Pour The Corn" Released on Fury 1002 and Checker 873 in September 1957

23 Little Esther - "Cherry Wine" - Released on Federal 45-12142 in August 1953

24 The Robins - "Empty Bottles" - Released on RCA 47-5489 in December 1953

25 Champion Jack Dupree - "Drunk Again" - Released On Red Robin 130-X45 in 1954

26 Bull Moose Jackson and His Buffalo Bearcats - "Sneaky Pete" - Released on King 4181-B in October 1947

27 The Five Keys - "Serve Another Round" - Released on Aladdin 3158 in October 1952, rereleased on Aladdin 45-3312 in January 1956

28 Jack (The Bear) Parker - "Cheap Old Wine Whiskey" - Released on 7-11 45-2100 in March 1953

29 The Lamplighters - "Be Bop Wino" - Released on Federal 45-12152 in November 1953

30 The Chocolateers - "Bartender Blues" Released on Parrot 781 in July 1953

31 Marvin Phillips and His Men From Mars - "Wine Woogie" - Released on Specialty XSP-445-45 in November 1952

32 Screamin' Jay Hawkins - "Alligator Wine" Released on Okeh 4-7101 in April 1958

33 Bill Samuels and the Cats 'N' Jammer Three - "Port Wine" Released on Mercury 8012 in April 1946

34 Bobby Plater Orchestra With Mr. Swing - "Beer Bottle Boogie" Released on Bullet 327 in 1950. "Mr Swing" was Rufus Thomas

35 The Orioles with Buddy Lucas and his Band of Tomorrow - "Barfly" Released on Jubilee 45-5084 in July 1952

36 Amos Milburn - "Let Me Go Home Whiskey" Released on Aladdin 45-3164 in January 1953

37 Louis Jordan and the Tympanny Five - "Fat Backs and Corn Whiskey" Released on Aladdin 45-3270 in December 1954

38 Joe Morris Orch. W/ Mr. Stringbean - "Pass The Juice Miss Lucy" Released on Herald H-418 in September 1953

39 Jay McShann and Jimmy Witherspoon - "Barfly Blues" Mercury 8049 Released in August 1947

40 Tuff Green Orchestra with J.P. Louper - "Lets Go To The Liquor Store" Released on Bullet 312-A in September 1949

41 Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five - "Whiskey Do Your Stuff" Released On Aladdin 3223 in February 1954

42 J.B. Summers - "Drinkin' Beer" - Released On Gotham 203-A in November 1949

43 Marylyn Scott (The Carolina Blues Girl) With Johnny Otis Orch. - "Beer Bottle Boogie" - Released On Regent 1025-A in November 1950

44 Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson - "Wine-O-Wine" - Released On Atlantic 957 in February 1952

45 Jimmy Liggins and His Orchestra - "No More Alcohol" - Released on Aladdin 45-3251 in October 1954

46 Christine Kittrell - "Sittin' Here Drinking" Released on Tennessee 128 in August 1952

47 Roy Brown - "Bar Room Blues" - Released on DeLuxe 3319 (DeLuxe 310 in Canada) in November 1951

48 Tom Archia And His All Stars Vocal by Doctor Jo Jo Adams - "Drinkin' Blues" - Released On Aristocrat 801-B in November 1948

49 Calvin Boze - "Waiting and Drinking" - Released on Aladdin 3045A in February 1950

50 Melvin Smith - "Looped" - Released on RCA 47-4735 in June 1952

51 Billy Love (credited to Jackie Brenston) - "Juiced" - Released On Chess 1472 in July 1951

52 The Champs - "Tequila" - Released on Challenge 1016 in January 1958

"... one for my baby, one more for the road"

Memorial Album For Johnny Ace

Side 1:
01. Pledging My Love
02. Ace's Wild
03. Anymore
04. Yes Baby
05. My Song
06. Never Let Me Go
07. Don't You Know

Side 2:
01. The Clock
02. No Money
03. Angel
04. Follow The Rule
05. Burley Cutie
06. Please Forgive Me
07. You've Been Gone So Long

Memorial Album For Johnny Ace (Mega)

Memorial Album For Johnny Ace (Zippy)

A follow up to the previous post of "Joan's 78s - Johnny Has Gone." This is a 1982 Ace UK reissue of Duke LP 71 with two additional tracks. Duke LP 71 was issued in 1957 and was an extended version of the 1955 Duke LP 70, the original 10 inch issue of "Memorial Album For Johnny Ace" which had eight tracks.

Johnny Ace was an unlikely R&B superstar who perhaps got lucky and somehow surfed the early 50's Zeitgeist with a series of big selling tear-stained ballads between mid 1952 and the end of 1954 when it all came to a brutal and extraordinary end. Well, the end certainly did arrive for Johnny, but his recordings went on selling after his untimely death especially "Pledging My Love" which not only stayed at number one in the R&B chart for ten weeks in 1955, but also crossed over into the pop chart. It's a cliche to say that death can sometimes be a great career move for a music star, but in this case it was certainly true for a while at least, as Don Robey the owner of Duke Records continued to shift huge amounts of records by his recently deceased star.

"Pledging My Love" was followed by another posthumous hit in the second half of 1955, "Anymore", and also the first issue of the "Memorial Album For Johnny Ace" which was also available as 2 EPs. In addition to actual Johnny Ace records, there were "tribute" discs as record companies scrambled to climb aboard the grief bandwagon, such was the potential of Johnny's considerable fanbase.

It didn't last though, as Johnny's final two posthumous discs on Duke failed to chart in 1956. His entire oeuvre consisted of only ten singles on Duke plus one early side released by Flair as a cash-in after he had become a star, so there was nothing for it but to repackage what there was with diminishing returns. A reissue of "Pledging My Love" with dubbed vocal chorus by The Jordanaires didn't do much business in 1958 and a third issue of "Memorial Album" in 1961 with new artwork didn't exactly have Ace fans storming the record stores.

Yet the legend persisted for the Johnny Ace story was an exemplary cautionary tale of the American dream gone wrong, with fast cars, fast dames and gunplay winning out over home, family and religion.

He was a native of Memphis, born in that city on June 9th, 1929 into a large family who were devout Christians. John Marshall Alexander Jr, to give him his full name, proved to be the wayward son, although not the prodigal as he singularly failed to make it back home to the bosom of his family in order to repent of his wicked ways. He was a dropout from school, he was dishonourably discharged from the Navy and he even served a short custodial sentence having been involved (perhaps unknowingly) in the transportation of stolen goods.

