Atlantic R&B Box Set No.1: GRANVILLE "STICK" McGHEE

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee March 23, 1918, GRANVILLE "STICK" McGHEE was brought to Atlantic by Ahmet Ertegun un February 1949. He brought along his beat-up guitar and a song he had recordedfor an even smaller level two years before. And he gave Atlantic their first mayor hit. Stick was the younger brother of folk-blues legend Walter "Brownie" McGhee. When he was discharged from the army in 1946, he joined brother Brownie in New York, where Brownie was already well-known, and even did a session for Circle Records.
While in the service, Stick had learned a barracks ditty that had a lyric line unacceptable even 1980's ears. Rewritting the lyrici to the extent of replacing the offensive phrase with "spo-dee-o-dee", he cut the tune for Harlem Records, run by legendary black record man J. Mayo Williams. The release on Harlem (also on Cincinnatti) promptly disappeared, Stick went back to playing gigs behind Brownie.

in late 1948 a bored disc jockey in New Orleans began spinning an old copy of the tune, and his audience loved it. But they couldn't buy it anywere. Ertegun got wind of this pent-up demand and tried to buy the masters to reissue. Unable to do this, he started looking for the artist. Brownie knew just where to find him.

The song was recut at Atlantic with Wibert "Big Chief" Ellis, piano; Brownie McGhee, guitar; and Gene Ramey, bass; on february 14, 1949. By the end of the month the record was out and being played on the air. Far from being just carbon -copy of the earlier version, DRINKIN' WINE SPO-DEE-O-DEE on Atlantic was hotter, driven along by a propulsive rhythm section, it sounded much better.

By April 2, 1949 the record hit the"Juke Box" chart. where it stayed for a phenomenal 18 weeks, reaching #2. On the "Best Sellers" list it debuted April 16th and stayed there 23 weeks. A big hit by any measure.

After a few sound-alike sequels, frequently with Van Walls added on piano, Stick next hit again with "Tennessee Waltz Blues", an unlikely instrumental version of the Patti Page pop hit. ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW was cut at the same session on November 21, 1950 and shows Stick in his best vocal form, with tenor sax by Budd Johnson. After one more session for Atlantic late in 1951, Stick recorded for Savoy and Essex, then took a job as a cab driver. Late in 1952 he did some good-selling drinking songs for King, jumped back to Savoy in 1954 and returned to king in 1955.

Stick returned to Atlantic in 1957 with a session produced by herb Abramson for Atco, but the tunes were never released. His final recording session took place for Herald in 1960. The Spo-Dee-O-Dee Man died August 15, 1961 of lung cancer.

Atlantic R&B Box Set No.1: Frank "Floorshow" Culley.

A shadow figure in the history of r&b, brought his big fat tenor sax to Atlantic on january 17, 1949 and just happened  to start a trend of hard-honking tenor sax solas that would dominate whole decades of rock 'n' roll.

The tune that did it was COLE SLAW, written in 1942 (original title "Sorghum Switch" by Jesse Stone, arranger and musical director of Atlantic. Culley had benn playing around the New York clubs and recorded behind Wynonie Harris before he came to Atlantic.

Culley's strictly instrumental version hit the charts on May 14, 1949 and made it up to #12 on the "Best Sellers In Stores" and #11 on the "Juke Box" lists. Competition from vocal versions by Louis Jordan, the perennial top favorite black artist, and Jesse Stone's own version on RCA-Victor was tough. Atlantic's entry was helped along by being "dedicated to Max Cole", an r&b disc jockey on WOV in New York. Culley became a house musician at Atlantic, and his raucus instrumentals were consistent sellers. He traded his nickname "Floorshow" for Cole Slaw", and he was frecuently teamed with Atlantic's unique piano man, Harry Van Walls. After leaving Atlantic, he recordad for Baton and Chess (unissued) but nothing has been heard about Frank Culley as a performer since late '50's.

Atlantic R&B Box Set No.1: Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes.

