Jack Haskell - Let's Fall in Love (1957)

"Have You Met Miss Jones" by Jack Haskell

When announcer Hugh Downs took time off from Tonight, Jack Haskell was his replacement. A veteran of radio since his college days, Haskell built his career after World War II announcing for television shows. But he was also a singer and first made his name singing for Les Brown and His Orchestra alongside Doris Day. He released his debut album Let's Fall in Love in 1957 on Jubilee Records.

Of the crooners we've covered lately, Haskell proves himself to be most in tune with what jazz vocals really sound like—rather than pop interpretations of standards with light Big Band arrangements. But although Haskell knows how to sing jazz, he's not good at it. It is a daring choice to lay ones voice bare with only guitar and bass for accompaniment, but on these selections of standard love songs, there ends up being no place to hide his faults or highlight his strengths. His blue notes can turn sour. He has limited range and limited dynamics. Alongside the singular tones of the accompaniment, the album makes for a set of songs that do not differentiate themselves. Only on a couple of them does he break out with a belting finale or a faster tempo, while the rest of the songs are left to sit in a boring limbo meant to be romantic but are mostly sleepy. To top it off, Haskell has no feel for the structure of a song. He might be able to phrase but the phrases never build. They might follow a logical musical path, but in performance, the lines blend together and no song seems to find a hook or a climax or a satisfying ending—like listening to a series of run-on sentences.

Here is the discography surrounding Jack Haskell's debut album:

Over the Hillside (1949 single)

Too-Whit! Too-Whoo! (Bring My Loved One to Me) (1949 single)

Ashes of Roses (1950 single with Connie Russell)

Be Anything (But Be Mine) (1952 single)

Goodbye Sweetheart (1952 single with The Heathertones)

Tell It to My Heart (1955 single)

I Remember Mambo (1955 single)

Today's Hits (1955 EP with the José Melis Trio)

Today's Hits (1955 EP with Johnny Guarnieri and His Orchestra)

Today's Hits (1955 EP with Johnny Guarnieri and His Orchestra)

I-M-4-U (I Am for You) (1955 single with Jack Paar)

Theme Songs from Michael Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days" (1957 EP)

I'm Playing Solitaire (1957 single)

Let's Fall in Love

Be Sure, Make No Mistake (1958 single)

The Love Theme from "The Vikings" (My Heart Has Gone to Wander) (1958 single)

Wedding Invitations (1961 single)

"I'm Thru with Love" by Jack Haskell

"I Wish I Were in Love Again" by Jack Haskell

Pass the Headphones!!

Mort Lindsey - An Organ and Mort Lindsey (1957)

"Scratch" by Mort Lindsey

Mort Lindsey and His Orchestra were another musical headliner during the short tenure of Tonight! America After Dark. A radio show veteran, Lindsey got his start as a staff pianist for NBC before freelancing as a general keyboard player for various radio quiz and variety shows. He found his big break as a conductor and arranger for television on The George Skinner Show. He released his debut album An Organ and Mort Lindsey in 1957 (probably just before he'd work on Tonight!) on Dot Records.

Sitting here, I'm thinking more about the album cover than the album's instrumentals. Mort Lindsey, unrecognizable even to his friends, sitting at a Hammond and emitting shimmering, light music. It's not "Mort Lindsey and an Organ" or "Mort Lindsey and His Organ" (good choice to avoid that one,) but "an organ and Mort Lindsey." The organ gets top billing because the audience needs to know that this record is all organ—like a warning label—while Mort Lindsey gets the vaunted and uppercase last billing to remind listeners that the organ isn't playing itself.

The liner notes read like Mort Lindsey's CV: "can arrange even for organ." (Though I'm not sure I'd trust those notes too much after multiple, deliberate lies saying more than a few songs "really rock.") Lindsey arranges mostly for the organ's imitative qualities (sounding like an harmonium, trumpet sections, drums,...) to help explore various genres and music styles but ends up sounding like a tired comedian: lots of imitations, no punchlines. I'm not familiar enough with the organ to say whether or not Mort Lindsey plays it particularly well or not—he's probably just fine—but it's nice enough music for when it's still winter and you can't wait for Spring Training.

