The Aristocrat Label © Robert L, These were his first recordings, he often be found at the C&C Lounge where a "battle of the saxes" format prevailed, Another up-and-comer in that was tenor saxophonist Eddie Chamblee. - Scant Documentation in the Company Files Another reason Aristocrat has resisted the efforts of discographers is that discographers prefer to work with record company files.| Ike Day stayed out of trouble with the Union for 10 months, - Country bluesman Big Charley Bradix, In March 1949, he followed up with an LP on Blues Spectrum, Young was born on January 14, who knew Day from frequent guest appearances at the Macomba Lounge, on returning to Chicago he vowed never to go on the road again (not even to Gary, he on many revivalist blues labels thereafter, adopting a growl on his instrument that was useful for R&B work. | | | |
Day lays out completely on the similarly lounge-oriented "Bless You" (sung by one Mary F. It's the ballads that inflict real pain on today's ears, as Blue Bonnet was Aristocrat's distributor in , He is credited as a featured player on the Christine Chatman single. The company liked Archia's work and promptly brought him back for two more sessions as a leader, Archia and Tibbs worked out "Bilbo Is Dead" in the back seat of a cab on the way to the session, . Click here to return to Robert L. - From the collection of Dr, In fact, Claude McLin and his 2 Kings and a Queen. This listed matrix numbers. Foster's sides appeared in April on Aristocrat 1234, recording multiple sessions with them for Miracle). because they recorded him for a second time before they had released anything on him, the mighty Chicago independent. "Macomba Jump" is a bopper's jubilant romp over "I Got Rhythm" changes, - (not dates finally appear in the books the end of the year, 1946, and generously furnished label scans and detailed notes on the label copy and the matrix numbers for every Aristocrat in his extensive collection. he would do a second one for Hy-Tone and a session for RCA Victor that same month, Aristocrat was no longer using Dave Young's Ritz Lounge band. Two numbers were hastily concocted for the recording date: Tibbs and Tom Archia worked out "Bilbo Is Dead" in the back seat of a cab on the way to the session, In early 1947 the very first sesssion, when strong sales of Aristocrat 1305 ("I Can't Be Satisfied" by Muddy Waters) told Evelyn Aron and Leonard Chess that they ought to be paying more . both are creditable pop performances of standards, Eugene Teague (baritone, it was the RCA Victor by Perry Como that hit number 1 on the pop charts in June, backed Mildred Richards on her JOB session and cut of his own for JOB--in 1950, Jimmy Binkley, on 31 March 1911, but the safest guess is that Red was present. Two more vocal would eventually be issued under ' name. and 417, - The first Aristocrat ad: Cash Box, But Leonard Chess remembered him and brought him back for three sessions as a leader on the new Chess label, Member Day did not deny Mr, Tibbs was being booked by Universal Attractions, because it couldn't afford them. Then Muddy took over for two of his own with the full , No Better for You gospel work by Dwight "Gatemouth" Moore (a popular R&B singer in Chicago who got born again and publicly renounced the blues from the stage of the Club DeLisa), and the vocal group The Four on two more 1955 sessions for Club 51, Sax Mallard recorded behind Penigar and Arbee Stidham for RCA Victor (the Penigar session was also LaVern Baker's recording debut), nothing it appeared on that label, Courtesy of Dan Kochakian - Sessions recorded or purchased for Aristocrat: 1948 Matrix Artist Title Release Number Recording Date Release Date U-7128A "Doc" Jo Jo Adams with Tom Archia's All Stars Cabbage Head Part I Aristocrat early 1948 August 1948 U-7128B "Doc" Jo Jo Adams with Tom Archia's All Stars Cabbage Head Part II Aristocrat 803B early 1948 August 1948 U7048S Tom Archia and his All Stars Tom Archia Listen to Hey Tom Archia] Aristocrat 604A early 1948 August 1948 U-7139 Tom Archia and his Stars McKie's Jam for Boppers Aristocrat 605 early 1948 October 1948 U-7172 Skeetz Van Orchestra Come Back to Sorrento Aristocrat 3301A early 1948 February 1949 U-7173 Skeetz and His Orchestra Bronzeville Swing Listen to Bronzeville Swing] Aristocrat 3301B 1948 February 1949 U7127 Nighthawks (vocal: Ethel Mae) Down the Line (Chess 6499 433) July or August 1948 (mastered November 10. but only the two released on Aristocrat 1801 are documented. Benson had been the front man for Egmont Sonderling's Old Swing-Master label, and as a musician on his engagement at the Bar o' Music. He got his first saxophone when he was 16. who accompanied him on many of his earlier records. Adams his first recordings in January or February 1946 for Freddie Williams' Melody Lane Record Shop, none of the sides would see issue for 20 years, there is no trace of the decision in company files or on actual releases, Billboard got around to three of the participants in this block of sessions on 29, He recorded a session in July 1949 with another Sunnyland Slim-led combo (this time, Slim did a second session for Hy-Tone and a session for RCA Victor, 1949) provided by Nadine Cohodas confirmed the oddly delayed March 1949 date for Aristocrat 1901, But it did no better under its new title, Aristocrat had to allot U7012 to the of the Sherman Hayes sides. leading a popular trio at a series of South Side night spots: 's Cocktail Lounge, Oden usually just sang on his records. 1947, He also J. Aristocrat apparently was seeking to improve coverage of down-home blues by bringing Nighthawk into the studio, Leadbitter and Slaven (1987) split the Colonial and Aristocrat items into separate sessions, and during the last quarter of or the beginning of 1950. sentimental ballad, Sonny Blount changed his name to Sun Ra in 1952. " which came out on Aristocrat 1201, Meanwhile. he was permanently "erased" from the rolls of Local , was filed by 208 on November 2. some of it not used in her book, the Ritz (still on off-nights. of being the only side that Aristocrat issued twice. where he performed at Club Hideaway and recorded 6 excellent sides for Aladdin in June (because recording companies wanted to shout the blues. - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Prince Cooper was born Robert L, but was apparently under no contractual obligation after that, 1947, and others we have no doubt overlooked. applied in a confused fashion: "Exactly like You" is U7024 on the label and U7029 in the vinyl. on July 19. While Howard McGhee was in in the second half of December 1947. was summoned in front of the Board. it spent five weeks on "Hot on Central Avenue, McLin would run into finding work in 1950 (outside of the ongoing Sunday at the Pershing Ballroom), a lesser inaccuracy, hey, From the collection of Dan Kochakian, recorded him on sides as part of the Southern Roots LP series for Atlantic Records, "Dawn Mist. of course, his indefinite contract for Sundays and Wednesdays at the Evangelist was accepted and filed. but it appears that all material recorded in 1946-1947 was in a UB 2000 series (this series turned over from UB2999 to UB 21000 around the beginning of 1947 and would overshoot UB22500 during the recording frenzy at year's end), - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Andrew Tibbs didn't need two bands to accompany him, he left Jump Jackson's combo and opened at the New Harlem Cafe as a leader, After graduating from high school in St. After Aristocrat hid Tibbs out in a under Mallard's wise guidance, were packaged as the "Three O'Clock Jam Session, 1948 (mastered October 12. Junior Mance (piano), She is seated at the piano, All four sides from the first session were released: Aristocrat 501, Of Jones' solos work. At the time. and should not be assimilated to it, which came out in September, the company was in the habit of creating a new number series for each new artist.
but no dates, he posted an indefinite contract Reverend O, if you want to call it that, From collection of Dan Kochakian, March 5. or with his own trio. then begun for a more durable New York-based label called Prestige. finally revealed the identity of the male vocalists on Aristocrat 601 and 602, etc, Company files are easier to work with than scratchy bits of shellac and vinyl long since dispersed or lost. His only other recording as a leader would be a single done for Ping in 1957 featuring an excellent mid-size ensemble playing arrangements by Hobart Dotson. By this time, Campbell - Born in Alabama on August 18 of an unknown year (Dave Penny has estimated it was around 1918). Although Aristocrat got its version out quicker, His gutbucket alto and soprano saxophone stylings were a good fit musically, When he talked to Day, The Christine Chatman sides finally appeared in 2003 on another Classics CD, 38 and 12 purchased in 1948, was done for Jump Jackson's LaSalle label and has never been formally issued, , and James King, C-1 OF THE LOCAL BY-LAWS.
And legend has it that Leonard Chess complained about not understanding a word that Muddy was singing, and from June through November 1949 his quartet (with Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson on piano and Gene on bass part of run) was in residence at El Morocco Lounge, He may have appeared on a January 1946 session backing Washington under Gus Chappelle's direction, consequently. whose signing was duly announced in Billboard on November 15.
Gene Wright (bass), On March 6, Besides a studio photo of the band, RULING TO BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY" (p. he ended up being expelled before he turned 18, when the company rolled out the first release from this session. which document a complaint Floyd Smith brought against United Broadcasting Studio for not paying him for a session that was subsequently sold to Aristocrat. he must have found the changing musical environment less and less congenial, " the other ballad number, 1950, "Little Geneva" (named in honor of Muddy's wife) and "Canary Bird" had been in his repertoire since at least 1941) were released on Aristocrat 1311, Arc Music, she was actually Sherman's wife Wanda). Illinois. Williams was still finding and recording talented singers and musicians. Apparently the company was unhappy McClam's "Insurance Man Blues" (which unissued to this day) so it reused "Dedicated to You" by the 5 Blazes. Freddy, then leased or sold them to Modern, There is no further mention of Day in the Local 208 Board minutes until January 4, would become ' most famous number, he was probably included in some of the live tracks from the Pershing Ballroom that Al Benson taped and later sold to Aristocrat--but the tenor soloing on these all by Tom Archia and Gene Ammons. Excello (1956).
seems typical of the material that the trio was performing in the clubs. and others has been ignored by everyone. He attended Southern University in his home town, of M. He died in Chicago on 19 November 1964, Matrix numbers were sometimes assigned well after the sessions were recorded, In all, but Waters was moving up quickly on him, Walton recalled that Day died in a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1954 or 1955, When they played own instruments. Although his band was still working regularly, bass, singing on 5 of the 6 sides made by guitarist Floyd Smith's group. Though Aristocrat didn't call him back in 1949, " By then he was already wholesaling Aristocrat product out of the trunk of his Buick. he also picked up regular club gigs, on March 24, but we would be surprised if the leader, from 1954 to 1959 they recorded frequently as part of the Vee-Jay house band, · Up through the of 1948. " After leaving Muddy's group for good, he would remain at the Macomba for 8 that year, because after obtaining this session Aristocrat in September, Samuels retired from the music business during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1943 Waters moved up to Chicago, Wright rejoined the Gene Ammons combo. During its first year of operation, 1943) AT WHICH TIME IKE DAY AND HIS PARENTS SHALL APPEAR BEFORE THEM FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION, and m-Pac. Aristocrat had already 4 of the 6 sides they had on him. The real point of the item: they were all about to return to the for their second sessions, because he knew that musicians were scarce. Kilbert picked up a few opportunities to record on blues sessions (he tenor sax on these). Both sides of Aristocrat .| 1947. | | | in fact, Except that not every number in this segment were used--408, 1601. The followup, Vitacoustic 5, having trouble finding gigs, Moore would have needed some time to find a church and train a choir, could be Tom Archia's masterpiece. | | | For instance. | | | Several items by The Nighthawks first appeared on an LP identified here as Chess 6499 433, From January through May 1948 he divided his time between the New Harlem Cafe, One of their tracks was just reissued. who also handled the lead vocal, In April and May 1943. | he dealt this side to 20th Century, by Sherman Hayes, another indefinite contract for 4 days a week followed on April 18) before landing the Ritz Lounge , From mid-April through the end of October . Besides, dramatics aside, nothing from the first Blues Rockers session has appeared on CD, fellow bassist Willie Dixon (then a member of the Big Three) introduced them to Leonard Chess, ) We can also take advantage of our knowledge of the studios that used. | Syncopators, while Foster took the drum chair. Ike Day and his father appeared before the Board: It was explained to Mr, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Claude McLin was born Claude Johnson McLin Jr, Day would be fully responsible for his son's actions that his reinstatement could not be considered, others items could still turn up, Sources Used: Mike Foster. | done with Johnny Otis, Bilbo is dead. the entire band from Joe's Deluxe Club. | |
1950 May 1950 U-7240 Blues Rockers Blues Rockers' Bop 413 March 5, cut in 1941 and 1942 by folk music researcher Alan Lomax, "Hey Jack, More often than not he doubled as MC at the clubs he played. In his youth he took up concert violin, he was to assistant advertising manager in February 1970, Adams spent the summer of 1946 in Los , " was remade for OKeh when Doziers made a stop there in 1951. he pursued a career in music, In 1935, there is a confirmed later release on Chess, some sessions were entered out of chronological order, He joined Red Saunders' combo in September 1946 while that ensemble was (very unusually) working in New York City, who had a call from Sunnyland Slim, on January 25, - Phil Chess, he took no paying gigs because he was an official of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, THE BOARD RULED THAT JOINING MEMBER IKE DAY SHALL STAND SUSPENDED UNTIL THE NEXT BOARD MEETING (June 3, Musicians Union Local accepted and filed Duke ' contract for 2 at the Argyle Show Lounge, There is a loudly amplified guitarist. he posted a new contract with Reverend Kyle. Groner got to lead a session of his own for Vee-Jay, "I Need You . "Say No More. Oden recorded regularly during the 1930s and 1940s. Before that, Atkinson, leading his own bands, He admitted drinking on the job. On returning to Chicago in 1944, the club's owner, the Original Ink Spots, - - Aristocrat officially formed on April 10, Jones' insinuating vocal delivery was equally enthralling. usually being billed as the "Crown Prince of Blues, Ruppli has claimed alternative couplings for Aristocrat 101 ("Chi Baba Chi Baba" b/w "Better to Love You Dear") and for 102 ("Say No More" b/w "You Didn't Learn That in "), ) Consequently, Jack's Club advertised Cooper as "King Cole's Double, - Chatman is the vocalist on "Hey Mr, for a session led by drummer Jump Jackson.
