The Tenor Sax Album (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Honeysuckle Rose - Ben Webster
02) I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster
03) Blue Skies - Ben Webster
04) Kat's Fur - Ben Webster
05) Body And Soul (alt) - Cozy Cole and his Orchestra
06) Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec
07) Jim Dawgs - Ike Quebec

Side 2:
01) Scufflin' - Ike Quebec
02) I.Q. Blues - Ike Quebec
03) Lunatic - John Hardee
04) Can't Help Loving That Man - John Hardee
05) Red Man Bounce - John Hardee
06) Baby Watch That Stuff - John Hardee
07) Misty Blues - Billy Taylor
08) Take The A Train - Billy Taylor

Side 3:
01) Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jacquet
02) Jumpin' Jacquet - Illinois Jacquet
03) Blues Mood - Illinois Jacquet
04) Jacquet In The Box - Illinois Jacquet
05) Savoy Blip - Emmett Berry
06) Doggin' With Doggett (alt) - Emmett Berry
07) Minor Romp - Emmett Berry
08) Berry's Blues - Emmett Berry

Side 4:
01) Last Stop - Coleman Hawkins
02) Should I - Coleman Hawkins
03) Flight Eleven - Coleman Hawkins
04) Modern Fantasy - Coleman Hawkins
05) Confessin' - Coleman Hawkins
06) September Song - Coleman Hawkins
07) They Can't Take That Away From Me - Coleman Hawkins

The Tenor Sax Album (Mega)

The Tenor Sax Album (Zippy)

Back to the 1940s Savoy sessions with another double helping of a treat that's hard to beat. Muscular tenor sax jazz workouts from some of the greatest players around at the time and definitely no over the top honkin' and squealin' on show here as things stay on the right side of tasteful. Heck, even Illinois Jacquet is in restrained mood on his session. In fact this 2LP set came as some relief to me after I'd overindulged in a honk honk honk fest by listening to a Hal Singer collection followed by an Apollo compilation of various R&B sax men, all of which left me rather exhausted and half deaf. This stuff is rather easier on the discerning ear.

Side 4 is the odd one out as it contains a 1954 session recorded by Coleman Hawkins in Chicago, but everything else is from that time and place with which I have a fascination - New York in the 1940s. Some of these tracks have appeared on the blog before as I have occasionally dipped into this set for tracks to post on a homemade comp (John Hardee) and some reconstructions of 1950s Savoy EPs (Ike Quebec and Illinois Jacquet) but these are all new rips for your delectation, and boy was it hard work getting rid of the clicks and pops hence the delay in posting. There is still some surface noise in evidence on a couple of tracks but I'm pretty pleased with the way it all turned out.

The session details are on the LP cover and there is an essay by jazz critic Leonard Feather to fill in the background. As usual I have provided the details of the original release of the tracks. Note that one Ben Webster side is an alternate take of a track originally released under Cozy Cole's name. Two of the John Hardee tracks were originally credited to pianist / organist Billy Taylor and four of Illinois Jacquet's tracks were from a session credited to trumpet player Emmett Berry, although all four of the Berry tracks were eventually released under Jacquet's name.

Original Release of the Tracks:

Ben Webster:

Body And Soul - alternate take of side released on Savoy 501 - Body And Soul / Talk To Me - Cozy Cole and his Orchestra, released May 1944. This take first released on this 2LP set.

Honeysuckle Rose / Blue Skies - Ben Webster - Savoy 553, part of 78 RPM Album "Tenor Sax Album" (Savoy A-500) released April 1945

I Surrender Dear / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster - Savoy 580, part of 78 RPM Album "Tenor Sax Album No. 2" (Savoy 502) released January 1946

jazzdisco.org and 78discography.com list the following 2 releases, both probably 1944 -

Blue Skies / I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster - Savoy 505

Honeysuckle Rose / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster - Savoy 506

I have not come across any reference to these two releases in Billboard or The Cash Box, nor have I come across label shots of the discs.

Ike Quebec:

Jim Dawgs / I Q Blues - Ike Quebec - Savoy 570 - probably September - October 1945

Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jaquet All Stars / Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec All Stars - Savoy 620 - released August 1946. Also released as part of the 78 RPM album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503) in October 1946.

Scufflin' - first released on 1954 EP "Tenor Sax - Ike Quebec" (Savoy XP 8083) in 1954.