Note: Once again, this album has not yet been digitized so I can't share any of those rockin' organ jams. We'll have to settle for his first novelty single instead. Unfortunately, no organ.

Here is the discography surrounding Mort Lindsey's debut album:

Scratch (1953 single)

An Organ and Mort Lindsey

"Jeepers Creepers" by Mort Lindsey

Pass the Headphones!!

Pat Kirby - What Is This Thing Called Love? (1957)

"What Is This Thing Called Love?" by Pat Kirby

Pat Kirby is next among the regular singers that would appear on Tonight Starring Steve Allen. With a distaste for showbiz, Kirby's career on TV and on wax was short. She released only a few singles and one album What Is This Thing Called Love? in 1957 on Decca Records.

With Tonight Starring Steve Allen having two female singers to promote the latest songs, their juxtaposition in the lineup leads to a highlight of their strengths. Where Gorme holds the listeners with her bombast, Pat Kirby does so with her precision. Her voice is clear and controlled and allows her to effortlessly navigate volume, mood and style. Like her coworker Steve Lawrence, the quieter she sings the more magical her voice, finding its height as it dips into a conversational, jazzy tone. The album starts with jazz as Kirby introduces the timeless question: What Is This Thing Called Love? The subsequent songs look for an answer but sonically turn to the traditional pop orchestral arrangements that just aren't as vital. But Pat Kirby's diamond-clear voice shines throughout and finds its exquisite home again in the concluding song "Love," a multi-faceted answer to that first question.

Here is Pat Kirby's discography:

Don't Tell Me Not to Love You (1955 single)

Wildwood (1955 single)

Don't Tell Me Not to Love You (1956 single)

I Keep a Little List (1956 single)

Somebody Somewhere (1956 single)

What Is This Thing Called Love?

Please Be Gentle with Me (1957 single)

Tammy (1957 single)

Sayonara (1957 single)

Lemon Soul (1969 single)

"Like Someone in Love" by Pat Kirby

"The Gentlemen Obviously Doesn't Believe" by Pat Kirby

"Love" by Pat Kirby

"I'm Glad There Is You" by Pat Kirby on Tonight Starring Steve Allen

"The Girl Next Door" by Pat Kirby on Tonight Starring Steve Allen

Pass the Headphones!!

Eydie Gorme - Eydie Gorme's Delight (1957)

"Frenesi" by Eydie Gorme

Eydie Gorme was another of the family of singers at Tonight starring Steve Allen. With a couple years of experience singing in Big Bands, she became an asset to Steve Allen for her versatility and repertoire. Eydie Gorme would release her debut album Eydie Gorme's Delight in 1957 on Coral Records.

Eydie Gorme's debut was released as she was exiting Coral Records. As such, the album is simply a collection of singles she cut for the label over the previous five years. Many of the song selections play into her "exoticism" (her parents were born in Turkey and of Sephardic Jewish heritage) and her Spanish fluency (she worked as a Spanish translator for the UN before starting her singing career.) Each song is performed with a veteran's enthusiasm that makes any track an infectious listen, and when her voice soars at its full breadth, it's a delight.

Here is the discography surrounding Eydie Gorme's debut album:

Love Me Not Just a Little (Love Me a Lot) (1952 single)

Tell Me More (1952 single)

Cocoanuts (1953 single)

Frenesi (1953 single)

Gimme Gimme John (1953 single)

I Danced with My Darling (1953 single)

Chain Reaction (1954 single)

Crocodile Tears (1954 single)

Tea for Two (1954 single)

Make Yourself Comfortable (1954 single with Steve Lawrence)

A Girl Can't Say (1955 single)

Soldier Boy (1955 single)

Knickerbocker Mambo (1955 single with Steve Lawrence)

Besame Mucho (1955 single with Steve Lawrence)

"Tea for Two" by Eydie Gorme

"Climb Up the Wall" by Eydie Gorme

"Close Your Eyes (Take a Deep Breath)" by Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence

"Cry Me a River" by Eydie Gorme (on The Steve Allen Show)

Pass the Headphones!!

