The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings (King LP 295-106)

Side 1:
01) Big Boy
02) Darn That Dream
03) Soft Winds
04) Sophisticated Lady

Side 2:
01) They Can't Take That Away From Me
02) What's New
03) 633-Knock!
04) Danny Boy

The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings (Mega)

The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings (Zippy)

Back in November 2019 I posted a "reconstruction" of the Bill Jennings / Leo Parker King LP "Billy In The Lion's Den." That 12 incher from 1957 was an expanded version of an LP originally released as a 10 incher in 1955 - "Jazz Interlude" (King LP 295-105) -

At roughly the same time (going by the issue numbers) King released the 10 inch LP that I have "reconstructed" for this post - "The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings." Four of the eight tracks originated from the July 1954 sessions with Leo Parker ( but sans Parker, natch) and the remaining four tracks were from an October 1954 session on which Jennings was backed by the Bill Doggett combo.

A couple of the tracks recorded with Doggett are good R&B swingers ("Big Boy" and "633-Knock!") with "Big Boy" being a substantial R&B hit in 1955. The rest of the tracks are fine mellow jazz with "Soft Winds" perhaps being the closest to R&B in feel. It was interesting to find that Billboard reviewed some of the single releases of these tracks as jazz ("What's New" / "Soft Winds" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me") while the remaining tracks were reviewed under R&B. See below for details on the issue on single of the tracks on this LP.

Recording Details

They Can't Take That Away From Me; What's New; Soft Winds; Sophisticated Lady were recorded in Cincinnati on July 8th 1954 by the following personnel: Bill Jennings (guitar); Andrew Johnson (piano and organ); Joe Williams (bass); George DeHart (drums)

Big Boy; Darn That Dream; 633-Knock!; Danny Boy were recorded in Cincinnati in October 1954 by the following personnel: Bill Jennings (guitar); Bill Doggett (organ); Jimmy Glover (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

Single Release Details

What's New / Soft Winds - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4735 - released August 1954

Big Boy / Danny Boy - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4760 - released December 1954

Darn That Dream / Blue Grass - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4771 - released February 1955

Sophisticated Lady / 633-Knock! - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4786 - released April 1955

They Can't Take That Away From Me / Sweet And Lovely - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4805 - released June 1955

Elsewhere On The Blog

Get yourself over to the post on the Bill Jennings / Leo Parker LP "Billy In The Lion's Den" for more of Bill's guitar stylings plus the lowdown on his career as an R&B session man (mostly with King) and as an exponent of soul jazz (mostly with Prestige).

My thanks to the original uploaders of the album artwork. The front and back covers were from amazon.it and the disc labels were adapted from discogs.com.

Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett (King LP 532)

Side 1:
01) Sweet Lorraine
02) Diane
03) Dinah
04) Ramona
05) Cherry
06) Cynthia

Side 2:
01) Jeannie
02) Tangerine
03) Nancy
04) Estrellita
05) Laura
06) Marcheta

Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett (Mega)

Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett (Zippy)

Originally issued in April 1957. All tracks with the exception of "Sweet Lorraine" were recorded over two days in December 1956 for this LP. The 12th track from that '56 session was the uproarious "Ram-Bunk-Shush" which was hardly a good fit for an album which some might call "dreamy" others "romantic" and yet others "kitsch." Even if you do find the accumulation of slow tracks a bit too sickly sweet, there are still good moments featuring Clifford Scott and Billy Butler.

This is a "reconstruction" using artwork from the internet and adapted artwork from the CD issue of this album. Download for your listening and dancing (slow) pleasure!

Fax on The Trax

Sweet Lorraine - recorded in Cincinnati, December 15th, 1953. Personnel - Percy France (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Jerry Lane (guitar); Clarence Mack (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

Single release:

Sweet Lorraine / Tailor Made - King 4720 - June 1954

Laura; Diane; Cynthia; Nancy; Marcheta - recorded in Cincinnati, December 20th, 1956. Personnel - Clifford Scott (alto sax, tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

Ramona; Tangerine; Dinah; Cherry; Estrellita; Jeannine - recorded in Cincinnati, December 21st, 1956. Personnel as above.

The above 11 tracks were first issued on this LP. The 12 tracks on this LP were also released on 3 EPs - Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett Volumes 1,2, and 3.

