20 FAVE INSTRUMENTAL RECORDS
TODAY........FROM 1955
1. HAND CLAPPIN’ – RED PRYSOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvib_WIomho
Great tenor sax player who’d stood out in Tiny Bradshaw’s outfit (that’s him playing the lead on “Soft”) now firmly at home on Mercury (after a couple of early sides for Bobby Robinson at Red Robin). “Hand Clappin’” is best of his credited recordings IMO hence #1 on this list. Not sure
if it was a theme on his US broadcasts but Alan Freed opened his
Luxembourg show with this one several times as I recall. No chart action
and not issued as UK single
2. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – RED PRYSOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sLBdZLI0w
Here’s rockin’ Red back for seconds—this time with his first Mercury single
for 1955 that also titled his first LP a little later that year (that
also contained “Hand Clappin’” btw). Sold well enough for Bobby Robinson to dust down
a couple of old unreleased sides and put them out on Red Robin
3. WET BACK HOP – CHUCK HIGGINS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT6W_r5otD8
Notorious label hopper Higgins landed on Dootsie Williams’ Dootone label
out on the West Coast for this one. “Wetback Hop” my second favorite of
his
records after “Pachuko Hop” (see lead post in the 1952 entry in this series)
“Wetback Hop” ran into problems on some radio stations who refused play
on
the grounds that "the title was a slur on Mexicans"
4. BOPPIN’ WITH SONNY – SONNY BOY WILLAMSON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENGm7BY2VyI
Sonny claimed to play drums on both sides of this one (b/w the vocal “No Nights
By Myself”) on Ace label. Released September 1955 (same month as his
Checker
debut “Don’t Start Me Talkin’) this release was the result of Ace
leasing the
masters from Sonny’s previous label Trumpet
5. THUNDER BIRD – LITTLE WALTER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9TLyWUpW4o
Featuring Leonard Caston & Robert Lockwood Jr (gtrs) Willie Dixon (bs)
Fred
Below (dms) this was the super instrumental flipside of his big 1955 hit
“My
Babe” released on Checker
6. BOPPIN’ THE ROCK – CLIFTON CHENIER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UcdB_TU5CA
Flip to the vocal “Aye Tete Fe” this was Clifton’s debut single on the Specialty
label. Backing James Jones (pno) Philip Walker (gtr),”Candy” (bs) unk.
dms
7. FINGER TIPS – RED PRYSOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSSpTCBPs4I
This was the official followup to “Hand Clappin’” on Mercury (Bobby Robinon
put out a couple of older sides as a Red Robin single in between) in
pretty much
the same vein prompting a then five year old Steveland Judkins in
Detroit to declare "Gee I LOVE that title"
8. ROCKIN’ THE BOP - CLISTON CHANIER (sic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj8i1ezmIsQ
Yep that’s how Le Chenier is billed on this single which appeared on Imperial’s short lived Post subsidiary (which relaunched in 1962 and was equally short lived then as well).
9. JUMPIN’ WITH JARVIS – PAPA LIGHTFOOT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21yt7jKaYrc
Alexander Lightfoot aka “Papa Lightfoot” from Natchez Mississippi is probably best known for his “Wine Women Whisky” recorded for Imperial in 1954. The track here “Jumpin’ With Jarvis” is an instrumental recorded
as long ago as November 19 1952 In New Orleans. Besides Lightfoot (hca)
other players include Tommy Ridgley (pno) and Edgar Blanchard (gtr). The
track finally saw light of day in 1955 on Aladdin
10. CHOP CHOP – CHUCK HIGGINS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoG11yPqV04
His one and only release on the R&B label (and the last issue on the
label I *think*) that famously gave us the original “Hearts Of Stone” by The Jewels.
11. HEAVY SUGAR – LLOYD LAMBERT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6TILW_I8dc
Reminds me of some of the West Indian (read “Jamaican”) parties we got invited to from some of the deejays we used to service via
Moondogs---and their battles of the sound systems. In which “sound
duels” playing old favorite US r&b anthems like “Heavy Sugar” on Specialty (still available from the company right up into the 70’s BTW)
here used to pit these guys against each other.
