LADIES SING THE BLUES / Volume 6

 

LADIES SING THE BLUES Volume 6

 

 

Our 6^th volume of our Ladies sing the blues series start with the (almost) complete work of Bea Booze (or Wea Bea Booze). Beatrice Booze was born 23 March 1912 in Baltimore, started to sing and play guitar at an early age, appeared in several Harlem clubs before being signed by Decca in 1942 to emulate Lil Green's success. Her See see rider blues climbed to n°1 on Billboard. She recorded again after the war with Sammy Price, Andy Kirk, George Kelly. Bea died 11 November 1986 in Scottsville, KY. Although she has recorded once under the name of Muriel Nichols, she has no relationship with the jazz singer of the same name. We are missing her 1962 odd two tracks she recorded with her friend Sammy Price for Stardust.

Singer Ramona Hicks who recorded six nice tracks in Chicago is still largely an unknown. Her real name seems to have been Lillie Mae Kirkman. 

            Although Little Tiny Kennedy is generally confused with Tiny Kennedy, the male blues shouter who recorded for Trumpet (and even so in Blues Discography!), she is a good female singer of her own who seems to have been for a short time Tiny Bradshaw band's vocalist. She recorded only two tracks that are featured there.

            At last we have the delicious Betty Lou DeMorrow. Her ten very bluesy tracks are witty double-entendre bawdy numbers that she recorded with Western Swing veteran and guitarist Dick Hartman under the band's name of Hartman's Heartbreakers. Betty was born Carrie Beatrice Clontz on 27 April 1898 in Gaston, NC. She married Ernest Goodman in 1914 and she died in Rowan, NC on 9 April 1982. It seems she didn't recorded elsewhere although she seems to have been involved in Carolina Country Music scene most of her lifetime. One of her daughter Hope Powell was one of the prominent photographer of Country stars like Dolly Parton.

 

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

WEE BEA BOOZE (Beatrice Booze aka Muriel Nichols), vcl/g; Sammy Price, pno: bs; dms. New York City, 19-27 march 1942

01. If I'm a fool

02. I love to Georgia Brown so slow

03. Uncle Sam come and get me

04. If I didn't love you

05. See see rider blues

06. Let's be friends

07. Catching as catch can

08. War rationing papa

Bea Booze, vcl; Sammy Price, pno; Abe Bolar, bs; Doc West, dms. New York City, 3 march 1944

09. Mr Freddie blues

10. Gulf Coast blues

11. So good

Bea Booze, vcl; Floyd Smith, g; Hank Jones, pno; Andy Kirk Orchestra. New York City, 1946

12. Alabama bound

13. Doggin' man blues

Bea Booze, vcl; Her Dixielanders, band. New York City, 1946

14. See see rider

Wee Bea Booze, vcl; Larry Johnson, pno/og; George Kelly, t-sax; Chris Powell, bs; Panama Francis, dms. New York City, 2 march 1951

15. Don't tell me nothing about my man

16. Easy riding blues

17. I just ain't feeling right

18. I'm gonna put you down

RAMONA HICKS (Lillie Mae Kirkman), vcl; Buster Bennett, a-sax; Jimmy Adams, vb; Aletha Dickerson, pno; Leroy Brown, bs. Chicago, Ill. 15 may 1939

19. Ramona blues

20. Where the eagle builds his nest

21. Evil and blue

22. Don't be like me

23. Tell my mama on you (vcl: Reavely Randall)

24. I must have it

LITTLE TINY KENNEDY, vcl; Leslie Ayres, tpt; Jimmy Coe, a-sax; Rufus Gore, t-sax; Alexander Nelson, b-sax; Jimmy Robinson, pno; Willie Gaddy, g; Clarence Mack, bs; Calvin Shields, dms. Cincinnati, Oh. 27 february 1952

25. Rippin' and runnin'

26. Newspaper boy blues

(This Tiny Kennedy is a female singer and absolutely not Jess "Tiny" Kennedy the male black shouter)

BETTY LOU DEMORROW, vcl; Dick Hartman, g; Harry Blair, g; Cecil Campbell, bjo; Elmer Warren, fdl; Fred "Happy" Morris, bs; Pappy Wolfe, saw/wbd/perc. Charlotte, NC. 22 june 1936