John Hardee:

Baby Watch That Stuff / Bad Man's Bounce - John Hardee Quintet - Regent 121 - July 1948

Lunatic / Can't Help Lovin' That Man - John Hardee Quintet - Savoy 703 - August 1949

Misty Blues (aka Misty Morning Blues) and Take The "A" Train first released on Savoy EP XP 8113 "Billy Taylor - John Hardee" and on Savoy LP Savoy MG 9035 "Billy Taylor - Piano" - both released in 1953

Illinois Jacquet:

Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jacquet All Stars / Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec All Stars - Savoy 620 - released August 1946. Also released as part of the 78 RPM album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503) in October 1946

Jumpin Jacquet / Blue Mood - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 593 - released February 1946

Minor Romp / Berry's Blues - Emmett Berry's Hot Six - Savoy 594 - released February 1946

Jacquet In The Box / Jacquet And Coat - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 910 - released November 1947. "Jacquet And Coat" is Emmett Berry's "Minor Romp" retitled.

Illinois Goes To Chicago / Jacquet And No Vest - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 911 - released late 1947 / early 1948. Both of these tracks are retitled Emmett Berry tracks as follows - "Illinois Goes To Chicago" is "Doggin' With Doggett" and "Jacquet And No Vest" is "Savoy Blip." The version of "Doggin' with Doggett" on this 2LP set is an alternate take of the version released on Savoy 911.

Note - Don't Blame Me / Jacquet Blues - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 651 - released July 1947. "Jacquet Blues" is a retitled "Berry's Blues"

Coleman Hawkins:

All tracks first released on the LP "The Hawk Returns" (Savoy MG-12013) in 1955.

Elsewhere On The Blog:

John Hardee - Bad Man's Blues

Click on the link for a homemade comp of John Hardee plus an in depth look at his career. New download link on the post if you wish to grab the album.

Ike Quebec - Tenor Sax (Savoy XP 8083)

Click on the link for a short but I like to think informative post on Ike Quebec and Savoy Records. New download link now on the post.

Illinois Jacquet Vol. 1 (Savoy XP 8068)

Again, the link above takes you to a short but worth-a-look post complete with new download link.

Don Byas - Savoy Jam Party (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Riffin' And Jivin'
02) Free And Easy - 1 (alt)
03) Free And Easy - 2
04) Worried And Blue
05) Don's Idea - 1 (alt)
06) Don's Idea - 2
07) Savoy Jam Party Part 2
08) Savoy Jam Party Part 1

Side 2:
01) 1944 Stomp
02) What Do You Want With My Heart
03) Bass C Jam
04) Sweet And Lovely
05) White Rose Kick
06) My Deep Blue Dream
07) Byas'd Opinion
08) Candy

Side 3:
01) How High The Moon
02) Donby
03) Byas A Drink
04) I Don't Know Why
05) Danny Boy
06) Old Folks
07) Cherokee
08) September In The Rain

Side 4:
01) Living My Life
02) To Each His Own
03) They Say It's Wonderful
04) Cynthia's In Love
05) September Song
06) St. Louis Blues
07) I Found A New Baby
08) Marie

Savoy Jam Party (Mega)

Savoy Jam Party (Zippy)

We continue our look at early Savoy sides and the NYC club scene with another 2LP set from the "Savoy Sessions" series, this time devoted to a major figure of jazz tenor sax - Don Byas. As with the recently posted "The Changing Face Of Harlem" collection there are outstanding sleevenotes by Dan Morgenstern which provide an outline of the early career of Don Byas and an in depth commentary on the tracks on this double LP set.

Carlos Wesley Byas came from Muskogee, Oklahoma. His musical career followed a path which will be familiar to readers of this blog - local bands in Oklahoma, bigger outfits in the Midwest, then a jump to California where he settled in LA for a while. In 1937 he arrived in New York, had spells with the Don Redman, Lucky Millinder and Andy Kirk bands and in early 1941 he took over the seat vacated by Lester Young in the Count Basie band, although it should be noted that it wasn't a direct substitution as Paul Bascomb (future R&B hero) had briefly occupied the position. Some of Don's work with Basie can be heard on the previous post of "Count Basie and his Orchestra - One o'Clock Jump."