Dance Awhile With Doggett (King LP 585)

Side 1:

01) Flying Home

02) Misty Moon

03) Bone Tones

04) Tailor Made

05) Chelsea Bridge

06) The Kid from Franklin Street

Side 2:
01) Pied Piper of Islip

02) Passion Flower

03) The Song Is Ended

04) Autumn Dreams

05) How Could You?

06) Smoochie

Dance Awhile With Doggett (Mega)

Dance Awhile With Doggett (Zippy)

A "reconstruction" of King LP 585 using artwork from the internet and rips from my own collection. This LP was originally released in May 1958.

Once more we're raking through the bargain browser filled with King LPs and here's the "Honky Tonk" man himself, Bill Doggett. Three of the tracks are by the early 1950s combo lineup with Percy France on tenor sax while the rest date from 1957 and 1958 and feature the "classic" lineup with Clifford Scott on tenor sax and Billy Butler on guitar.

This LP feels more like a jazz album than an out and out R&B collection, so I'm not sure how much dancing it inspired. It certainly wouldn' have attracted the rock and roll crowd, that's for sure, but the jazzy vibe would probably have appealed to the adult listener. Clifford Scott swaps his axe for a flute on some tracks and there's space for Billy Butler to showcase his guitar skills. It's a collection that grows on you, as I have found over the years.

Track Info

Tailor Made; The Song Is Ended - recorded Cincinnati, December 15th, 1953. Personnel - Percy France (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Jerry Lane (guitar); Clarence Mack (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single releases:

It's A Dream / The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) - King 4702 - March 1954

Sweet Lorraine / Tailor Made - King 4720 - June 1954

Misty Moon - recorded Cincinnati, August 23rd, 1955. Personnel - Percy France (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single release:

Honey Boy / Misty Moon - King 4838 - October 1955

Flying Home; Smoochie - recorded New York, October 7th, 1957. Personnel - Clifford Scott (tenor sax, flute); Thomas "Beans" Bowles (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Carl Pruitt (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single releases:

Flying Home / Hippy Dippy - King 5096 - January 1958

Smoochie / Big Boy - King 5339 - April 1960

How Could You; Pied Piper Of Islip; The Kid From Franklin Street - recorded Cincinnati, February 26th - 28th 1958. Personnel - Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone); Clifford Scott (tenor sax, flute); Thomas "Beans" Bowles (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwin Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single releases:

Blues For Handy / How Could You - King 5130 - April 1958

Pied Piper From Islip; The Kid From Franklin Street - both first issued on this LP.

Autumn Leaves; Chelsea Bridge; Passion Flower; Bone Tones - recorded Cincinnati, March 4th 1958. Personnel - Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone); Clifford Scott (tenor sax, flute); Thomas "Beans" Bowles (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwin Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

These tracks first released on this LP.

Mo' King LPs on the way!
 

Bill Doggett - Doggett Beat For Dancing Feet

Side 1:

01. Soft

02. And The Angels Sing

03. Ding Dong

04. Honey

05. Easy

06. Hammer Head

Side 2:

01. Ram-Bunk-Shush

02. Chloe

03. Hot Ginger

04. King Bee

05. What A Difference A Day Made

06. Shindig

Download from here

1988 reissue of King LP 557 which was originally released in December 1957. The album was highly rated in the Billboard review section, scoring 83.

"This is Doggett's seventh package for the label. It has the striding rhythm and beat for which he's noted, and will sell to his fans. Tunes are a combination of standards and material derived from the jazz-rock and roll fields. Included are "And the Angels Sing," "Honey," "Hammer Head" and "Chloe." (Billboard 9th December 1957)

A 1959 reissue of the LP on King had the title "The Doggett Beat For Happy Feet" on the disc labels, which perhaps explains the discrepancy between the album cover and the disc labels on this Sing issue!

Details of recording dates and personnel are on the back cover of the LP, so I'll add original release dates to the information:

"And The Angels Sing" released on King 4690 (b/w "Eventide") in January 1954.

"Easy" released on King 4711 (b/w "There's No You") in May 1954.

"Honey" released on King 4738 (b/w "The Nearness Of You") in August 1954.

"King Bee" released on King 4769 (b/w "My Reverie") in February 1955.

"What A Difference A Day Made" released on King 4936 (b/w "Stella By Starlight") in June 1956.