27. Fetch it on down to my house

28. Give it to me daddy

29. Let me play with it

30. Oh sweet daddy oo pshaw!

31. Please Mr Moon don't tell on me

32. Grandma and Grandpa

33. Feels good

34. No hugging or kissing

Betty Lou De Morrow, vcl; Dick Hartman, g; Harry Blair, g; Cecil Campbell, bjo; Garnett Warren, fdl; Fred "Happy" Morris, bs; Pappy Wolfe, saw/wbd/perc. Charlotte, NC. 11 october 1936

35. A night in Carolina

36. My Southern movements

 

TEXAS BLUES YESTERDAY/ Volume 11

 

TEXAS BLUES YESTERDAY/ Volume 11

 

        

  This post brings to the fore the Texas piano blues school, a big amount of piano players generally labelled as "Santa Fe piano blues" because the pioneers of the genre were playing in the juke joints scattered along the railway stations of the ATSF (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe), a line that starting in Kansas brought travellers and goods to Santa Fe in New Mexico through Texas.

 

          One of the pioneer of this style is the enigmatic Andy Boy (probably Anthony Boyd), born in Galveston on 10^th November 1904. His playing has touches of older ragtime and he recorded behind Joe Pullum and Walter Cowboy Washington as well as eight beautiful titles in San Antonio in 1937. One don't know when and where he died. He was heard in the 50's in the juke joints of Kansas City although Blues/ A regional experience gives New York as the possible place of his death.

 

         

Earl Gilliam was born at Lafayette, La. on 13 January 1930. But he was raised at New Waverly, Tx. where he started to play the piano in his local church at an early age. Trying to make a living with his music, Earl went to Houston and found quickly a job as the piano man of Gatemouth Brown's band. He stayed in Houston almost all his life, playing constantly in local venues, bars and joints. He played as a solo act as well as an accompanist for many bluesmen like Albert Collins, Albert King, Lightnin' Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Big Mama Thornton. He also played with Western Swing bands like the famous Light Crust Doughboys which allowed him to make his debut recordings under his name on the Sarg label, mostly a Western Swing and Hillbilly Music label. He only recorded a handful of numbers between 1955 and 1968 (all are here). This is while backing Joe Hughes that he as "rediscovered" and recorded at last a whole excellent album in 2004 for the Dialtone label. Gilliam died 19 october 2011 at his home of Tomball, Tx.

 

          Although Connie Mack Booker is the pianist of dozens of sessions throughout the years behind a big amount of artists (B.B. King, Jr Parker, Blues Boy Jones, Johnny Copeland etc...) he has not been very well documented. Born on 2 May 1931 at Edinburg, Tx. Connie was raised at Houston, starting to play a deep and bluesy style of piano in the clubs as soon as 1948. He recorded under his name a small amount of tracks that we have been able to gather here, I guess for the first time.

 

          A lot of thanks to Tom Thumb and Jose Yraberra for their help, sharing some of the rarest tracks on this collection.

 

                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

ANDY BOY, vcl/pno. San Antonio, Tx. 24 February 1937

01. Evil blues

02. House raid blues

03. Too late blues

04. Church Street blues

05. Out o'line blues

06. Lonesome with the blues

07. Jive blues

08. Yellow gal blues

EARL GILLIAM, vcl/pno; Lucian Davis, a-sax; Gene Burke, t-sax; Russell Willis, g; Donald Cooks, bs; Leo Hopkins, dms. Houston, Tx. may 1955

09. Don't make me late baby

10. Nobody's blues

11. Wrong doing woman

12. Petite baby

Earl Gilliam, vcl/pno; B.J. Brooks, t-sax; g; bs; Ivory Lee Semier, dms. Houston, Tx. 1962

13. Just you and I

Earl Gilliam, vcl/pno; band. Houston, Tx. c. 1968

14. Funky twist

15. Going back home

CONNIE MACK BOOKER, pno; Eddie Green, dms; L.C. Williams, vcl. Houston, Tx. june 1949

16. Shout baby boogie

17. Rich women blues

Connie Mack Booker, vcl/pno; Goree Carter, g; band. Houston, Tx. 1949

18. Loretta

19. You're trying to bring me down

20. Rich woman blues

21. My baby left me

Connie Mack Booker, vcl/pno; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Ed Wiley, t-sax; Goree Carter, g; Donald Cooks, bs; Ben Turner, dms. Houston, Tx. 1950

22. Trouble making woman

23. Dolphin Street stomp

Connie Mack Booker, vcl/pno; Cal Green, g; band. Houston, Tx. 8 december 1953

24. Love me pretty baby

25. All alone

26. Freight train rollings

 

CHARLES SHEFFIELD Voodoo is still working

 

CHARLES "MAD DOG" SHEFFIELD

         

Artiste important de la musique louisianaise, certains de ses titres étant même devenus "titres-cultes"!, Charles "Mad Dog" Sheffield n'en demeure pas moins très largement inconnu et, malgré tous nos efforts, nous n'avons pu recueillir que peu d'informations sur lui.