Don left the Basie Orchestra in November 1943 and began the most interesting club-based part of his career, working with small groups on 52nd Street (especially with Coleman Hawkins and Dizzy Gillespie) and jamming at the Harlem clubs of Minton's and Munroe's.

NYC 1944 - Coleman Hawkins, Benny Harris, Don Byas, Thelonious Monk and Denzil Best

You can find a critical account of the recordings of Don Byas, particularly with Basie and then in small group settings between 1944 and 1946 on the excellent Jazz Archeology website. The document is here: http://www.jazzarcheology.com/artists/don_byas_part_1.pdf

This document provides marvellous detail of Don's recording activity both under his own name and as part of groups led by other musicians. The list includes not only official recordings for release on a multiplicity of labels, but also radio broadcasts and "unofficial" recordings by enthusiasts, all of which gives insight into the working life of a top class musician in 1940s New York.

The July 28th 1944 session featured on Side 1 of this collection was Don's first recording session under his own name. The August 1946 session on Side 4 of this collection turned out to be Don's second last recording date in the USA. The following month he recorded 4 sides for Gotham shortly before departing on a European tour with Don Redman. 

Thereafter Europe became the permanent home of Don Byas, a decision which may have caused his importance to be subsequently underestimated by Stateside jazz fans. Whether playing small group swing or alongside boppers, Don was a formidable but tasteful soloist as you can hear on this fine collection.

All The "Savoy Jam Party" 78rpm Releases ... and more:

Disc 1:

Bass-C-Jam / Free And Easy - Don Byas's Swing Shifters - Savoy 524 - October 1944

What Do You Want With My Heart / Don's Idea - Don Byas - Savoy 552 - April 1945 - released as part of the 78rpm album "Tenor Sax Album" (Savoy A-500)

 

Worried And Blue / Riffin and Jivin - Don Byas - Savoy 582 - January 1946 - released as part of the 78rpm album "Tenor Sax Album No. 2" (Savoy S-502)

Savoy Jam Party Part 1 - released on EP "Jam Session At Savoy Vol. 1" - Savoy XP 8077

Savoy Jam Party Part 2 - released on EP "Jam Session At Savoy Vol. 2" - Savoy XP 8078

Alternate takes of "Free And Easy" and "Don's Idea" first released on this LP

1944 Stomp (Just Can't Make Up My Mind) first released on this LP

Sweet And Lovely / White Rose Kick - The Emmett Berry Five - National 9001 - October 1944

Deep Blue Dream / Byas'd Opinions - The Emmett Berry Five - National 9002 - October 1944

Disc 2:

Candy / Byas-A-Drink - Don Byas Quintette - Savoy 574 - February 1946

How High The Moon - Don Byas Quintette / Ko Ko - Charlie Parker's Ri Bop Boys - Savoy 597 - April 1946

The following 6 tracks were recorded on May 17th, 1946 and not in 1945 as stated on the LP sleeve. Note that "Danny Boy" was released as "London-Donnie".

Donby - released on EP "Don Byas - Tenor Sax Solos Vol. 5" - Savoy XP 8039

I Don't Know Why / Cherokee - Don Byas Quartette - Savoy 609 - probably May / June 1946

Vot's Dot - Allen Eager Quartette / September In The Rain - Don Byas Quartette - Savoy 621 - October 1946 - released as part of the 78rpm album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503)

London-Donnie / Old Folks - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 628 - August 1950

The remaining tracks (Side 4) were recorded on August 21st, 1946 as per LP sleeve:

They Say It's Wonderful / Cynthia's In Love - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 625 - September 1950

September Song / St. Louis Blues - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 626 - September 1950 (?)

I Found A New Baby / Marie - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 627 - September 1950

To Each His Own / Living My Life - Don Byas Quartette - Savoy 640 - September 1946

With thanks to The Internet Archive, The Jazz Disography Project, Bruyninckx, and Billboard. Keep swingin' y'all!

