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The Hokum Boys
"Hokum Boys" was the billing (or part of the billing) of multiple jazz bands (typically, just studio grouping of musicians) active in 1920s and 1930s. The hokum subgenre of blues music got its name from these bands. "Hokum", originally a vaudeville term used for a simple performance bordering on vulgarity, but hinting at a smart wordplay, was first used in a billing of a race record for Tampa Red's Hokum Jazz Band ( Tampa Red and Georgia Tom). After releasing a big hit, "It's Tight Like That", with Vocalion Records (and its sequel) in 1928, the musicians went on to Paramount Records where they were called The Hokum Boys. Other recording studios joined the fray using similarly named ensembles. The groups continued into the 1930s, with Big Bill Broonzy joining forces with Georgia Tom as Famous Hokum Boys on records for the American Record Corporation, joined occasionally by Frank Brasswell, Mozelle Anderson, and possibly Arthur Petties. Personnel of the bands varied, and ide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billing (performing Arts)
Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works. Information given in billing usually consists of the companies, actors, directors, producers, and other crew members. Films History From the beginning of motion pictures in the 1900s to the early 1920s, the moguls that owned or managed big film studios did not want to bill the actors appearing in their films because they did not want to recreate the star system that was prevalent on Broadway at that time. They also feared that, once actors were billed on film, they would be more popular and would seek large salaries. Actors themselves did not want to reveal their film careers to their stage counterparts via billing on film, because at that time working in the movies was unacceptable to stage actors. As late as the 1910s, stars as famous as Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin were not known by name to moviegoers. Acc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Record Corporation
American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company. Overview ARC was created in January 1929 by Louis G. Sylvester, president of Scranton Button Works ('Scranton'), founded 1885. Scranton owned a pressing plant that manufactured disks for many companies, including Columbia labels and Emerson Records, the latter which it also owned. It then purchased Cameo Record Corporation, which owned the Cameo, Lincoln and Romeo labels), and six labels owned by the Plaza Music Company ( Conqueror, Banner, Domino, Jewel, Oriole, and Regal). for $1 each, including liabilities. Pathé-Perfect Phonograph and Radio Corporation, which owned Actuelle, Pathé, and Perfect, was also purchased. 'American Record Corporation' was incorporated in Delaware on July 25, 1929, as a subsidiary of Consolidated Film Industries, Inc. ("CFI"). Louis G. Sylvester became the president of the new compan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hokum Boys
"Hokum Boys" was the billing (or part of the billing) of multiple jazz bands (typically, just studio grouping of musicians) active in 1920s and 1930s. The hokum subgenre of blues music got its name from these bands. "Hokum", originally a vaudeville term used for a simple performance bordering on vulgarity, but hinting at a smart wordplay, was first used in a billing of a race record for Tampa Red's Hokum Jazz Band ( Tampa Red and Georgia Tom). After releasing a big hit, "It's Tight Like That", with Vocalion Records (and its sequel) in 1928, the musicians went on to Paramount Records where they were called The Hokum Boys. Other recording studios joined the fray using similarly named ensembles. The groups continued into the 1930s, with Big Bill Broonzy joining forces with Georgia Tom as Famous Hokum Boys on records for the American Record Corporation, joined occasionally by Frank Brasswell, Mozelle Anderson, and possibly Arthur Petties. Personnel of the bands varied, and identifi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cecil Scott
Cecil Scott (November 22, 1905 in Springfield, Ohio – January 5, 1964 in New York City) was an American jazz clarinetist, tenor saxophonist, and bandleader. Scott played as a teenager with his brother, drummer Lloyd Scott. They played together as co-leaders through the end of the 1920s, holding residencies in Ohio, Pittsburgh, and in New York City at the Savoy Ballroom. Among the members of this ensemble were Dicky Wells, Frankie Newton, Bill Coleman, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Hodges, and Chu Berry. Cecil took full control over the group in 1929, though Lloyd continued to manage the group. Scott was severely injured in the leg during an accident in the early 1930s, and his career was temporarily sidelined. After his recovery he played with Ellsworth Reynolds in 1932-33 and then with Teddy Hill (from 1936), Clarence Williams, and Teddy Wilson (1936–37); in the latter gig he accompanied Billie Holiday. In the early 1940s, he played with Alberto Socarras, Red Allen, Willie "The Lio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Bob (musician)
Black Bob ( fl. 1930s) was the pseudonym used by an American blues piano player, based in Chicago, who recorded widely in the 1930s accompanying other performers. His real name is unknown, but suggestions have included Bob Hudson, Bob Robinson, Bob Alexander, and Bob Schanault (or Chenault). Almost nothing is known of his life beyond his recordings. According to Chicago pianist Charlie West, he became known as Black Jack in Cincinnati, Ohio, before moving around 1927 to Chicago where he adopted the name Black Bob. Reportedly, Big Bill Broonzy thought that his real name was Robert Alexander, though Memphis Slim gave his name as Bob Hudson. It was once erroneously suggested that Black Bob was a pseudonym for Bob Call. Reviewing the evidence, researcher Bob Eagle raised the possibility that he may have been the Bob Schanault (possibly misspelled) who recorded with Memphis Minnie in 1936. Black Bob was the pianist on many Chicago blues recordings of the mid and late 1930s, notably ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Washboard Sam