            Dans son ouvrage essentiel"South to Louisiana" sur les musiques du Sud de la Louisiane paru en 1983, John Broven n'est pas particulièrement disert sur Charles Sheffield qu'il situe esentiellement comme étant un chanteur "originaire de Lake Charles".
En fait, grâce à la ténacité du regretté Eric Le Blanc, nous savons que Charles Richard Sheffield est né le 16 février 1931 à Houston (Tx). Mais c'est effectivement pour le producteur de Lake Charles, Eddie Shuler et son label Goldband, que Sheffield enregistre en 1955-56, accompagné de

l'orchestre du superbe guitariste Clarence Garlow avec en plus Lionel Torrence au saxophone ténor! Mais ce sont les séances suivantes, cette fois puissamment produites par l'incontournable Jay Miller et réalisées dans ses studios de Crowley qui vont faire la réputation de Charles Sheffield. Pratiquement tout est exceptionnel de l'endiablé Shoo shoo chicken au morceau de danse très néo-orléanais The Kangaroo en passant bien sûr par le sublime It's your voodoo working, certainement un des meilleurs morceaux louisianais des années 60.

            Le succès a cependant été modeste et malgré deux séances plus tradives à La Nouvelle Orléans en 1965-66 sous le sobriquet de Prince Charles, Charles Sheffield disparaît de la scène musicale. Il décède dans l'anonymat le 27 mars 2010 à Beaumont (Tx).

            Pour envelopper encore plus de mystère cet artiste, plusieurs anthologies lui ont attribué des titres dans lesquels il n'est nullement présent et que nous avons donc signalés dans la discographie. Il manque encore deux morceaux (en rouge) pour pouvoir compléter cette petite mais importante oeuvre. Comme toujours, toute copie est la bienvenue.

            Merci à Benoit Blue Boy, Marc D. et Robert Wingfield pour leur aide.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            An important and influential musical figure from South Louisiana with some records still revered in many circles, Charles "Mad Dog" Sheffield remains nevertheless and despite all our efforts to unearth any clue, a very elusive artist.

            In his essential book, "South to Louisiana" from 1983, John Broven writes some facts about Charles Sheffield, particularly about his sessions and him being from Lake Charles. And those lines have been reproduced again and again through the years without unearthing further facts! But thanks to the late Eric Le Blanc we know that our man was in fact born in Houston (Tx) on February 16, 1931.

            But in 1955-56, Charles recorded a dozen titles in Lake Charles for local producer and Goldband label owner Eddie Shuler. Good sides backed by a top-notch band with Clarence Garlow playing the guitar and the great Lionel Torrence blowing his saxophone. But these are the following sessions in 1959-61 - this time for the ubiquitous J.D. Miller in his Crowley studios - that will launch Sheffield's reputation. Everything here is exceptionnal from the boisterous Shoe shoe chicken to the New Orleans type dance tune The Kangaroo through the masterpiece It's your voodoo working, still highly praised everywhere and certainly one of the very best track coming from South Louisiana during the 1960's.

            But the success must have been modest. Charles would record only twice in New Orleans in 1965-66 before vanishing completely. He died in Beaumont (Tx) on March, 27, 2010.
     To add to the mystery, Sheffield has been credited on several anthologies of titles in which he is not present at all! We have put those in the discography. Two titles are still missing to give a complete collection of Charles' works and any copy of it would be welcomed and fully credited.