The Changing Face Of Harlem (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Twilight In Teheran - Buck Ram All-Stars
02) Morning Mist - Buck Ram All-Stars
03) Swing Street - Buck Ram All-Stars
04) Ram Session - Buck Ram All-Stars
05) Ooh-Wee - Pete Brown Quintette
06) Bellevue For You - Pete Brown Quintette
07) Pete Brown's Boogie - Pete Brown Quintette
08) Moppin' The Blues - Pete Brown Quintette

Side 2:
01) Dance Of The Tambourine - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
02) Uncle Sam's Blues - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
03) Pagin' Mr Page - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
04) I Keep Rollin' On - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
05) I Got What It Takes - Hot Lips Page Band
06) Good For Stompin' - Hot Lips Page Band
07) Lip's Blues - Hot Lips Page Band
08) Blooey - Hot Lips Page Band

Side 3:
01) Honeysuckle Rose - Ben Webster
02) I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster
03) Blue Skies - Ben Webster
04) Run Down - Herbie Fields
05) Nuts To Notes - Herbie Fields
06) Groovin' With Grimes - Tiny Grimes
07) I'll Always Love You Just The Same - Tiny Grimes
08) Romance Without Finance - Tiny Grimes

Side 4:
01) Bye Bye - Miss Rhapsody
02) My Lucky Day - Miss Rhapsody
03) Hey Lawdy Mama - Miss Rhapsody
04) Groovin' The Blues - Miss Rhapsody
05) Smack That Mess - Joe Gregory
06) Dee Dee's Dance - Clyde Hart
07) Little Benny - Clyde Hart
08) Shoot The Arrow To Me Cupid - Joe Gregory

The Changing Face Of Harlem (Mega)

The Changing Face Of Harlem (Zippy)

Founded by local entrepreneur Herman Lubinsky in Newark, New Jersey, in 1942, Savoy Records went on to become one of the USA's most important labels in jazz and R&B. The label didn't really take off until mid 1944 when it started recording musicians from the vibrant club scene in NYC, both from Harlem and 52nd Street. Savoy was one of a number of small labels in the New York area which picked up on the changes taking place in jazz at that time with other examples being Keynote, Blue Note, Beacon, Manor and National.

This two LP set compiles sides mostly recorded in 1944 with the exception of some Herbie Fields sides from May 1945. The dominant style is small group swing with only the faintest hint of the be bop to come with Charlie Parker's appearance on a couple of the Tiny Grimes tracks.

The full line ups on these tracks can be found in the session details on the back cover of this set and fans of R&B or to be more precise, the area where jazz and R&B intersect will be familiar with quite a few of the names including Tiny Grimes, Earl Bostic, Ike Quebec, Ben Webster, Slam Stewart, Hot Lips Page, Don Byas, Jack "The Bear" Parker, heck just read it for yourselves.

Dan Morgenstern's terrific notes both set the scene and provide a running commentary on the tracks and are a model for what such an essay should be. He calls the music here "Harlem jump" which sums it up admirably. These tracks are contemporaneous with the rise to immense popularity of Louis Jordan's brand of jump blues and while they differ slightly from Jordan's style they encapsulate the music scene which would soon give rise to be bop, dynamic small group swing based jazz, and eventually to rhythm and blues.

I've been fascinated for many years by the Savoy Record label, ever since I acquired the cassette "Jumpin' at The Savoy" from the New Musical Express back in the early 1980s. Indeed that cassette was the first music I posted on Be Bop Wino back in September 2007. Follow the trail - there's a working Megaupload link on the post!

Over the years Savoy has featured on numerous posts on the blog, with the most recent example perhaps being a cross-blog collaboration on posting the complete "Savoy Roots Of Rock'n Roll" series. I have a few sets from the "Savoy Sessions" series which concentrates on the jazz side of the label, so you can expect more of these to appear on the blog along with other material from the New York scene of the 1940s.

Billboard, 19th August 1944

Original Issues:

Buck Ram's All Stars:

Swing Street / Twilight In Teheran - Buck Ram's All Stars - Savoy 572 - February 1946

Morning Mist first released on this LP. 

Ram Session first released on LP Savoy MG 9030 "Jam Session At Savoy" in 1953.

Pete Brown Quintette:

Pete Brown's Boogie / Bellevue For You - Pete Brown Quintette - Savoy 522 - August 1944

Ooh-Wee / Moppin' The Blues - Pete Brown Quintette - Savoy 523 - November 1944

Hot Lips Page: 

Uncle Sam Blues / Paging Mr. Page - "Hot Lips" Page's Swing Seven - Savoy 520 - August 1944

Dance Of The Tambourine / I Keep Rollin' On - "Hot Lips" Page's Hot Seven - Savoy 521 - August 1944

Lips Blues / I Got What It Takes - Hot Lips Page and Orchestra (?) - Savoy 529 - (?) 1944 (?)