What he did have going for him however was a natural ability on the piano, that and a fascination with the music scene on Beale Street. Abandoning his young wife and child to the care of his family, he took to living on Beale where he became part of a group of musicians which started out as a backing band for B.B. King's local appearances and radio spots on WDIA. Besides John and B.B., the group consisted of Earl Forrest on drums, Adolph "Billy" Duncan on tenor sax and Bobby "Blue" Bland on vocals.

John's earliest recordings were for the Biharis, owners of Modern / RPM, who were mining the motherlode of Memphis based blues musicians initially via Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service and then after a dispute with Sam (see previous posts), by holding their own recording sessions in West Memphis, usually under the supervision of Ike Turner. The future Johnny Ace was therefore on early recordings by B.B. King and Bobby Bland made in late 1951 and early 1952.

In the spring of 1952 the Memphis recording scene changed with the launch of two locally based record labels - Sam Phillips' Sun Records and Duke Records, founded by WDIA programme director David James Mattis. The first record issued on Duke was a gospel disc, the second was an R&B release by Rosco Gordon, and the third which started selling very heavily was "My Song" sung by a new name - Johnny Ace who was none other than a rechristened John Marshall Alexander Jr.

Mattis had turned to The Beale Streeters, left behind in Memphis by B.B. King who had broken big on RPM with "Three O' Clock Blues." Early Duke sessions generated discs by Earl Forrest, Bobby Bland and, if the stories are to be believed, an accidental superstar in Johnny Ace. Accidental because he was playing piano on a Bobby Bland session when he started fooling around with "So Long" which had been a hit for Ruth Brown a couple of years back. Mattis liked what he heard and "So Long" was transformed into "My Song" for a release in May 1952.

It sold fast which should have been good news for the new label, but the opposite was the case. Mattis hit a potentially fatal cash flow problem. With all his capital already tied up in Duke, he had to pay the record manufacturers in order to satisfy demand for the disc, while the record distributors weren't coming back to him with their payments. He was introduced to Houston night club owner and honcho of Peacock Records, Don Robey, and embarked on what he thought was a partnership but was really a takeover. There is a story of Mattis going down to Houston to remind Robey of their partnership only to find himself facing a revolver. Perhaps exaggerated, but whatever happened Mattis found himself ousted from Duke before 1952 was out.

Good news for Johnny Ace, though. Robey had superior recording facilities in Houston, professional arrangers and bandleaders in Johnny Board (ex Lionel Hampton sax man) and Johnny Otis, and experience in promoting records. With Robey's backing "My Song" spent nine weeks at the top of the R&B charts and a series of big ballad hits ensued - "Cross My Heart," "The Clock," "Saving My Love For You" and "Please Forgive Me" were all top ten R&B hits with "The Clock" (which borrowed its melody from the old 1930s Josephine Baker hit "J'ai Deux Amours") spending five weeks at number one.

Tours were arranged through another Robey enterprise, The Buffalo Booking Agency, with Johnny being accompanied by a band led by Johnny Board and as support, a fellow Robey act, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton whose "Hound Dog" on Peacock Records was a number one hit in 1953.

And so to the Houston City Auditorium on that fateful Christmas night in 1954. There had already been signs that the Johnny Ace bandwagon had been slowing down. His last release, "Never Let Me Go," had failed to make the top ten R&B sales chart although it did reach number nine in the Jukebox Plays chart. Johnny's behaviour which had always been "ebullient" seems to have been becoming more and more erratic, especially with his latest enthusiasm - a seven shot .22 revolver which he would use to shoot out road signs and which he would also point at people around him and occasionally pull the trigger.

However there was hope that his career would soon be back on track as his latest release, a heart stopping ballad called "Pledging My Love" on which he was backed by the Johnny Otis Orchestra, was already shipping to stores in anticipation of heavy sales in the New Year.

Billboard 25th December 1954

The Ace / Thornton roadshow rolled into Houston on Christmas Day. In the afternoon Johnny and some band members had Christmas lunch at the flat of Johnny's girlfriend, Olivia Gibbs. According to witnesses Johnny was up to his usual tricks with his revolver, pointing it at his fellow diners and pulling the trigger with, presumably, all seven chambers empty. On arrival at the Auditorium in the evening, Johnny seemed in good mood and signed autographs at the ticket office.

The show got underway with a couple of numbers from the band, then Big Mama Thornton came on for a set. Johnny came on next for his first set, then Big Mama joined him on stage for their rockin' duet "Yes Baby." Both artists left the stage as the band closed the first half of the show with a couple more numbers.

Backstage, things were getting a little fraught in Johnny's dressing room. Olivia Gibbs was present as was Big Mama Thornton. There was also a couple who were friends of Miss Gibbs, Mary Carter and Joe Hamilton. There may have been others present and a pint of vodka was being passed around. Just the occasion for more festive firearm frolics and so Johnny, the perfect host, began pointing his gun around the room and pulling the trigger. As people seemed to be getting a little upset he decided to show them that there was no risk at all and pointing the gun at his own head, squeezed the trigger. Lights out for Johnny. If the revolver had been of a heavier calibre it would have been lights out for Olivia too as she was sitting on his knee when he blew himself into oblivion.

The R&B heartthrob may have been dead, but there was still money to be made. "Pledging My Love" raced to number one in the R&B charts and then crossed into the pop charts as myth took hold and Don Robey milked it for as long as he could. That's showbusiness. Goodnight sweet prince, and thanks for all the bucks.

 Billboard January 22nd, 1955.

The law of diminishing returns - Billboard January 1956 - not a hit.

The Tracks:

01. Pledging My Love - Duke 136

02. Ace's Wild - Duke 112

03. Anymore - Duke 144

04. Yes Baby - Duke 118

05. My Song - Duke 102

06. Never Let Me Go - Duke 132

07. Don't You Know - Duke 154

08. The Clock - Duke 112

09. No Money - Duke 136

10. Angel - Duke 107

11. Follow The Rule - Duke 102

12. Burley Cutie - Duke 132

13. Please Forgive Me - Duke 128

14. You've Been Gone So Long - Duke 128

Johnny Ace Singles On Duke:

Duke 102 - My Song / Follow The Rule - released May 1952. Number one in Billboard R&B chart for 9 weeks.