            Thanks to Benoit Blue Boy, MarcD and Robert Wingfield for their help.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

CHARLES SHEFFIELD/ Complete Recordings

Charles Sheffield, vcl; Lionel Torrence, t-sax; Boogie Joe Joseph, pno; Clarence Garlow, g; James Williams, bs; Little Brother Griffin, dms. Lake Charles, La. 1955

01. Ooh! Wee baby! Ooh! Wee

02. Isabella

Cry baby cry

Charles Sheffield, vcl; Lionel Torrence, t-sax; tpt; tb; Boogie Joe Joseph, pno; Clarence Garlow, g; James Williams, bs; Little Brother Griffin, dms. Lake Charles, La. 1956

03. Cool Cat

04. Mad dog (Goldband)

05. Mad dog (Hollywood)

06. Clear my nights of misery

07. I got a fever

08. Wicked old fever

09. You move me

10. Nights of misery

11. One hour thirty minutes too long

12. Ball game

Boogie Chidren (in fact by Tabby Thomas)

I love you so (in fact I love her so by Alonzo Smith)

Nothing can keep my love from you (by Alonzo Smith)

Charles Sheffield, vcl; Big Sambo's Swingsters, band. Crowley, La. 1959

13. Is it because I love you?

14. Never no more

I've gotta love

15. Shoo Shoo Chicken

Charles Sheffield, vcl; Lionel Torrence, t-sax; Harry Simoneaux, t-sax; Peter Gosch, b-sax; Katie Webster, pno; Bobby Mc Bride, bs; Warren Storm, dms. Crowley, La. janvier 1961

16. It's your voodoo working

17. Rock'n'roll train

Charles Sheffield, vcl; same band. Crowley, La. juin 1961

18. I would be a sinner

19. The Kangaroo

Give it up (in fact by Vince Monroe/ Mr Calhoun)

20. You're gonna need somebody

Charles Sheffield, vcl; Doctor John, pno; Joey long, g; band. New Orleans, La. 1965

21. Come on home

22. Only you

Charles Sheffield (as Prince Charles), vcl; band. New Orleans, La. 1966

23. Sick

24. Get down on your knees and pray

 

 

 

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday/ Volume 27

 CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday/ Volume 27

 

This 27^th Volume of our popular "Chicago/ The blues Yesterday" series brings to the limelight three jazz and rock artists who in their career performed and recorded Chicago blues.

This is particularly the case to Donna Hightower (1926-2013). Donna, born in Caruthersville, Missouri into a sharecroppers family, sang in the local church while listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday records. While singing for a dinner in Chicago, she was

instantly signed by Bob Tillman, a well known columnist with the Chicago Defender newspaper. She got a gig daily at the Strand Hotel and started to record in Chicago a handful of tunes, some of them being clearly rooted into the Chicago blues of the era. I ain't in the mood would climb to the Top 50 Race Records. Donna went to the West Coast, recording again for RPM with Maxwell Davis and for Capitol but made the most of her successful career in Europe, recording jazz, pop, Gospel for numerous labels and appearing on the biggest jazz festivals.

On the other hand, Wild Child Gipson (Byron Everett Gipson Jr) (1930-1994) was a true pioneer of Rock'n'roll. Born in Gulfport, Illinois, Gipson learned bass and guitar and was a true fan of Lloyd Price. He started his career as a doo-woop singer with the Sliders. During the mid-50's, Gipson became the road manager, car driver and bodyguard of Little Richard (!), also arranging some of his songs and writing some tunes for his leader. Wild Child Gipson also recorded some tracks under his name, Uncle John (an answer to Richard's Long Tall Sally) gaining some commercial success. After an incident where he was shot on the leg, Gipson gave up the road and relocated to Quincy (Illinois) where he mostly made a living outside the music.

Tommy Dean was a pianist born in Franklin, La. in 1909. He played and recorded first in Saint Louis before taking his chance to Chicago after 1945 where he would play in clubs and record as a studio musician as well as under his name for Miracle, States, King, Federal and Vee Jay labels. Most of his records are in a jazzy blues vein and are very good with great singers like Joe Buckner or Jewell Belle. He died in Saint Louis in the fall of 1964. (cf http://campber.people.clemson.edu/deanie.html for a in-depth study of Tommy Dean's life and career)

 

                                          Gérard HERZHAFT

 

DONNA HIGHTOWER, vcl; Gail Brocklan, tpt; Poerter Kilbert, a-sax; Riley Hampton, a-sax; Walter Leonard, b-sax; Horace Henderson, pno; Floyd Smith, g; Arthur Edwards, bs; George Reid, dms. Chicago, Ill. 9 october 1951