"Lips Blues" rereleased as "Double-Trouble Blues" on Savoy 700

"Blooey"; "Good For Stompin'" - first released on this LP.

Ben Webster

"Honeysuckle Rose"; "I Surrender Dear"; "Blues Skies" are unissued alternate takes.

I Surrender Dear / Blues Skies - Ben Webster Quartet - Savoy 505 - (?) 1944.

Honeysuckle Rose / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster Quartet - Savoy 506 - (?) 1944

The released versions are on the Savoy 2LP set "The Tenor Sax Album" which will be posted on the blog.

Herbie Fields

Run Down / Camp Meeting - Herbie Fields Hot Seven - Savoy 591 - February 1946

Nuts To Notes first issued on this LP.

Tiny Grimes

Groovin' With Grimes first released on this LP

I'll Always Love You Just The Same; Romance Without Finance are alternate takes of sides released on Savoy 526 (b/w Tiny's Tempo) and Savoy 532 (b/w Red Cross) respectively.

Miss Rhapsody

Bye Bye Baby / My Lucky Day - Rhapsody with June Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 5510 - August 1944

Hey Lawdy Mama / Groovin The Blues - Rhapsody with June Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 5511 - November 1944

Clyde Hart

Smack That Mess / Shoot The Arrow To Me Cupid - Joe Gregory - Savoy 542 - possibly unreleased?

Dee Dee's Dance / Little Benny - Clyde Hart's Hot Seven - Savoy 598 -  May 1946

Elsewhere On The Web

Small Independent Rockin' 45rpm Labels by Apesville has recently completed a project to compile a complete collection of Savoy singles. Start here and work your way through an absolutely gobsmacking series of posts. Sheer heaven for fans of Savoy.

Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2 (Roots of Rock N' Roll Vol. 12)

Side A:
01) Fine And Mellow - Albinia Jones
02) Silver Dollar Blues - Albinia Jones
03) What's The Matter With Me (Don't You Wear No Black) - Albinia Jones
04) Ee Baba Leba - Helen Humes
05) If I Could Be With You - Helen Humes
06) Take Out Some Time - ‎Little Miss Sharecropper
07) I'll Try (I've Tried) - Little Miss Sharecropper
08) I Want To Rock - ‎Little Miss Sharecropper

Side B:
01) Alley Cat - Dolly Cooper
02) I Need Romance - Dolly Cooper
03) I Wanna Know (What'cha Doin' Down There) - Dolly Cooper
04) Me And My Baby - Dolly Cooper
05) You Promised Love - Annie Laurie
06) I Can't Stop Being A Fool - Annie Laurie
07) Stop, Don't Go - Annie Laurie
08) Rockin' And Rollin' - Annie Laurie

Side C:
01) No Kinda Good No How - Varetta Dillard
02) Johnny Has Gone - Varetta Dillard
03) So Many Ways (To Love You) - Varetta Dillard
04) Hurry Up - Varetta Dillard
05) Please Tell Me Why - Varetta Dillard
06) Love That Man - Varetta Dillard
07) I Cried And Cried - Varetta Dillard
08) A Letter In Blues - Varetta Dillard

Side D:
01) All Of Me - Big Maybelle
02) Baby Won't You Please Come Home - Big Maybelle
03) Rockhouse - Big Maybelle
04) Jim - Big Maybelle
05) It's A Sin To Tell a Lie - Big Maybelle
06) I Could Make You Care - Big Maybelle
07) I Don't Want To Cry - Big Maybelle
08) Stay As Sweet As You Are - Big Maybelle

Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2 (Mega)

Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2 (Zippy)

Thank you once more to Steve Barrow as we feature his donation of Volume 2 of "Ladies Sing The Blues" which was also Volume 12 of the great Savoy series "Roots Of Rock 'N' Roll." The tale of how these LPs were transferred from vinyl to CD-R and then once they'd come to me by mail to mp3 is told in the previous post.

Let's get down to a brief resume of what's hot on these discs. The Albinia Jones tracks are from her first session in 1944 for National which remained unreleased in its entirety. Included is an early version of "Don't You Wear No Black" (aka "What's The Matter With Me") which she recorded again for release the following year.