Duke 107 - Cross My Heart / Angel - released December 1952. Number three in Billboard R&B chart.

Duke 112 - The Clock / Ace's Wild - released May 1953. Number one in Billboard R&B chart for five weeks.

Duke 118 - Saving My Love For You / Yes Baby - released December 1953. Number two in Billboard R&B chart.

Duke 128 - Please Forgive Me / You've Been Gone So Long - released April 1954. Number six in Billboard R&B chart.

Duke 132 - Never Let Me Go / Burley Cutie - released September 1954. Number nine on Billboard R&B Juke Box Play chart.

Duke 136 - Pledging My Love / No Money - released December 1954 / January 1955. Number one in Billboard R&B chart for ten weeks. Number seventeen, Billboard pop chart.

Duke 144 - Anymore / How Can You Be So Mean - released June 1955. Number eight in Billboard R&B chart.

Duke 148 - I'm Crazy, Baby / So Lonely - released January 1956. Did not chart.

Duke 154 - Still Love You So / Don't You Know - released July 1956. Did not chart.

"Pledging My Love" and "Anymore" were remastered with backing vocals by The Jordanaires and re-released on Duke 136 (original issue number of "Pledging My Love") in December 1958.

In September 1953 Flair released a 1951 recording by Johnny Ace, "Midnight Hours Journey" b/w "Trouble And Me" by Earl Forest (Flair 1015). Did not chart.

Sources - discographic information from the usual websites -  www.discogs.com, www.45worlds.com, Billboard on google books. Also the following books - Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll by Nick Tosches and The Late Great Johnny Ace by James M. Salem.

Recommended book - I've recommended "Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll" by Nick Tosches numerous times. It has a chapter, "Number One With A Bullet" on Johnny Ace which amuses and appalls at the same time.

The definitive book on Johnny Ace is by James M. Salem - "The Late Great Johnny Ace and the transition from r&b to rock'n'roll." University of Illinois Press, 2001.

Much of what I've written above has been adapted from this book which I highly recommend.

Recommended listening purchase -

I don't have this - but it looks like the best buy if you really want to immerse yourself in Johnny Ace. A 2 CD set from Fantastic Voyage with 55 tracks. Includes all his released singles plus session work plus "tribute records" by other artists. Probably out of print but worth keeping a lookout for this one.

Elsewhere on the blog -

Joan's 78s Volume 3 - Johnny Has Gone

The Hollywood Flames - The John Dolphin Sessions

Side A:
01. Clickety Clack I'm Leaving - The Hollywood Flames
02. Let's Talk It Over - The Hollywood Flames
03. Fare Thee Well - The Hollywood Flames
04. I Know - The Hollywood Flames
05. Wagon Wheels - The Original Turks
06. One Night With A Fool - The Hollywood Flames
07. Oooh-La-La - The Hollywood Flames
08. Peggy - The Hollywood Flames
09. Young Girl - The Hollywood Four Flames
10. The Glory Of Love - The Hollywood Four Flames

Side B:
01. Hey Now - The Voices
02. Ride Helen Ride - The Hollywood Flames
03. It Can't Be True - The Turks
04. Santa Claus Baby - The Voices
05. Emily - The Turks
06. Why - The Voices
07. The Truth Hurts - Bobby (Baby Face) Byrd And The Birds
08. I've Been Accused - The Turks
09. I'm A Fool - The Turks
10. My Love Grows Stronger - The Voices

The John Dolphin Sessions (Mega)

The John Dolphin Sessions (Zippy)

It's one of those posts that you dread trying to write. A convoluted tale of a vocal group with shifting personnel, various group names and a phenomenal amount of label hopping around the diskeries of Los Angeles. Luckily we have sleeve notes by Jim Dawson, and an article by Marv Goldberg which you can find here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/HollywoodFlames/hollywoodflames.html

... but I think we'll concentrate mainly on the sides they recorded for the various John Dolphin labels.

The Hollywood Flames, or The Flames, or Hollywood's Four Flames, or The Four Flames, to give them the names they recorded under between 1950 and 1953 for a multiplicity of LA labels, were basically mainly about leads Bobby Byrd (who later had success as Bobby Day) and David Ford. Formed in 1949, the group won talent contests at The Barrelhouse - Johnny Otis's club, and had their first record issued on Selective in January 1950 ( as The Flames). Two more Selective releases followed, then in short order came discs on Unique, Fidelity and Specialty before their first releases for a John Dolphin label, "I'll Always Be A Fool" / "She's Got Something" and "Young Girl" / "Baby Please" on Recorded In Hollywood, both released in August 1952.

"Young Girl" was hastily re-released a month later, this time backed with a version of "Glory Of Love" as Dolphin attempted to cash in (in vain) on the success of The Five Key's smash hit. By the end of '52 they were on Aladdin and its 7-11 subsidiary (they had a release under the name "The Jets") where they stayed through 1953. At the end of that year and the beginning of 1954 they had a couple of releases on Jack Lauderdale's Swing Time label but in March 1954 they were back with John Dolphin.

By this time the group had acquired another formidable vocal talent in Gaynel Hodge. David Ford and Bobby Byrd took the leads respectively on "One Night With A Fool" / "Ride Helen Ride" on Lucky 001, the first release of their second spell with Dolphin in March 1954. Their next release, in July 1954, "Peggy" / "Oooh-La-La" (Lucky 006) featured Gaynel Hodge on lead vocal on "Peggy" and Bobby Byrd and David Ford leading on "Oooh-La-La." The disc generated enough sales to earn it a re-release on Decca in October 1954.

In September 1954 there were two Hollywood Flames discs released on John Dolphin labels. "Let's Talk It Over" / "I Know" on Lucky 009 (these were originally Swing Time masters) with David Ford and Gaynel Hodge on lead respectively. In the same month there was another Dolphin release, this time on Money - "Fare Thee Well" / "Clickety Clack I'm Leaving" (Money 202) with David Ford and David Ford / Bobby Byrd on respective leads.

Decca also re-released "Let's Talk It Over" / "I Know" in January 1955.