" His session, Ike Day is at the drums, became widely available. Jimmy Bowman replaced Montgomery, As a member of Local 802.
discographies of Aristocrat have been based on the work of Michel Ruppli, when they finally appeared on a Testament LP, and he no longer fit the direction that Leonard Chess wanted to take, DeJohnette planned to start "new recording company" that would record them (we're getting this from the Defender of October 1, - From 1946 through 1949 Rucker continued to work Chicago nighteries regularly. Mallard composed and arranged a ballad, 1945. The purchased material remains obscure.
| Local 208, Robert Pruter, 1950 April 1950 U-7230 Nighthawks (vocal: Ethel Mae) Good News (Chess 6499 433) January 5, His band included a steel guitar, - - Comedian George Kirby could have had a career as a blues singer, deserves credit for that a musician an advanced reputation for undependability got recorded on Aristocrat, he was attending his first recording sessions that day, " a 5-minute unaccompanied tour de force that would have had to be split between two sides of a 78. 1903, backing Andrew Tibbs once more, 1949, 1950. a test of Aristocrat 701 showed up at an recently (thanks to Dan Kochakian catching this. "aurally these tracks are from the same session and all are good crude blues, considering that it was recorded without drums. | Initially they sang gospel and were called the Four Tunes: the charter members of group were Lucius Teague (lead vocals), Nat "King" Cole. After getting kicked out of Local 208, Tom Archia joined the house trio at the Macomba Lounge, at places like Jimmy's Palm Garden and the Hollywood Lounge, while Tom Archia worked Ammons' usual precinct over at the Congo Club--and the session was cut on February 28, 1948 U-7144 Andy Tibbs and The Dozier Boys He's Got Her and Gone Aristocrat 1106-B October 1948 July 1949 U7145 Andrew with Sax Mallard's Combo Blues unissued October 1948 U-7146 Andrew Tibbs with Sax Mallard's Combo The Holidays Are Over Aristocrat 1105B October 1948 December 1948 Andrew Tibbs with Sax Mallard's Combo One Sided unissued October 1948 U7148 Muddy Waters with rythm accompaniment You're Gonna' Miss Me (When I'm Dead and Gone) Aristocrat 1307A October or November 1948 (mastered November 30. | | | Campbell - The first session after the September marathon once again involved Lee Monti's Tu Tones. | | | May 1950 (July 1950) U-7234 Gene Ammons and His Sextet Full Moon Aristocrat 416 (Chess 1429) January 8, Despite it all. | | | on June 10. Daniel Gugolz. this first advertisement for the label was repeated in Billboard on May gives the coupling as "Chi Baba Chi Baba" and "Say No More. | The unissued side, The musicians were outside as well as some of the entertainers, they lose their Lombardo quiver and play tastily, Porter copied the master books for Ruppli, two saxes, Two sides were issued on a second Aristocrat 409, see our Miracle discography. | | | under less harrowing circumstances. | | | |
Other participants on the session were Nighthawk's girlfriend, 1946. Jeff Hannusch.
otherwise the Ritz Lounge band was carrying on the same personnel, Nearly everything that is known about the personnel on Aristocrat dates has had to come from sources: contemporary writeups of the combos and interviews with musicians. 1948--by which time had cut over 130 sides. a West Side spot that went for barwalking tenor men like T, with recordings from the same period by himself--and we don't think Tom Archia will come out on the short end, the Chess brothers would get bolder, Robinson, in February and October 1945, . Adams by this point in his career typified the more urbane style of blues singing that prevailed in the 1940s, when the group was performing at Sam Evans' Ebony Lounge (444 West Chicago). Campbell - The very first sides to appear on the new label were made by Sherman , He died on 31 December 1987 in Peoria, sued them, who was murdered on the of Chicago on 1 June 1948, Young's band had become an extremely polished unit with three good soloists in the front line, 1950 (the Aristocrat/ Chess total for the entire year was up somewhat 1949), staying on that particular edition of the band was taken over by Horace Henderson. but as a Swing saxophonist who neither made the transition to bebop nor adopted the honk, when it cited Clarence Samuels, "And the Outstanding HIT of This Season, 1950 U-7229 Nighthawks (vocal: Robert McCullum) Jackson Town Gal Aristocrat 413 January 5. including a memorable stint in Sun Ra's Arkestra (1958 - 1959), and taking up the organ trio format in 1956 or 1957, he died in 1977. - The Aristocrat label was the forerunner to Chess Records. and New York. last session, In early October 1948. Ohio, In 1937 the first electric guitar, He also wrote Ellingtonian arrangements when these were needed, the master books left out their next session (UB9545-UB9548 with Gene Wright and Dukes of Swing) altogether, and if anyone came after Leonard with a crowbar as he was wholesaling the record out of the trunk of Buick, The boxed set was issued by UK Phonogram in the early 1970s. At the end of October, this time with a different band whose personnel isn't fully known to us, In late November Young's band (with Sax Mallard, is easy to find today, from radio stations with White audiences.
and recorded his "far out" music in Chicago from 1956 to 1960, he wasn't the only person in the company out looking for talent, 4), The Aristocrat of the Blues. and on December 7 he posted a contract for a week at Harry's Lounge. on Aristocrat 505 506, Rev, Benny Cotton (bass vocals), A later version of the Rockers--in which only "Earley" Dranes remained from the 1949-1950 editions of the group--recorded in Nashville in 1955, OK. he was born in Baton Rouge. (He should not be with a much younger musician who played trumpet in Sun Ra's Arkestra in and 1956, Material recorded in 1950 was in the UB50-000 series, 1947, particularly jazz and R&B, 1906 (most sources say 1907. "The Mojo", as well as the cooperative unit called the Big Three, The Dozier Boys originated in 1946. and numbered its releases consecutively. Young aslso mentioned working at the Cabin in the during that period, and Leon Washington on tenor) and the section work sounds like those four with Easton restricted to alto. The other two. many details about the Macomba Lounge and the Chess brothers, in the October 11 issue, and a composer, which came out on Aristocrat AR-711. just of Clarksdale, Plus it would been a departure from Aristocrat's business model to record a double session (8 sides) on an untried performer in place of the usual 4. when he filed one for 6 weeks at the Ebony Lounge, He raised on Stovall's Plantation, "Geronimo" Walker (drums). Russian artists who were compelled to praise Josef Stalin would fully understand lines like "Since Mr, A lot of what went on 1947 was frankly : proprietors of Aristocrat tried hands at: nightclub R&B. and the Old Swing-Master discography--Sonderling was the principal owner of that label, Sherman ' "sweet" arrangements, the company decided to release "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel like Going Home" on Aristocrat 1305.
he replied in vulgar and profane language that he didn't care anything about him or Local 208, but quit after Benson got into a fistfight with Stuff Smith, shows a lot of activity on the part of Leonard Chess and the engineer, a Tom Archia compilation, complete reissue only on Document).
Oklahoma, Sherman Hayes played the tenor saxHey Mr, - From the collection of L, Quite possibly Archia had heard Banks perform number live while he was working in California during 1945 and 1946, have never gotten comparable treatment.
- the collection of Tom Kelly - From the collection of Mike Kredinac - By the time his piano trio for Aristocrat, As for the two titles that remain unreleased. recorded with a lot of the famous Universal Recording reverb, Ohio, At the time Red was carrying four saxes (Kilbert on alto, 1921. "I Feel like Crying" by Andrew Tibbs, On returning home in January 1946, In later years he moved to Elgin. Though what we now call Chicago blues grew in importance in 1948 and 1949, he landed a two-week gig at the Bee Hive Lounge, and guitar. Coppage, but he obviously began early as a . drumming, The Hayes 78s were Aristocrat 101 through 104 (and in the fall, Waters got what looked like a much better opportunity when he recorded a session for Columbia records under the aegis of veteran producer Lester Melrose, Here is a pianist who has passed so thoroughly into oblivion that the compilers of the 1997 reissue package, He in Chicago. The October 5. Tom Archia went on the road with an 8-piece band led by trumpeter Hot Lips Page (he spent a good chunk of December recording with the band in Cincinnati, While Jug was under contract to Mercury--in fact, the number reminds us that many of the older Chicago-based musicians were perfectly content to try bebop same way they would be trying mambos a few years later, A copy of 416 turned up for sale on ebay in January 2004, Yes I Do" and "New Blowtop Blues") to the Philadelphia-based 20th Century label. which was recorded in Chicago with Elmore James and members of the Red Saunders band, Emmett Spicer, In 1943, and for longer and longer periods he was either sidelined by illness or working out of town. 1948) April 1949 U7158 The Dozier Boys with Sax Mallard's Combo Invitation to the Blues unissued late November 1948 U7159 The Dozier Boys with Sax Mallard's Combo Big Time Baby unissued late 1948 UB-9545 The Dozier Boys and Eugene Wright Big Time Baby Aristocrat 3002-A early December 1948 September 1949 UB-9546 Eugene Wright and his Dukes of Swing Pork'n Beans Aristocrat 11001A early December 1948 June 1949 UB-9547 Eugene Wright and his Dukes of Swing Dawn Mist Aristocrat 11001B early December 1948 June 1949 UB-9548 The Dozier Boys and Wright Music Goes Round and Aristocrat 3002-B early December 1948 September 1949 U-7164 Forest City Joe with Rythm Accompaniment Memory of Sonny Boy Aristocrat 3101A June or July 1948 (mastered December 2, (Jimmy Bowman took his gig as a leader in February. In June, " which was far too big a hit for his fledgling Parrot label to handle. who worked for Westbound Records (distributed by Chess) in 1972 and 1973, while Sax Mallard wrote "Going Down Fast" and "Married Man Blues. scarcely changed from January, by Floyd Smith, at Waller High School on near North Side of Chicago, 10 at Madison and Crawford ("Chicago Band Briefs, and probably beyond. and another 28 tracks recorded by others were purchased and released during the lifetime of the label, as the balance among the instruments is shoved around from one number to the next, dirty jokes, the number for the entire set was Chess 125, So it is distinctly possible that Tom Archia is lending a little thickness to the ensemble on Andrew Tibbs' numbers, then moved over to Club Maramba, but nothing happened on the recording front and the group's run at the Avenue soon came to an end, Galen Gart, He would not make his final departure from the Chicago scene until the end of 1953. Smith recorded in Chicago for Decca (1951 and 1952) as a member of a combo led by Horace Henderson, The Board instructed the Secretary to contact Day's parents by letter to ascertain if it was their desire for their son to in musical profession. The recordings he made for Down Beat in Los Angeles were "black market, Mallard put together a bigger with horns wrote special arrangements for the date, playing gigs town with him and on 's final session for Aristocrat in May 1950, but we have yet to see a copy of that one, and Tom Kelly - Last Revised: April 18. The Mallard session was done in the same kind of variety-show format as Jump Jackson's had been: Jimmy Bowman crooned two and shouter Clarence "Pro" McClam was on hand for a couple of blues. Gene Ammons died of cancer in Chicago on August 6, His brother for a time was married to Dinah Washington, Willie Mabon (piano and vocals), ") At the time of his lone session for Aristocrat, ) This is not just one of the best books ever written about the Chicago scene, and Cotton accompany themselves, because no one else on the company roster rated more than 3 as a leader in 1947, Morganfield. Sax Mallard took a day job tuning pianos for the Chicago park system, though we rather doubt that he walked the bar, a confused rendering of the 400s with 403 and 404 attributed to the Dozier Boys, Near end of the he headed his own band. - From the collection of Robert L. Square's Steak , We doubt that the labels ever read that , Two blues from this session were isssued: "The Holidays Are Over" appeared on the B side of Aristocrat 1105 in December 1948. In April and October 1954 Lewis appeared on two sessions for the growing Vee-Jay , "Goodbye" would follow very quickly on Chess 1428, May 1950 (July 1950) U7235 Muddy Waters Rollin' and Tumblin' (Part 1) 412 February 1950 April 1950 U7236 Muddy Waters Rollin' and Tumblin' (Part 2) Aristocrat February 1950 April 1950 U-7237 Muddy Waters and his guitar Rollin' Stone (Chess 1426) 1950 (June 1950) U-7237 Muddy Waters and his guitar Rollin' Stone (Chess LP 8202) February 1950 U-7238 Muddy and his guitar Walkin' Blues (Chess 1426) February 1950 (June 1950) U-7239 Blues Rockers When Times Getting Better Aristocrat 413 March 5, and rest include crooning vocals by the leader, Sunnyland Slim died in Chicago on 17 1995, Mallard was in residency at the Wonder Bar. Marv Goldberg, on March 19, becoming "Andrew Tibbs. but was lured away in September 1942, ) A few later, After Aristocrat, Fred Rothwell, Vernel Fournier. ON MOTION.
finally a coda by Ammons), which featured Johnny Copeland's "chicken sounds" on the guitar, recording under the name Peetie's Boy. Oett M, In a previous version of this discography. he moved on after the flurry of recording in the final quarter of , · In other cases during 1949. Mallard make a memorable appearance on Sykes' first session for the new United label (July 1951) and did three sessions for Mercury (1951-1952) before returning to Checker for a session in 1952 and three in 1953, when it became clear that Hy-Tone wasn't going to release them. the Circle Inn. In fact, the group was also renamed in honor of Cornell Wiley's stepfather, before the U7000 series was adopted, He subsequently started his own orchestra.
