The Magnificent Goldberg

I didn't know that was what you were talking about. I thought you were talking about an influence that sharpened up the older blues players work. So what you're actually describing is "crossover"; a phenomenon, and a process, whereby black performers can be made acceptable to the white public and make the white people who promote and record & etc this new product a shed load of money (and some for the performers, I'll concede, the amount of which will depend more on how legal/savvy the musicians are, than on whether what they now do is good, bad or indifferent). Thanks. MG

Obviously, for marketing reasons I think Allen would say it's "the invisible bacon". MG

I have good memories of that year, too, but they're R&B memories I got my first record player for Christmas 1958, when we moved to London. So 1959, was a fantastic year for a fifteen/sixteen year old! MG

MG

The Mississippi Gambler The Cincinnati Kid Bill "Hoss" Allen

1959 was the last successive year (since 1942) in which jazz singles appeared on the R&B chart. There were none in 1960, only 2 in 1961 ("Sack of woe" by Ray Bryant and "One mint julep" by Ray Charles), 3 in 1962. So, by 1959, jazz was on its last legs as a force for entertainment in the ghettos. Compare it with 1948, in which there were R&B hits by Paul Williams (3), Earl Bostic, Lionel Hampton, Wild Bill Moore, Mabel Scott (2), Hal Singer, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Don Byas (2), Todd Rhodes, Tiny Grimes, Duke Ellington, Al Hibbler and Charlie Parker. And of course, plenty by Louis Jordan, Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington. MG

Yes, OK. Three questions. Was the impact of the white blues/rock bands on the blues masters something that gave them an additional filip of popularity in the ghetto or did it enable them to work the white college circuit? Which bluesmen were affected in this way? Which white musicians produced this effect? MG

MG, this the comp on the Ace label I have: I confess I chose that one over several others at my bricks & mortar for the simple reason that it included I'm Gonna Run It Down, the King single I bought in an auction when I was about 15 or something. However it's a beaut 26-track anthology with greats songs and guitar. I suspect the Monkey Hips and Rice: The "5" Royales Anthology on Rhino would be great if if you could find it. I have yet to check out the earlier tracks on Apollo. ********* One place where jump blues survived - surprisingly intact - into the '60s: In Las Vegas, and in the hands of Louis Prima and Sam Butera. Thanks very much, Kenny. Funny the holes one has in a collection... MG

Oh yes, please Dr J. And ready for BFT73 links, too MG

Happy Birthday, Big Al! (Pssst...) MG

Good vinyl day today. This evening's music has been Candy Johnson - Candy's mood - Black & Blue - a wonderful big-sounding tenor player who's a lot less than well-known. The Violinaires - Groovin' with Jesus - Checker (GRT) Very, very funky Gospel music from '72. Popular numbers include "My sweet Lord", "Let the sunchine in" and a fabulous version of Buddy Miles' "We got to live together". Willis Jackson - Please Mr Jackson - Prestige (OJC) now Bobby Timmons - Do you know the way to San Jose - Milestone (yellow/tan label) Then goodnight MG

T-Bone Walker - T-Bone blues - Atlantic (WEA UK) Late fities T-Bone was still the greatest! now, one for Chewy Joe Houston - Doin' the twist - Crown MG

Eli Fountain Sam Rivers Billy Ocean

They could have had an organ room there called the Clichy Cliché Lounge GROAN MG I had/have a couple of those. MG

Nice article. MG

And The Ames Brothers, Guy Mitchell, Vic Damone, Theresa Brewer, Perry Como, Patti Page, Eddie Fisher and, for TTK, Anton Karas! Indeed! No wonder I hated pop music at seven MG

Not many Welsh jazz musicians ... Huw Warren Andy Davies Brian Godding

A nice afternoon, up and down, turning over LPs Jesse Morrison - The versatility of Jesse Morrison - Abet - nice album with very strange sleeve featuring much green hair D: I met Jesse in 1996; a very nice guy. This LP is like him. Jack Wilson - The jazz organs - Vault (promo) - Wilson duets with Ghenghis Kyle and Henry Cain. With Gene Edwards, Leroy Vinnegar and Donald Bailey or John Gray and Philly Joe replacing Edwards and Bailey. A very interesting selection of tunes. The B C & M Choir - My sweet Lord - Creed (black label) - not only the title track but a version of "Let it be me" with completely different words. King Curtis - Soul twist - Enjoy (Trip) The Brooklyn All Stars - Walk tall - Jewel - one of my favourite post-fifties gospel quartets. now The Dixie Hummingbirds - Live - Peacock (ABC) - one of the last Peacock albums to be released by ABC and there's not a THING missing here. MG

Jimmy Forrest - Out of the Forrest - Prestige (Abbey test pressing - sounds OK to me, but no one signed it off for production Was this Joe Zawinul's first American recording? He's playing pretty funky on it, all right. MG

Aha! MG

My bank manager is keen that you say nothing! MG

If you worked on the Round The Horne or Beyond Our Ken series, how on earth did you Americanize the Julian and Sandy sketches? They got away with murder - and on the BBC - by using the Palare slang language adopted by the gay community. Good question. Perhaps they didn't feel they could get away with those in the US. MG

If $15Canadian = 9.99 GBP, yes. Not cheap. MG

And also Arnold Sterling (as/ts), Baltimore, 2 March 1938. I believe Arnold is still playing around the Baltimore/DC area, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARNOLD! MG

1958: Hank Ballard writes The Twist. The high opinion that Chubby Checker has of himself and his achievements is matched in absurdity only by the mediocrity of his talent. I knew it; only a matter of time before this thread devolved into yet another Chubby Checker bashing thread. Some things never change... There's nowt wrong with mediochre talents, in my view MG