Now things get complicated with a slew of John Dolphin releases in 1955 - 1956 by The Voices and The Turks. The Voices were a vehicle for Bobby Byrd with a shifting lineup usually featuring duets either with himself (double tracked, natch) or with Earl Nelson. The Turks were a group led by Gaynel Hodge, but just to complicate matters, a couple of Turks releases were actually Hollywood Flames recordings. Marv Goldberg has a separate article on The Turks here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Turks/turks.html

According to Marv Goldberg, "Emily" released in February 1955 on Money 211 as by The Turks is in fact a Hollywood Flames recording with Gaynel Hodge on lead. However, "I'm A Fool" / "I've Been Accused" released on Money 215 in February 1956 are genuine Turks recordings. The third and last Turks release on a Dolphin label was "It Can't Be True" / "Wagon Wheels" in July 1956 on Cash 1052. "Wagon Wheels" was credited to "The Original Turks" but was actually a Hollywood Flames recording with a lead vocal by Bobby Byrd.

1955 also saw a spate of releases on Cash by Bobby Byrd's The Voices, starting with "Why" / "Two Things I Love" (Cash 1011) in May. "Hey Now" / "My Loves Grows Stronger" (Cash 1014) came out in August. "I Want To Be Ready " / "It Takes Two To Make A Home" (Cash 1015) was reviewed in Billboard on 31st December 1955, although Cash 1016, "Santa Claus Boogie" / "Santa Claus Baby" had already been issued in November.

All of which leaves just one track from this LP, a Voices track, "The Truth Hurts" released as by Bobby (Baby Face) Byrd and The Birds in April 1956 on Cash 1031, b/w "Let's Live Together as One."

In 1957 The Hollywood Flames (Bobby Byrd, David Ford, Earl Nelson and Curlee Dinkins) signed up with Class, and a couple of name changes ensued as Bobby Byrd became Bobby Day, and The Hollywood Flames became The Satellites. They had a hit with "Little Bitty Pretty One" which was unfortunately outsold by a cover version by Thurston Harris. In the meantime the group recorded for Ebb as The Hollywood Flames. They had a hit with the Bobby Day composition "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" and then Bobby left to concentrate on his own career, although Bobby and The Flames (as The Satellites or incognito) would still record together on Class.

Also in 1957-58, Bobby Day and Earl Nelson issued singles on Class as "Bob and Earl," a duo that kept going after Bobby Day left and was replaced by Bob Mark II - Bob Relf. Bob Relf and Earl Nelson had the hit "Harlem Shuffle" in 1963.

In 1958 Bobby had a huge hit with "Rock-In Robin" and The Flames were the uncredited backing group. Although they didn't have the level of success achieved by Bobby, The Hollywood Flames (led by Earl Nelson, although David Ford was still with them) did record a couple of great rock and roll sides for Ebb - "Frankenstein's Den" and the absolute classic "Strollin' On The Beach."

The Flames kept recording for Ebb until 1959 and then started a period of label hopping and personnel changes (with the last original member being David Ford) before finally breaking up in 1967.

The Fax on the Trax - Original Release Information

01. Clickety Clack I'm Leaving - The Hollywood Flames - Money 202, September 1954
02. Let's Talk It Over - The Hollywood Flames - Lucky 009, September 1954
03. Fare Thee Well - The Hollywood Flames - Money 202, September 1954
04. I Know - The Hollywood Flames - Lucky 009, September 1954
05. Wagon Wheels - The Original Turks - Cash 1042, July 1956
06. One Night With A Fool - The Hollywood Flames - Lucky 001, March 1954
07. Oooh-La-La - The Hollywood Flames - Lucky 006, July 1954
08. Peggy - The Hollywood Flames - Lucky 006, July 1954
09. Young Girl - The Hollywood Four Flames - RIH 165, August 1952; RIH 165, September 1952
10. The Glory Of Love - The Hollywood Four Flames - RIH 165, September 1952
11. Hey Now - The Voices - Cash 1014, August 1955
12. Ride Helen Ride - The Hollywood Flames - Lucky 001, March 1954
13. It Can't Be True - The Turks - Cash 1042, July 1956
14. Santa Claus Baby - The Voices - Cash 1016, November 1955
15. Emily - The Turks - Money 211, February, 1955
16. Why - The Voices - Cash 1011, May 1955
17. The Truth Hurts - Bobby (Baby Face) Byrd And The Birds - Cash 1031, April 1956
18. I've Been Accused - The Turks - Money 215, February 1956
19. I'm A Fool - The Turks - Money 215, February 1956
20. My Love Grows Stronger - The Voices - Cash 1014, August 1955

Elsewhere On The Blog

Bobby Day LP "Rockin' With Robin" issued on Class in 1958. Reconstituted with rips and label scans from Joan. Original post now augmented with covers from 45worlds.com. Originally posted in May 2008. The post is here - 

Bobby Day - Rockin' With Robin

New download links for Rockin' With Robin -

Rockin' With Robin (Mega)

Rockin' With Robin (Zippy)

Recommended Purchase -

Ace CDCHD 420 - The Hollywood Flames

A 28 track collection from Specialty which includes early 1950s issues on Specialty and Fidelity plus the late 1950s releases on Ebb. A must for any fan of the West Coast vocal group sound. Liner notes by Billy Vera. Great R&B and rock 'n' roll.

 

The Coasters - 20 Great Originals

Note: Side 1, Tracks 1 - 3 by The Robins. All other tracks by The Coasters.

Side 1:
01. Riot In Cell Block Number 9
02. Smokey Joe's Cafe
03. Framed
04. Turtle Dovin'
05. Down In Mexico
06. Young Blood
07. Searchin'
08. Idol With The Golden Head
09. Yakety Yak - The Coasters
10. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart


Side 2:
01. The Shadow Knows
02. Charlie Brown
03. Along Came Jones
04. Poison Ivy
05. What About Us
06. I'm A Hog For You Baby
07. Run Red Run
08. Shoppin' For Clothes
09. Little Egypt
10. Bad Blood

20 Great Originals (Mega)

20 Great Originals (Zippy)

The Coasters were not only a major R&B act but also a best selling pop act. They had 6 entries in the top ten of The Billboard Hot 100, and a further 4 in the top forty. Their record sales helped Atlantic maintain its position as the pre-eminent R&B label of the late 1950s / early 1960s and were an important factor in the breakout of R&B into the pop mainstream. Although some of their hits had an air of teen novelty about them, most of their records were in fact works of sly hipness if not downright sleaze, thanks to the inventiveness of songwriting duo Leiber and Stoller, and also to the sax stylings of Gil Bernal and King Curtis ...