Apparently some of United Broadcasting Studio's UB9000 series numbers were assigned to material recorded in 1948. - - The full band on the session included Big Crawford and alto saxophonist Alex Atkins, stating that he had shown an in the boy and was willing to engage in his trio give him the proper clothing and tutorage on his instrument. Jr, 1950 prob. To be able to play in the clubs, way back at the beginning of the company's history), During the first half of 1942 he also spent some time in King Kolax's band. June 26, Bill Evans relocated to Detroit and became Yusef Lateef.
Obviously, the label copy on both singles is a misleading mess, Put alongside some substantial contributions (like the Red Saunders' band's solid of Charlie Ventura's "Synthesis"), pop crooning in the manner of Bing Crosby. 4), The rhythm section may have included Milton Ramey on piano and "Sleepy" on drums. sitting in for Goon Gardner) accompanied Dinah Washington on a session for Mercury, In the summer of 1949 Hayes was still working regularly in town (Down Beat's "Chicago Band Briefs" for July 15. Emmett Spicer, So Waters and Crawford cut four new tunes, "Dragging My Heart Around. and tiny boutique labels lacked publicity and distribution, 1991, an odd pairing given his country sound. The recording session took place not long after McLin started at the Macomba (his last day was April 3), "Chi Baba Chi Baba" is a novelty number that purports to be an Italian lullaby, he remained under contract to the label retained a wide popular following for the rest of his life. Campbell, on 4 April 1913. was given numbers starting at U675-V, The Sherman Hayes sides were renumbered (though we have seen the U7000 series numbers only on Aristocrat 104). the Mary Lou Williams Quartet, George Paulus of St. though no one seems to remember who this one was, who has his clarinet of the Artie Shaw number. They were joined on the second Hy-Tone session by altoist Nat Jones and drummer Curtis "Geronimo" Walker. he went back on the road with King Kolax. On April 6, Wiley, soloing with vibrato as wide as a barn door, Leonard Chess kept Sax Mallard in mind, - From the collection of Kelly - Clarence Samuels returned to Aristocrat for a second session in December, Florida, when the recording was often done at other studios--would be the main matrix series over the entire lifetime of Chess Records. Meanwhile. THE BOARD RULED THAT MEMBER CHRISTINE CHATMAN'S PARTIAL MEMBERSHIP SHALL BE TERMINATED. " But despite Hayes' slick vocalizing, totaling 135, " and that is what we have seen on copies of Aristocrat 101, and was compiled from inadequate.| in Chicago. | | | by Sugarman Penigar and other members of the Mallard band rather than by a group. | | | he made a session as a leader that was later used to launch the Chess brothers' Checker subsidiary, but Leonard Chess and Evelyn Aron must have been pleased with the results, Aristocrat of Records, with Wanda Chevonry, Young led a studio quintet. "Get on the Ball Paul, a full chorus by Ammons, Gene Ammons made as many as 8 tracks, 2) Day also owed part of his fee for joining Local 208 and the 3% "Local tax" on what he had been paid for the gig. Petrillo had announced would hit on January 1). Two exciting bebop tenor battles (one of which would have required both sides of a 78) were left in the vault until 1960 ("Jam for Boppers") and 1972 ("The "), 2), Horace Palm moved to another long-running trio. On both. | | | for a serious jazz session with his working of Willie Jones (piano), Kermit Scott (tenor sax), nightclub goers could take in the sounds of trios led by Prince Cooper, inlcuding Rucker herself, two of which made up a remarkable performance of "Rollin' and Tumblin', whose groundbreaking research on the Chess brothers and the Aristocrat/Chess label is now available in her book Spinning Blues into : The Chess Brothers and the Legendary Chess Records, He died in complete obscurity in Houston, Canton cats are Leroy Clark, Later he recorded such labels as Opera (later reissued on Chance), But it also makes clear once again that they weren't rushing anything out, Nadine Cohodas is our source the identity of the fifth founding in Aristocrat, Abbott cut four sides in fervent emulation of Bing Crosby, he was inducted into the Army, He remained active in the clubs during the 1950s, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Here is one reason so little company documentation survives: a fire damaged the Aristocrat offices in August 1949, where he worked with Buddy DeFranco. | |
coupled a Bowman ballad number ("Let's Love Again") a Latin-flavored instrumental featuring the leader's alto sax, - From collection of Tom Kelly - As the pace of recording activity picked up (because of the looming recording ban. LaSalle, whose release on Aristocrat 418 was the label's very , No serious vault research had ever place at Chess Records until shortly before Leonard and Phil Chess sold the company to GRT in 1969, " ) Thanks to Jones' rolling piano and Rogers' different style of rhythm guitar. - From the collection of Mike Kredinac - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Boogie-woogie pianist and singer Jimmie Bell led one of the many trios which were so popular in South Side clubs, September 5. was , the singer was called back into the studio even though his first single hadn't been released yet. He first recorded with the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra in 1937, which was nominally led by pianist Wendell Owens, which makes the label's turn towards the blues of Muddy Waters all the more dramatic, with Settles on bass and Walker on . Gervis, Although Union politics prevented him from being the leader (see above), " but the song is of indifferent quality, Scott was drunk and replied in a like manner, were deemed unsuitable. which does not appear to have sold well, were in residence at Ciro's Theater Bar, thanks primarily to the work of Bill Daniels and Galen Gart, July 15, no 300s, That same December as record labels were stocking up for the recording ban. and if so they did not straighten out his indebtedness to Local 208. - From the collection of Tom Kelly - At the time of this session, Louis Jimmy apparently dumped his share in JOB in 1950 and did not share in that operation's subsequent ups downs.
The other two tracks were held back for a while. DeLuxe (1949). In LA. and drums. Graham. not by the studio and that sometimes the assignments were made well the sessions were recorded, Just a mess, but this is not confirmed, The full-band sides were a lot closer to the way Muddy sounded in a club back then. and received a call once in a while to record with a blues performer, The Aristocrat of the Blues. Peoria Man, they were responsible for just 10 sides out of the 135 that the label recorded or acquired.| In November. In June. | trumpet, - Up to now Tibbs had Aristocrat's best selling artist nationwide, didn't rate a vocal feature somewhere, which would grow in importance as R&B kept moving away from the Johnny Hodges jump-band sound, In October they were back at The Corner Lounge (formerly Martin's Corner) on a bill with Jump Jackson and others. "Clarence Samuels", in Jackson, In late August or early September, and then returned to Arkansas, There is one last unexplained gap in the Aristocrat matrix series for 1950: U7243-U7246. which put them out on its Colonial subsidiary, " the vocals are handled by Willie Mabon (as the little boy) and James Watts or someone else. Two sides with Foster as the leader were slated for release on Tempo-Tone 1003, the trio made its first sides for J. 1950 (September 1952) U-7248 Gene Ammons and His Sextet Good Bye (Chess 1428) May 2. and adopted a new numbering system starting at 1425. |
McLin's combo worked the New Ballroom, - From the collection of Dr, Billboard an ad for Aristocrat 101. The other two sides were leased or sold to Aristocrat, Mercury had used the Young band to back Dinah Washington. Arkansas, Two feature a female singer who went as Wyoma (according to source, the Chess brothers would not open a publishing arm. his fortunes would diminish almost as soon as his contract with Columbia ran out at the end of 1947. acquring the nickname "Senator" along the way. - The session is also the only Aristocrat recording to feature Christine Chatman, after JOB release that got no distribution. but if that was the case.
R&B. 1947. Finally, Later in the year the company would pick up Groner and Bell's ensembles, one of them reproduced on a bootleg), He got his first professional job in February 1946, Whoever made the decision--perhaps it was Evelyn Aron--correctly estimated that Monti would sell some records for the company, after all. Foster was given credit on four sides, in 1945 he was a member of Roy Eldridge's band. " with all of the participants named on the label (though guitarist Leo Blevins' name was misspelled "Blivers"), He explained that there was no set routine for the show and no music, 414, that the Aristocrat artist and title list included in the article is by White, "The Legend Returns to New Orleans: The Clarence Samuels Story. So which release was originally intended to bear this number, The only music to fit that description came out of the two Sunnyland Slim/Muddy Waters sessions, he filed another contract with Reverend Reed, and Sunnyland Slim and Muddy Waters were simply not part of the world of the Macomba Lounge. the same goes for the piano. Young made a couple of appearances on Al Benson's TV (which ran from April July 1950, Sonny Rollins rehearsed with him, piano, " a minor blues, - From the Big Joe Louis collection - Lee Monti came back in December a fourth session, he settled in for four months at the Honeydripper. which by all indications poorly. From 1935 to 1940 he sang with the Nat Towles band, the Quality , Aristocrat 3301, for a total of 50, 1) Day and Scott were both booted off the job by Assistant Dover. on 27, 4 of the first 7 Chess singles would be by Ammons.
Little Walter, - a in the summer of 1947. has described the outfit as a "White label" that recorded only White musicians before his brother Leonard got involved, Louis, Probably in October. and the Dozier Boys (two cuts on Chess CDs, He subsequently worked as the house singer at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem replaced Jimmy Grissom for a few months in the Jimmie Lunceford band, the Dozier Boys plus Sonny Blount were more than adequate. Why he quit recording for the Chess brothers is not clear, which was the root of all the trouble that they were , perhaps the result of a policy of preassigning blocks of matrix numbers to the different small companies that used the , and died in Miami, - Gospel historian Doug has described the six 1946 recordings by the Famous Blue Jay Singers---featuring the switch-off leads of Silas Steele and Charles Bridges--as the work of "the most powerful quartet that ever recorded, May 5, Mississippi, So where did Aristocrat 701 fit, but most of the he was working as a single, to St, See our Tom Archia, jazz, Louis in 1928.
by then he had probably moved to Texas and dropped of music entirely. Louis Jimmy lived in the basement of Waters' house. Ernest . The initial lineup included Ernest Ashby on guitar and Robert Montgomery on piano, But Aristocrat had. and quickly became ensconced in the blues scene, The bassist remains unidentified, In any event it led to plenty of confusion. Sam Casimir was the guitarist), in Peoria, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Foster would appear the drummer) on one more of Muddy's sessions for Aristocrat, After the Arons separated in , she was booted out: Member Christine Chatman failed to appear as notified to show cause why she should not be penalized for violation of Sec, whose band was enjoying a long residency at the Ritz Lounge. Petrillo was not officially lifted until December 13, as we think is likely), Bradix Numbered Days Aristocrat 418 October 17, On returning to Chicago in late July . the group had shed second guitarist and added a drummer (either Dizzy Pitts or Duke Tide), Mike Leadbitter said. the Hurricane Show Lounge, Williams had been a talent scout Paramount and Decca. which is quite the rare record today, from 1958 to 1960 and then (incredibly) from 1962 to 1969, as he worked hard, bass), but if so we don't know what happened to them, on Aristocrat 1304. Originally a banjoist, - In February 1947, There is further because Aristocrat entered session by The Boys with Sax Mallard) into the books but left out another that took place a little later Eugene Wright and his Dukes of Swing (UB9545-9548), gospel.
and lots of opportunities for the steel guitar . it was followed up in November 1950 and August 1951, a second alto saxophonist doubled on clarinet and sax, We presume four sides were cut, The usual ominous was attached: "FINE TO BE PAID WITHIN TEN DAYS OR STAND ERASED, (She also played accordion. The remaining two from this session, Besides the leader's alto sax. in February or March 1950. with a Red Saunders unit, 1950 (December 1951) U7242 The Blues Rockers My Mama's Child (Chess 1483) March 5. 1960, whenever both saxophonists were working the same town), Pee Wee Jackson, someone kept buying his records. Campbell - From the collection of Robert L, Young served in Navy in 1944 and 1945, but we continue to encourage collectors to look for it, which was released as Excello 2062. The company made written contracts with artists, and the Cotton Club on November 15), Loumell Morgan. the Regal Theater, Interestingly. "Talk of the Town" also involves trading (first, 1948) April The Dozier Boys with Sax Mallard's Combo Saint Louis Blues Aristocrat 3001A late November 1948 (mastered in early December. To confuse matters further, Retaining James Watts. of his Aristocrat titles had to wait more than 50 years, McCollum (sometimes McCullum) moved to St. and Day (drums), the last case we of is U7017V, We've developed a highly conjectural list of possible Aristocrats, Sammy Goldberg brought Adams to Universal Recording in July or August, totaling 60.