Kenneth Rexroth & Lawrence Ferlinghetti - Poetry Readings in the Cellar (1957)

Poetry Readings in the Cellar

Although published by Harvest Records, Richard Brautigan's album was originally planned to be "Zapple 3," the third release from The Beatles's experimental sub-label Zapple before it was shuttered in 1969. Another poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, was slated for Zapple 4. Lawrence Ferlinghetti split sides with Kenneth Rexroth on their 1957 debut recording Poetry Readings in the Cellar backed by The Cellar Jazz Quintet and released on Fantasy Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Kenneth Rexroth and Lawrence Ferlinghetti's debut album:

Poetry Readings in the Cellar

"Climbing Milestone Mountain, August 22, 1937" by Kenneth Rexroth

"Are There Not Still Fireflies" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Pass the Headphones!!

Herb Caen - A Christmas Card in Sound from San Francisco (1957)

A Christmas Card in Sound from San Francisco by Herb Caen

Merry Christmas from Herb Caen!! (A Bay Area columnist who wrote the liner notes for Mort Sahl's second album.)

Here is his self-published "audio card," A Christmas Card in Sound from San Francisco, to you circa 1957!!

Here is Herb Caen's discography:

A Christmas Card in Sound from San Francisco

Pass the Headphones!!

Johnny Griffin - Introducing Johnny Griffin (1957)

"Mil Dew" by Johnny Griffin

Alongside several dozen singles, Parrot Records managed to release only one LP (that would be Ahmad Jamal Plays) before folding.  They sold their master tapes to the Chess label which then re-released Jamal's record as the more portentous Chamber Music of the New Jazz.  Parrot recorded a couple more albums by other rookie bandleaders but never managed to release them: tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin was one of those rookies.  He eventually saw his debut leading on wax with Blue Note's Introducing Johnny Griffin in 1957.

Here is the discography surrounding Johnny Griffin's debut album:

Nice and Easy (1956 single)

Mil Dew (1956 single)

Introducing Johnny Griffin

"Nice and Easy" by Johnny Griffin

"It's All Right with Me" by Johnny Griffin

Pass the Headphones!!

Patsy Cline - Patsy Cline (1957)

"Honky Tonk Merry Go Round" by Patsy Cline

Connie B. Gay oversaw the 1950s country scene around D.C. through his Town and Country Time radio show and television show.  He discovered, booked and managed some of the top talents around the capital including Jimmy Dean, Roy Clark and Patsy Cline.  Patsy Cline released her debut album Patsy Cline in 1957 on Decca Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Patsy Cline's debut album:

A Church, A Courtyard, Then Goodbye (1955 single)

Hidin' Out (1955 single)

I Love You, Honey (1956 single)

Stop, Look and Listen (1956 single)

Walkin' After Midnight (1957 single)

Today, Tomorrow and Forever (1957 single)

Patsy Cline

Songs by Patsy Cline (1957 EP)

Patsy Cline (1957 EP)

Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray (1957 single)

I Don't Wanta (1957 single)

Stop the World (And Let Me Off) (1958 single)

Let the Teardrops Fall (1958 single)

If I Could See the World (Through the Eyes of a Child) (1958 single)

I Can See an Angel (1958 single)

Dear God (1958 single)

Cry Not for Me (1959 single)

Gotta Lot of Rhythm in My Soul (1959 single)

Lovesick Blues (1960 single)

Crazy Dreams (1960 single)

"Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline

"Dear God" by Patsy Cline

"Lovesick Blues" by Patsy Cline

"Come On In (And Make Yourself at Home)" by Patsy Cline

Pass the Headphones!!