At last, an R&B act I can remember hearing on the radio! Four of the Coasters' records broke into the British charts in the late 1950's but I'm too young to remember that. What I do remember is that during the first half of the 1960's two of their hits, "Charlie Brown" and "Yakety Yak" were still being played frequently on the BBC, probably because they were seen as having appeal to children. That informed my later rather dismissive opinion of The Coasters as being merely a novelty group for the kids and, boy, was I wrong.

To be frank, this LP which I bought in the late 1970's didn't do much to change my opinion as it suffers from the problems of many mass market issues of that era. Twenty sides have been crammed on to the record with subsequent loss of sound quality. In addition some kind of electronically re-processed stereo was used on certain later tracks, rendering them pretty much unlistenable, so I've ripped the LP to mono in an attempt to remedy that. My advice is to treat this collection as a sampler and if you find yourself digging the cool sounds of The Coasters invest in one of the many compilations available to buy. Recommendations can be found towards the end of this post.

The tracks on this LP are arranged in chronological order, so we start with three tracks recorded for Los Angeles label Spark Records by The Robins, the group from which The Coasters split in 1955 when label owners, songwriters and producers Leiber and Stoller signed up with Atlantic, taking their Spark masters with them. The origins of The Robins were detailed in this post of their Savoy sides from 1949 - 1950, while this post of their Modern / RPM / Crown sides in the early 1950's takes their story up to the point of the birth of The Coasters.

The go-to site for the story of The Robins up to and beyond the point when The Coasters broke away from the parent group is of course Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks. His article on The Robins is here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Robins/robins.html

Marv's site doesn't have an article on The Coasters but there is a website devoted entirely to the group "The Coasters Web Site - Those Hoodlum Friends" - which you can find here:

http://www.angelfire.com/mn/coasters/

The web site is vast with all kinds of goodies on it. You may lose hours of your life in there. The record session information in the "Fax on the Trax" section below has been gleaned from the hugely detailed recording sessions page of The Coasters Web Site.

The original singles release information is from www.45cat.com. The Coasters singles section is here:

http://www.45cat.com/artist/the-coasters

Here's The Fax on those 20 Trax

As mentioned above, the session information comes from the recordings sessions page on The Coasters Web Site. I haven't attempted to use all the information available on these tracks. In particular I have mentioned only a few of the backing musicians and I have omitted the Coasters' own guitar players. My main motive in mentioning a few of the backing musicians was in order to make sure that Gil Bernal received credit for his tenor sax work on The Robins and early Coasters sides which were recorded in Los Angeles. The contribution of King Curtis to the sides recorded in New York is well known, but that of Gil Bernal doesn't get much attention.

The changing Coasters line ups have been inserted into the chronological sequence.

Riot in Cell Block #9, Smokey Joe's Cafe and Framed were recorded by The Robins in 1954 - 1955 for Spark Records in Los Angeles.

The Robins - Carl Gardner, Bobby Nunn, Grady Chapman, Terrell Leonard, Billy Richard and Roy Richard. Richard Berry on "Riot In Cell Block #9."

Backing musicians include Gil Bernal (tenor sax) and Barney Kessell (guitar).

"Riot In Cell Block #9" was recorded in the spring of 1954. Released on Spark 103 (b/w "Wrap It Up") in May 1954.

"Framed" was recorded in August 1954. Released on Spark 107 (b/w "Loop De Loop Mambo") in September 1954.

"Smokey Joe's Cafe" was recorded in July (or possibly January 1955). Released on Spark 122 in August 1955 (b/w "Just Like A Fool"). Re-released on Atco 6059 in October 1955.

All subsequent titles recorded by The Coasters.

The Coasters (October 1955 - 1957) - Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Bobby Nunn, Leon Hughes.

Turtle Dovin' and Down In Mexico recorded in Los Angeles on January 11th, 1956. Gil Bernal (tenor sax) and Barney Kessell (guitar) among backing musicians. "Down In Mexico" / "Turtle Dovin'" released on Atco 6064 in February 1957.

Young Blood and Searchin' recorded in Los Angeles in February 1957. Obe "Young" Jessie replaces Billy Hughes on "Searchin'." Backing musicians include Gil Bernal (tenor sax) and Barney Kessell (guitar). "Searchin'" / "Young Blood" released on Atco 6087 in March 1957.

Idol With The Golden Head recorded in Chicago on July 24th, 1957. Released in August 1957 on Atco 6098 as the B-Side of "(When She Wants Good Lovin') My Baby Comes To Me."

The Coasters (1958 - mid-1961) - Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Cornell Gunter, Will "Dub" Jones.

Yakety Yak and Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart recorded in New York on March 17th, 1958. King Curtis on tenor sax. "Yakety Yak" / "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" released on Atco 6116 in April 1958.

The Shadow Knows recorded in New York on August 8th, 1958. Released on Atco 6126 (b/w "Sorry But I'm Gonna Have To Pass") in August 1958.

Charlie Brown recorded in New York on December 11th, 1958. Released on Atco 6132 (b/w "Three Cool Cats") in January 1959.

Along Came Jones recorded in New York on March 26th, 1959. Released on Atco 6141 (b/w "That Is Rock & Roll") in April 1959.

Poison Ivy and What About Us recorded in New York on July 16th, 1959. Backing musicians include Mickey Baker (guitar) and King Curtis (tenor sax). The versions on this LP are alternate takes of the versions originally released on single.

I'm A Hog For You Baby was recorded in New York on August 8th 1958 and re-edited on July 17th, 1959. The version on this LP differs from the single release (titled "I'm A Hog For You") in that it has a different and shorter sax fadeout.

Run Red Run  was recorded in New York on July 23rd, 1959. The version on this LP is a stereo take of the version originally released on single.

The single versions of the above four tracks were released as follows:

Poison Ivy / I'm A Hog For You released on Atco 6146 in August 1959.

Run Red Run / What About Us released on Atco 6153 in November 1959.

Shoppin' For Clothes was recorded in New York on July 29th, 1960. King Curtis on tenor sax. "Shoppin' For Clothes" / "The Snake And The Bookworm" released on Atco 6178 in September 1960. Some pressings retitled "Shoppin' For Clothes" to "Clothes Line (Wrap It Up)" which was the title of the original version of this song which was written by Kent Harris and recorded by him as Boogaloo And His Gallant Crew in 1956 (Crest  45-1030).

Little Egypt was recorded in New York on February 9th, 1961. King Curtis on tenor sax. "Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)" / "Keep On Rolling" released on Atco 6192 in April 1961.