Born July 7, 1916 in Newport News, Virginia, started out on drums in his high school band then switched to piano. Moving to New York City in 1937, he began working out on four string guitar. After a year or two with The Cats & The Fiddle, he joined Slam Stewart in Los Angeles, and after formed The Art Tatum Trio with Tatum and Stewart.
After Tatum went solo, Grimes formed his own band and returned to the East Coast, recording for Blue Note and (with Charlie Parker) Savoy. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC was his second release for Atlantic. On this recording from pre-strike December 30, 1947, Grimes' quintet consisted of John Hardee, tenor sax; George Kelly, piano; Lucille Dixon, bass; and Sonny Payne, drums.
Early in 1948, Grimes was playing at Gleason's in Cleveland, Ohio with a group that included Wilbert "Red" Prysock, tenor sax and vocals; Sir Charles Thompson, piano; Herb Gordy, bass; and Jerry Potter, drums. ANNIE LAURIE and MIDNIGHT SPECIAL were recorded in Cleveland, produced by Ahmet Ertegun, in August 1948. This group became the nucleus of the kilt-adorned "Rockin' Highlanders" witch toured heavily across the country. Prysock, born in Greensboro, North Carolina February 2, 1926, brought his big tenor sax sound to The Tiny Bradshaw Band in 1951, scored a big hit with "Soft" in 1953 and subsequently formed his own band. His instrumentals on Mercury during the height of the rock 'n' roll evolution were very popular. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL sold well enough to make a brief one-week appearance on position #12 on the "Most-Played On Juke Boxes" chart in Billboard, November 20, 1948.

Atlantic R&B Box Set No.1: Joe Morris "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywere"

ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, ANYWHERE hit the R&B "Most-played On Juke Boxes" and "Best Sellers in Stores" charts simultaneously on October 7th, 1950 and racked up a total of 22 weeks on the national popularity listings not dropping off until March 1951. So popular indeed, that when Atlantic made their initial move into pressing 45's in January 1951, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, ANYWHERE, was one of the first to be pressed at the new speed.
All of the Laurie Tate-Joe Morris records were very popular, and "Don't Take Your Love From Me" also hit the charts. Although a consistent hit-maker, her recording career is measured in mere months. In the summer of 1951 she left the Blues Cavalcade to raise a family.
Joe Morris left Atlantic in July 1953 to work for the new Herald label, and enjoyed tremendous success with "Shake A Hand" and "I'll Be True" with band vocalist Faye Adams. Later he accompanied her on records for Lido and Imperial, and also appeared on Gene Allison's blockbuster "You Can Make It If You Try" in 1957.
He returned briefly to Atlantic in May 1957 with Louis Madison on vocals, but nothing came of this re-association with the label he had helped launch nearly ten years before.
Joe Morris died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Phoenix, Arizona November 1958. He was 36 years old, and Atlantic sponsored a benefit concert for the relief of his widow and children.

Atlantic R&B Box Set No.1: Joe Morris "Lowe Groovin´"

Joe Morris was born in 1922 in Montgomery, Alabama, and this trumpet-playing bandleader (and sometimes vocalist) was the mainstay of the early Atlantic operation - The guy who helped pay the bills.
He first achieved prominence with The Lionel Hampton Orchestra in 1942 and remained with Hamp for four years.
In 1946 he formedhis own orchestra with Johnny Griffin, tenor sax; Bill McLemore, baritone sax; Wilmus Reeves, piano; George Freeman, guitar; Embra Daylie, drums; and Leroy Jackson, Bass. this band recorded for Manor before before laying down their first eight tracks for Atlantic on december 12, 1947.
LOWE GROOVING was issued in march 1948 featured Johnny Griffin, received favorable reviews and sold very wll up and down the East Coast. Atlantic´s distribution was limited at this time, and the record never reached the very limited R&B chart listings. Sales were undoubtedly helped by the fact that the tune was dedicated to popular disc Jockey Jackson Lowe, working out of Washington, DC. Lowe made the tune his theme song and played the hell out of it.
The success of this record was due in no small part to the fine sax work of Johnny Griffin, but reviewers were undecided as to the category of music they were hearing. It was new, and it didn't fit any of the convenient "jazz", "Bop" or "race" pigeonholes. It represented the first tentative step toward an easily-identified r&b sound.
By september 19, 1948 The Morris Orchestra included the great Mathew Gee, trombone; Elmo Hope, piano; Percy Heath, bass; and Philly Joe Jones, drums; Joe's exuberant vocal on THE APPLEJACK is backed by this all-star array, still of course, with Johnny Griffin in the spotlight.
After a year on the road, Morris returned to the Atlantic Studios in June 1950, this time with a full-blown musical revue. The "Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade" was a road show heavy on the hard-swinging instrumentals and shouting vocals, loosely patterned after the very successful Johnny Otis Show. Morris had Little Laurie Tate as his counterpart to Otis' Little Esther. Vocalist Tate proved to be extremely popular and her high-pitched, emotional stylings
handed Morris his first chart hits.