The Magnificent Goldberg

Hey, when did you learn to post pics, Chewy? MG

Plain Jane Bony Moronie Skinny Minnie

Earlier Pastor Maceo Woods & the Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir - Prelude - Savoy then Lou Donaldson - Sweet Poppa Lou - Muse (WEA France) now Ramsey Lewis - Goin' Latin - Cadet (Pye) MG

Tommy Walls Winston Walls Max Wall

Yes - I used to have that, but sold it when I was broke. Never seen it again. Looks like it was reissued, because the sleeve's different. MG Records? Just demos. With whom? MG

But what does it mean? MG Per Wikipedia: Some of the words are nonsensical. Axton wanted to persuade his record producers to record a new melody he had written and the producers asked him to sing any words to the tune. A member of Three Dog Night said that the original lyrics to the song were "Jeremiah was a prophet" but "no one liked that". Thanks. MG

But what does it mean? MG

Managed to get the double or nowt question, so came out with 218. They don't have much on soul jazz or mbalax in these quzzes, do they? MG

Don't understand, I'm afraid. Are you referring to the sound of his voice? MG

Yes, nice. I've rather neglected Hardee. Glad you've reminded me. Course, Ike wasn't a trailblazer, either. MG

Mi Corazon Carole King Gerry Goffin

Welcome Big Boy. I see you're from Boise - any black territory bands still around there? MG

I doubt it - Wright's piece on the Marsalis album was written by... (hold your breath)... Stanley Crouch. MG

Hello Jim Sangrey Hey, did you ever play on any R&B records, Jim? MG

Frances Landesman Thomas J Wolf Roberta Flack

Earlier New Jersey Mass Choir - Live at the Ritz - Savoy (The NJMC backed Foreigner on their hit 'I don't know what love is' and that song is included in this gig.) MG

Ronald MacDonald Old MacDonald Farmer John

On to T-Bone walker now. 1955 session in Chicago for Atlantic - Andrew 'Goon' Gardner, Eddie Chamblee, McKinley Easton, John Young, Ransome Knowling & Leroy Jackson 1957 session in LA for Atlantic - Plas Johnson, R S Rankin, Barney Kessell, Joe Comfort & Earl Palmer. I don't think I'll detail his last LP - most of the jazz musicians, with the probably exception of Fathead (who'd worked in T-Bone's band in his young days) were overdubbed. So, Otis Rush next. His first Cobra session, which produced his only hit, 'I can't quit you baby', had Red Holloway on tenor. All of his other Cobra sessions, except the last, featured Harold Ashby. He had good taste in tenormen, didn't he? MG

On to Gator Tail now. Willis was married to Ruth Brown for a while, so he appeared on some significant recordings of hers, including, 'Teardrops from my eyes', '5-10-15 hours' and 'Daddy, Daddy'. He was also on a load of singles by Little Willie John, including, 'All around the world' and 'Need your love so bad' (surely one of the most beautiful R&B singles ever). T-Bone Walker now. Well, after I've made a cuppa. MG Some of those tracks with Solomon and Wilkerson are in the Mosaic box, I think. Dunno about Freddie Waits. But all of those Aladdins were in the Mosaic box. I haven't checked who was in the band for his King material; not sure I have the info. MG

Oh, another Spoon album I used to have but forgot was 'New Orleans blues' (Atlantic) with Sidney DeParis (cnt) Wilbur DeParis (tb) Omer Simeon (cl) Sonny White (p) Shep Shepherd (bj) Benny Moten (b) Wilbert Kirk (d) - Jeff, is Shep Shepherd the same guy who played bass with Bill Doggett? And Benny Moten!!!! Phew, even though he got his name misspelled. And, thanks to Hot Ptah, who sent me a copy, I know that Johnny Copeland's 1981 LP, 'Copeland special' includes (hold your breath.....) George Adams, Arthur Blythe and Byard Lancaster. And Albert Collins' LP 'Don't lose your cool' has Chris Foreman (of the Deep Blue Organ Trio) on keyboards. Earl Brown and Eddie Chamblee were in the Lowell Fulson band recording for Checker in 1955 & 56. Oh and Eddie was in the Amos Milburn band for quite a while. Now Amos Milburn's sidemen included - Don Wilkerson, Clifford Solomon, Red Callender, Eddie Chamblee, Ernie Freeman, Irving Ashby, John Anderson (tp), Streamline Ewing, Sweets Edison, Harry Klee, Bumps Myers and Johnny Mandell doing arrangements. MG

