This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And in today's show I feature, yes, another radio show, that is the AFRS Jubilee show - a show specially made for the Armed Forces overseas. It featured live performances of the great popular artists - a stunning amount of great Rhythm & Blues of some greater names, but also artists and groups that you wouldn't have thought of. Sometimes songs and instrumentals that they never got released on record, and if they had, then still they sounded different 'cause they were live performances.
And so to start with, one of the greats. So here is Louis Jordan with If You Can't Smile And Say Yes (Don't Cry And Say No)
01 - Louis Jordan - If You Can't Smile And Say Yes (Don't Cry And Say No)
02 - Andy Kirk - Little Joe From Chicago
A song they done on record too - Little Joe From Chicago of Andy Kirk and his band from show number 51 of November 8, 1943. The half-hour shows were recorded and distributed among the Forces on 16-inch 33 RPM, but not microgroove disks. The records held fifteen minutes of music on each side, and for the earlier shows one show was split up over two separate records, so the studio technician did not have to flip over the record, and could provide the listener with a nearly continuous show using two turntables. On the flip of both records, another show was split up the same way. This was discontinued in 1943 when the shows were just pressed back-to-back on the disc.
Now Jubilee was a program aimed at African-Americans in the Armed Forces and by then, the segregation that was all over American society, also counted for the Army. African-Americans *were* drafted, but listed in separate units most often not in direct combat but with supportive tasks - such as transport, cooking, supply and maintainance. Apart from the general sense of unfairness, many had the idea to be denied to defend their country.
It also worked the other way 'round, and in the Pittsburgh Courier, the largest African-American newspaper, the Double V-campaign was started, starting with a letter to the editor from James G. Thompson of Wichita, KS. titled 'Should I Sacrifice to Live Half American?'. The Double V aimed for victory twice, victory not only on the battlefield but victory also over racism within the country. The campaing had some success, as the President outruled segregation in the defense industry, but it remained official in the Armed Forces until 1948. Historian Stephen Ambrose caught the irony of the situation, making the remark that 'The world’s greatest democracy fought the world’s greatest racist with a segregated army'.
It was pretty inefficient to have segregation in the army. A few divisions were a good exception, but it helped cause some 15% of personnel being unavailable for combat, in an army where personnel shortage was a structural problem. In the winter of '44 the situation was so problematic that President Eisenhower took the step to allow Blacks to volunteer for combat funtions. The response was enormous - many even accepted a lesser rank to fight the Germans or the Japanese. Their reckless bravery often made up for the lack of training they had.
I'll tell you more about the position of African Americans in the war later, and about the radio shows that I feature in *my* radio show today, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. For now some music, also from that show number 51. Here is Nat King Cole with I'm An Errand Boy For Rhythm.
03 - Nat King Cole - I'm An Errand Boy For Rhythm
04 - Jimmy Witherspoon - Kain River Blues
(jingle)
05 - Tampa Red - I'll Be Up Again Someday
06 - Joe Liggins - How Come
You got four in a row, after Nat King Cole that was the Kain River Blues of Jimmy Witherspoon from show number 279 of March 15 1948. Then you got from show 276 from the same year Tampa Red with I'll be up again someday and finally Joe Liggins with How Come from show number 137 of June 1945. And you hear it right, two were from 1948. When the war was over many American soldiers remained stationed in countries overseas and so the Armed Forces Radio Service and the Jubilee show remained.
The same show as I got you Joe Liggins from, also featured Jimmy Lunceford and his orchestra and blues singer Effie Smith. It's a bit odd that they didn't let Liggins do his greatest hit the Honeydripper, but Lunceford. But they do a great cover version. So here she is, Effie Smith with Liggins' great celebration of the hepcat scene. Backed by Jimmy Lunceford here is the Honeydripper.
07 - Jimmie Lunceford feat. Effie Smith - The Honeydripper
08 - Hollywood Four Blazes - You Better Watch Yourself
From Jubilee show #240 from 1947, The jive group the Four Blazes with You Better Watch Yourself. This is the group from the West Coast led by George Crawford, often called the Hollywood Four Blazes 'cause at the same time there was a Chicago group with that same name. To add to the confusion, the Chicago outfit temporarily changed their name to the Five Blazes when they added a pianist to the group, and the Chicago group recorded a Chicago Boogie where the Hollywood Four Blazes have recorded a Chicago Blues.
Not strange that even the more well-informed labels like the Document series have misidentified these groups, that by the mid-forties had a somewhat similar sound and repertoire. The website of the Red Saunders Research Foundation, that documents the Chicago Rhythm & Blues scene, has done the effort to once and for all clear this up by publishing an annotated discography on both groups - even though the Hollywood group was beyond the scope of their website.