"Ram-Bunk-Shush" released on King 5020 (b/w "Blue Largo") in January 1957.

"Chloe" released on King 5044 (b/w "Number Three") in April 1957.

"Ding Dong" released on King 5058 (b/w "Cling To Me") in May 1957.

"Shindig" / "Hammer Head" released on King 5070 in July 1957.

"Soft" / "Hot Ginger" released on King 5080 in September 1957.

Bill Doggett was a piano player, bandleader and arranger who took up the Hammond Organ while playing with Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five in the late 1940s. Doggett's predecessor in the Jordan band, Wild Bill Davis, had made the same change. Other pianists who made the change from piano to organ in the early 1950s included Milt Buckner and Doc Bagby. In 1951 Bill Doggett left the Tympany Five. In the same year his organ playing was featured prominently on the Ella Fitzgerald version of "Smooth Sailing." In 1952 he was on a small group session for Royal Roost with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on tenor sax, Oscar Pettiford on bass and Shadow Wilson on drums. A further Lockjaw Davis session for Royal Roost in the same year saw Doggett replaced by Billy Taylor on organ.

His first session for King was with a trio in January 1952, accompanied by Jimmy Candy on guitar and an unknown drummer. At the end of October 1952 Bill was back at King with a group which set the pattern for the combo recordings he would make for the company until May 1960. The band was now a five piece which included Percy France on tenor sax and Shep Shepherd on drums. In August 1955 the guitar spot was filled by Billy Butler and in January 1956 Clifford Scott took over on tenor sax from Percy France.

The Doggett - Scott - Butler - Shepherd quartet was the basis of the combo for the the following years when they were a big R&B act, thanks to the huge 1956 hit "Honky Tonk" which became the top selling R&B instrumental record of all time. The bass spot was usually occupied by either Edwyn Conley or Carl Pruitt. Other hits in the wake of "Honky Tonk" were "Slow Walk," "Ram Bunk Shush," "Soft," "Smokie Part 2," "Rainbow Riot" and "Hold It." The King years were productive, to say the least, with a slew of regular single releases, EPs and LPs.

This LP was posted on the blog back around 2008. For this post I have added new cover and label scans, boosted the volume levels and replaced the original noisy rip of "Soft" with a much cleaner rip. Enjoy groovin' to the cool sounds of Bill Doggett, R&B fans!

Bill Doggett - Gon' Doggett

Side One:
01. Honky Tonk Part 1
02. Honky Tonk Part 2
03. Big Boy
04. Slidin'
05. Buttered Popcorn
06. Backwoods
07. Slow Walk

Side Two:
08. Quaker City
09. Night Train
10. Ram-Bunk-Shush
11. Peacock Alley
12. Hold It
13. Rainbow Riot Parts 1 & 2

Download here

I thought I'd keep the organ combo vibe going with this LP which I recently picked up second hand in a shop in Glasgow's newest hipster quarter, Strathbungo. Over the years I've acquired a few Bill Doggett albums on vinyl and CD and I have to say that I've usually had mixed feelings about Bill's music having found some of it a bit too "poppy" not to say downright schmalzy, especially the tracks that featured a flute. However, I'm absolutely delighted with this LP. The compiler, Danny Adler, has done a stand up job on this collection which is a fine selection of red hot organ / sax / guitar combo rhythm 'n' blues.

On these tracks Bill's organ stays mainly in the background, working with drummer Shep Shepherd and bassist Edwyn Conley to provide great backing to the outstanding Clifford Scott and Billy Butler on tenor sax and electric guitar respectively.The tracks were recorded for King Records over a period of almost five years, so there is some variation in personnel. Full details of who was on what track plus original release details are listed below.

It's all killer, no filler. Download for that authentic funky R&B club experience.

Recording and original release details:

"Quaker City", recorded in Cincinnati on March 23rd 1955. Personnel: Frank Heppinstall (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Al Lucas (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

First released as single King 4808 (b/w "True Blue") in June 1955.

"Honky Tonk Parts 1 & 2" was recorded in NYC on June 16th 1956. Personnel: Clifford Scott (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Carl Pruitt (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

First released as a two parter on single King 4950 in July 1956.