Jimmy Dean - Jimmy Dean Sings His Television Favorites (1957)

"Bumming Around" by Jimmy Dean

Roy Clark's first big job was as lead guitarist in Jimmy Dean's backing band The Texas Wildcats.  This connection led to Clark's regular appearance on Connie B. Gay's Town and Country Time which Dean hosted.  Jimmy Dean released his debut album Jimmy Dean Sings His Television Favorites in 1957 on Mercury Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Jimmy Dean's debut album:

Bumming Around (1952 single as Jimmie Dean)

Queen of Hearts (1953 single as Jimmie Dean)

Sweet Darling (1954 single)

Big Blue Diamonds (1955 single with His Texas Wildcats)

Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, and Leave 'Em Alone (1955 single with His Texas Wildcats)

Freight Train Blues (1956 single with The Texas Wildcats)

Hello, Mr. Blues (1956 single)

Jimmy Dean Sings His Television Favorites

Losing Game (1957 single)

Look on the Good Side (1957 single)

Bumming Around (1957 single)

What This Whole World Needs (1958 single)

Town and Country Time starring Jimmy Dean with special guest Roy Clark

"Glad Rags" / "Freight Train Blues" by Jimmy Dean and The Texas Wildcats

Pass the Headphones!!

Marvin Rainwater - Songs by Marvin Rainwater (1957)

"Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" by Marvin Rainwater

Connie Francis had trouble getting traction as a popular singer.  She and her management tried her voice out across genres, including country and rock and roll, looking for a hit.  Her exercise in country music, "The Majesty of Love", came alongside Marvin Rainwater who was himself coming off his own country chart-topper.  The duet, the genre and association with chart success wasn't the formula for Connie.

Marvin Rainwater released his debut album Songs by Marvin Rainwater earlier that year in 1957 on MGM Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Marvin Rainwater's debut album:

I Gotta Go Get My Baby (1955 single with His High Riders)

Albino (Pink-Eyed) Stallion (1955 single)

Tea Bag Romeo (1955 single with The Tomahawks)

Dem Low Down Blues (1956 single)

Hot and Cold (1956 single)

Get Off the Stool (1956 single)

Why Did You Have to Go and Leave Me (Lonesome Blues) (1956 single)

Gonna Find Me a Bluebird (1957 single)

Songs by Marvin Rainwater

Songs by Marvin Rainwater Vol. I (1957 EP)

Songs by Marvin Rainwater Vol. II (1957 EP)

Songs by Marvin Rainwater Vol. III (1957 EP)

"Tennessee Houn' Dog Yodel" by Marvin Rainwater

"Albino (Pink-Eyed) Stallion" by Marvin Rainwater

"Get Off the Stool" by Marvin Rainwater

Pass the Headphones!!

Ruth Brown - Ruth Brown (1957)

"Hello Little Boy" by Ruth Brown

After not finding success with her various jazz bands, Blanche Calloway retired from performing and eventually became manager of the Crystal Caverns D.C. nightclub in the early fifties.  There she discovered the young and talented Rhythm and Blues singer Ruth Brown for whom she'd help get a recording contract and would become manager.  Ruth Brown released Ruth Brown, her debut album (of songs recorded between 1950 and 1956), on Atlantic Records in 1957.