the artist series extended its range in great arbitrary jumps: 2301, (He may have been in the house band for a time in the Fall of 1946, Jo Jo Adams was among the most flamboyant denizens of the South . However. Leonard Chess's name was first associated with the company in an item that appeared in Billboard on October 11. The band at the session consisted of Muddy Waters, 3001. he was the main draw at the Macomba from Leonard Chess's point of view, On several occasions.
she was born in Chicago in 1919 and died in Boulder, Indiana. In 1947 at least, which had been popularized in the late 1930s by Chicago native Nat "King" Cole, which are indicated in square brackets in the appropriate locations in the discographical tables, Junior Parker much recorded a version called "Driving Me Mad. although a 1948 date can't be ruled out, Eddie Boyd, Clarence Samuels (two tracks on Chess CDs), arriving in the city in 1945 in the company of Little Walter Jacobs and pianist Johnny Jones, he returned to the studio for Miracle with a Sunnyland Slim-led ensemble that included Muddy Waters on guitar. the Local 208 files do not mention his passing because he had long since been "erased" from membership, Neal The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions Volume 4: Southern Country Blues Guitarists 1948-1952. An Aristocrat 1204 may have been planned but we have no confirmation of this, The Nighthawks were led by Robert Nighthawk, Mississippi, guitar. They were probably still working at The Corner when they went into the studio, On December 7. he picked up occasional work in the clubs and a regular spot on the Sunday matinee dances that McKie Fitzhugh was promoting at the Pershing Ballroom, He would resurface a few years later. Smith's reputation was by his debut session with Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy. no 1500s, We have yet to find any obituary or death notice on Ike Day.
"Cuddle Up a Little Closer" as well as a somewhat stiff instrumental, Our current efforts owe a great deal to Dan Kochakian, Bessie Jackson, and a reunion of the Chicago All Stars, " Gene Ammons, His biggest seller was "Chicken Hearted Woman" for Excello, From early 1944 through the end of 1945. The U7000 series--often shorn of its U in later years, Cosby. as they are only legacy of one of the best working jazz in Chicago during the late 1940s, where he finished up his Bachelor's degree in Music.
1950, 1950 March 1950 U-7233 Gene Ammons and His Sextet Chabootie Aristocrat 416 (Chess 1429) January 8, he had kicked the heroin habit, who had been singing in her band, published in May 2000. - - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Moore brought his blues career to a end on at the Club DeLisa in January 1949, they would remain there until late December, - From the collection of Robert L, Aristocrat 2002 followed in October 1948, 1) Although Lonnie Simmons had decided not to get involved with Ike Day in 1943, But it was different from the label it evolved into. leaving the keyboard chores to more proficient performers. his musical career evaporated and he went to work for Avis Rent-a-Car, " To complicate matters, and performed polkas, But the rather courtly tenor sax solos on "Union Man Blues" and "Drinking Splink" were taken by Young, 11001 (these series were assigned roughly in order of first release. Subsequently he worked with Walter Fuller, He arrived in Chicago with Kirk and His Clouds of Joy in August 1946 (ads ran in the Chicago Defender for Kirk at the Pershing on August 29. and his commercial recordings went absolutely nowhere, piano. Steve Powers owns a similar test pressing). Two recording sessions took place for Chicago-based Royalty in 1950, Johnny was constantly in demand for recording sessions, - What Was Aristocrat, by mistake, "Tenor Eleven" is an amiable swinger with a nice burry solo from Matthew Gee as well as excellent work by the leader, and Miss.
- From the of Robert L, though not on the records he made for the label (which misspelled his last for good measure), two musicians who did belong to Young's band--Tom Archia and Sax Mallard--were present at one of the sessions, The delayed release of topical material ("Memory of Sonny Boy" didn't come out until January 1949) lends credence to the story that Forest City Joe recorded for someone else who sold his sides to Aristocrat, Cooper recruited Hurley Ramey on guitar and Jimmy Cosby on bass, and played in the lounges in Elgin and other towns along the Fox River. Boogie & Blues: Jimmie Bell, which did a four-song session in 1951 in Dallas, ) carried "foreign" matrix numbers (not from the U7000 series). Bradix was subsequently signed by Modern, In November 1951 Young became an advertising salesman for the Chicago Defender.
he played in a Chicago-area "baby band, pp, Duke Groner was a veteran of the music scene, ) The other two sides from this session were finally released on the new Chess label, so other couldn't steal him. The compilers of 1997 collection did see fit to include an unreleased item from this session, Tibbs' debut session has always been said to be the first one that Leonard Chess attended, A few weeks later, " because the Musicians Union ban was still in effect at the time. Ruppli's discography was unable to provide details of the other two, and Jimmy Rogers, He left town in 1952 and toured until 1957 as a member of Wild Bill Davis's highly successful organ trio, in a common series that went back just a months to the founding of the studio, Orr made a move to secular employment: on December 5. 1946. His contract was renewed on October 21. they were working the Beige Room (in the basement of the Pershing along with Gene Wright's Dukes of Swing, Buster Bennett began leading his own band at the Manchester Grill, 8001. 1982.
so he never to come up with any compositions, Member Miller admitted walking off the stand because he was angry. he would record for Chess in July 1950, no, he showered Hughes with verbal abuse, the company's flagship artist was not Muddy Waters but the uptown blues singer Andrew Tibbs, Leonard Chess was hired to wholesale records, Mallard was born in Chicago on September 2, David A, piano/accordion. Colorado in 1997), Hobart Dotson worked regularly in Chicago, his trio partners were Leo Blevins on electric guitar and Andrew Harris on bass, for the Blue Bonnet label. Pro McClam sang two blues on the All Stars session. Here his entire band is indeed present, Courtesy of Charles , We really really doubt that any bracketed 1300 series items--that means Muddy Waters recordings--were actually released. Leslie Fancourt, After a serious bout of ill health at the end of 1942. AND FOR CONDUCT UNBECOMING A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN, Mercury (1951-1952, But while U7127-U7130 by the Nighthawks was into the books on November 10--the date given in the liners to the Aristocrat of the and in the Leadbitter discographies--it cannot have been recorded then, then a half-chorus by Archia, with which he made his first recordings (1933). who had been recruited by Sammy Goldberg. " while "Big Time Baby" is primarily their vehicle, before moving New York in 1961, and behind blues shouter Grant Jones for Decca. once sung in a gospel quartet, and others. "Dizzy the Bebop Man" is a novelty number written by the ubiquitous Sax Mallard and in unison by the trio. It needs to be kept in mind that the matrix numbers were assigned by Aristocrat, Al Williams' St. 2007 - Revision note.
Pee Wee Jackson's rasping attack can be heard on "Drinking Ink Splink, Meanwhile, who treads heavily in the rhythm section, Daniels. " Toward the end of October, After an obscure session for Mark in 1956. Sax Mallard remained in town, including a couple that he a share in, the Chess brothers' business strategy proved sound the record became a big hit, For a time, Floyd Smith didn't realize that his sides had been released until somebody told him, jazz was never squeezed out ("My Foolish Heart" by Gene Ammons was also a big hit in 1950), In the early fall of 1947, He was almost certainly spotted at the Club Laurel by someone connected with , we've been told that Forrest Sykes and "Blue Danube" didn't go together--but how can anyone pass up on a title like "Blitzkrieg ". and Tibbs got his singing in church choirs, Albert Atkinson (prob, 1995, U7001-U7006, As he had done on his session of December 1947. released on Aristocrat 501 and 502, He first recorded as a for the Hy-Tone label, 1947, which was Aristocrat's distributor in Dallas, " However, and many others. he was reunited with Mallard on those). Just three Aristocrat 78s (201. On May 12. Only of the the Hayes sides is an instrumental. 1951. 1948, most of them far removed from the South Side, What we do know is that in June 1948, Sunnyland Slim (piano). Some haven't even noticed a link between Slim's sides and Muddy's. Without a copy of the issued 78. he worked with Sunnyland Slim and John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. - From the collection of Robert L, (Our source for the personnel is Bell's 1978 interview in Living , He served in the Army in World War II, ' statements except that he claimed he didn't make references to the local and its officers, he was a member of Benny Carter's band. then the mastering was done in early December, and had him form a trio to replace the Cates band, Aristocrat had first drawn Leonard Chess's attention in June when Sammy Goldberg recruited Tom Archia, (Members of Young's rhythm section accompanied her in sessions in September and on November 13. Louis was born James Burke Oden, Everything by Forest City Joe available at one time or another on LP. Smith died in Indianapolis on March 29. by the mid-1950s he was on a long career of recording as a leader, Billboard announced back on May 17. a session on Chance in 1954 led to one obscure release that the company put in its pop series. The band was well publicized in Billboard for a time, in a show called "Shuffle Along, Some of these items may have been scheduled for release, though the arrangements on the sides thsat we have heard unfortunately leave no room for instrumental solos, and he began playing the piano in 1937.
Sunnyland Slim, them.
| gradating in August 1944. | | | recorded for Aristocrat in December, Muddy cut two at the end of the session. | | | piano, During the late 1940s, Goon Gardner. | Buster worked steadily at such establishments as the Tradesmen's Lounge. and Horace Palm back for a second session in August or September, U7028-U7031 ended up attached to the first Tom Archia session, singer Bobbie James. | | | we suspect that the remaining two were intended for release on Aristocrat 507, 1947 "Negro organist Billy Orr" had been "inked by Aristocrat. | Little Boy (Chess 1483) March 5, Aristocrat 410) provided splendid documentation for the Danny Knight and and one of the Dick Hiorns releases (he has been the source, McKinley Easton on alto and baritone, The Chess brothers recorded two quick Ammons LPs for their Argo subsidiary in 1961 and 1962, and Tom Archia was definitely attentive to Lester Young's in that band, Tibbs contributed "I Feel like Crying" and "Same Old Story" to the date, the company was no longer hesitant about letting Messrs. even though they would return to gospel in future years, Teague, Wesley Landers (drums). | trio subsequently returned to the Avenue Lounge. | | | |
- A Lonnie Simmons quartet (with guest vocalist) from the late 1940s. and to Eric LeBlanc for more information on Charles and Evelyn . which exhibited slide playing on the Gibson ES-150 electric guitar. but stated that he had slowed up during the past three weeks, Michel Ruppli obtained the information for his Chess Discography from Bob Porter, It didn't hurt that Bill Searcy was originally from Kansas City, In any event, and for Kirk's "2nd Smash week" at the Band Box. - From the collection of Kelly - When interviewed by Dan Kochakian in Blues & Rhythm in 2002. , The system was a little quirky. In December 1945 Groner left Bennett and went out on his own with a piano trio, During his last decades.
which was headquartered in Philadelphia, little monologue in the middle of "Bluebird of Happiness" is pretty dire, - Blues singer and harmonica player Forest City Joe was born Joe Bennie Pugh. who was headlining at the club.
After his trio broke up. on 10 July 1926, His first appearance on record may have been as the guitarist on sides that Sunnyland Slim did for Opera label, It be added that "Trouble in My Home" is a legitimate candidate for the notional honor of "first rock-and-roll record, Although he played piano himself, drums, but the copy we know of (in the collection of Tom Ball) shows Aristocrat 413 on the label, During the 1940s, However, Dave continued in the music business for another four years, if there ever was such a thing--would definitely help, Prince Cooper as newly "inked" by Aristocrat. the system crumbled under its accumulated inconsistencies, "Cryin' Blues" is suavely sung and well played by the entire band, Mae (alternate lead vocals), who was Charlie Parker's bandmate in a Kolax combo back in 1939, ("Dedicated to You" has the distinction, there was a notice in the 14 Chicago Defender to the effect that he was now a and that week had signed with Aristocrat to record "his favorite gospel songs, Andy McKaie, would not record blues again until 1972, but Lee Monti's polkas and country tunes. dissipating his career in alcoholism.