Helen Humes was of course a big name act. Her disc featured here consists of live recordings from a 1950 "Blues Jubilee" concert promoted by Frank Bull and Gene Norman. Included is a short reprise of her big 1945 hit on Philo / Aladdin, "Be Baba Leba." Backing is probably by Roy Milton's Solid Senders.

"Little Miss Sharecropper" (or "Miss Sharecropper" as she is billed on the original single releases on National of these tracks) is Dolores Baker, better known as LaVern Baker, the big, big R&B star of Atlantic Records from 1953 into the early 1960s. The story not only of her time at Atlantic, but also how she found herself being billed as a Little Miss Cornshucks ripoff is told in this post - 

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2018/01/lavern-baker-real-gone-gal.html

-And while you're there pick up an LP of LaVern's Atlantic sides -

Of Dolly Cooper I know but little - but here she is backed by bands led by Hal Singer and Leroy Kirkland. "I Wanna Know" is a cover of the hit disc on RCA by The Du Droppers.

I compared and I'm not convinced

Annie Laurie is in rip roaring blues belting form on her tracks here. She is of course always associated with the New Orleans based outfit led by Paul Gayten with whom she enjoyed considerable chart success in the late 1940s and early 1950s on DeLuxe and Regal. On these 1956 sides for Savoy she is backed by some of New York's finest session players including Hal Singer, Buddy Lucas, Budd Johnson and Mickey Baker. For the Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie story see this post -

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2018/06/paul-gayten-annie-laurie-creole-gal.html

And of course while you're perusing the fascinating info over there, pick up this Paul Gayten / Annie Laurie LP -

Varetta Dillard - a bloozy chantoozy to match the best of 'em. She was with Savoy from 1951 to 1956 when she decamped to the Groove subsidiary of RCA. Her biggest hits on Savoy were "Mercy Mr. Percy," "Easy, Easy Baby" and included here "Johnny Has Gone," the exploitative tribute to the recently deceased Johnny Ace in January 1955.

For more info, more Savoy sides, plus Groove and other platters by Varetta, go to this post -

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2011/12/varetta-dillard-double-crossing-daddy.html

Here's the LP you can pick up there. It is most definitely all killer and no filler -

Side D and it's Big Maybelle time again but with a change of style from the R&B tracks of "Ladies Sing The Blues." The 8 tracks here were all included on a 1957 ten track LP "Big Maybelle Sings" (Savoy MG 14005). This consisted almost entirely of standards recorded in a soft pop-jazz style with backing by Ernie Wilkins. The one exception, which is included here on "Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2,"  is "I Don't Want To Cry" which was recorded in 1956 with an R&B backing which included Warren Lucky, Buddy Lucas and Mickey "Guitar" Baker. Some of the tracks were also released on singles. For details see below.

Billboard 7th October 1957

Original Release Details

Albinia Jones:

Fine And Mellow; Silver Dollar Blues; What's The Matter with Me - unissued National session, December 1944.

Helen Humes:

Ee-Baba-Le-Ba / If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight - Helen Humes with Orchestra - Discovery 530 - released in December 1950.

Little Miss Sharecropper:

I've Tried / How Long - Miss Sharecropper - National 9151 - released in April 1951.

Take Out Some Time / I Want To Rock - Miss Sharecropper - National 9153 - released in June 1951.

Dolly Cooper:

Me And My Baby - unissued

I Wanna' Know / I'd Climb The Highest Mountain - Dolly Cooper with Hal Singer's Orch. - Savoy 891 - released in April 1953.

Alley Cat / I Need Romance - Dolly Cooper with Orchestra - Savoy 898 - released in June 1953.

Annie Laurie:

I Can't Stop Being A Fool; Stop, Don't Go - unissued

Rockin' And Rollin' Again / You Promised Love - Annie Laurie - Savoy 1197 - released in August 1956

Varetta Dillard:

Love That Man - unissued

Please Tell Me Why / Hurry Up - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 839 - released in February 1952.

Easy, Easy Baby / A Letter In Blues - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 847, released in May 1952.

I Cried And Cried / Double Crossing Daddy - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 871 - released in November 1952.

Mercy, Mr. Percy / No Kinda Good, No How - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 897 - released in May 1953.

Johnny Has Gone / So Many Ways - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 1153 - released in January 1955.