Here is the discography surrounding Ruth Brown's debut album:

I'll Get Along Somehow (1949 single)

I'll Get Along Somehow (1949 single)

So Long (1949 single)

Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (1950 single)

Sentimental Journey (1950 single)

Teardrops from My Eyes (1950 single)

Where Can I Go (1950 single)

Why (1950 single)

The Chronological Classics: Ruth Brown 1949-1950 (compilation album)

I Know (1951 single)

I'll Wait for You (1951 single)

Shine On (Big Bright Moon (1951 single)

Daddy Daddy (1952 single)

Good-For-Nothin' Joe (1952 single)

I Would if I Could (1952 single)

5-10-15 Hours (1952 single)

(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean (1953 single)

Wild Wild Young Men (1953 single)

The Chronological Classics: Ruth Brown 1951-1953 (compilation album)

Hello Little Boy (1954 single)

Love Contest (1954 single)

Mambo Baby (1954 single with Her Rhythmakers)

Oh What a Dream (1954 single with Her Rhythmakers)

It's Love Baby (24 Hours of the Day) (1955 single)

As Long As I'm Moving (1955 single with Her Rhythmakers)

Bye Bye Young Men (1955 single with Her Rhythmakers)

Old Man River (1955 single with Her Rhythmakers)

I Gotta Have You (1955 single with Clyde McPhatter)

Mom Oh Mom (1956 single)

Smooth Operator (1956 single)

Sweet Baby of Mine (1956 single)

The Chronological Classics: Ruth Brown 1954-1956 (compilation album)

Lucky Lips (1957 single)

One More Time (1957 single)

Ruth Brown (1957 EP)

Ruth Brown

"Oh What a Dream" by Ruth Brown

"Sentimental Journey" by Ruth Brown

"I Want to Do More" by Ruth Brown and Her Rhythmakers

"I Gotta Have You" by Clyde McPhatter and Ruth Brown

"Sweet Baby of Mine" by Ruth Brown

Pass the Headphones!!

Ricky Nelson - Ricky (1957)

"You're My One and Only Love" by Ricky Nelson


Hayley Mills: "Who's that?"
Hayley Mills (twin): "Are you kidding? Ricky Nelson?"
Hayley Mills: "Oh, your boyfriend."
Hayley Mills (twin): "I wish he was! You mean you've never heard of him? Where do ya come from? Outer Space?"
-- The Parent Trap

A child actor who starred in his parents' radio and TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Ricky Nelson transitioned, in his teens, to rockabilly music through the sheer force of trying to impress his girlfriend and his father's industry ties (Note: His father was himself an experienced band leader).  He signed a recording contract, first with Verve then Imperial, as a "young personality".  His performances on Ozzie and Harriet helped turn him into one of rock 'n' roll's biggest stars, immediately topping the charts.  Ricky Nelson released his debut album Ricky on Imperial Records in 1957.

Here is the discography surrounding Ricky Nelson's debut album:

A Teenager's Romance (1957 single)
You're My One and Only Love (1957 single)
Teen Time (1957 compilation songs)
Ricky (1957 EP)
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (1957 single)
Ricky
Honeycomb (1957 EP)
If You Can't Rock Me (1957 EP)
True Love (1957 EP)
Stood Up (1957 single)
My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (1957 single)

"A Teenager's Romance" by Ricky Nelson


"Bye Bye Love" by Ricky Nelson (with The Four Preps)


Interview with Ricky Nelson


"If You Can't Rock Me" by Ricky Nelson


Pass the Headphones!!

Olivier Messiaen - La Nativité du Seigneur (1957)

"La Nativité du Seigneur" by Olivier Messiaen


A note from this blog's curator:  composers are tough and don't easily fit into this blog's format (the same goes for jazz musicians and most musicians whose work came out in the first half of the 20th century).  I'm going to do my best to find the earliest possible recordings of these artists, but I don't have the time or resources to be a completionist towards their work as I am with modern recordings.  A lot of such early recordings are likely to never have made the digitizing jump anyway.  Still, I hope to explore as much work of these artists as I can.  Back to the show.

Stockhausen studied under French composer and organist Olivier Messiaen.  Messiaen's La Nativité du Seigneur released in 1957.  Stokowski (who is very prevalent as a conductor on many early popular classical recordings) recorded a handful of Messiaen compositions and released them in 1949.

Here is the discography surrounding Olivier Messiaen's debut album:

Leopold Stokowski Conducts Messiaen and Vaughan Williams (1949 album)
La Nativité du Seigneur

Pass the Headphones!!