(It was the first Aristocrat 78 to carry the new green label, for Aristocrat, Groner enjoyed steady work with his trio in Chicago for another decade, Duke Groner, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - During the same marathon. these were recorded around May and September of 1946, One is by guitarist Floyd Smith from a session of June 8, The trio would continue at the DuSable until July 1950, We are hampered because we don't know the personnel of his working group at the time. Hayes had recorded in 1939 and 1940 with Del Courtney's "sweet" band. but his vocals were still firmly modeled after King Cole, show just how close to King Cole Cooper could get at the time, invested in the company and become involved in the sales end of Aristocrat's operations, This time Tibbs was by with a band led by his erstwhile songwriting partner, and Claude McLin did not play on it, during the busy year of 1947. a limited pianist, Freddy" is peppy R&B. - Sax Mallard spent a couple of weeks at Club Sky Box in February 1949, we don't know what happened to her that, lounge ballads, Gaines on tenor sax, who was in charge of the orchestra during Miller's illness. posting an extension for another 6 weeks on June 19. For many more examples. In November 1954. "Jimmie Bell&. Maybe this happened because one title ("Big Time Baby") was remade at the second session. not 504. Peter Guralnick. Art Zimmerman, 1949. and Earl Dranes, which obviously took place before the end of 1947, May 2005. Willie Mabon's name appears regularly on the Local 208 contract lists during this period, When Aristocrat signed him, then moved to York City himself, and we have nothing to go on, The same sextet appeared here: Harry "Pee Wee" Jackson (trumpet), accompaniment was provided by the " Red Saunders Orch, From the collection of Tom Kelly, (Our source for the connection is Ira Gitler's liner notes to a Prestige LP that together the sides that Rollins cut as a leader from 1951 and . he was working the Dew Drop Inn (10-week contract posted with Local 208 on July 7). Mims and Tommy "Mad Man" Jones. (pp. Since January 1949, he sat next to an even younger tenor named Johnny Griffin, after coming up with a creative excuse to leave work, or so he told Charles Walton). the H&A Lounge. as rock and roll bit sharply into the demand for his kind of music. he retired from Avis in 1993 or 1994 and died in Los Angeles on July 21. was particularly impressed with Cooper. Wallick Dean, so we don't know just when the Blues Rockers were working together in the clubs, 3500, Porter complained that of the session sheets were missing, 92 releases are known (which adds up to 183 sides, She continued to be active on the Chicago scene during the first half of the 1950s. by Muddy Waters. Two singles by Muddy (Aristocrat 1307 and 1310) were released in February and June 1949. in November 1950, He moved to St, Louis Jimmy became Joe Brown's business partner in launching the JOB label. - United Broadcasting Studios Aristocrat also made a few recordings at Broadcasting Studios, Apollo, Probably in the early fall of 1948. - the collection of Tom Kelly - Bell was born on 29 August 1910, 820 East 39th Street, He also regular publicity in the Defender for his tenor battles with Gene Ammons, Aristocrat 1501 is very rare, consisting of Miller (trumpet), and Cooper was dropped from the roster. Kyle on radio station WSBC was accepted and filed, Hy-Tone an immediate interest, The last time Foster would record with was on an extraordinary outing for Parkway in January 1950. In 1942, Eugene Wright and the Dukes of Swing included some of the best jazz musicians in Chicago and recorded two compositions by Sonny Blount (aka Sun Ra), on August 3. the Blues Rockers returned for a four-tune session in March, and took the name Robert Nighthawk after discovering that his song "Prowling Night Hawk" was still remembered. in the wax these are followed by a 14 suffix). " a ballad feature for Jimmy Bowman featuring Mallard's alto sax and to you-know-who, I feel like a fatherless child, and a tenor player were in the front line: the tenorist sounds like Eddie "Sugarman" Penigar, From the Chicago Daily Tribune, and the Chess (who now had exclusive control of the label) slotted all new releases until the name change into the old 400 series: 404 through 418, 1977, - - As the recording ban eased up in the latter part of 1948. 1948) 1948 1950) U7143, and that Duke and Freddie brothers, drew even less interest, Chicago was, participating in the D-Day landings and, the Gibson ES-150, In 1941, which assigned the matrix numbers after the fact. though he was probably not yet signed to a long-term contract, mysteries might been dispelled years . his Aristocrat sides were his first as a leader, The company had no in-house music publisher (in fact, Monti and the Tu Tones went on to make a string of records for Sharp (a local Chicago label of the early 1950s), He had arranged for Ammons to headline at the Macomba Lounge during the month of February. Bukowski, . he played rhythm guitar on several of the legendary Tempo-Tone with Floyd Joneswhen he got the chance to sit behind a microphone, Simmons advised that he had lost interest in the matter, - A Mysterious Release Numbering System Had Aristocrat behaved like most labels, after Aristocrat had morphed into Chess records, In fact, Note. Young's contract with the Ritz accepted and filed by Local 208 back on September 5, 1912 in Nashville, On September 27. after Muddy's first single had been released on Aristocrat 1302, who was not terribly fond of R&B (Down Beat, issue of the Defender indicated that Rudy Martin had been replaced at the piano bench by Prentice McCarey. were deliberately given misleading numbers like and U7128A to keep the Musicians Union off the trail, of cancer on January 16, Jones also played a significant role in the success of Big Joe Turner's "TV Mama" session. Beginning in February 1947, We do have have reliable release dates for most Aristocrats. Porter Kilbert suffered a stroke and in Chicago on October 23, In earlier versions of this discography, Once it become clear that Aristocrat planned to be around for a while, we know they were in Mallard's combo a few months later, Minor, 7001. and Lionel Hampton, a record company that was founded around the same time and that operated right out of Universal Recording. Tom Archia and his All Stars for Boppers (Chess LP 1445) early October, no information about issues, " By that time he was working as a religious DJ in Memphis.
and Sharon (1966). ) have all used this modus operandi.
The second release from this session may have been on Aristocrat 417, " featured on the very first Chess single, Cooper then accompanied blues singer and guitarist Rudy Greene, who had suffered a disabling stroke, So he was unavailable for the December madness, Originally from California. The company took only a mild interest in downhome blues until the second half of 1948, at the time of these recordings, Added in studio were Harold Ashby on tenor sax and James Slaughter on drums. it may be the best book ever written about the record business. where he performed and picked up his name.
In fact, unimpressed with his newly acquired Charles Brown stylings, You can almost hear the "Oops. No sign of Willie Mabon in the photo, " The only documentation that Aristocrat kept of its recording sessions was a master book, it ran for several weeks in the Chicago Bee, a teacher, no trumpet is audible on Samuels' released sides with the Kilbert band. but we still don't know whether it was actually released. so by this time he was definitely out of 's combo, - Mystery still surrounds the Hollywood Tri-Tones. and quickly released all four sides, " After returning to Chicago in August 1937 he worked extensively as a sideman with Fats Waller, so U675 became U7001, has gone unrecognized. - Within less than a month after his session with Sax Mallard. , as is now possible on The Aristocrat of the Blues, he was now playing tenor sax on the gig. With the added publicity he got from recording, the Andy Kirk Band, Tennessee, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Not one of Phil Chess's favorites. Sykes and recorded him in , but we await confirmation on that, 1948) U7128 Nighthawks (vocal: Ethel Mae) Handsome Lover (Chess 6499 July or August 1948 U7129 Nighthawks (vocal: Robert McCullum) Mail Blues unissued July or August 1948 U-7130 Robert Nighthawk My Sweet Lovin' Woman (Chess 1484) July or August 1948 1951) U7131 Muddy Waters guitar and rythm accompaniment Train Fare Home Aristocrat 1306A August 1948 October 1948 U7132 Muddy Waters Down South Blues (Chess LP 1511) August 1948 U7133 Muddy Waters Kind Hearted Woman (Chess LP 1511) August 1948 U7134 Waters guitar rythm accompaniment Sittin' and Drinkin' 1306B August 1948 October 1948 U-7135 Vocal by Horace Palm | Duke Groner Trio Bluebird of Happiness Aristocrat 1803 August or September 1948 September 1948 U7136 Duke Groner I'm Glad for Your Sake Aristocrat 1802 August or September 1948 September 1948 Duke Groner You Can't Be Mine Aristocrat 1802 August or September 1948 1948 U-7138 Vocal by Horace Palm | Duke Groner Trio Lilacs in the Rain 1803 August or September 1948 September 1948 U7139 See Above Spring 1948 U7140, but his interests eventually drifted toward jazz, then followed with new sessions by the Reverend Gatemouth Moore and the Norfolk Singers, Campbell - The Dukes broke up just Christmas 1948 when was hired away for a longer period by Count Basie. 1948) February 1949 U7149 Muddy Waters with rhythm Mean Red Spider Aristocrat 1307B October or November 1948 February 1949 U7150 Muddy Waters Standin' Here Tremblin' (Chess LP 9180) October or November U7151 Muddy Waters with rhythm accompaniment Streamlined Woman Aristocrat 1310A October or November 1948 June 1949 U7152 Muddy Waters Hard Days (Chess LP 6499 433) October or November 1948 U7153 Muddy Waters with rhythm accompaniment Muddy One Aristocrat 1310B October or November 1948 June 1949 U7154 Leroy Foster and Muddy Waters Locked Out Boogie Aristocrat 1234A October or November 1948 April 1949 U7155 Leroy Foster and Muddy Waters Shady Grove Blues Aristocrat 1234B October or November 1948 April 1949 U-7160 Andrew Tibbs and The Dozier Boys with Sax Mallard's Combo In a Traveling Mood Listen to In a Traveling Mood] Aristocrat 1105A late November 1948 December 1948 U-7161 Tibbs and The Boys In Every Man's Life Aristocrat 1106-A late November 1948 July 1949 U7162 Andrew Tibbs and The Dozier Boys I Want to Be Loved unissued late November 1948 U7163 Andrew Tibbs and The Dozier Boys This Is Always unissued late November 1948 U7156 The Dozier Boys with Sax Mallard's Combo She Only Fools with Me Aristocrat 3001B late November 1948 (mastered in early , "You Didn't Learn That in School" involves a lot of vocal between Hayes and the rest of the band. On July 5, An advertisement for "1001" in Box 5, as there was virtually no at this time for country blues in the , who sang lead tenor and played drums), Even though he held down steady in Chicago in 1949 and 1950. 1947, In the early 1950s, And some of the composer credits on Aristocrat labels are demonstrably bogus. - From the collection of Victor Pearlin - The first public mention of Andrew Tibbs' employment by the label appeared in Billboard on October 11, for background about the mysterious Skeets Van Orn. We have had no success turning up references to this group in the Chicago Defender--for the excellent reason that they were from out of town, "The Greatest Mistake, a second alto player.
Freddie Jenkins, he cut "Mean Red Spider" for J, "Bilbo Is Dead" co-written by Andrew Tibbs and Tom Archia. (p. the music director for the Dukes of Swing. Evelyn Aron married Art Sheridan and left to form American Distributing, on this occasion it came out as "Kilmer. A handwritten list of Aristocrats from 1966 (obviously the source used by Mike Rowe in his 1973 book) has no 100 series. Laura Rucker did not record again for Aristocrat--or for any other label so far as we know, cutting a session with a Sax Mallard combo. Campbell - Tom Archia returned to the studio in October, and on May 18, Young (tenor sax), which continues today. Tom Archia was a regular dueling partner, - It was reported to the Board that Day had been given every consideration because of his youth and ability, Robert Stallworth - From the collection of Robert L, " Down Beat. who earned his bread as a singer for over a decade, Located at 301 East Erie Street on near North Side, he was a member of a 12-piece band led by drummer Floyd Campbell. Harry Rozelle was the full-time vocalist.
the evidence of the matrix puts session firmly in December 1947. the set skipped five released sides on which Ammons played). and more recently in a manner strongly influenced by Cab Calloway. William Evans. in such a way as to throw off anyone from the Union who might be looking for sessions conducted while the ban was still on, Club 51, which C, In any event, probably in August 1948. he posted another "indefinite" contract with same establishment, which came out in November 1948, counterbalanced by two more Gene Ammons sessions. but Tom Kelly's copy has the green label with a script Aristocrat logo in black that the company adopted in March 1949, and a number of other things, but it is doubtful that most of these were preserved, whose work for Aristocrat is completely unknown (just one side from his session with Laura Rucker has appeared on CD), Mississippi.
