Possibly many of you are too young to remember the musical style that came from the late 1940's to the advent of Rock & Roll in 1955, and I'm not talking about Bing Crosby or Perry Como either! Rhythm & Blues was performed almost exclusively by Black artists, and contained suggestive lyrics and Raunchy-sounding music, mainly from a loud, snarling Tenor Sax and rhythm section. When R&B was big, record stores had segregated shelves, usually in a separate room, which had a sign saying "Race Records". You might be able to find a record from that era on the Internet, but maybe not. A famous one was "Night Train", which had no lyrics, but which had plenty of laid-down tenor sax. Others were "All Night Long", "Work with me Annie", "One Mint Julep", "Down in Mexico", "Smokey Joe's Café", and others. And others, which we duck-tailed, rubber-burning high school kids of the early '50's enjoyed, although they weren't played at dances & proms! "I didn't know just what I was doin', I had to marry or face ruin, One Mint Julep was the cause of it all!" Hal
That's the beauty of the internet now, those of us who were too young to know these tunes first time around get to hear them all almost 100 years later.... I bet the artists at the time, never in their wildest dreams would have imagined that we're can still listen and enjoy their music, much less imagine on what type of platform we'd be hearing it... here you are Hal......enjoy!!
WOW, Holly...you're a British Angel! Those really took me back! How 'bout that nasty tenor sax solo at the end of Smokey Joe's Café! Also, listen to "Riot In Cell Block Number Nine" and Bull Moose Jackson's "Big Ten Inch" (It's really nasty!) Hal
"I know I'll never eat again at Smokey Joe's Café, And so we'll never meet again at Smokey Joe's Café, I'd rather eat my Chili Beans At Jim's or Jack's or John's or Gene's Than take my chances eating there at Smokey Joe's Café, Oooh, I risked my life then, At Smokey Joe's, that crazy fool!" Hal
Check out this 1952 Chuck Higgins Rhythm & Blues classic "Motor Head Baby"! Dig that fat Tenor Sax sound in the instrumental break. Today they use the lead guitar instead. Get it on YouTube: Motor Head Baby, Chuck Higgins and his Mellotones. Hal
No, Beth...I have' em printed out on a stiff card that I can refer to at any time, but I just couldn't get "Motor Head Baby" to transfer after several tries...(?) Could be the low humidity that we have here in the High Desert..... Hal
Another classic was "Buick 59" by The Medallions. This came out in 1954, but I never did know why they called their dream car a "Buick 59"! Love that boogie-style Piano! Halhttps://youtu.be/3LYa-https://youtu.be/3LYa-https://youtu.be/shyPdliUSAA://youtu.be/3LYa-https://youtu.be/3LYa-93BYj0 Can't get this one to transfer either! Harry
Thanks again, Von! These R&B tunes really bring back memories when I was tomcattin' around in the '50's! Hal
Rhythm & Blues songs were not the bright, happy tunes that later emerged when Rock & Roll became popular around 1955. Some R&B songs were "One Mint Julep", "Down in Mexico", "Riot in Cell Block #9", "Work with me Annie", "Smokey Joe's Cafe", and others. Some were suggestive, too, and you could always count on that nasty Tenor Sax solo in the break! Here's "Smokey Joe's Cafe" by The Coasters: