The Legends of the Rocking Dutchman - episode 42

Legends Mix #11

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 is what you're gonna get from me today, great legends and small legends and today a very mixed bag of tunes that I picked together browsing my database that covers the part of my music collection that I did catalogue - and I'm afraid a similar amount still needs to be done.

But I want to start with the instrumental that I promised you to play this time, because in the previous episode of the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman, that covered the number ones of 1951 and 1952, I had to cut off the last one, because there wasn't enough time for it. So here it is again, from 1952 on the United label, Jimmy Forrest with his classic instrumental Night Train.

01 - Jimmy Forrest - Night Train

The Night Train in its original version and there's a lot of history on this song. As for the making of it, it was based on the 1940 Johnny Hodges instrumental That's the Blues, Old Man, or rather, more likely, on Duke Ellington's adaptation of it, the Happy-Go-Lucky Local.

Now Jimmy Forrest was saxophonist in Ellington's band and he had played that piece, and after he left Ellington, this third hand version, with the title Night Train, saw the light, and it made it to number one on the Rhythm & Blues and Forrest got the credits for composing the tune, at least for BMI, the organization that collects the royalties for artists.

Now this was an instrumental but soon there came lyrics on it. The first set is a typical blues text about the singer regretting mistreating his woman now that she left her - on the night train. The credits for the pretty bland lyrics go to guitarist Oscar Washington and Lewis Simpkins, one of the bosses of United records and it has been suggested that they were only made to get part of the songwriter royalties. I have a neat vocalese version by the Four Blazes - also on United - that closely follows the original of Jimmy Forrest.

Of course James Brown made a notable version of the night train in 1961 with his own lyrics, that is, it was rather a shouting of the cities that he would tour in the near future and thus a kind of an advertisement song for his own band - now that's a thing you can leave up to James Brown.

Well that'll be enough talk about one song, so let's just jump back to the music. Here is Jimmy Wilson with Jumpin' From Six To Six.

02 - Jimmy Wilson - Jumpin' From Six To Six
03 - Dolly Cooper - Ay La Bah

Ay La Bah, a nice rocking ditty of Dolly Cooper - one of these forgotten ladies of Rhythm & Blues of the fifties. Her recording career spans some seven years for the Savoy, Modern and Dot labels but none of them were able to bring her to stardom. Now everywhere I go you can expect this song to suddenly start and play - it's the ringtone of my phone.

We'll stay with the forgotten ladies of R&B with Pauline Rogers and her Come into my parlor on the Atco label. In 1956 Billboard writes a little review about this song and it says: "a voice of uncommon quality and texture coupled with a cute piece of material, smartly recorded makes this a very strong side." And I guess they're right.

04 - Pauline Rogers - Come Into My Parlor
05 - Tiny Topsy - Just A Little Bit

Otha Lee Moore Hall - but we know her better as Tiny Topsy with her classic Just a little bit off the Federal label and it was from 1959. Now there was little tiny on this lady - and definitely not her voice that easily compares with Big Maybelle or Big Mama Thornton, and well, when I compare these three they all have a large voice and a large.. euh.. torso.

Next another lady with a strong voice, Linda Hayes. I found that on an LP on the Danish Official label. Listen to Hubba Hubba.

06 - Linda Hayes - Hubba Hubba
07 - Frank Motley & His Motley Crew - Honking At Midnight

Great party music - that was Frank Motley - the dual trumpeter with his band the Motley Crew and that was Honking at Midnight. Motley who learnt to play the trumpet from Dizzy Gillespie and developed a technique to play two trumpets simultaneously. This was on the DC label - one of the many small labels he recorded for.

Today's playlist is a compilation that I picked by just browsing through my database that coveres the part of my music collection that is well-catalogued, and I have so much that I still have to sort out. And I'm afraid that catalogued part is more than average from digital source, cd's or tracks that I bought by the piece on-line. It's pretty easy to extract the information from mp3 files or that comes in a file name and put it into a database - that is if you either get the right tools for that or, like me, write a program that does that for you. Indeed, listener, your show host earns his money as a IT man, building software for a company nearby. I'm afraid presenting a radio show doesn't do it for me financially. But anyhow, I did write a little program for myself that makes organizing my stuff easier.

