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jeudi 8 mars 2018

NEW YORK CITY/ The Blues Yesterday Vol. 7


NEW YORK CITY BLUES YESTERDAY/ Volume 7

           
Ouvrons ce 7ème volume de notre série "New York City blues Yesterday" avec le pianiste, chanteur Hal Paige qui, malgré une discographie relativement abondante (ici intégralement proposée) demeure très mal connu. Il a dirigé son orchestre The Wailers (ou The Whalers!) durant une bonne partie des années 1950 avant de disparaître brusquement sans laisser de trace! Quasiment aucune revue spécialisée ne lui a consacré un article!

            C'est le contraire du chanteur Billy Bland (né le 5 avril 1932 à Wilmington en Caroline du Nord) qui a connu un gros succès avec un morceau pop de danse Let the little girl dance. Venu jeune à New York, Bland a fait partie du groupe vocal The Bees (enregistrant pour Imperial) avant de se produire en vedette dans les clubs, flirtant avec la vague du R'n'R. Mais, malgré là aussi une discographie copieuse, Billy Bland n'a plus guère renoué avec le succès et a
abandonné la musique à la fin des années 60, investissant dans une chaîne de restaurants de Harlem. Il est décédé le 22 mars 2017 à New York. Nous avons ici regroupé ses titres les plus blues, notamment ceux gravés en compagnie de Sonny Terry et Brownie McGhee.

            Enfin, le mystérieux 45t de Hurricane Harry n'est autre qu'un énième pseudonyme de l'écrivain, scénariste, auteur de comédies musicales et chanteur Earl Solomon Burroughs (1925-2016), plus connu sous son nom de plume Jack Hammer. Il a composé certains des gros succès des années Rock, notamment Fujiyama mama et Great balls of fire (immortalisé par Jerry Lee Lewis).
                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            Let's open this 7th opus of our New York City Blues Yesterday series with pianist, singer and bandleader Hal Paige. Despite a somewhat large discography (here entirely gathered), almost nothing is known about him and he didn't appear, to my knowledge, on any specialist blues magazine! He led during the 1950's his band The Wailers (sometimes The Whalers!) before vanishing at the end of the decade!

           
On the other hand, Billy Bland (born 5 April 1932 at Wilmington, NC) has enjoyed a great Hit with the pop dance number Let the little girl dance. A Newyorker since an early age, Bland has started a singing career as a member of the doo woop ensemble The Bees (with whom he recorded for Imperial) before launching his own personal act, recording quite a lot of singles for several New York based labels, alternating pop numbers with Rock'n'roll and blues. Unfortunately he never got another Hit and let down the music for good during the late 60's, managing his own chain restaurants in Harlem. Billy Bland died in New York City 22 March 2017. We have here gathered his most blues and bluesy tracks, particularly those recorded with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.

            At last, the mysterious (and very good) 45s by a certain Hurricane Harry is no one else than novelist, Hollywood scriptwriter, songwriter and occasionally recording singer Earl Solomon Burroughs (1925-2016) more widely known under his pen name Jack Hammer. He composed some of the greatest Rock'n'roll Hits of the 50's and 60's, namely Fujiyama mama and Great balls of fire (a smash hit for Jerry Lee Lewis)
                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

NEW YORK CITY BLUES YESTERDAY/ Volume 7
HAL PAIGE, vcl/pno; Mikey Baker, g; band. New York City, 9 March 1953
01. Break of day
02. Drive it home
Hal Paige, vcl/pno; band. New York City, 20 December 1953
03. Big foot May
04. Please say you do
Hal Paige, vcl/pno; Jimmy Spruill, g; band. New York City, 1955
05. My angel child
06. Rock this joint this morning
07. Guitar shuffle
08. Guitar blues
Hal Paige, vcl/pno; Herbert Wright, g; saxes; Bob Harris, bs; Kenneth McDonald, dms. New York City, January 1957
09. Pour the corn
10. Don't have to cry no more
Hal Paige, vcl/pno; Jimmy Spruill, g; band. New York City, September 1957
11. Sugar babe
12. Thunderbird
Hal Paige, vcl/pno; Jimmy Spruill, g; band. New York City, 1959
13. Going back to my home town
14. After hours blues
BILLY BLAND, vcl; Buddy Lucas, t-sax; Bob Gaddy, pno; Sonny Terry, hca; Brownie Mc Ghee, g; bs; dms. New York City, September 1955
15. Chicken in the basket
16. The fat man
17. Oh you for me
18. Chicken hop
19. Flo, open the door
Billy Bland, vcl; band. New York City, 1957
20. If I can be your man
21. I had a dream
Billy Bland, vcl; Mickey Baker, g; band. New York City, 1961
22. Do the bug with me
23. Uncle Bud
Billy Bland, vcl; band. New York City, 1963
24. Grandma gave a party
25. Mama stole the chicken
26. What's that?
Billy Bland, vcl; band. New York City, 1963
27. Doing the mule
HURRICANE HARRY, vcl; band. New York City, December 1956
28. The last meal
29. Pennsylvania blues