Big Maybelle:

All of the Big Maybelle tracks on this LP were included on the LP Savoy MG 14005 - "Big Maybelle Sings" - released in October 1957.

Some of the tracks were also released on singles as follows -

All Of Me / I Don't Want To Cry - Big Maybelle with Ernie Wilkins' Orch. - Savoy 1512 - released in April 1957.

Rock House / Jim - Big Maybelle with Ernie Wilkins' Orch. - Savoy 1519 - released in August 1957

Baby Won't You Please Come Home / Say It Isn't So - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1558 - released in January 1959.

It's A Sin To Tell A Lie; I Could Make You Care; Stay As Sweet As You Are - not released on single.

Of the ten tracks on "Big Maybelle Sings," the following are not included on "Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2" - "Say It Isn't So" and "If I Could Be With You."

With many thanks to Steve Barrow who kindly supplied the sounds and cover art for "Ladies Sing The Blues" and "Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2."

Ladies Sing The Blues (Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 5)

Side One:
01) Blues In My Heart - Miss Rhapsody
02) Sugar - Miss Rhapsody
03) Downhearted Blues - Miss Rhapsody
04) Sweet Man - Miss Rhapsody
05) He May Be Your Man - Miss Rhapsody
06) The Night Before Judgement Day - Miss Rhapsody
07) I Fell For You - Miss Rhapsody

Side Two:
01) Salty Papa - Albinia Jones
02) Evil Gal Blues - Albinia Jones
03) Albinia's Blues - Albinia Jones
04) What's The Matter With Me* - Albinia Jones
05) Walkin' And Talkin' Blues - Linda Hopkins
06) Sad And Lonely - Linda Hopkins
07) Me And Dirty Blues - Linda Hopkins
08) Baby Please Come Home - Linda Hopkins

* - originally released as "Don't You Wear No Black"

Side Three:
01) Longing In My Heart - Little Esther
02) You Can Bet Your Life I Do - Little Esther
03) T'ain't What You Say - Little Esther
04) If It's News To You - Little Esther
05) It's So Good - Little Esther
06) Do You Ever Think Of Me - Little Esther
07) Oo Papa Do - Little Esther

Side Four:
01) Pitiful - Big Maybelle
02) There I Said It Again - Big Maybelle
03) So Long - Big Maybelle
04) Tell Me Who - Big Maybelle
05) Ramblin' Blues - Big Maybelle
06) A Little Bird - Big Maybelle
07) Blues Early Early - Big Maybelle
08) A Good Man Is Hard To Find - Big Maybelle

Ladies Sing The Blues (Mega)

Ladies Sing The Blues (Zippy)

* Note - the first upload links had "Salty Papa" and "Evil Gal Blues" by Albinia Jones wrongly tagged (see Daddy Cool's comment). I have corrected the tagging, and re-upped the whole 2LP set. There are now new links above with which you can download "Ladies Sing The Blues (Version 2)" with the correct tagging. - BW

** Further update - we're now on Version 3 as I have adjusted the filenames of the two tracks slightly! And that's enough of that ... :D

The 15 volume Savoy Roots of Rock'n'Roll series has been collected on several other blogs, specifically on "Don't Ask Me I Don't Know" and on "Blues, Blues, Blues." Quite a few of the volumes were uploaded to Be Bop Wino many years ago but the posts disappeared in various takedowns plus my cover scans were so poor that I didn't repost!

Reassembling the 15 volumes has been a collaborative effort among various bloggers and commenters with the last major "hole" being filled by "Blues, Blues, Blues" - the 2 volumes of "Ladies Sing The Blues" available as Flac downloads.

While that was happening a generous donor sent in both sets to Be Bop Wino in the form of 4 CD-Rs which arrived through the post! And thereby hangs a tale.

Our kind donor is Steve Barrow who transferred both LP sets to digital format using an audio CD burner and then sent the resulting CD-Rs, plus a CD of sleeve photos through the post to myself. The cover photos aren't scans but digital photographs. Covers include front, back and gatefold insides. I've ripped mp3s @ 320 kbps from the CD-Rs and the results are posted here after a few weeks' work (and delay).