"Peacock Alley", recorded in Cincinnati on October 12th 1956. Personnel: Clifford Scott (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); John Faire (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

First released as single King 5001 (B Side of "Honky Tonk Vocal Version") in December 1956.

"Big Boy" and "Slow Walk", recorded in Cincinnati on October 29th 1956. Personnel as on "Peacock Alley" plus Tommy Brown (maracas, claves)

"Slow Walk" released as single King 5000 (b/w "Hand In Hand") in November 1956.

"Big Boy" released as single King 5339 (b/w "Smoochie") in April 1960.

"Ram-Bunk-Shush", recorded in Cincinnati on December 21st 1956. Personnel: Clifford Scott (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

First released as single King 5020 (b/w "Blue Largo") in January 1957.

"Hold It", recorded in Cincinnati on June 17th 1958. Personnel: Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone); Clifford Scott (tenor sax); Floyd "Candy" Johnson (tenors and baritone saxes); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

First released as single King 5149 (b/w "Birdie") in September 1958.

"Rainbow Riot", recorded in NYC on September 23rd, 1958. Personnel as on "Hold It" except Carl Pruitt replaces Edwyn Conley on bass.

First released as a two parter on single King 5159 in November 1958.

"Backwoods", recorded in Cincinnati on April 10th 1959. Personnel: Glenn Childers (trombone); Clifford Scott (tenor sax); Floyd "Candy" Johnson (baritone sax); Ray Felder (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Calvin Shields (drums)

A six minute version was released in 1959 on King LP 667 "On Tour." The track was called "Backwards" on the front and back covers, but "Backwoods" on the disc label. A three minute version was released on the single King 5319 (B Side of "Raw Turkey") in February 1960. Title on single was "Back Woods."

"Slidin'" was recorded in Cincinnati on August 19th 1959. Personnel as for "Backwoods" but trombone out.

"Slidin'" was released on single King 5419 (B Side of "Afternoon Jump") in November 1960.

"Buttered Popcorn" was recorded in Cincinnati on May 24th 1960. Personnel: Clifford Scott, Ray Felder (tenor saxes); Floyd "Candy" Johnson (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ);
Billy Butler (guitar); Bill Wills (bass) Alvin Johnson (drums)

"Buttered Popcorn" was released on single King 5364 (B Side of "The Slush") in June 1960.

"Night Train" was recorded in Cincinnati on December 12th 1959. Personnel: Clifford Scott (tenor sax); Candy "Floyd" Johnson (baritone sax); Ray Felder (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ ); Billy Butler (guitar); David Horine (bass); Calvin Shields (drums)

"Night Train" was recorded as a two parter, with both parts featuring on the 1960 LP "Back Again With More Bill Doggett" (King LP 723) and on the similarly titled 1960 King EP (King KSS-7-723).

A two parter single "Night Train Parts 1 and 2" was released on King 5878 in April 1964.

Elsewhere on the blog:

"Hot Doggett" LP donated by anonymous donor. Posted here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/bill-doggett-lp-re-upped-hot-doggett.html

Some Bill Dogget CD covers, including 2 which reproduce original 50s artwork:

Mo' King Records reissue vinyl in the pipeline. Stay tuned, you rockin' rhythm fans.

Morris Lane - Tenor Saxsation (Re-up)

Side1:

01. Bobby's Boogie

02. Ghost Town

03. Luke The Spook

04. Down The Lane

05. Blue Jeans

06. BO Plenty's Return

07. Midnight Sun

08. Pale Moon (An Indian Love Song)

Side 2:

01. Moon Ray

02. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire

03. It Ain't Necessarily So

04. Stairway To The Stars

05. Poinciana

06. Blues In The Night

07. Twilight Time

08. Everything I Have Is Yours

Download from:

Tenor Saxsation (Mega)

Original post (1st March, 2009) is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/morris-lane-tenor-saxsation.html

Good compilation of sides by ex-Lionel Hampton tenor sax player Morris Lane. Sides recorded 1947 - 1952. The first six tracks (recorded for Savoy, Apollo and Robin) are good rousing jump blues. In 1952 Lane changed style, recording a series of swing standards for Coral with a band featuring Bill Doggett on organ and Leroy Kirkland.  He recorded another four sides in the same vein for the small Scooter label. The Coral and Scooter sides are comparable to the sax stylings of Earl Bostic and Lynn Hope and obviously aimed at the same audience.