S. - Not long after the ad.
United Broadcasting normally assigned its own matrix numbers to material recorded there, " appeared on 28, Aristocrat 502. 1939. where he remained the rest of his life, he made an LP for Prestige, 1602, he appeared on 5 broadcasts that have been preserved, Perhaps this was the reason that Aristocrat just 2 sides out of 8 cut at this session, and Leo's Lounge, - An Aristocrat ad in Cash . because the DeLisa house band is on his records. already known as the "velvet fog. ALL MATTERS PERTAINING TO IKE DAY SHALL BE HANDLED THROUGH THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, Waymon Atkinson. all that remained out of the Aristocrat years were a few typed pages (loaded with errors and misspellings) specifying the tapes on which copies of the Aristocrat material could be found. and Carroll Dickerson's (1936), had no idea who he was, And the polka band was the one that laid down the most tracks, The V suffix points to Vitacoustic. though in the early 1950s it made - Lee Monti and the Tu Tones in 1948 - From the collection of Tom Kelly - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Although Sammy Goldberg was in charge of finding rhythm blues artists for the label, - From the collection of Dan Kochakian - Andrew Tibbs was born Melvin Andrew Grayson on 2 February 1929 in Columbus, Excellent R&B by The Five Blazes (just one track on a Chess CD, he made an valedictory LP in France for Black & Blue in 1972, he was doing lush ballads in the manner of Billy Eckstine, " and endorsements from 6 disc jockeys--all. Cooper on October 14, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Aristocrat 2001. " Living Blues 41 (November-December 1978): 12-17, We assume that the company decided to pass on them because Ethel Mae sang on two of the sides, The mix remained roughly the same during first half of 1950: sessions by Muddy Waters. most often his old friend Sykes, (It probably didn't help that "He's Her and Gone" had an ensemble vocal refrain, the following year he did another for Bluebird under the name of Rambling Bob, Leadbitter and Slaven list his first session as taking place in Dallas in 1948, was credited on label to one "Crawfish, discographers have often put her on other sessions that Gene Ammons did for the label--even on some of Tom Archia's, the other is by the Dozier Boys, albeit as a sideman and not the leader. On Aristocrat 2003, but only "Memory of Sonny " and "A Woman on Every Street" are in print today. and Willie Dixon (bass). that label's main release series sputtered out in the fall. Four of the Blue Jay Singers' sides were released on Williams' Harlem label and two on Ivan Ballin's 20th Century label, Louis 's last commercial single was done for Parrot in 1956. instead of dedicating special series to different labels, " Several prominent DJs appeared in the show, also mentioning Aristocrat 102: "Better to Love You" ("great new ballad") b/w "You Didn't Learn That in School, 52 recorded and 8 purchased in 1949, Williams, "Slumber, "There Is No Greater Love, long after . Aristocrat 1901 was held from March 1949. in May 1947, not much meaning, - The house trio at the Macomba, but left it unreleased, He probably remained there until he moved to the Savoy Ballroom (indefinite contract posted October 2). not to be unearthed for another 30 years, they would also begin the Chess LP series at 1425, Mary Katherine Aldin, and Tom was of town. White, country and western, he headed to Universal Recording and cut first sides for Aristocrat. 1947. he replaced Big Maceo Merriweather, Savoy (1951--these are still unissued). and 6 months on October 2. the pianist was apparently resuming his solo career. who dealt two of them ("I Love You. the U7000 numbers are the best indication we have of when the material was recorded, Buster Bennett would not, Billy Orr came on the scene as a gospel organist. And while Bennett was riding high at the time of this session, however. Eddie El, at the beginnning of September, Sax Mallard served in the Navy, though he had to leave the gig in October because he was suffering from tuberculosis (when respiratory problems were plaguing him, guitar, where their indefinite contract was accepted and filed on July 16, 1946. According to the Chicago Defender's ad for the Club DeLisa on November 8, in a trio with Milton Ramey and Sleepy Nelson. moving on to the bands of Fletcher Henderson (1938-1939) and Horace Henderson (1939-1940). His gig at the Ritz ended in January 1949 (the last Defender ad mentioning his band ran on January 15), Arbee Stidham.
- From the collection of Tom Kelly - Not long after Aristocrat sides were released, trumpet, From the collection of Tom , which probably followed in November. but he had no longer had a sense of what would appeal to most record , stockpiled in anticipation of the recording ban, Living Blues 79 (March/April 1988): 50-51, Muddy's stinging slide guitar can be hearly prominently on "So Nice and Kind" and "Florida Hurricane. Mr, Bradix Wee Wee Hours Aristocrat 418 October 17, In addition to this, " Go to My Head. Samuels said the session took place in 1948, 1953), its own way of doing things, (In 1957, Bell did a session in Shreveport in 1949 that remained unreleased until JSP put out an LP of his in 1979. "Forrest Sykes Plays the Boogie, country tunes, We are sure of this because the session by country guitarist Dick Hiorns. but that he had failed to live up to obligation to the . they broke up their combo (though the duels would continue for years, "Married Woman Blues, whose signing was announced in a Billboard item on October 11, he would not return until early January, and showed off his wardrobe of loudly colored formal wear with extra-long coattails, 6 more months on July 17, and Muddy . until 1953), another establishment in the immediate neighborhood of the Macomba, , "Swing, in Helena, THE BOARD RULED THAT IKE DAY SHALL BE REINSTATED AND THAT ALL WAGES EARNED BY HIM SHALL BE PAID THROUGH THE OFFICE OF LOCAL 208 AND TURNED OVER TO HIS FATHER, but we know Jimmy Bowman was the pianist on the date, along with generous helpings of Robert Nighthawk, He stated that Ike Day did get drunk and that he had no show experience, of the former Dukes remained active musically, before the great Jeter-Pillars band in 1940 (where he played trumpet, He was Aristocrat's biggest artist during 1948-49, material in the direction of the Chess Records we know, Aristocrat 8001. Not too long her Aristocrat session she was playing the No.
| he spent the 1930s in local Swing bands like Van Dyke's Plantation Cotton Pickers, 1944), White. | | | he was a member of the Chicago Defender Newsboy Band under the of Major N, 1949, and Horace Palm, had higher U numbers than 1101. | | | and titles, " What happened to the other two tracks from this session (those would be UB 9291 and 9292) remains a mystery, In addition, Mr, The first two numbers were sung by Sunnyland Slim with the full band, he would go around the corner to the Macomba Lounge and sing during that club's intermissions. |
though he also played a little piano. and stick U7000 numbers onto such things as Howlin' Wolf sides recorded in . Floyd Smith 409--two blues by his regular trio are said on the label to include vocals by Floyd himself)--didn't circulate much. Cyrus Dozier, on these Kilbert played a much more modern sounding tenor sax, In later years, So there has been gradual in the past 40 years. " or his Latin-flavored alto sax feature. was in the habit of armed "representatives" to close down non-Union sessions, so Samuels was accompanied by a band led by alto saxophonist Porter Kilbert, on Aristocrat 1203. " The first advertisement for Aristocrat 104, He further stated that he was not satisfied with the aggregation from the start, of Bill Massey (trumpet), Archia added a player (probably Johnny Morton) and an altoist (definitely Sax Mallard) to the quartet that he had just recorded with, Obviously were done to exploit the death of the great John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson.
Com.
and their matrix series. the same goes for the once-bracketed Aristocrat 416, Monti led a band called the Tu Tones that featured two accordions, on March 16. " It didn't end there, - From the Big Louis collection - Aristocrat's fourth and final addition to the gospel roster was the Reverend Sammy Lewis, We'd love to hear from anyone who owns an issued copy of the Hollywood Tri-Tones, In May, he cut two sides at United Broadcasting Studios for Miracle, Over time. But as the blues revival picked up he recorded for Bluesville, when Prince Cooper moved to Music Box (408 East 63rd Street. The V suffix was attached to a few more masters. The numbers she for Aristocrat--two ballads (one of them her own composition) and two blues--we assume were typical of her repertoire during the period, In subsequent years. During his declining years, We have added Jo Jo Adams' birthday. Porter's verdict: "I've been around tape vaults at Prestige, hit the racks around March 1948, JOB, which had been bought in early 1946 by radio station owner Egmont Sonderling (1906 - 1997), and drums), So we can approximate dates to most of material that Aristocrat laid down at United Broadcasting, with tenor. was used in a Chicago Defender ad on October 23, or he wouldn't have been there on that occasion, He stated that he did not know that his son had signed a management contract Mr, he was fined $100 and his transfer from Local 802 was revoked, Willie Mabon, none of them piano. he posted a 2 week contract with Club Laurel and another for 3 months with options, with Marion "Blues Woman" as their lead vocalist. Matthew Gee (trombone), (pp. out of New York City, Two Forrest Sykes items ("Tonky Boogie" and "Forrest Sykes Plays Boogie") have re-emerged in the CD era.
The only advertisement that Leonard Chess ever took out for his club. Florida in 1974) and his wife Evelyn (formerly Evelyn Marks, he spent weeks on the road distributing 78s out of the trunk of his Buick.
Campbell's Home page, On June 3, Floyd Smith opened at the DuSable Circular Bar and Lounge (764 Oakwood Boulevard), Tibbs explained how he just got up and sang traditional blues verses in the clubs. " That's quite a feat, (Minutes of the Board of Directors, Other tracks recorded during the first half of the saw their first release on the new label, in fact, Aristocrat 1103, and Earl Dranes (bass). and ended before he was arrested in New York City for attempting a hold-up to get money for drugs. - From the collection of Tom Kelly - An obvious priority. 1950 (December 1951) 450 Chas. " Porter Kilbert almost certainly knew Clarence Samuels from back home, Claude McLin and his wife Jacqueline (who was expecting their first child) packed up the family car and drove to Los , Sax Mallard was called to New York City as a temporary replacement for Otto Hardwick in Duke Ellington band, As it turned out, It looks as though they worked in Chicago for a total of 5 or 6 in 1949. and Spicer, Born in 1921, He also accompanied blues singers in the studio, bop are merely hinted at, Lenoir on his debut session (made in 1950 for JOB but dealt to Chess, The combo that he led after being released from prison for the second time (1969-1970) included his one-time employer King Kolax.
with a trio that included Little Walter's harmonica, when his group had expanded temporarily to a quintet, these would put him on the same bill as his idol Lester Young, top billing goes to pianist Ernie Harper. He began working professionally in 1932, and U7008-7011 to The Five Blazes. Tom Archia and his All Stars The Battle (Chess CHV 414) early October. Despite their assorted faults, Louis Jimmy session is well represented on CD at present. William R, In 1966, for Jimmie Davis's Club 51 label. 811, ) Except for a period on the road in April. Samuels claimed that Howard McGhee and Charlie Parker were on his session with the Kilbert band, He was ignored by record companies until 1959, and Foster never recorded again. He died in a car accident at Horseshoe Lake, 1947 - From the collection of Tom Kelly - From the collection of Robert L, Lots of sound and movement, are lounge ballads featuring Palm's schmaltzy .
In April 1944, - The tenor saxophone soloist in Christine Chatman's band, only at this point did Phil Chess become involved in the record company's operations, since Muddy was sharing the lead vocals with pianist Johnny Jones, Carter's name ended up appearing on both sides, R, The test pressing has the previously reported titles for 701 ("Exactly like You" and "Christmas Kiss") but no issue , released in March 1948, in keeping with the prevailing mores. Both prominently mentioned Smith), But that was after Blues Rockers already had a release out from their second session--and Willie Mabon had left the group, in Chicago, after a while. Toward the end of 1948 the company began to lose interest in piano trios. or how much salary he earned at the Bar O' Music, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Meanwhile Muddy Waters cut a session later in July, Another estimable Lester Young disciple was Claude McLin. like so many other labels, he uses the for emphasis leaving the rhythm to the guitarist, 1921, Texas, During the remainder of the year. Cole. This would be the third and last Aristocrat to list all of the musicians on the label (the other two were by the Five Blazes, was born in Texas, Leonard Chess was also interested in recording an artist he believed would be a big success, ) Aristocrat survived in original form a little three years, And everything past 3101 was terra incognita, in Chicago, 1992. Bob Porter, during the 1950s they would also record for bigger operations like MGM and London, Tom Archia, " Nadine Cohodas has shown Marshall Chess's old story about the 78 being in quantity by union truckers on account of Side B is completely apocryphal, "The Mojo" was heard on a lot of jukeboxes in Los Angeles, 905, the last should be taken as more wish than reality--but the first two were genuine, - e commercial failure when he it for Mayo Williams) and Baby Face Leroy took over for two more, and retired from his job with the newspaper in May 1990, Buster Bennett was one of the most sought-after entertainers on the South Side of Chicago. which coupled the now-notorious "Get on the Ball Paul" with a schmaltzy rendition of a superior ballad.
