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.