Les Paul built a homemade recording studio so he could accompany
himself at night. He combined an “absolutely unheard of” twelve overdubs of an
old jazz standard, “How High the Moon,” and eventually convinced a reluctant
Capital Records to release it, even though the company already had 23 other
versions (Les Paul An American Original). Listed on the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
October 27, 2015
114 B. B. King (1925-2015) “Three O’Clock Blues” 1951
Riley King lucked into a short radio gig for WDIA in Memphis.
“People would start to write me quite a bit…sometimes they would say, B. B.—the
Beale Street Blues Boy…” His recording of “Three O’Clock Blues” made him a
national star (‘Blues Boy’ The Life and
Music of B. B. King).
113 Elmore James (1918-1963) “Dust My Broom” 1951
James revived Robert Johnson’s standard. His “originality lay in
his powerful style with the bottleneck” to create “one of the most exciting
sounds in blues history.” He was apparently unaware of his tremendous influence
on British rock bands when he died of a heart attack (Encyclopedia of the Blues). Fleetwood Mac recorded the song in 1968. Listed on the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
112 Howlin’ Wolf (1910-1976) “How Many More Years” 1951
B. B. King
and Howlin’ Wolf were double-booked at a Memphis nightclub. King said, “He sang
so well till I almost cried…I told Wolf I didn’t want the gig—he could have
it…Like all great bluesmen, he sang for the sinners, which meant he sang for
everyone” (Moanin’ at Midnight The Life
and Times of Howlin’ Wolf).
111 The Five Keys “Glory of Love” 1951
Formed in 1945 and originally called the Sentimental Four (based in
Newport News, VA). In 1951 they won a lawsuit against the Four Keys who wanted
to add another member to their group to become a second Five Keys (Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and
Doo-Wop Vocal Groups).
October 20, 2015
110 Billy Ward (1921-2002) and his Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man” 1951
Billy
Ward was a boxer, sports journalist, and a Juilliard trained
vocal instructor who formed a group with his own students, the Dominoes. Their
risqué “Sixty Minute Man” featuring lead singer Clyde McPhatter (1932-1972) was
possibly the “first R&B record by a black group to make the pop chart” (The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock
& Roll).
109 Jackie Brenston (1930-1979) and his Delta Cats “Rocket 88” 1951
Brenston was a saxophonist for Ike Turner and his Kings Of Rhythm band.
The band recorded “Rocket 88” (about the Oldsmobile 88) under Brenston’s name.
The song “became a hit, due in part to the distorted sound of Willie Kizart’s
guitar” (The Encyclopedia of Popular
Music).
108 Howlin’ Wolf “Moanin’ at Midnight” 1950
Record producer Sam Phillips recorded “Moanin’ at Midnight” and
said it “is a classic thing that nobody can improve upon” (Moanin’ at Midnight).
107 The Weavers “Goodnight Irene” 1950
The song was first recorded by Leadbelly in 1933. The original Weavers—Pete Seeger (1919-2014), Fred Hellerman
(1927-), Lee Hays (1914-1981), Ronnie Gilbert (1926-2015)—“profited by being
everything pop singers were not; they had spontaneous arrangements and
untrained voices, and they downplayed vocal effects in favor of content…communication,
not hype.” Seeger left the Weavers in 1958 to protest the group’s
decision to perform for a cigarette commercial (How Can I Keep From Singing: Pete Seeger).
106 The Dominoes “Do Something for Me” 1950
They were part of the “golden age of R&B with its excitement
and innocence.” A 1952 picture shows the Dominoes outside the Apollo,
surrounded by adoring fans (Record Makers
and Breakers).
October 13, 2015
105 The Soul Stirrers “By and By” 1950
The Soul Stirrers had its roots at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church in
Trinity, Texas in the mid 1920’s, founded by Silas Roy Crain (1911-1996). The
group moved from Houston to Chicago in 1937 and later cofounded the National
Quartet Convention. Rebert H. Harris (1916-2000) joined the group and sang
tenor in “By and By.” He was replaced in 1950 by Sam Cooke. Crain became
Cooke’s manager in 1957 when Cooke left the group to record popular music (Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music).
104 Arkie Shibley (1914-1975) and his Mountain Dew Boys “Hot Rod Race” 1950
“the hot rod subgenre…is generally considered to have been spawned
by Hot Rod Race” (Record Makers and
Breakers).
103 The Ravens “Count Every Star” 1950
“Formed in 1945, the Ravens are considered the first of the ‘bird
groups.’” After considerable turnover, the group “faded from the scene” by the
late 1950’s (The Encyclopedia of Popular
Culture).
102 Pinetop Perkins (1913-2011) “Pinetop's Boogie Woogie” 1950
Perkins took his name from boogie-woogie pianist Pine Top Smith
(1904-1929). Perkins recorded his own version of Smith’s 1928 “Pine Top Boogie
Woogie” (The Big Book of Blues).
101 Joe Hill Louis (1921-1957) “Boogie in the Park” 1950
The one-man band who played guitar, drums, and harmonica
simultaneously. “In 1957 he died of tetanus because he did not have money to
pay for the vaccine” (Encyclopedia of the
Blues).
October 6, 2015
100 Cecil Gant (1915-1951) “We’re Gonna Rock” 1950
A popular performer in California nightclubs, Gant was famous for
his army hit “I wonder” and noted for his “furious boogie-woogie” piano playing
(Encyclopedia of the Blues).
99 Ruth Brown (1928-2006) “Teardrops from My Eyes” 1950
In the early 1960’s, she “left the music business, driving a
school bus to support her children despite the millions of dollars she had made
for her record company.” Brown “was the single most important and influential
female artist in the development of modern R&B” (Encyclopedia of the Blues).
98 Hank Williams (1923-1953) “I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry” 1949
The “greatest songwriter in country music...a light and a darkness, a
dream and a nightmare” (Hank Williams The
Complete Lyrics).
97 Hank Williams (1923-1953) “Lovesick Blues” 1949
Producer Fred Rose thought it was a terrible song but let Williams
record it anyway. “Lovesick Blues” made Williams a star (Hank Williams The Biography). Listed on the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
96 The Weavers “Rock Island Line” 1949
The song was recorded for folklorist Alan Lomax in the 1930’s. The
Senate Internal Security Subcommittee considered it communist propaganda. “The
Weavers may have been the first musicians in American history formally
investigated for sedition” (How Can I
Keep From Singing).