As for the music, both albums are excellent listening and how I wish I'd bought them back when they were much easier to find. And so to "Ladies Sing The Blues (Roots of Rock 'n' Roll Vol.5) -

I'm not going into an in-depth examination of each of the featured artists as their careers are covered in the sleevenotes by Sheldon Harris as are the recording details. However I've done my usual digging around to add the original release details of the tracks on this album. The music ranges from the "classic blues" influenced Miss Rhapsody (Viola Wells) and the similar Albinia Jones to the mid-to-late-1950s rockin' R&B of Little Esther and Big Maybelle.

The second disc with the sides by the latter two artists is outstanding. This is the first time I've heard the later Savoy sides by Little Esther and I'm pretty much blown away. Of course we've already featured Little Esther on Be Bop Wino, from her recording debut with Johnny Otis for Modern Records, through her big hits around 1950-51 on Savoy, again as part of the Johnny Otis Show, and on to her fine recordings for Federal from 1951 to 1953.

Many of the Federal recordings were also with the Johnny Otis band going under other names (e.g. Earle Warren, Preston Love) as they were contracted to Mercury then Peacock. On Esther's return to Savoy in 1956 she was backed by such notable musicians as Hal Singer, Warren Lucky and Mickey "Guitar" Baker. Her second and final session for Savoy came in 1959 and backing probably included Sam "The Man" Taylor and Mickey Baker.

It seems pretty certain that the gap between recording sessions was due to Esther's drug problem. Marvin Goldberg has written an article on the "Little Esther" phase of her career before she re-emerged as Esther Phillips. You can find it here (and it is well worth the read) -

http://www.uncamarvy.com/LittleEsther/littleesther.html

As for the other artists - Big Maybelle was already an established hitmaker with OKeh / Columbia when she arrived at Savoy. Her biggest hit for her new label was "Candy" which isn't on either volume of "Ladies Sing The Blues" but can be found on the first album of the series - "The Roots of Rock'N Roll." On this collection Big Maybelle (who had her own drug issues) is in fine bawlin' and squallin' form. "Ramblin' Blues" and "Blues, Early Early" (originally a two parter but here presented as one continuous track) are knock 'em dead blues performances.

As for the earlier wartime tracks of Miss Rhapsody and Albinia Jones (for National), it's all good! And the Linda Hopkins tracks from the early 50s fill in the chronological gap. There's more Albinia Jones and Big Maybelle in Volume 2 which will be coming up real soon. Hang on in there, blues fans!

Original Issues:

Miss Rhapsody: 

 

Sweet Man / Downhearted Blues - Miss Rhapsody with Reuben Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 534 - released in April 1945.

Blues In My Heart / Sugar - Miss Rhapsody with Reuben Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 536 - released in April 1945.

Night Before Judgement Day / We're Sisters Under The Skin - Miss Rhapsody and Orchestra (tenor sax solo Eddie Davis) - Savoy 565 - released 1945?

He May Be Your Man / I Fell For You - Viola Wells - Savoy 5532 - released in January 1947.

 Billboard 5th April 1947

Albinia Jones:

Evil Gal Blues / Don't You Wear No Black - Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven - National 9012 - released in May 1945.

Salty Papa Blues / Albinia's Blues - Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven - National 9013 - released in May 1945.

 Billboard 19th May 1945

Linda Hopkins:

Walkin' And Talkin' Blues / Sad And Lonely - Linda Hopkins - Savoy 834 - released in February 1952.

Me And Dirty Blues / Baby Please Come Home - first released on this LP, Savoy SJL 2233.

Little Esther:

T'Ain't Watcha Say It's Watcha Do / You Can Bet Your Life - Little Esther - Savoy 1193 - released in May 1956.

Longing In My Heart / If It's News To You - Little Esther - Savoy 1516 - released in July 1957.

It's So Good / Do You Ever Think Of Me - Little Esther - Savoy 1563 - released in March 1959.

Oo Papa Do - first released on this LP.

 Billboard 16th June 1956

Big Maybelle:

Mean To Me / Tell Me Who - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1500 - released in September 1956.

So Long / Ring Dang Dilly - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1527 - released in December 1957.

Blues, Early Early (Part 1) / Blues, Early Early (Part 2) - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1536 - released in May 1958.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find / Pitiful - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1572 - released in July 1959.

Ramblin' Blues; There I've Said It Again - first released on Savoy LP MG 14011: Blues, Candy And Big Maybelle, in 1958.

A Little Bird Told Me - first released on this LP.

 Billboard 10th November, 1956

With many thanks to Steve Barrow.