OK, on to some early B B King cuts for which I know the personnel - and they're relevant. 3 o'clock blues - with Willie Mitchell (later at HI Records), Hank Crawford and Calvin Newborn Woke up this morning; You upset me baby; and Every day I have the blues - with George Coleperson Sweet little angel - with Jymie Merritt (again!) His LP 'Blues & jazz' of course has a good ration of jazzmen, including Don Wilkerson, Arnett Cobb, Billy Butler, Warren Chiasson (now THERE'S a name you don't see often in this context), Major Holley, Oliver Jackson, and..... WOODY SHAW!!!!!!!!! OK, onto this Piano Red EP, which features, on different tracks - Kenny Burrell, Skeeter Best, Leroy Kirkland, Milt Hinton, Gus Johnson (all on the 1957 session), Wesley Jackson (1955 & 1958), and Marion Booker (1958). And what about King Curtis? Possibly nearly as many R&B recordings as Plas Johnson. MG

Indeed. Over dinner, I remembered that Ben Webster made a fair number of recordings with Pee Wee Crayton. Also he was on this Spoon album: Jimmy Witherspoon - Roots - Reprise He was also on another great Spoon album - 'At the Monterey Jazz Festival' - with Roy Eldridge, Urbie Green, Woody Herman, Coleperson Hawkins, Earl Hines, Vernon Alley & Mel Lewis. And on yet another great Spoon album - At the Renaissance - a few months later, with Gerry Mulligan, Jimmy Rowles, Leroy Vinnegar * Mel Lewis again. Those two were on Hifijazz. This next one was on Pacific Jazz Jimmy Witherspoon - Singing the blues - with Gerald Wilson, Teddy Edwards, Jimmy Allen (ts), Hamp Hawes, Herman Mitchell (g), Jimmy Hamilton (b), Jimmy Miller (d) Almost all the Spoon albums I've got have jazz musicians backing him. An album apparently first issued in UK on Society ('Jimmy Witherspooon sings the blues') has him with Groove Holmes & Teddy Edwards. Groove was with him again in the 90s for 'As blue as they can be' (with some tracks by Odetta). Three Prestige albums I have of his have backings by jazz musicians: Baby, baby, baby has Kenny Burrell, Leo Wright, Gildo Mahones, George Tucker and Jimmie Smith Evening' blues has Clifford Scott, T-Bone Walker, Clarence Jones & Wayne Robertson Blues around the clock has Paul Griffin, Lloyd Westbrook, Leonard Gaskin & Herbie Lovelle I also have 'The blues is now' - Verve with Jack McDuff, Danny Turner, Leo Johnson, Melvin Sparks, Jymie Merritt (now there's a bloody surprise!) and Ray Appleton. and this Midnight lady called the blues - Muse - and what a BEAUTIFUL band! OK, mustn't forget that Wild Bill Moore played on Marvin Gaye's 'What's going on' album and soloed on 'Mercy mercy me'. And, having mentioned Fathead on the Spoon Muse LP, one also has to say that he probably made more solo appearances on R&B records than anyone except Plas Johnson (or Bernard Purdie or Idris Muhammad, for that matter). But one I really like is the Neville Brothers 'Fiyo on the bayou' - I love his solo on 'Hey Pocky way'. Jimmy McGriff is another musician who played on R&B records. He made two with Junior Parker - 'Chicken fried soul' - UA - recorded at Jimmy's own organ room - and 'Good things don't happen every day' - Groove Merchant. And he was also on an album by Albert Collins - 'Cold snap' (Alligator). And I recently found out that Odell Brown, long after the Organizers, collaborated with Marvin Gaye on his last album, 'Midnight love', arranging some of the tunes and co-writing 'Sexual healing'. http://wdajnabi.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/back-story-odell-brown/ Oh, and Gerald Wilson didn't half arrange a bunch of R&B hits, too. Now going off for a cough and a drag. Back later with B B King backing musicians. MG

And I shouldn't have forgotten 'Cherry Red blues' - the record that stayed on the R&B top 15 longer than any other (9 months!) - by the Cootie Williams band, with Cootie (tp), Jaws (ts), Bud Powell (p), Norm Keenan (b), Vess Payne (d) and vocals & alto by Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson. The follow up - by the same band - 'Somebody's gotta go' made #1, but didn't last 9 months. Vinson, of course, also wrote 'Four' and 'Tune up' and gave them to Miles Davis, because he couldn't use them in his act. Also, George Treadwell was in a later edition of that band; he wasn't an R&B artist but he owned the Drifters. MG

That's a lineup I never would have imagined. I didn't know that one, either, but Hadda was accompanied by the whole Basie band on several of her recordings. Also The lineup for Fatback Band's entire first album included George Adams (and he contributed a nice solo on one track). John Patton not only played on most of Lloyd Price's early ABC singles, he wrote (or co-wrote, if you believe the credits) 'Where were you on our wedding day?' Fred Jackson was in that band, too, as was, a little later, Slide Hampton. But there's a question underlying this thread - what's a jazz musician. Plenty of R&B stars were jazz musicians before they became R&B stars. The classic example is Johnny Otis, who was good enough to record with Prez before he formed his Show. But you can add Joe Liggins, Roy Milton, Amos Milburn, Bullmoose Johnson, Big John Greer, Ray Charles, George Benson and Louis Jordan to the list. MG

William of Orange Tangerine Dream Canaan Banana