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Studie I / Studie II / Gesang der Junglinge (1957)

"Kontra-Punkte" by Karlheinz Stockhausen


Tim Souster studied under the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen at the University of Cologne.  One of his earliest releases was the compilation of three of his early recordings Studie I / Studie II / Gesang der Junglinge in 1957 by Deutsche Grammophon.

Here is the discography surrounding Karlheinz Stockhausen's debut album:

Les Concerts du Domaine Musical (1956 compilation song)
Studie I / Studie II / Gesang der Junglinge

Pass the Headphones!!

Little Richard - Here's Little Richard (1957)

"Keep a Knockin'" by Little Richard


There was one artist James Brown looked up to the most in his formative years and that was Little Richard.  Not only was Richard James's idol but also helped The Flames get a record deal through manager Clint Brantley.  And Brown always carried around a napkin on which Little Richard wrote "Please, Please, Please" of which he was determined to make a hit single.

Richard Penniman grew up in the church and the nightclub and influenced his interest in performing both Gospel and Rhythm and Blues.  The mix would knot his signature yell and impassioned vocals as Little Richard.  He wallowed in some unsurprising Rhythm and Blues for half a year, but the time he'd spent touring on the chitlin' circuit forged his style.  All the work led to his breakout hit single "Tutti Frutti" in 1955, the first of a string of million-selling records.  His effeminate demeanor and make up broke down some of the racial barriers in the South (he appeared less threatening), while his brand of rock brought both black and white audiences to his performances.  He helped break rock and roll onto the pop charts as well instead of just being relegated to the R&B charts.  His charisma also made him a sought commodity to feature in the rock films of the era.  His debut album Here's Little Richard released in 1957 packaged many of hit singles and remains a crowning achievement of Little Richard at the peak of his powers.

Here is the discography surrounding Little Richard's debut album:

Taxi Blues (1951 single)
Thinkin' 'Bout My Mother (1952 single)
Why Did You Leave Me? (1952 single)
Please Have Mercy on Me (1952 single)
Ain't That Good News (1953 single)
Always (1954 single)
Tutti Frutti (1955 single)
Long Tall Sally (1956 single)
Little Richard's Boogie (1956 single)
Rip It Up (1956 single)
Heeby-Jeebies (1956 single)
The Girl Can't Help It (1956 single)
Lucille (1957 single)
Jenny, Jenny (1957 single)
Keep a Knockin' (1957 single)
Maybe I'm Right (1957 single)
The Formative Years 1951-1953 (compilation album)
Here's Little Richard

"Long Tall Sally" and "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard from "Don't Knock the Rock"


Pass the Headphones!!

The Ike Cole Quartet - Get a Load o' Cole (1957)

Nat Cole had a younger brother who was also a jazz pianist and singer.  Ike Cole was born in Chicago eight years Nat's junior.  Ike's career was not as successful nor as easy as his older brother's but after a stint in the Army during the Korean War, he formed his own jazz quartet.  They'd record an album, 1957's Get a Load o' Cole, and a single for Bally Records, the last recordings for the label before it went defunct.  The album didn't make much of a mark anywhere for that reason, but still, he found some public renown by occasionally performing on television and regularly in Las Vegas.

Here is the discography surrounding Ike Cole's debut album:

Get a Load o' Cole
You Melt Me (1957 single)

"You Melt Me" by Ike Cole


Pass the Headphones!!

John Coltrane - Coltrane (1957)

"Violets for Your Furs" by John Coltrane


John Coltrane enlisted in the Navy in 1945 at the age of eighteen.  It was then, stationed in Hawaii, where he played with the Navy jazz band as alto saxophonist.  After moving back to Philadelphia in '46, he took up jazz theory studies with guitarist Dennis Sandole and got one of his earliest gigs with the Eddie Vinson band where he switched to playing the tenor saxophone.  Coltrane went without much popular notice for a while but did get to record with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Bostic, and Johnny Hodges.  He continued to study and freelance until the mid-fifties.