Not covered in this comp are sides Lane recorded in 1946 for Savoy with, inter alia, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke as part of a group billed as the "Be-Bop Boys." They may well be coming up in a future post.

Bill Doggett LP re-upped - Hot Doggett!

Dead rapidshare and megaupload links replaced - another request fulfilled! It's Christmas I tells ya. This LP was sent in by an anonymous donor some years ago. Cool organ / sax / guitar instrumental combo from King Records. Tracklist:

Side 1

1. High Heels

2. Honey Boy

3. True Blue

4. Wild Oats

5. Gumbo

6. Squashy

Side 2

1. Percy Speaks

2. Oof!

3. Shove Off

4. Quaker City

5. Who's Who

6. Early Bird

Download from here:

Bill Doggett - Hot Doggett (Mega)

Original post is here, although not much info in it:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/bill-doggett-hot-doggett-king-lp-514_4008.html

It's almost Christmas so a certain collection will have to be re-upped tomorrow ...

Morris Lane - Tenor Saxsation

This is yet another LP which has languished on my shelves for many years. I’ve been a fan of honkin’ tenor sax for nearly thirty years and when I bought this 1988 Official album I was anticipating a honk fest. Only the first six tracks are jump blues blasters, while the rest of the album consists of organ backed swing standards, so my initial response to the LP was one of disappointment. A couple of decades down the line I can now better appreciate the artistry that is contained in this excellent collection.

Perhaps Morris Lane is best remembered today for his spell in the Lionel Hampton band in 1947 when he and Johnny Sparrow manned the tenor saxes. But before that, in September 1946, Lane had taken part in a recording session for Savoy as part of a group called the Bebop Boys, who included Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke. The tracks from that session are available on the Proper 4CD set “Sonny Stitt: Sax O’ Bebop.” In January 1947, Lane returned to the Savoy studio and recorded the fiery “Luke The Spook” b/w “Down The Lane.”

In 1951 Lane recorded a couple of jumping sides for Apollo which were released on Apollo single 808: “Blue Jeans” and “B.O. Plenty’s Return.” Later in 1951 Lane recorded several fine jump sides for Bobby Robinson’s new label Robin. “Bobby’s Boogie” and “Ghost Town” were in fact the first sides released on Robinson’s label.

In February and May 1952, Lane recorded two sessions for Coral, backed by a quartet led by organist Bill Doggett. This was a change of sound from the first six tracks on this collection, with swing era standards featuring prominently on releases aimed at the late night smooch crowd. “Moon Ray” in particular is a haunting performance, right up there with Earl Bostic’s “Serenade”, in my opinion. There’s also a beautiful treatment of “Stairway To The Stars” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So” starts off by quoting Jimmy Forrest’s “Night Train.”

In December 1952, billed as “Morris Lane & His Magic Saxophone”, Lane recorded four sides for the tiny Scooter label in the same vein as his Coral material. This time Billy Taylor was on organ while Art Blakey was on drums. “Poinciana” and “Blues In The Night” are particularly fine efforts.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps

Download from here:

Tenor Saxsation (Mega)


1. Bobby's Boogie
2. Ghost Town
3. Luke The Spook
4. Down The Lane
5. Blue Jeans
6. B.O. Plenty's Return
7. Midnight Sun
8. Pale Moon (An Indian Love Song)
9. Moon Ray
10. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire
11. It Ain't Necessarily So
12. Stairway To The Stars
13. Poinciana
14. Blues In The Night
15. Twilight Time
16. Everything I Have Is Yours

Bill Doggett - Hot Doggett (King LP 514)

Many thanks to the anonymous donor who sent in this original 1956 Bill Doggett LP. These tracks are from the pre- Clifford Scott line up which features Percy France on tenor sax. There are some tremendous tunes on this album, especially those in which the tenor sax and guitar (Billy Butler) are given space to trade licks. The download includes the back cover and liner notes. Boss stuff!

Ripped from vinyl at 192 kbps. Password = greaseyspoon

Download from here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?l32h509jn77u6rc

1. High Heels
2. Honey Boy
3. True Blue
4. Wild Oats
5. Gumbo
6. Squashy
7. Percy Speaks
8. Oof!
9. Shove Off
10. Quaker City
11. Who's Who
12. Early Bird