Great old days!
12. HOT ROD – HAL SINGER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp8fx8UQaY8
Here’s tenor saxman Hal Singer with his rockin’ outfit with “Hot Rod” on
the Savoy label recorded at a joint Buddy Lucas/Hal Singer session in
NYC and released as a single that December.This was also included in the
1957 “Rock ‘N’ Roll” compendium LP put out on Regent label (10” London
label here in UK) and
mentioned on here lately
13. CLOUDBURST – CLAUDE CLOUD & HIS THUNDERCLAPS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGi90a-acxI
Long time instrumental fave of mine saw the mild mannered Leroy
Kirkland--here recording under his superhero alter ego Claud Cloud
backed by the Thunderclaps (including the great tenor sax of Sam “The
Man” Taylor--on the Kirkland-penned "Cloudburst" number for MGM that
later became famous in the Lambert,Hendricks & Ross jazz version and
which even wound its way into the repertoire of Barry Manilow in the
70’s. The ONLY record here today (I think) that was issued in the UK on 45rpm---but then only on a Claude Cloud EP in 1955 on MGM
As I've mentioned on here before Freed used this one to open his
Luxembourg show
at least once IIRC
14. ROLLER COASTER – LITTLE WALTER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eXu8GenNys
Penned by one Elias McDaniel and a terrific Checker “A” side
instrumental for Walter and worthy followup to his big “My Babe” r&b hit---reckoned by many to be the best instrumental he ever put out.
Didn’t make the BBpop chart but hit a #6 BB r&b
15. ROCKIN’ AND BOPPIN’ – JOE HOUSTON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ-g46IpNQM
This intense sax-filled bopper was Joe H’s parting shot to the Cash
label in October 1955-the same month that the label released the r&b
chart hit “Jivin’ Around” by Ernie Freeman (see below)
16. BIG JAY’S HOP – BIG JAY McNEELY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBaMLlRuFFI
Leaving the Federal label in the dust Big Jay hooks up with Vee Jay in
Chicago for his newest instrumental gem in June 1955---but sadly his
ONLY 45rpm single of the year!!
17. JIVIN’ AROUND-PART II – ERNIE FREEMAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQzLrIUVtMk
His first outing on wax and the immediate release preceding Joe
Houston’s “Rockin’ And Boppin’” above. Fans should be aware that “Jivin’
Around” is a two-parter split over both sides of the record with Part 1
= vocal and Part II = (as you’d expect)-instrumental
18. APRIL IN PARIS – COUNT BASIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9ufYWR3uh8
Basie’s memorable version of the Duke-Harburg classic Broadway piece originally in the stage musical “Walk A Little Faster” in 1932 and of course revived more recently in 1952 by Doris Day as the title of her
then newest movie. A US hit for Basie (in early 1956 on Clef label ) it
reached #28 BBpop and #8 BBr&b.it was 1957 before it saw UK release and
then on an album on Columbia
In the immortal closing words of Mr B. “one more once!!!”
19. THUNDERBOLT – WARREN (TENOR SAX) LUCKEY & COMBO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYMyrx9vL94
Irresistible sax piece led by the Dallas Tx born Mr Luckey---veteran
tenor player who’d been around the block a few times in bands led by
Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie,Mickey Baker and others. I can only
trace a couple of singles issued by him---but both this one and the
subsequent “Paradise Rock” (see below) are not to be missed
20. K.C BOOGIE - K.C DOUGLASS & LUMBERJACKS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je31xc4Hwfg
From the grouping that gave us “Mercury Blues” in 1948 (revived in the
late 60’s in the Steve Miller version) here bring us the memorable “K.C Boogie” on Don Pierce’s Hollywood label (the new incarnation of the
company after the takeover from John Dolphin)
BUBBLING UNDER
21. LOUISIANA STOMP – CLIFTON CHENIER
22. ROCKIN’ HOP – CLIFTON CHENIER
23. PARADISE ROCK – WARREN LUCKEY
24. JINGLE BELL HOP – JACKSON TRIO
25. FISH BAIT – WARREN LUCKEY
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