"Trane" then hit two big breaks.  First, he got a call to be in Miles Davis's "First Great Quintet" with which he played from 1955 to 1957.  And second, he received a similar prominent role with Thelonious Monk, playing in his quartet.  Coltrane also picked up his first recording contract with Prestige Records in 1956.  He worked as a sideman on most of his Prestige recordings but gradually took more of a leading position as he recorded with Prestige "All Star" groups and then co-lead his first recording session with Paul Quinichette.  As John Coltrane's name grew in recognition thanks to his early work with Davis and especially his broadcast playing with Monk, he lead his first recording session that resulted in his 1957 debut album Coltrane.

(Forgot to mention the connection is Coltrane introduced Babatunde to John Hammond, Jr. who signed him to his recording contract.)

Here is the discography surrounding John Coltrane's debut album:

Tenor Conclave (1956 album with Hank Mobley, Al Cohn & Zoot Sims)
The Cats (1957 album with Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell & Idrees Sulieman)
Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette (1957 album with Paul Quinichette)
John Coltrane
Dakar (1957 album)
Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors (1957 album Idrees Sulieman, Webster Young & Bobby Jaspar)

"Bakai" by John Coltrane


Pass the Headphones!!

Chuck Berry - After School Session (1957)

"Maybellene" by Chuck Berry


In 1955, Muddy Waters steered a young Chuck Berry in the direction of Chess Records (his own label at the time). At the time, he wasn't a solo musician, but a member of a band. A band he wasn't a member of when it started. Originally a jazz and blues number, the Johnnie Johnson Trio recruited Berry on guitar after its saxophone player suffered a stroke and could no longer play. With the new instrument lineup, the repertoire morphed from jazz and blues to blues and country with a strong underlying note of contemporary R&B. Johnson (piano) didn't have the bombastic personality and showmanship that Chuck Berry did which inevitably led to Berry usurping the leadership role and the band name (now the Chuck Berry Trio). According to Johnson, he felt there was a greater chance of success with Berry as frontman. The new formula that blended rhythm and blues with country is the winning formula that most rock historians consider as one of the advents of Rock and Roll. The sound would meet the masses when Chuck Berry and his backing band (notice the change) recorded a country classic "Ida Red" but with completely revamped, youthful lyrics, an appropriate name change ("Maybellene"), and a clever re-arrangement by Berry and Johnson.

Chuck Berry's early life took a very strange road. He performed often in his youth but was sentenced to three years in jail after stealing a car while armed with a "non-functioning pistol". After he was released in 1947 at 21, he married, had a child, and took on a series of odd jobs to supply for his new family. He started playing odd gigs in the evenings as a means of making money. He was not the best guitarist, but he had a powerful style that he adapted from blues legend T-Bone Walker. He made up for the rest with his showmanship, his charisma, and his brilliant conversational lyrics. He never played anything too complicated, but that didn't matter because the opted for simplicity was what helped define rock 'n' roll in Berry's mind.

"Maybellene" met unexpected success as it sold over one million copies and peaked at #5 on the charts. More singles followed (all performing well on the R&B charts) and the next hit came in 1956 with the release of "Roll Over Beethoven" (#29 on the charts). This next hit helped propel Berry into a rising star. He not only sold out venues to both black and white audiences but his performances could also be seen on the silver screen. Disc Jockey Alan Freed's film Rock! Rock! Rock! featured Berry performing his single "You Can't Catch Me". In 1957, Chess Records released Berry's first LP After School Session. It did not chart and for good reason. The track list was made up primarily of Berry's soft B-Sides and lesser singles. What was more notable was what wasn't on the record. His three most successful singles were left off because they were recently used on the Rock! Rock! Rock! soundtrack. Still, Chuck Berry was at the forefront of the burgeoning Rock and Roll movement. "Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll!"