On that playlist I also put the next great song. This apparently is a reply song on Mama he treats your daughter mean. Listen to Gloria Irving and she's being backed up by the band of Sax Kari - the obscure and colourful band leader that I did a story on a few shows ago. Listen to (Daughter) That's Your red wagon now.

08 - Gloria Irving & Sax Kari Orchester - (Daughter) That's Your red wagon
09 - Louis Jordan - You Run Your Mouth

From 1949 on Decca that was Louis Jordan and his Tympany five with You Run Your Mouth, I’ll Run My Business and there's actually a pretty uncommon voice-and-response between Louis Jordan and his own alto saxophone, and the fact that in one take, he had to alternate with singing and blowing his sax explains for the somewhat odd spaces between his sung lines and the instrumental response. Well I play the saxophone myself, though not nearly as good as Louis Jordan, and I know from experience how difficult it is to take the mouthpiece in the mouth and immediately begin to play.

Next Johnny Moore's three blazers with the Jukebox Lil and the voice of a young Charles Brown is rally easy to distinguish. This was released in 1947 on the Exclusive label. In the mid-forties they did their songs pretty much in the style of Nat King Cole. Later when Brown had left Johnny Moore, he specialized in these dark and troublesome blues that we know him from and that were the great inspiration for Ray Charles in his early years in Seattle when he recorded for the Down Beat and Swing Time labels.

Listen to Jukebox Lil.

10 - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - Jukebox Lil
11 - Willis Jackson - Later 'Gator

Willis Gatortail Jackson with Later Gator and as a Miami-born man, the alligator must have been somewhat of a mascot for him, apart from his nickname he recorded several songs and instrumentals with the gator in it, like Later Gator that I'm going to play, a completely different song titled Later for the Gator and the 1959 albums Cool Gator and Blue Gator, and more.

Well the gator is my mascot too ever since I built myself a little home in a remote place in the Sunshine State, and here in Holland at my work there's a huge purple inflatable alligator that stands behind me on the file cabinet - a joke that my colleagues done for me for my 50th birthday. Really - I had to fight the animal like Steve Irwin near the canal that my work place is at.

12 - George Jenkins & The Tune Twisters - Shufflin' Boogie
13 - Harold Burrage - Stop For The Red Light

You heard Harold Burrage with Stop For The Red Light, that was released in 1957 on the Chicago-based Cobra label and before that you got George Jenkins & The Tune Twisters with the Shufflin' Boogie.

Next two songs that only have in common that the titles sound similar. You will get the Rhythm Aces with Flippety Flop and after that Bumpity Bump by Smiley Lewis.

14 - Rhythm Aces - Flippety Flop
15 - Smiley Lewis - Bumpity Bump

(jingle)

16 - Pee Wee Crayton - I Love You So
17 - Jesse Powell Orchestra & Fluffy Hunter - The Walkin' Blues (Walk Right In Walk Right Out)

Now that were some great platters full of groovy stuff. After Flippety Flop and Bumpity Bump and the jingle you got Pee Wee Crayton with I Love You So, the flip of his 1948 number one hit, the instrumental Blues after hours. And after that you got Fluffy Hunter backed up by Jesse Powell and his Orchestra with the Walking Blues, that is better known by its punchline Walk Right In Walk Right Out.

Next a singer whom I never played before here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. I'm talking about Al Hibbler and from 1943 he sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra for a solid 8 years, and he's often seen as the best male singer Ellington ever had. But I think his style is a bit overdone, somewhat overstated. Let's say - to much mannered to be the gritty Rhythm & Blues that I like so much.

This is from 1956, so way after he left Ellington, and this is the original recording he did for the pretty unknown Original label. He re-recorded it for Decca that made it his last big hit, but that version is even a lot smoother than this one - and you know I usually treat you with original versions. So straight from a pretty smooth 45 here is After The Lights Go Down Low.

18 - Al Hibbler - After The Lights Go Down Low

And Al Hibbler closes today's parade of great rhythm & blues on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman. Well I realize I've been talking a lot about myself today, a lot of the music of today had a connection with a personal story and I hope you will excuse me for that, after all I know you came here for the music and not for my voice.

Well - you can always let me know - send me an e-mail with your likes or dislikes or any comment that you want to do. The address is rockingducthman@rocketmail.com. Or visit my web site, where you can review today's play list and see what's on for next time, just do a google search for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and my site will show up first. As for now, byebye and have a sunny and rocking day. See you next time on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!