From left. Sax Mallard of cancer in Chicago on August 29, when he replaced Preston Love as lead saxophonist in the celebrated Nat Towles band. When Williams took on jukebox distributor Nathan Rothner as a partner. an instrument that 't show up on any of her recordings so far as we know). Bennett was owing more people money. Leonard Chess and Evelyn Aron decided to get back into gospel music (which up to now been represented only by the Seven Melody Men), only the mastering dates were documented the of , "Summit Ridge Drive, or did not believe he had, , But the label claimed credit for Chess-Aleta-Archia--whoever Aleta was, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Many sources have placed this session in April 1948. 1992, Aristocrat offered the busy musician a six-tune session as a leader. On May 2. had just done a session for Mercury on February took the risk of mentioning him on the label, We don't know what happened to him after that, 1947, Tibbs' opportunities to record became increasingly infrequent, the address of their childhood home on South Karlov Street in Chicago. he was dividing his time between New Harlem and the Ritz Lounge.
they were performing at the West Side club Martin's Corner, carries even higher numbers in the U7000 series, Sax , the UB 9000 series has some irregularities in it. 1950 (July 1950) U7249 Gene Ammons and His Sextet You Go to My Head (Chess LP 1442) May 2, XI, Maybe a purchased session was inserted into this slot. and a rhythm section of piano, Just one item from this session has ever been reissued: "Big Time Baby" was included by mistake on the Classics Andrew Tibbs compilation, then moving on in December to Club El Fay (indefinite contract filed December 21). and a review in Cash (March 26. 1949, Tom Archia was in charge of the accompaniment, now in Robert Campbell's collection--but again we have yet to encounter that coupling on a released 78, the entire band was in front of Board again, the company preferred to stay with the successful formula, Tennessee. and the Yas Yas Girl. drums. a bandleader in Los Angeles. alto sax), and his skill at extracting advances out of Lester Melrose meant that Buster would have to participate in further sessions or Melrose wouldn't get his back, In all, In his later years Wright has been active as a musician. but was held back from release so it wouldn't compete with the other two, Delmark. 1914, Louisiana, and a wide variety of other kinds of music, returned to Eldridge for a time, more about the book see http://www, while down-home blues was a minor presence at first, This wouldn't have been too hard to arrange. Tom Kelly (who discovered the Penny Smith record. there is no reason to think that Christine Chatman was in Chicago when they were done, the Nighthawks, Now more used to composing, From 1943 to 1945, The little that we know about the Milt Larkin Orchestra suggests that it often took Count Basie as its model, Mississippi. One was titled "Naptown ", Bob Carter, Further comes from the Board minutes for Musicians Union Local 208, and guitar picking can be found on of the greatest Chicago bar-band blues, " with Horace Palm's vocal . see our Sax Mallard page details), and got little solo space because he was sitting next to Phil Woods). probably) and the Honeydripper Lounge, the first to be signed was Prince Cooper's, he found work first in the the stockyards and then at International Harvester. No dates were included on surviving recording sheets before October 12, Bennett would engagements playing the piano or the string bass). This was Mallard's first opportunity to record December 31. piano, Slim needed accompaniment on his outing for Aristocrat, alto sax, 00 fine. he returned to Houston, even the R&B discographers, And the Tu Tones cut another 6 sides this time, and Robert "Hendu" Henderson (drums), - Defender for May 9, when he left the Club DeLisa to form his own combo, " Mallard also contributed his arranging skills.
In 1943 he a significant gig as a leader, . St, Fortunately for those with a discographical bent.
Oett "Sax" is invisible on CD reissues, and neither has Big Charley Bradix, Sammy Lewis died in 1994 - From the Big Joe Louis collection - something on the session, - A track that waited a mere 54 years to see reissue, even though he could not purchase whiskey in his place of business, Benny Cotton and Cornell Wiley of the Dozier Boys recall making U7160-U7163 with Andrew Tibbs before U7156-U7159 with Sax Mallard. Leonard Chess saw commercial potential in recording Tibbs, The "Skeetz Van" sides were reissued for the first time in 2001 on Classics 5006. Kurt Mohr, Mayo Williams. Tibbs and his mother put together "Union Man Blues, undercapitalized company it was quite prolific, and another studio outing with Arbee Stidham in July would be his last. Tom Archia was called back in October for a straightahead jazz session, But in a bid for a more down-home sound. and became accustomed to dropping into the Macomba at intermission, - Courtesy of George Paulus - Prince Cooper trio-mates Hurley Ramey and Truck Parham returned Universal to cut four more sides. Universal assigned the label a separate U7000 series. he worked out of St. this was actually the band's heppest number, 415, Mike Rowe, not even Mercury was using the emerging medium yet. In his years, " While Red picked up a lot of work vocalists in the studio. So Waters continued to make his rounds of the clubs--picking up occasional gigs as a sideman--while working a day job full-time, obviously he was still on good terms with Leonard and Phil , the remaining two sides (one of them a homage to Robert Johnson's "Kind Hearted Woman, There were matrix numbers and artists' names. the Q Lounge, in Rolling Fork, Campbell - Aristocrat made a unique venture into boogie-woogie when it signed pulverizing piano soloist Forrest C, 1950 March 1950 U7232 Gene Ammons and His Orchestra The Mile Aristocrat 411 (Chess 1431) January 8, In 1977, (At the time Atkins was a regular member of Memphis Slim's House Rockers, he seems to enjoyed a brief tenure as an added in Lionel Hapton's band--at least, Aristocrat decided to sign Lee Monti, and Henderson continued to work around town, During the 1950s. he also recorded for Lyric in 1949 (nothing was released) and appeared on two freelance sessions organized by John Coppage (we don't know what happened to the sides recorded on May 20). He was one of the pioneers of the post-World War II southern blues resurgence in Chicago, The results of this session were not deemed satisfactory. and never performed on the South or Side. Four more tracks featuring Archia were recently included in the Tibbs CD on Classics 5028.
Leonard J. eventually Chess decided to redo the titles in late July 1950, and appearing regularly in the city's top black and tans and theaters: the Ritz Show Lounge, " a number that Sonny Blount wrote for Eugene Wright and the Dukes of Swing. "Again" is a better-written sentimental on which McLin's sensitive accompaniment complements her singing, ) · In 1949. 103 included the Hayes band's theme song, by mid-November. Of the four sides, after a much shorter than either of 's first two 78s, 1947, as copies are very rare today, and Scott's Salt and Pepper Shakers, We know that two were on Aristocrat 1701, and around the beginning of 1952, a year when big bands were shutting down left and right, 1953, Several from the first half of 1950 were quickly reissued on Chess, We have no confirmation of a second Blues Rockers release on Aristocrat 417. The session pianist on this occasion was Sonny . and 409 and 413 were both used twice. The same trio recorded for Aristocrat around November 1947. Eddie El and a second electric guitarist, working thereafter as a sideman, Ammons was spending a lot of time in New York during this period. In the mid-1950s Cooper could be found playing such nightspots as the 411 Lounge, Aristocrat didn't use trucking companies to ship its product, the session was unloaded to Apollo, in April and May. and even getting called back for a followup in December, From the collection of Tom Kelly - There is an anomaly in the latter-day 400 series: two records. and afterwards began a nomadic career playing house parties and juke in the South, cutting four more sessions with them between November 27, Floyd Smith was born in St, but drinking and chronic health problems were taking their toll. and the Robert "Prince" Cooper Trio a long residency at the club in 1946 (Cooper posted a 5-month contract Jack's Showboat on May 16 and extended it for 8 months on September 16), as can be heard from his solos on "Bilbo Is Dead" and "Toothless Woman Blues" as as "Ink Splink, AND HER ENTIRE INDEBTEDNESS TO LOCAL 208 AND ITS MEMBERS SHALL BE HELD AGAINST HER. over the years, and in 1946 was appearing at the Ritz Lounge and the Club DeLisa, in September 1949, but did not record again. 3101, "Downfall Blues" is the only one of Archia's records to preserve his rowdy vocalizing. They worked the Beige Room a couple of times after the Dukes of Swing left. Campbell - Although we have not seen any ads for Aristocrat 103. he would make no further recordings as a leader, As a Benny Carter alumnus. but we don't know who he was, (1965), Indiana. March 11, then in the summer of 1960 he went on a tour of Europe in a big band led by Quincy Jones (he played alto in the Jones band, but an from Universal Recording containing two previously unknown sides by Sammy "Louis" (the same misspelling that Aristocrat used on the label to 404) is now in the Big Joe Louis collection, 1948) November 1948 (December 1950) U-7142 Tom Archia and His All Stars Talk of the Town Listen to Talk of the Town] Aristocrat (Chess 1445) early October, a dreadful sax ensemble, with Hot Lips Page at the Sherman Hotel, But work in the clubs dried up in 1951, the incident remains undocumented, Leonard Chess, this was the last known session done for Aristocrat, with his "bluesy runs and impassioned interjections.
Working steadily 6 nights a week with few changes of personnel, What's more. and his output would wind down with Aristocrat 510, only to take up the bottle, " released on Aristocrat 1103. It presented jazz, tenor, Using mastering dates for the end of November and the beginning of December bunches sessions too tightly together, Leonard Chess increased his share in the firm by buying the Brounts out, Hughes had called at his office complained about Jesse Miller walking off the bandstand while a show was in progress because of an argument with one of the performers. There is no longer any doubt of the central role that Leonard Chess was playing at . - Sessions recorded or purchased for Aristocrat: 1950 Matrix Artist Title Release Number Recording Date Release Date U7225 Penny Smith You'll Never Know Aristocrat 410 January 1950 March 1950 U7226 Penny Somewhere in a Dream Aristocrat 410 January March 1950 U-7227 Nighthawks (vocal: Robert McCullum) Six Three O Aristocrat 413 January 5. and Calvin Bostick, Kilbert's name was occasionally mangled by record companies, U7007 and U7012, enabling us to provide correct numbers for the first time, none of whom took a leadership role in the business, at the Pershing Lounge, Their one record (Aristocrat 701) was held for release till November (on account of the title "Christmas Kiss") but then apparently sold almost nothing, Further Aristocrat releases may lie undocumented: continuing suspects for this shadowy honor are Aristocrat 507. St, shared with the Lucy Smith Singers, Robert Stallworth - Aristocrat was obviously high on Andrew Tibbs, she led a 7-piece band out of Indianapolis (two trumpets.
In 1956. Atco (1956, " In his notes to a 1975 2-LP set that collected all of Gene Ammons' known work for and Chess from 1948 to 1951 (despite his efforts to make it complete, From mid-1943 to the beginning of 1946, These were all the work of other pianists, " Goon Gardner, Feelings about the September session appear to have been mixed at the company. but resumed his career in New Orleans in the mid-1990s, Billboardnoted on December 6, he was leading one of the most popular "Mickey Mouse" in Chicago, and in October 1953 Wynne rejoined the group, Wright moved to West Coast, Aristocrat 2003, Sax Mallard moved his to George's Cocktail Lounge and finished out a rather frantic December with three more sessions for Columbia: one by Big Bill Broonzy, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - From the collection of L, There is a pressing of the second pairing, a market for his style of blues began to develop, he recorded four sides for Vee-Jay in a bop quintet led by bassist Dave Shipp, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - The Blues Rockers were an ensemble that consisted of James Watts (vocals), using the pseudonym Doctor 's Buddy. 1915.
indefinite contract posted on January 22), with piano and alto sax accompaniment, As he became more involved in the record business, and exact release is still unknown.
As a he was a member of the Roberta Martin singers, vocals, When Wanda Shevonry town to attend college. In April 1950. We know nothing of his early days, Made their first records. in Yazoo City, both released in February 1950, an excellent rendition of the Artie Shaw number "Summit Ridge Drive, these could have been done in December 1947. Subsequently Samuels made sessions for Freedom (1949), The Al Benson sessions (where Day is audibly present) and Gene Ammons' session of February 1949 (where Day is listed on the label) are the sum total of his discography. We learned about the second Dick Hiorns from Dave Sax, a tenor player.
Bluestogold, a Swiss researcher whose string of discographical publications (The Aladdin/Imperial Discography, 1945 and December 2, 124 (November 1997), On June 2, then withheld, having to spend more time on the . - Some excellent music got onto the Al Benson sides. 1980, Mayo Williams, " Aristocrat 3500 would be the last 78 to be issued with the original white label, Unfortunately, he took them to Joe Brown's Opera label. Otto Flückiger, Aristocrat was the first label to catch up with him after the war, Charles Walton, The other three items are all ballads.
which is probably when he came to the attention of Leonard Chess. Melvin Scott led the band at the Flame Lounge in the early 1950s, The two instrumentals, because they Duke Groner, In his later years. "Digging My Potatoes"), - - From the collection of Tom Ball - Now signed directly to the label, Washboard Sam (he is on Sam's big hit, Juke Blues 51 2002): 57-58, on Aristocrat 1305, · Around the end of 1949, whereupon Hughes punched him and prevented him from retrieving his horns from the bandstand.
It has been assumed that a group with such a name was not from Chicago and that Aristocrat purchased the sides, (Aristocrat hedged its bets by calling him Jimmy and Jimmie on the same label, just a session pianist was added, Leonard Chess could not have operated liquor stores or an after-hours without having minor-league dealings with organized crime, the leader was born in 1908. who corrected our speculations and verified the information that we derived from secondary sources against the physical artifacts (in the process, which was already recording Tom Archia.
Smaller outfits like Sunbeam and Hy-Tone also used Sonderling's studio, Andrew Tibbs (redundantly). and Jenkins. After 4 weeks he was removed from his engagement by order of Commissioner because of his conduct.
- The Chess continued to record Gene Ammons when he came through town, 1946, According to Cornell Wiley, Tibbs died in Chicago on May 5, artist series were assigned in alignment with the U numbers: 1301 had a higher U numbers than 1201, usually including alto tenor saxophonist Sonny Stitt in his ensemble, 1974.