The Coasters (mid-1961 - 1967) - Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Will "Dub" Jones, Earl "Speedo" Carroll.

Bad Blood was recorded in New York on September 25th, 1961. Backing by The Upsetters. The version on this LP is an alternate take of the version released on single Atco 6210 (b/w "(Ain't That) Just Like Me") in October 1961.

The Coasters on CD

As a top selling pop act as well as a major R&B act, The Coasters' back catalogue has mostly remained in print in some form or another over the years. I have the following two CDs in my collection:

The Very Best Of The Coasters - Rhino / Atlantic. A modest 17 tracks in excellent sound quality. It includes "Sorry But I'm Gonna Have To Pass" which received major attention when it was used in a TV advert for Volkswagen Passat in the 1990s.

What Is The Secret Of Your Success? - Mr R&B RBD 102. A CD version of an LP issued on Jonas Bernholm's Mr R&B label. Published in 1980, this collection has 16 of the lesser known Coasters tracks. Also includes "Sorry But I'm Gonna Have To Pass." I wonder if this is where some advertising exec came across the track and pitched it to Volkswagen?

There's a lot of choice if you want to get a Coasters CD these days. Looks like this one might be the one in which to invest your hard earned cash:

A double CD on the Acrobat label. 56 tracks, including 12 Robins tracks from the Spark label. I've ordered a copy and will report back when I've listened to it.

Edit - The 2CD Coasters set has arrived. It has a 24 page booklet which includes full recording details of the tracks, sourced from the Coasters website I acknowledged earlier in this post. There is also an extensive essay by Paul Watts tracing the history of The Coasters from the foundation of The Robins in 1945. So 10/10 for presentation in this PD collection.

Disc One is especially good with its inclusion of the 12 Robins sides recorded for Spark. I listened to the whole of this disc in one session and it didn't pall at all! I must confess that when I started listening to Disc Two the following day, the going got tougher. There are still plenty of good sides on this disc, but perhaps the Coasters were getting a bit formulaic going into the early 1960s, or perhaps I'd just listened to too many tracks by the same group.

So all in all I can recommend this mid price collection. 56 tracks in all, including two LP only tracks. Presentation is excellent, sound quality is good but perhaps some of the tracks lack a bit of "life" as this is a PD compilation. Overall rating - 7.5/10.
 

Little Esther - Bad Baad Girl!

Side One:
01. Looking For A Man - Little Esther
02. The Deacon Moves In - Little Esther with The Dominoes
03. I'm A Bad, Bad Girl - Little Esther with Mel Walker
04. Ring-A-Ding Doo - Little Esther with Mel Walker
05. Aged And Mellow - Little Esther
06. Ramblin' Blues - Little Esther
07. The Storm - Little Esther
08. Hollerin' And Screamin' - Little Esther

Side Two:
01. Mainliner - Little Esther with The Robins
02. Saturday Night Daddy - Little Esther with Bobby Nunn
03. You Took My Love Too Fast - Little Esther with Bobby Nunn
04. Last Laugh Blues - Little Esther with Little Willie Littlefield
05. Flesh, Blood And Bones - Little Esther
06. Turn The Lamps Down Low - Little Esther with Little Willie Littlefield
07. Cherry Wine - Little Esther
08. Hound Dog - Little Esther

Little Esther - Bad Baad Girl! (Mega)

or

Little Esther - Bad Baad Girl! (Zippy)

Our previous post on Little Esther's big selling Savoy sides ended with the teenage chanteuse leaving that label for the newly founded Federal label, a Ralph Bass run subsidiary of King Records. Her first recording session for Federal took place in January 1951. In the meantime the Johnny Otis band continued to record for Savoy until March 19th 1951 but his anticipated transfer to Federal didn't happen. Instead he signed for Mercury and the band recorded for that label from December 1951 to July 1952. 

Thereafter Johnny went to Don Robey's Houston based Peacock Records for whom he worked in both Houston and Los Angeles as A&R man, producer and band leader on tracks recorded by artists like Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Ace and Little Richard.

However one look at the personnel on these Federal recordings by Little Esther (which you can find on the back cover of this LP) shows that the backing band on her 1951 and 1952 tracks is indeed the Johnny Otis Orchestra doing a spot of moonlighting.

As you can see in the original release information below, backing on Little Esther discs was at first credited to the "Earle Warren Orchestra," ex-Basie man Earle being the alto sax player in Johnny's band at that time. Then there was the not-at-all obvious pseudonym of the "J. and O. Orchestra," and by the time of the 1952 releases there was no mention of the accompanying band.

When Preston Love (Johnny's band mate back in the Omaha days and then in the early days of Johnny's big band) replaced Earle Warren on alto sax in 1952, some discs credited to the Preston Love Orchestra were released on Federal, again disguising the fact that they were by the Johnny Otis Orchestra.

During 1951 and at least the first half of 1952 Little Esther continued to tour with the Johnny Otis group. Other Otis-connected artists appearing on these sides are Mel Walker and Bobby Nunn, so this collection fits in nicely with our series of Johnny Otis related posts.

The very informative sleeve notes by Norbert Hess tell the tale of Little Esther's estrangement from Johnny Otis involving Esther's mother and a heap of cash. The Otis band backed Esther for the last time in August 1952. In a final session for Federal in March 1953, Little Esther was backed by King studio musicians including Rufus Gore and Hank Marr.

In July and September 1953 Little Esther recorded for Decca. These sides went nowhere and the recent spell of stardom already seemed to have faded fast away as what may euphemistically be called "health problems" began to take their toll. For the rest of her sadly all too short life Little Esther or Esther Phillips as she was now known would be plagued by addiction problems although there were periods when she recorded strong material and made dents in both the pop and R&B charts.

In 1975 her version of the Dinah Washington hit "What A Difference A Day Makes" was an international success, reaching number 20 in the US pop chart and number 6 in the UK chart. For the cognoscenti her 1971 recording of Gil Scott Heron's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" is a harrowing classic. Esther Phillips died aged 48 in August of 1984.

But here on Be Bop Wino we rarely move beyond the 1950's so enjoy Little Esther, Johnny Otis and the band, Bobby Nunn, Mel Walker, The Dominoes and Little Willie Littlefield on these blasters from back in the day.