Here is the discography surrounding Chuck Berry's debut album:

Maybellene (1955 single)
Thirty Days (1955 single)
No Money Down (1955 single)
Roll Over Beethoven (1956 single)
Too Much Monkey Business (1956 single)
You Can't Catch Me (1956 single)

Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956 soundtrack songs)
School Days (1957 single)
After School Session (1957 EP)
After School Session

"Roll Over Beethoven" by Chuck Berry


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Buddy Holly and The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets (1957)

With the release of the song "Bo Diddley", Bo Diddley popularized a particular beat with which he would forever be associated. Several early rock songs that followed used the "Bo Diddley Beat" as a starting point in song composition including Buddy Holly's classic "Not Fade Away" released in 1957 with his band The Crickets.

Buddy Holly began playing music at a young age with a strong background in bluegrass music. As the young Holly began performing in 1955, he picked up influences from rising acts he'd tour with like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & His Comets shifting his act to rock and roll. He eventually formed his own band The Crickets which consisted of himself as lead guitarist and vocalist, drummer Jerry Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan. This lineup for the rock and roll band would eventually hold as the basic blueprint for all rock and roll bands to follow.

Although Buddy Holly started releasing singles as a solo artist in 1956, 1957 was the breakout year for Holly. He rose to prominence with a chart-topping hit "That'll Be the Day" and two other top ten hits "Peggy Sue" and "Oh, Boy!" (the latter with The Crickets). Oddly enough during this rush of releases, Holly released singles through three different record labels: Decca, Coral, and Brunswick. At the end of the year, it is with Brunswick that Buddy Holly and the Crickets would release their debut album The "Chirping" Crickets.

The album is a great collection of original songs and covers of Roy Orbison, Chuck Willis, and others. Buddy Holly was the principal songwriter for The Crickets, but the album features songs from Allison and Mauldin as well, giving it the feel of a work by the group rather than by just Holly.

Here is the discography surrounding Buddy Holly and the Crickets's debut album:

Blue Days, Black Nights (1956 single by Buddy Holly)
Modern Don Juan (1956 single by Buddy Holly)
That'll Be the Day (1957 single by Buddy Holly)
Words of Love (1957 single by Buddy Holly)
Rocking Around With Ollie Vee (1957 single by Buddy Holly)
Peggy Sue (1957 single by Buddy Holly)
Oh, Boy! (1957 single)
The "Chirping" Crickets





The Musical History Tour keeps on plugging along (albeit slowly) but feel free to suggest possible next courses of action. A great recommendation can easily sway the project into a new direction. Just remember, it has to be related to Buddy Holly and the Crickets (and their debut album) in some/any way.

I hope you like what you hear.

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1957)

We've seen our fair share of imitators; time to sound off with The Originator. Getting his hit start and stage name from his debut single, Bo Diddley was one of the performers responsible for the transition from blues to rock and roll. He held a huge influence on British blues/rock bands like The Rollings Stones and The Pretty Things (whose name is taken from Bo Diddley's 1955 single "Pretty Thing").

His 1957 debut album Bo Diddley is a collection of his earliest singles. Bo Diddley starts with the blues format and sound, gives it more kick, drive, and guitar, and kicks off rock and roll with that blues foundation remaining.

Here is the discography surrounding Bo Diddley's debut album:

Bo Diddley (1955 single)
Diddley Daddy (1955 single)
Pretty Thing (1955 single)
Diddy Wah Diddy (1956 single)
Who Do You Love? (1956 single)
Cops & Robbers (1956 single)
Hey! Bo Diddley (1957 single)
Say Boss Man (1957 single)
Bo Diddley
Hush Your Mouth (1958 single)
Bo Diddley (1958 EP)





Try comparing Bo Diddley's compositions to covers of his compositions (which there are plenty) and get an idea for rock and roll's historic progression. Also, feel free to suggest some bands for the Musical History Tour's next step.