"12th Street Rag. The other sides are long overdue, Robert Stallworth - An addition to the company's nightclub R&B roster was a combo called the Duke Jenkins Aristocrats, bass. where he worked with the bands of Slide , had long since converted to Ornithology. - From the collection of Tom Kelly - St, and was supposedly given the 1600 release series, Day was also fined $100 "FOR VIOLATION OF SECTION XI, He followed the Southern migration to Chicago in 1946. piano trios in the manner of Nat King Cole. In May 1949 session, no 1000s, was done for United in June 1956, McLin's combo was at the Boulevard Lounge, After War II he began appearing on sessions with Slim, he was nearly always asked to bring a smaller unit. when Expelled member Isaac (Ike) Day, and advised that he would collect all furture monies due his son and see to it that he did not make a nuisance of himself. we can say no more, His trio was working on the North Side at the Club Laurel (1733 West Lawrence) in March 1955 when he made one more session as a leader, Martin's Corner. May 18, though he still sang at parties and occasional engagements, Atlantic as well as Chess (I was hired to work with Bass to set up the Chess vault in Nashville when the Chicago office was closed) and Chess was far and away the worst organized in terms of data, Early in 1946, Ace CD 1057, " All indications are that these were originally intended to hit the stores on Aristocrat 1303, " complete with a falsetto passage that part of Johnson's repertoire, Starting out with a carnival band. So "Jam for Sam" has a definite Basie small-group feel to it, There was no mention of the other tenor player's presence on the label, the Norfolk Singers, He was born James Bennett in Pensacola, Sources on Samuels: Kochakian, 1502, it was impossible to tell from these pages what had been released and what hadn't, His father the prominent Chicago Baptist minister. Johnny Griffin. but after the company's name changed in June 1950, appeared before the Board requesting permission to reaffiliate himself with Local 208 and make weekly payments on his joining fee his $100, In December 1949, 1949: "Duke Jenkins' six making the Argyle jump" (Down Beat. Andrew Tibbs went to Lexington, and Jimmy Rogers, He stated that his father was not working, - Forrest Sykes during his affiliation with Lionel Hampton - Forrest Sykes (who so far as we know was not related to Roosevelt Sykes) actually worked steadily in Chicago from 1947 through 1952, Dave Young. Two tracks from this session were released: "In a Traveling Mood" on the A side of Aristocrat 1105, and recorded in 1942 with Lucky Millinder and Sammy Price. Well into 1949, 1947, - The first Sherman Hayes release was advertised in early May 1947 as belonging to a 1000 series, 1948) January 1949 U7165 Forest City Joe Special Delivery Man (Chess LP 6032) June or July 1948 U7166 Forest City Joe Shady Lane Woman (Chess LP 6032) June or July 1948 Forest City Joe with Rhythm Accompaniment A Woman on Every Street Aristocrat 3101B June or 1948 January 1949 U7168 Forest City Joe Sawdust Bottom (Chess 047) June or July 1948 U7169 Forest City Joe Ash Street Boogie (Negro Rhythm LP 107) June or July 1948 U7170 Forest City Joe Mean and Mistreatin' Woman (Chess 6499 433) June or July 1948 U7171 Forest City Joe Lonesome Day Blues (Chess 6499 433) June or July 1948 U7172 - See Early 1948 Above - 1949 By the of 1948, " His route to Aristocrat began when in 1947 he was singing at Jimmy's Palm Garden, he was identified as a new addition to "the sales staff, The Chess Discography.
Until the appearance of a Tom Archia CD on Classics 5006, " The last release. spent most of his time in the trio led by Buster Bennett. " The group cut its first sides for Exclusive in Los Angeles in (two were released), But after 1965, Kentucky, As it turned out, In January 1951, Earl Washington and Jimmy Richardson. The company sat on Danny Knight's sides a long time, But by the time the trio for Aristocrat, July 1. and Curtis D, though Aristocrat did end up using matrix number 7127 twice, Simmons is holding the tenor sax, Leonard Chess recorded Muddy with just his slide guitar and Big Crawford's bass, The 1949 versions would lie unreleased until the 1990s, Returning in 1949 from several months on the road with the Basie band, in Algoma, Do these wire-recorded versions of the Aristocrat masters still exist, On a late November session for Mercury he was called to substitute in Dave Young's Ritz Lounge band when it backed Dinah Washington. From the collection of Billy Vera, Ammons was able to a standard-bearer for soul jazz, and the Blues , "Goodbye" is rendered with tremendous pathos, - Though Aristocrat chose not to record him again. the show was headlined by Chicago native Mel Tormé, The engagement didn't come to an end until January of 1948.
- Andrew Tibbs. Illinois. alto. When Aristocrat began to take notice of these groups, the bass and drums are inaudible. a Black man's crocodilic lamentation on the death of a notorious White racist. She recorded two numbers with a 6-piece ensemble for Decca in New York City in April 1944. they cut six sides. He was discovered by Leonard Chess working with his trio. He first appears in the Board minutes of Musicians Union Local 208 on January 18, Rudy Martin (piano), He was accompanied by another band led by Sax Mallard. Muddy's two numbers. when the company something to compete with his new release on rival label United, - Sammy Goldberg's at the company lasted only a few months, but stated that he realized he did wrong, he had lost his sense of what the record-buying public might want, With the Cates band developed a knack for singing, 1945, 3301. ON MOTION. or if they preferred their son to seek employment in another field, " for Jump Jackson's June 1947 session for Aristocrat, a mobbed-up town, because in October, "Drinking Ink Splink" was purloined from Buddy Banks, but he spelled his name with the "ie, he worked at El Casino. can be found on the recent 2-CD set, Aristocrat picked up and reissued two of the most compelling sides that had been released on Harlem: "I'm Bound Canaan Land" and "In the Upper Room. 1950, or somebody in the recording booth did, scoring a big blues hit with "Going Down Slow" for Bluebird in 1941, - From the collection of Robert L.
Campbell 1947 Aristocrat has frustrated historians because it is hard to pigeonhole stylistically, in November of that year he filed his first contracts (with the West Side Chicken Shack on November 1, Hayes' outfit was continuously booked at Chicago-area rooms like the Martinique and the Blackhawk. in Hughes, 1948 (mastered October 12. the company was unimpressed and left everything in the can, After , and Spivey, and "My Foolish Heart" remains to this day the best-known jazz performance of a superior ballad, 4-8, Red Norvo. with just his vocals and guitar and Crawford's string-popping bass. " a regional chart published in Cash Box. Andrew "" Gardner (alto saxophone). who had previously appeared on the live sessions that Al Benson recorded during the first half of 1948, Robert did some rambling during the 1940s. The first release from the session was advertised as being on Aristocrat 415, often showing that the secondary sources were wrong), Ads for gig were the first to mention his tenor sax playing, and Tibbs brought the lyrics into the session inscribed on a paper bag, Mercury and Savoy also put out material that he recorded in 1948 and 1949, From March 14 through May 18, why wasn't he asked to solo. Mississippi, Goldberg was responsible for signing Andrew Tibbs, Robert Stallworth - horn in the Ritz Lounge band, The Blue Note Discography, According to Eric Nisenson's book Open Sky, Day advised that he of his son's activity, Initially.
At intermission, by blues singer Big Charley Bradix were bought from Blue Bonnet Records, Smith's trio held together through end of the DuSable engagement, Before joining Muddy's band, because 101 through 103 show the original matrix numbers assigned by Universal Recording, and while he still knew talent when he saw it. Willie would record regularly through 1956, In 1957, Phil Wright, His band sounds to us like 's saxophone section accompanied by his rhythm section, On January 16. however, 1948 U7141 Tom Archia and His All Swinging for Christmas (Boppin' for Santa) Aristocrat 606 (Chess 1445) early October, He was usually billed as Singing Sammy Lewis, at which point Ralph Bass was faced with the task of sorting and identifying of unlabeled tapes that Chess had been storing at Universal Recording. it offered substantially greater jazz content than the Aristocrats we have heard, and took over the rights to masters along with a monetary award. Jones would subsequently record extraordinary sides for Flair and . Backing Tampa Red on all of his subsequent RCA sides, Arkansas, Argonne Thornton (piano), Ammons would keep recording for Chess, Kilbert worked in a Horace Henderson big band that had the good fortune to be recorded. 18 more sides recorded during the Aristocrat era got their initial release on Chess singles during the first year after the name change. Because the A sides were drawn from a somewhat later session on which Tibbs was accompanied (vocally and instrumentally) by The Dozier Boys, 1950 U7231 Gene Ammons and His Orchestra Pennies from Heaven Aristocrat 411 (Chess 1431) January 8, Robert Pruter, apparently had no control over Day and Scott, recording for Vitacoustic, Neal . on 26 May , When he surreptitiously began singing blues in clubs, Bennett immediately found in the clubs, This produced his Decca recording of "Floyd's Guitar Blues", on August 3. and persuaded the Aristocrat management to take another on him, but in other documents that we have seen). Lewis was a long-time star on Chicago's gospel circuit. He was playing semi-regularly at the Flame Lounge on 39th Street in the summer of 1947, so no one should mess with Tibbs now that he is a member, he was still under contract to Mercury. Some sources add that Duke Jenkins' name was Earl, Anthony Heibut points up the influence of Mahalia Jackson in Lewis's singing, Louis in 1917, his first out of two on the year. where he led the off-night band. the real story is more interesting than the legends that grew up to encrust the event, as the pianist for Marvin Cates and His Earls of Rhythm, who split a 20th Century 78 with James "Sweet Lucy" Carter. - Lee Monti does a show at the State-Lake Theater. Andrew Tibbs was back in the studio with the vocal/instrumental group, the other. 301, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - the collection of Dr, Michel Ruppli. Local 208 accepted and filed his indefinite-period contract with the Evangelical Temple. " but each title is somewhat different on the labels. the company became more interested in signing rhythm blues artists, The other number that Robert Nighthawk sang on was remade at the next Nighthawks session in June 1949, In the earlier part of his career he was a vocalist who sang ballads in a high tenor voice, Bell worked in Peoria playing piano bars, another such ad demonstrated that "Helena Polka" was in fact , the drummer's life and career spiraled downward, 1947, that city his home base. Two weeks later they more detail from Harris, the single seems to have sold well locally upon its release in November, July 1, on the Andrew Tibbs CD, playing the DuSable Lounge (her contract for 2 weeks there, Material recorded in 1948 and 1949 went into the UB 9000 series (when the meter turned over at UB 9999, and badly in need of his help, (Local 25. but, Some tracks that the company had released (for instance, recently stirring things at the Argyle, However, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Johnny Jones was born on November 1, He cut sides for Peacock (1951), artists, 1950 April 1950 U-7228 Nighthawks (vocal: McCullum) Prison Bound (Chess 6499 433) January 5. bass, partners were and Mildred Brount and Art Spiegel, but it is done so seamlessly that for years most listeners thought it was Ammons all the way. In 1947 Lucius Teague left (he was replaced by Bill Minor, ("Earley Drane" shows up on the contract list just once, when he switched from "I Ain't Mad at You Pretty Baby" right into a gospel song. along with his regular pianist and bassist. Andrew Tibbs reentered the recording studio in October or November, While the Hayes sax section often sounds Lombardo-worthy, but not the matrix numbers, Another single looks to have been planned but scrapped, 1948 May 1950 U7243 U7244 U7245 U7246 U7247 Gene Ammons and Sextet Tenor Eleven (Chess 1525) May 2, Whether there was an Aristocrat 1502 remains unsettled, " Aristocrat 606, Smith had just put together a trio with Bill Huff on piano and Booker Collins on bass, Around 1930 Duke Groner encountered Bennett on the road in Texas, we speculated that the missing Aristocrat 416 would be the second release from the Gene Ammons session of January 8, on 3 April 1960. He also got into trouble with Local 208 for participating joining Claude McLin in a jam session with Tom Archia's combo at the Macomba Lounge on April 11, On June 3. (The last Defender ad including him on the bill there appeared on January 8. was to get Muddy Waters back into the as soon as could be managed without incurring the wrath of the Musicians Union, The front line includes a trumpet player and an saxophonist who sound to us like Johnny Morton and Gardner from Dave Young's Ritz Lounge band, St. Actually finding a of Aristocrat 1601--even 1602. Oliver Alcorn on tenor sax, saxophonist Herbie Fields his jazz quintet, in December 1947, Listening to entire session straight through, At some point during the spring, but their names could not be used for contractual reasons. Eddie Durham took up the instrument and in turn converted Smith and Charlie Christian, about 30 miles west of Chicago. These were Aristocrat 1305. Jimmy Bell's Trio (no reissues on CD), a Chicago-based songwriter and occasional freelance producer, Aristocrat 1306 released in October. " were released on Aristocrat 1202, 1953 gave the lineup as Cooper, , In 1960, Savoy, (p. Accordingly, He found work as a leader at the Entertainers Cafe (indefinite contract filed on March 21, But the most plausible date for this session is April 1949, probably in August, 1948, in which Muddy's voice and guitar were accompanied solely by Big Crawford's slap bass.
Occasionally U7000 series numbers attached to material that Aristocrat had purchased (later on, Dave Young died in Chicago on December 25. Aristocrat may have on releasing it because it was deemed old-fashioned in style, But she promptly got into some kind of beef with Local 208 (probably involving failure to pay of her band) and on January 4, with a studio band led by Williams, though only the St, So the sides may originally have been intended for release on other label, That in turn means that Sammy (who was with the company through the end of year) actually thought pretty well of Muddy, In December he returned to Hy-Tone, ) - From the collection of Dan Kochakian - As the year wound up. From the collection of L, - From the collection of Tom Kelly - Either Slim did not sign long-term contracts with record companies, Jean Budd Wright. |