Atlanta, April 1951

Here are the original release details of the tracks:

Federal 12016 - "The Deacon Moves In" by Little Esther with the Earle Warren Orchestra, b/w "Other Lips, Other Arms" - Little Esther with the Earle Warren Orchestra. February 1951.

Federal 12023 - "I'm A Bad, Bad Girl" by Little Esther with the Earle Warren Orchestra, B-Side of "Don't Make A Fool Out Of Me" - Little Esther with the Earle Warren Orchestra. April 1951.

Federal 12036 - "Looking For A Man (To Satisfy My Soul)" by Little Esther with the Earle Warren Orchestra, b/w "Heart To Heart" - Little Esther and The Dominoes with the Earle Warren Orchestra. July 1951.

Federal 12055 - "Ring-A-Ding-Doo" by Little Esther and Mel with the J. and O. Orchestra, b/w "The Crying Blues" by Little Esther with the J. and O. Orchestra. November 1951.

Federal 12063 - "The Storm" by Little Esther, B-Side of "Summertime" - Little Esther. March 1952.

Federal 12078 - "Aged And Mellow" by Little Esther, B-Side of "Bring My Lovin' Back To Me" - Little Esther. May 1952.

Federal 12090 - "Ramblin' Blues" by Little Esther, b/w "Somebody New" by Little Esther. August 1952.

Federal 12100 - "Saturday Night Daddy" by Little Esther & Bobby Nunn, b/w "Mainliner" by Little Esther. October 1952.

Federal 12108 - "Last Laugh Blues" by Little Esther and Little Willie, b/w "Flesh, Blood And Bones by Little Esther. November 1952.

Federal 12115 - "Turn The Lamps Down Low" by Little Esther and Little Willie, b/w "Hollerin' And Screamin'" by Little Esther. February 1953.

Federal 12122 - "You Took My Love Too Fast" by Little Esther and Bobby Nunn, b/w "Street Lights" by Little Esther. April 1953.

Federal 12126 - "Hound Dog" by Little Esther, b/w "Sweet Lips" by Little Esther. April 1953.

Federal 12142 - "Cherry Wine" by Little Esther, b/w "Love Oh Love" by Little Esther. September 1953.

Cash Box February 1951

Hal Singer - Disc Jockey Boogie

Side 1:

01. Corn Bread

02. A Plug For Cliff

03. Blue Monday Caravan

04. Teddy's Dream

05. Beef Stew

Side 2:

01. One For Willie

02. Swanee River

03. Happy Days

04. Jiblets

05. Disc Jockey Boogie

Note - Track 3, Side 1, "Blue Monday Caravan" by Sir Charles Thompson's All Stars. Track 4, Side 1, "Teddy's Dream" was credited to The X-Rays.

Download "Disc Jockey Boogie" from here:

Disc Jockey Boogie (Mega)

This is my fourth homemade compilation of saxophone sides released on Savoy Records in the late 1940s. The first three comps featured Big Jay McNeely, Wild Bill Moore and Paul Williams and this time round we're going with Hal Singer whose "Corn Bread" was a smash hit in 1948. This comp covers Hal's first spell with Savoy from June 1948 to February 1949.

Hal has had a long and interesting career, starting off in the Territory Bands of the South West and Midwest in the 1930s, moving on to Kansas City in the early 1940s before ending up in NYC where he spent the best part of two decades not only recording and releasing records under his own name, but also playing tenor sax on many sessions mainly for Savoy and King. The list of artists with whom he recorded as a session man is long and varied, taking in Wynonie Harris, Esther Phillips, Brownie McGhee, Little Willie John, Titus Turner, Lonnie Johnson, Arbee Stidham, Big Maybelle and plenty of others!

Unusually for Be Bop Wino, I can use the present tense in some of this post, for Hal Singer is still with us, very much alive and perhaps just about the last survivor of those territory bands and one of a rapidly dwindling band of still living musicians from the R&B scene of the 1940s.

Hal Singer was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1919. He studied at the Hampton Institute in Virginia but opted for the life of a professional musician and the way of the tenor sax. His first gig was with a group led by trumpeter Terrence Holder whose previous big band of the early 1930s had included future Jazz / R&B luminaries Jesse Stone, Herschel Evans, Buddy Tate, Earl Bostic and Lloyd Glenn. 

In 1939 he was a member of Lloyd Hunter's band which had its roots in Omaha, so no surprise that the 1941 lineup of that band included Johnny Otis and Preston Love but not Hal who had joined the Ernie Fields band. In 1942 Hal joined another Omaha based band, that of Nat Towles. Around this time (perhaps in 1941, the constant movement has made me giddy) he had a spell in Kansas City, working in a small group led by Tommy Douglas. In May 1943 he was a member of the Jay McShann band which was then working at the Band Box in Chicago.

It was probably in late 1943 or early 1944 that Hal made it to the Big Apple where he settled into the burgeoning jazz scene of 52nd Street where he worked with Don Byas  and Roy Eldridge. He also participated in Sunday jam sessions in Harlem at clubs like Minton's, Monroes and the Heat Wave. It was while playing at the Heat Wave with Don Byas and Earl Bostic that he witnessed a tremendous jam session duel between Bostic and Charlie Parker.

Hal's first recordings were with the big band of Roy Eldridge in June 1944 for Decca. In October 1944 Hal was back in the studio with the Eldridge band for another Decca session. In the autumn of 1945 he recorded a couple of sides for Hub with the Don Byas group featuring Rubie Blakey on vocals.

In March 1946 Hal recorded for Savoy for the first time on a small group jazz session led by Lem Davis, but the four sides lay unissued for many years. Hal was a member of the Hot Lips Page band which was used on a number of sessions by King in Cincinnati during December 1947 in the run up to the American Federation of Musicians recording ban which was due to commence on the 1st January 1948. They backed Lonnie Johnson on December 14th, Big Maybelle (then known as Mabel Smith) on an unknown day, Marion Abernathy on December 23rd, and Wynonie Harris on December 23rd and December 28th.

Two of the tracks from that final 1947 session became big hits - "Good Rockin' Tonight" and "Lollipop Mama." Hal backed Wynonie on further sessions. A December 1948 session in which sax duties were shared by Hal and Frank "Floorshow" Culley produced four magnificent hard rocking tracks in "Grandma Plays The Numbers,"  "I Want My Fanny Brown," "She Just Won't Sell No More," and "I Feel That Old Age Coming On." All of these featured  a pounding beat, screeching tenor sax and very risque lyrics.