And from the Four Blazes we go to the Three Blazers of Johnny Moore - also a respected group from the West Coast. Here they are, from a show of March '48, with Scratchy.
09 - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - Scratchy
10 - Nat King Cole - Signifying Monkey
And from Johnny Moore to Nat King Cole isn't such a great step - Moore's outfit was meant primarily to jump into the high demand of combos sounding like Cole's. For sure he set a standard with his trio. You heard the Siginifying Monkey from show number 15 of November 1943.
The Armed Forces Radio Service's Jubilee shows were either recorded with audience or, sometimes, audience cheer was dubbed in. It's pretty easy to tell the studio shows from the live ones, and the latter are much more lively. Show Host - or Master of Ceremonies of the show was Ernie "Bubbles" Whitman and he presented his show with a lot of humor and peppered jive talk. Just to get an idea of his voice, here you hear him thanking Nat King Cole for his performance of Signifying Monkey. (...)
The shows were recorded in the Los Angeles studios of NBC. Musicians volunteered to play on the Jubilee shows and that helped getting a varied show with several musicians without cost getting out of hand. Also, a dedicated AFRS orchestra was put together from Army and Air Force bands.
The first years of the show were in the middle of the first recording strike of the American Federation of Musicians and for the Armed Forces, the union made an exception. From 1942-44, Armed Forces shows, and the V-Disc program were the only source of recorded music. This makes the shows important from a historical viewpoint, and especially jazz historians have, with these shows, their only, rare, documentation of the beginnings of bebop.
Jubilee showcased African-American talent, at least in the early days, where the mainstream show, Command Performance, had the white artists on board. After 1945 increasingly more white artists got on the Jubilee show - like the orchestra of Harry James who backs up blues singer Etta Jones on a show from April 1948, on this Blues To End All Blues.
11 - Etta Jones with Harry James - Blues To End All Blues
12 - Roy Milton - Red Light
Roy Milton and his sextet as he was announced in this 1947 recording of Red Light - I assume it were the same members as his Solid Senders, at least judging from the sound of the group. On this show he did another song, that I never heard of him on a regular recording, a great version of the traditional Ol' Man River. Here it is.
13 - Roy Milton - Ol' Man River
14 - Big Joe Turner - Low Down Dog
The Low Down Dog of Big Joe Turner was that and this comes from show number 52 recorded in November of 1943, a show that also featured Albert Ammons - and the piano work on this one for sure is him.
I promised you to spend a few more words on the position of African Americans in the army during World War 2. As I told you most were assigned to supportive units. Most who were assigned to segregated combat units suffered from bad equipment and incompetent officers. There were some notable exceptions though - the Tuskegee Airmen, the 333rd and the 969the Field Artillery Battalions, and the 561st Tank Battalion, the latter served under General Patton who initally thought black men could not think fast enough to fight in tanks. The unit's achievements changed his view, and he declared "I don't care what color you are as long as you (...) kill those Krauts".
Segregation and discrimination has always been a leading theme in my shows, listeners, as they played a key role in the development of Rhythm & Blues and the influence African American music has had on all of our popular music. In the meanwhile, I think it's a disgrace of the American history and nation, and more than fifty years after segregation ended, African Americans generally still are the lower half of American society, with statistically proven less chances to share in the American dream. No Black President, nor any law will change that unless American society will shake off the burden of history - and African Americans are willing to fight themselves - rather than others - to an equal position in society, an equality that is the true spirit of the Constitution.
15 - Delta Rhythm Boys - Are You Fer It
16 - Harlon Leonard - Mistreated
17 - Jimmy Witherspoon - New Orleans Woman
And after my thunder speech you got three more from the AFRS Jubilee shows, first the Delta Rhythm Boys with Are You Fer It and that came from show number 52 of November 1943. Then from that same show, Mistreated of Harlon Leonard and finally from show number 281 of March 1948 Jimmy Witherspoon and that was the New Orleans Woman.
I already told you these shows have become historically important, not only for military history, but also for the music as the first years no other recordings were made due to the strike of the American Federation of Musicians. And therefore it's a good thing that they have been placed in the Public Domain, so they are freely available for everyone. You can find them on several sites to download free of charge and generally the sound quality is good. If you rather have them on a CD with a booklet and imprint, they've been reissued that way as well. Both ways are easy to find on the web.
I did a lot of talking, all about significant historical facts so if you want to read back what I told you today just go to my web site - it's all on there. Search Google for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman - that's the easiest way to get there and in the list of episodes, this is show number 149. Response to my show, you can also address that to rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com.
Ernie 'Bubbles' Whitman had his own way to end his show. So with him, I say Plant you now and dig you later. See you next time, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!