01. I ain't in the mood

02. Cry

Donna Hightower, vcl; Gail Brocklan, tpt; Poerter Kilbert, a-sax; Riley Hampton, a-sax; Walter Leonard, b-sax; Horace Henderson, pno; Floyd Smith, g; Arthur Edwards, bs; George Reid, dms. Chicago, Ill. 3 february 1952

03. Honest and truly

04. I found a new love

Donna Hightower, vcl; prob. same band. Chicago, Ill. 4 avril 1952

05. Kiss me baby

06. Don't you think I oughta know

07. Farewell blues

WILD CHILD GIPSON (Byron Gipson), vcl/g The Sliders, band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1955

08. Honey dew

09. The one I love

Wild Child Gipson, vcl/g; The Sliders, band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1956

10. Footloose and fancy free

11. Etta Mae

12. I want cha baby

Wild Child Gipson, vcl/kbds; Freddie Tieken, t-sax; John Moorman, g; The Rockers, band. Chicago, Ill. 1958

13. Uncle John

14. Lost control

15. Sittin' here cryin'

16. Kool

Wild Child Gipson, vcl/kbds; Freddie Tieken, t-sax; Johnny Pisano, g; Freddie Katz & The Jammers, band. Quincy, Ill. 1965

17. Sweet roll'n stone

My kinduva blues

Wild Child Gipson, vcl/org; Peoria Soul Merchants, band. Peoria, Ill. 1966

18. Boogaloo train to Peoria

19. Coal mine n°2

TOMMY DEAN, pno; Gene Easton, a-sax; James Taylor, t-sax; Chris Woods, clt. Buck Underwood, bs; Pee Wee Jernigan, dms. Saint Louis, Mo. 1947

20. Rock easy

Just before day

Tommy Dean, pno; Chris Woods, a-sax; Edgar Hayes, t-sax; Gene Eatson, b-sax; bs; Pee Wee Jernigan, dms. Saint Louis, Mo. avril 1949

Jump for joy (vcl: Pee Wee Jernigan)

Dean's theme

Tommy Dean, pno; Chris Woods, a-sax; Edgar Hayes, t-sax; Gene Easton, b-sax; Eugene Thomas, bs; Pee Wee Jernigan, dms. Chicago, Ill. july 1949

21. Hours past midnight (vcl: Pee Wee Jernigan)

22. Scamon boogie

23. Sweet and lovely (vcl: Pee Wee Jernigan)

24. Just about right

Tommy Dean, pno; Chris Woods, a-sax; Edgar Hayes, t-sax; Gene Easton, b-sax; Eugene Thomas, bs; Pee Wee Jernigan, dms. Chicago, Ill. 4 juin 1952

25. Rainin' (It rains) (vcl: Jewel Belle)

26. Foolish (vcl: Jewel Belle)

27. Cool one groove two

28. Lonely Monday (vcl: Jewel Belle)

Tommy Dean, pno; Chris Woods, a-sax; Edgar Hayes, t-sax; Gene Easton, b-sax; Eugene Thomas, bs; Pee Wee Jernigan, dms. Chicago, Ill. 19 november 1952

Scammon boogie

How can I let you go (vcl: Jewel Belle)

Tommy Dean, pno/og; Oliver Nelson, a-sax; Chuck Tillman, t-sax; Archie Burnside, bs; Edgar Plaes, dms. Chicago, Ill. 20 december 1954

29. Deanie boy

30. Just before day

31. How can I let you go (vcl: Joe Buckner)

32. Why don't chu (vcl: Joe Buckner)

33. 221 Rock

34. Even time (vcl: Joe Buckner)

Tommy Dean, pno; Oliver Nelson, a-sax; Archie Burnside, bs; Edgar Plaes, dms. Chicago, Ill. 17 february 1955

35. The Gold Coast

Tommy Dean, pno/org; Oliver Nelson, a-sax; Chuck Tillman, t-sax; Joe Whitfield, t-sax; Archie Burnside, bs; Edgar Plaes, dms. Chicago, Ill. 11 july 1955

36. One more mile (vcl: Joe Buckner)

37. Skid row

38. Straight and ready

Tommy Dean, org; Charles Williams, a-sax; Fred Lee, t-sax; Haffuch Alexander, pno; Lefty Bates, g; Milton Wilson, dms/perc. Chicago, Ill. 27 may 1958

39. Recession