Hal and Wynonie were reunited on a couple of tracks for King in 1957 but by then the good times and big money days were long gone for "Mr. Blues." A last throw of the dice for Roulette in 1960 saw Hal backing Wynonie for one last time but sadly no-one was buying.

The 1948 AFM recording ban lasted until August but Savoy A&R man Teddy Reig ignored the embargo and started holding recording sessions from January 1948 onwards. Among the artists he produced in early 1948 were Howard McGhee, Leo Parker, Morris Lane, Paul Williams and Wild Bill Moore.

At an unknown date in Spring 1948 four sides were cut by bluesman Brownie McGhee with Hal Singer on tenor sax. One of these sides "My Fault" became a huge R&B hit later in the year, but Hal's tenor sax is heard to better effect on Brownie's tribute to black baseball players Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, "Robbie - Doby Boogie."

In June 1948 Reig recorded Hal Singer, with Hal's first record "Corn Bread" / "A Plug For Cliff" being released in August. The A Side was a piledriver of an instro which was such a huge hit that Hal was ever after known as Hal "Corn Bread" Singer.

At the beginning of September "Corn Bread" was already storming up the Most Played Jukebox Race Records chart, in mid September it entered the Best Selling Retail Race Records chart, at the end of October it was number one in the Jukebox plays chart and number two in the best seller chart. It was one of a number of sax-led instrumentals that featured prominently in the charts at this time: "Long Gone" and "Late Freight" by Sonny Thompson, "Waxie Maxie" by Paul Williams, "Blues For The Red Boy" by Todd Rhodes, along with Pee Wee Crayton's guitar opus, "Blues After Hours."

Teddy Reig, a big fan of both the honkin' R&B sax and the more sophisticated bebop sound of modern jazz, made sure that Savoy was very strong in both fields as can be seen from this Cash Box ad from November 1948 below -

Hal's next Savoy session in September failed to generate any releases, with the four tracks recorded not making an appearance until they were included on the 2LP set "Honkers & Screamers." On September 21st Hal was included in a session which had jazz pianist Sir Charles Thompson as named leader. This session did generate a release "Cooking With Cookie" / "Blue Monday Caravan" with Hal's tenor sax featuring on the B Side. Two other sides from this session, "Jiblets" and "Disc Jockey Boogie" were released in 1950 under Hal's name on the new Savoy subsidiary Acorn.

A December 1948 session produced several tracks for release, including "I'll Always Be In Love With You" / "Teddy's Dream" which was credited to vocal group The X-Rays, although "Teddy's Dream" was a Hal Singer instrumental. Also recorded at this session were "Beef Stew" and "One For Willie" which formed Hal's next release on Savoy. In February 1949 Hal had his last recording session in his first spell with Savoy. The only track which saw release was "Happy Days" which was paired with "Swanee River" from his first session for a June 1949 release.

Also in December 1948 Hal played on sessions for Arbee Stidham (on Victor) and Tab Smith (for Manor). In February 1949 Hal played on a Savoy session for blues shouter "Chicago Carl" aka Carl Davis.

After leaving Savoy Hal recorded a single for Mercury in 1950 (released in November of that year), then signed for Decca subsidiary Coral for which he recorded between October 1951 and April 1952. In August 1952 Hal returned to Savoy, but that story will be told in another post, if you hepcats so wish!

Session details and release details of the tracks on "Disc Jockey Boogie":

"Swanee River," "A Plug For Cliff," and "Corn Bread" were recorded in NYC between June 9th and June 23rd, 1948. Personnel: Milton Larkin (trombone); Hal Singer (tenor sax); Wynton Kelly (piano); Franklin Skeete (bass); Heywood Jackson (drums).

Corn Bread / A Plug For Cliff (Savoy 671) by the Hal Singer Sextette, released in August 1948.

Happy Days / Swanee River (Savoy 697) by the Hal Singer Sextette, released in June 1949.

"Blue Monday Caravan," "Jiblets," and "Disc Jockey Boogie" were recorded in NYC on 21st September, 1948. Personnel: Hal Singer (tenor sax); Sir Charles Thompson (piano); unknown (guitar); unknown (bass); unknown (drums).

Cooking With Cookie / Blue Monday Caravan (Savoy 679) by Sir Charles Thompson's All Stars, released in December 1948.

Jiblets / Disc Jockey Boogie (Acorn 300) by Hal Singer with Sir Charles Thompson Orch., released in October 1950. This was the first release on Acorn, a subsidiary of Savoy.

"Teddy's Dream," "Beef Stew," and "One For Willie" were recorded in NYC on 10th December, 1948. Personnel: Willie Moore (trumpet); Chippy Outcalt (trombone); Hal Singer (tenor sax); George Rhodes (piano); Walter Page (bass); Bobby Donaldson (drums); Milton Larkin (vocals); The X-Rays (vocal group).

I'll Always Be In Love With You / Teddy's Dream (Savoy 681) by The X-Rays, released in December 1948.

Beef Stew / One For Willie (Savoy 686) by the Hal Singer Sextette, released in February 1949.

"Happy Days" was recorded in NYC on the 9th February, 1949. Personnel: William Moore (trumpet); Chippy Outcalt (trombone); Hal Singer (tenor sax); Tate Houston (baritone sax); possibly George Rhodes (piano) Walter Buchanan (bass) Butch Ballard (drums). Ensemble vocal.

Happy Days / Swanee River (Savoy 697) by the Hal Singer Sextette, released in June 1949.

Savoy single releases of Hal Singer's 1948 - 1949 recordings in chronological order:

Savoy 671 Hal Singer Sextette - Corn Bread / A Plug For Cliff (August 1948)

Savoy 679 Sir Charles Thompson’s All Stars - Cooking With Cookie / Blue Monday Caravan (Dec 1948)

Savoy 681 The X Rays  – I’ll Always Be In Love With You / Teddy’s Dream (December 1948)

Savoy 686 Hal Singer Sextette - Beef Stew / One For Willie (February 1949)

Savoy 697 Hal Singer Sextette - Swanee River / Happy Days (June 1949)

Acorn 300 Hal Singer with Sir Charles Thompson Orch. - Jiblets / Disc Jockey Boogie (October 1950)

Sources: Big Band Jazz by Albert McCarthy and Soul Jazz by Bob Porter.

JC Marion online article on Hal Singer