Robert Clifford Brown (July 15, 1910 – November 6, 1966), known professionally as Washboard Sam, was an American blues musician and singer. Biography Brown's date and place of birth are uncertain; many sources state that he was born in 1910 in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, but the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc suggest that he was born in 1903 or 1904, in Jackson, Tennessee, on the basis of Social Security information. When applying for his musicians union card, he gave his birthdate as July 15, 1914. He was reputedly the half-brother of Big Bill Broonzy. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1920s, performing as a street musician with Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon. He moved to Chicago in 1932, performing regularly with Broonzy and other musicians, including Memphis Slim and Tampa Red, in many recording sessions for Lester Melrose of Bluebird Records. In 1935, he began recording in his own right for both Bluebird and Vocalion Records, becoming one of the most popula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teddy Edwards
Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and then clarinet. His uncle sent for him to come to Detroit to live because he felt opportunities were better. Due to illness in the family, he went back to Jackson and ventured to Alexandria, Louisiana. He was persuaded by Ernie Fields to join his band after going to Tampa, Florida. Edwards had planned to go to New York City, but Fields convinced him he could get there by way of Washington, D.C., if he worked with his band. Edwards ended up at the "Club Alabam" on Central Avenue in Los Angeles, which later became his city of residence. Edwards played with many jazz musicians, including his personal friend Charlie Parker, Roy Milton, Wynonie Harris, Vince Guaraldi, Joe Castro and Ernie Andrews. A 1947 recording with Dexter Gordon, '' The Duel' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Blythe
James Louis Blythe (May 20, 1901 – June 14, 1931) was an American jazz and boogie-woogie pianist and composer. Blythe is known to have recorded as many as 300 piano rolls, and his song "Chicago Stomp" is considered one of the earliest examples of boogie-woogie music to be recorded. Biography Blythe was born in Keene, Kentucky, South Keene, Kentucky to former slaves turned-sharecroppers Richard and Rena Blythe. He was the youngest of five children to survive birth and became interested in the piano after observing local ragtime players. In 1917, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked in the Mavis Talcum Powder Company and studied the rudiments of piano, playing under the tutelage of orchestra leader Clarence M. Jones, who found some success as an arranger. Although Blythe's life between 1919 and 1922 is obscured, it is speculated that he began preparing compositions in Jones's recording studio and performed at nearby music clubs. In early 1922, Blythe was hired by the Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blind Blake
Arthur Blake (1896 – December 1, 1934), known as Blind Blake, was an American blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He is known for recordings he made for Paramount Records between 1926 and 1932. Early life Little is known of Blake's life. Promotional materials from Paramount Records indicate he was born blind and give his birthplace as Jacksonville, Florida, and it seems that he lived there during various periods. He may have had relatives in Patterson, Georgia. Some authors have written that in one recording he slipped into a Geechee (Gullah) dialect, suggesting a connection with the Sea Islands. Blind Willie McTell indicated that Blake's real name was Arthur Phelps, but later research has shown this is unlikely to be correct.Balfour, Alan. CD liner notes. ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order'', vol. 4, ''August 1929 to June 1932''. DOCD–5027. Document Records, 1991. In 2011, a group of researchers led by Alex van der Tuuk published various documents regardin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Casey Bill Weldon
William "Casey Bill" Weldon (February 2, 1901 or December 10, 1909 – September 28, 1972) was an American country blues musician. Some details of Weldon's life are unconfirmed. According to some sources, he was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and later lived and worked in Chicago. He reportedly made his way to Chicago via Kansas City, which gave rise to his nickname, a version of K.C. He was one of the early musicians who recorded playing slide guitar. He played upbeat, hokum and country blues tunes. Playing a National steel guitar flat on his lap Hawaiian style, he was known as the "Hawaiian Guitar Wizard". According to some sources, Weldon was married to the singer and guitarist Memphis Minnie in the 1920s, but this is now believed to be a misidentification. Only recently it has been widely accepted that he is not the musician, Will Weldon, who recorded between 1927 and 1928 as a member of the Memphis Jug Band. Weldon cut over 60 sides for Bluebird and Vocalion. He was als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex Hill (musician)
Alex Hill (April 22, 1906 – February 1937) was an American jazz pianist. Hill was a child prodigy on piano, which he learned from his mother. While studying at Shorter College he met Alphonse Trent, and began arranging material for him. He graduated in 1922 and played in various territory bands, including Terrence Holder's. From 1924 to 1926 he led his own ensemble; later in 1926 he played with Speed Webb, and in 1927 he spent time with Mutt Carey's Jeffersonians and Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders. Late in 1927 he relocated to Chicago, and held a job as an arranger for the Melrose Music Publishing Company, while simultaneously arranging for the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra. He played with Jimmy Wade in 1928, Jimmie Noone in 1929, and Sammy Stewart in 1930. In 1929, Hill plus the guitar players Dan Roberts and Alex Robinson, recorded for Paramount Records billed as the Hokum Boys. Later that year, Ikey Robinson recorded for OKeh Records, both with Jimmy Blythe and late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banjo Ikey Robinson
Isaac L. "Banjo Ikey" Robinson (July 28, 1904 – October 25, 1990) was an American banjoist and vocalist. Born in Dublin, Virginia, United States, Robinson moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1926, playing and recording with Jelly Roll Morton, Clarence Williams, and Jabbo Smith during 1928 and 1929. In 1929, Robinson recorded in Chicago with Georgia Tom, billed as The Hokum Boys. Their track, written by Dorsey, "I Had to Give Up Gym" was an early dirty blues song, sometimes described as hokum. His groups included Ikey Robinson and his Band (w/ Jabbo Smith), The Hokum Trio, The Pods of Pepper, Windy City Five, and Sloke & Ike. Film *''Louie Bluie'' (1986). Directed by Terry Zwigoff. References External linksWorldCat entryIkey Robinson recordingsat the Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of thes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
