The Legends of the Rocking Dutchman - episode 13

Legends Mix #3

This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.

And legends are what you're gonna get from me, and today I went blindfolded through my music collection and I picked some out, laid half of them aside and went again, over and over until I got some of the best allsorts I could get for you. And it's that mix that I'm going to let you listen to today. Not too much talking, after all I know you came here for the music and not for my voice, so let's start with the first one for the day and what a smash that is. Here are, on Vee-Jay from 1958, the Dells with Jeepers Creepers.

01 - Dells - Jeepers Creepers

The Dells - and jeepers creepers, what a group is that. They started in 1952 as the El-Rays and unlike many of their contemporaries they've hardly changed lineup and stayed in business - well until now and that is over fifty years. The present members are all in the group since the early sixties. They succesfully changed to soul music in the sixties and of course these were their most succesful years.

Time for another vocal group - the Larks. Unlike the Dells, this group died several times and revived again like a fenix. The group already had split up in 1952 but a year later former lead tenor Gene Mumford restarted a new Larks with Orville Brooks from the Golden Gate Quartet, David "Boots" Bowers and Isaiah Bing and for the piano Glenn Burgess and it's this version of the group that backs up Barbara Gale with Who Walks In When I Walk Out.

02 - Barbara Gale & The Larks - Who Walks In When I Walk Out
03 - Du Droppers - Smack Dab in the Middle

The Du Droppers with Smack Dab in the Middle. Now unlike most vocal groups, that were often formed in highschool, these men were about forty years old when they peaked in popularity in 1953. They had an number 3 R&B hit with I wanna know in 1953, but the success was short-lived. Smack Dab in the middle from 1955 was from their last session they did for RCA's subsidiary Groove, and it didn't sell - well most of the releases of this label didn't.

On with a recording from 1957 from Johnny Otis and his band. You can hear the voice of Marie Adams. It was just becoming somewhat of a novelty to add strings to ballads, something I don't like very much, but I'd say judge for yourself. On the 45 pressing this went by the title 'In the dark', but I've seen a label scan of a 78 that said 'Romance in the dark', and only the 78 credits Marie Adams and the Three tons of joy who provide the background. Well let's say they had a little more space on the labels of a 78. As late as in 1957 this format was getting less and less popular by the way. Listen to the Johnny Otis Show with Marie Adams.

04 - Johnny Otis Show feat. Marie Adams - In The Dark
05 - Dwight 'Gatemouth' Moore with Dallas Bartley and his Small Town Boys - I Ain't Mad At You

From 1945 on the National label was that Dwight 'Gatemouth' Moore with I Ain't Mad At You On this he was backed up by Dallas Bartley and his Small Town Boys. In this time he was a pretty popular performer and one of the few survivors of the inferno in the Natchez Rhythm Club inferno of April 23rd, 1940, that killed over two hundred people including most of his bandmates. In 1949 he got a religious experience onstage and immediately gave up his musical career for preaching.

Next up the Ravens. Mostly you'll hear the voice of Jimmy Ricks singing the lead but here they back up the great Dinah Washington and it makes a pretty cool song. Here's Hey Good Lookin'.

06 - Ravens & Dinah Washington - Hey Good Lookin'
07 - Champion Jack Dupree - Let The Doorbell Ring

That was boxer and musician Champion Jack Dupree. Though he traveled all of America during his musical and boxing career, he remained loyal to the style of the Barrelhouse Blues of New Orleans where he was born and raised in an orphanage. You heard Let the Doorbell Ring.

I want to go on with two songs of the Jive Bombers. They were originally a merger of two vocal groups, the Palmer Brothers and Sonny Austin and the Jive Brothers. In most of their songs it's Clarence Palmer who does the lead vocal. After their big hit Bad Boy, from 1957, he made that strange scatting style that he shows off in that song, to his trademark. Listen to All of me and The blues don't mean a thing.

08 - Jive Bombers - All Of Me
09 - Jive Bombers - The Blues Don't Mean A Thing

(rocking Dutchman jingle)

10 - Gay Poppers - You Better Believe
11 - Gay Poppers - I've got it

Wow, what a great mover is that. You heard the Gay Poppers, first with You better believe and this was I've got it from 1960 on the Savoy label. Perhaps nowadays you wouldn't call your group like that anymore but back then gay just meant cheerful and poppers weren't a sex enhancing drug.

Time for a few ladies. Della Reese already started singing professionally very early - in the mid-forties, at the age of thirteen she was contracted for Mahalia Jackson's gospel choir. In 1953 she joined the orchestra of Erskine Hawkins and signed with Jubilee records, and in 1957 she had a major pop hit with And that reminds me. Here is Della Reese with I cried for you.

12 - Della Reese - I Cried For You
13 - Annisteen Allen - Wheels Of Love

Annisteen Allen with the Wheels of Love. It was the flip of her succesful Fujiyama Mama from 1955.

On with Eugene Church. From 1957 on Specialty records you get from me How Long. After that I ain't going for that, the flip of his 1959 hit Miami.

14 - Eugene Church - How Long
15 - Eugene Church - I ain't goin' for that

We're zapping back and forth through the Rhythm & Blues here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman, as I'm presenting you a mix without a central theme - or it must be that it's all great music. So let's make a jump back to the forties. Here is Jimmy Preston with the Huclebuck daddy.

16 - Jimmy Preston - Huclebuck daddy
17 - Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers - The Blues

Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers with The blues. Now Liggins had made himself immortal with his 1945 smash hit the Honeydripper, that peaked the R&B chart for a solid 18 weeks. He made quite a few releases after that, of course never again as succesful as the Honeydripper itself.

In the late forties Paul Payten had a succesful band and several of his recordings feature Annie Laurie. From the end of 1949 comes the following recording that was made in New Orleans. Here is My rough and ready man.

18 - Paul Gayten feat. Annie Laurie - My Rough And Ready Man
19 - B.B. King - Miss Martha King

The great B.B. King with Miss Martha King. Now that is a legendary record - it was the very first single he brought out and it may be his first one, and it may not have charted back then, but this is B.B. King at his very best.
I'm going out with Joe Houston and one of his many songs on the twist. Here is Doing the twist.

20 - Joe Houston - Doing The Twist

And Joe Houston marked the end of this episode of the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman where I just mixed some great music. I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed producing it. And if so, or if not, let me know and send me an e-mail to rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. you can also visit my web site, just do a google search on the legends of the rocking dutchman and it'll pop up first. As for now, byebye and have a great day. No, have a rocking day. See you next time on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!