Earl Forest (December 1, 1926 – February 26, 2003) was an American musician and a member of the Memphis-based R&B coalition called
the Beale Streeters The Beale Streeters were a Memphis-based R&B coalition of musicians, which at times included John Alexander, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, B.B. King, Earl Forest, Willie Nix, and Rosco Gordon. Initially, they were not a formal band, but they playe ...
, which included
Johnny Ace
John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted gunsh ...
,
Bobby Bland
Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.
Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...
,
,
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
, and
Roscoe Gordon
Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002),
sometimes billed as Roscoe Gordon, was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit songs "Booted," (1952), " No More Doggin'" (1952), and " Just a Litt ...
. Forest had a hit record in 1953 with "Whoopin' And Hollerin'" on
Duke Records
Duke Records was an American record label, started in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952 by David James Mattis (WDIA program director and DJ) and Bill Fitzgerald, owners of Tri-State Recording Company. Their first release was Roscoe Gordon singing "Hey ...
. He also recorded for
Meteor Records
Meteor Records was a Memphis-based R&B record label ran by Lester Bihari, one of the Bihari brothers, owners of Modern Records in Los Angeles. Founded in 1952, the label was a bold experiment to broaden the talent base by focusing on signing and ...
and
Flair Records
Flair Records was an American record label owned by the Bihari brothers, launched in the early 1950s. It was a subsidiary of Modern Records. Its most famous artist were Elmore James, who released ten singles with this label (as listed below), R ...
.
Life and career
Forest was born in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
on December 1, 1926.
By the late 1940s Forest was part of the network of musicians performing around Beale Street known as
the Beale Streeters The Beale Streeters were a Memphis-based R&B coalition of musicians, which at times included John Alexander, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, B.B. King, Earl Forest, Willie Nix, and Rosco Gordon. Initially, they were not a formal band, but they playe ...
. These musicians included
Johnny Ace
John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted gunsh ...
,
Bobby Bland
Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.
Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...
,
,
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
, and
Roscoe Gordon
Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002),
sometimes billed as Roscoe Gordon, was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit songs "Booted," (1952), " No More Doggin'" (1952), and " Just a Litt ...
. They weren't a formal band, but they played at the same venues and backed each other during recording sessions.
Scout and program director of
WDIA
WDIA (1070 AM) is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. Active since 1947, it soon became the first radio station in the United States that was programmed entirely for African Americans. It featured black radio personalities; its success in ...
, David James Mattis, would attend local shows and have musicians perform live at the radio station. Forest, pianist John Alexander, and saxophonist Adolph "Billy" Duncan backed B.B King during broadcasts at WDIA. "I guess you can say this was the first little bitty B.B. King band," King recalled in his autobiography.
In 1951,
Ike Turner
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...
, who was a talent scout and producer for the
Bihari brothers
The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers wer ...
at
Modern Records
Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...
, arranged for the Beale Streeters to record for Modern.
Forest backed Bobby Bland on his sessions for Modern, which produced the single "Crying All Night Long" / "Dry Up Baby." That session also included musicians
Ike Turner
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...
on piano, Billy Duncan on tenor saxophone, and
Matt Murphy on guitar.
In 1952,
WDIA
WDIA (1070 AM) is a radio station based in Memphis, Tennessee. Active since 1947, it soon became the first radio station in the United States that was programmed entirely for African Americans. It featured black radio personalities; its success in ...
program director David James Mattis founded
Duke Records
Duke Records was an American record label, started in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952 by David James Mattis (WDIA program director and DJ) and Bill Fitzgerald, owners of Tri-State Recording Company. Their first release was Roscoe Gordon singing "Hey ...
and signed many of the Beale Streeters to the label. Forest played drums during a session for Bobby Bland at WDIA studios in 1952.
Soon after, Forest recorded his first record, "Whoopin' And Hollerin'," with Johnny Ace on piano.
It reached No. 7 on the ''Billboard''
's R&B chart (Most Played in Juke Boxes) in April 1953.
To capitalize off the success of the record, the Bihari brothers released a single by Forest on their sublabel
Meteor Records
Meteor Records was a Memphis-based R&B record label ran by Lester Bihari, one of the Bihari brothers, owners of Modern Records in Los Angeles. Founded in 1952, the label was a bold experiment to broaden the talent base by focusing on signing and ...
, credited as Earl (Whoopin' & Hollerin') Forrest. Later that year, Forest's "Trouble And Me" was issued as a split single with Johnny Ace's "Mid Night Hours Journey" on
Flair Records
Flair Records was an American record label owned by the Bihari brothers, launched in the early 1950s. It was a subsidiary of Modern Records. Its most famous artist were Elmore James, who released ten singles with this label (as listed below), R ...
. Forest continued to record, releasing more singles on Duke Records until the 1960s.
As a songwriter, Forest co-wrote the blues standard "
Next Time You See Me
"Next Time You See Me" is a blues song written by Earl Forest and Bill Harvey, originally recorded in 1956 by Junior Parker (as "Little Junior Parker" as he was then known). The song was Parker's first record chart appearance after joining Duke ...
" which was recorded by Junior Parker,
Frankie Lymon
Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group Th ...
,
James Cotton
James Henry Cotton (July 1, 1935 – March 16, 2017) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career.
...
and many others.
He co-wrote "Morning After" by
the Mar-Keys
The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an United States, American recording studio, studio session musician, session musical ensemble, band for Stax Records, in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing m ...
, released on
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records.
Stax was ...
in 1961. In the 1980s, Forest recorded with one-time Beale Streeter Bobby Bland, backing him on his 1987 album ''Blues You Can Use''.
He also co-wrote two songs on that album, "Spending My Life With You" and "For The Last Time." Forest co-wrote two songs on
Little Milton
James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include " Baby, I Love ...
's 1987 album ''Movin' To The Country'', "Just Because You See Me Smilin'" and "Room 244."
Forest died from cancer at the Memphis Veterans Administration Medical Center on February 26, 2003.
Discography
Singles
* 1953: "Whoopin' And Hollerin'" / "Pretty Bessie" (
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
R-108) – No. 7 on
''Billboard'' R&B
* 1953: "I Wronged A Woman" / "I Can't Forgive You" (
Meteor
A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...
5005)
* 1953: "Last Night's Dream" / "Fifty Three" (Duke 113)
* 1953: "Mid Night Hours Journey" (Johnny Ace) / "Trouble and Me" (
Flair 1015)
* 1954: "Out On A Party" / "Oh, Why" (Duke 121)
* 1954: "Your Kind Of Love" / "Ohh, Ohh Wee" (Duke 130)
* 1962: "Memphis Twist" / "Beale Street Popeye" (Duke 349)
* 1963: "The Duck" / "The Crown" (Duke 363)
Albums
Featured appearances
* 1978: ''Big Blues From Duke & Peacock (Blues Anthology Vol. 2)'' (
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...
)
*1987: ''Earl Forest Featuring The Beale Streeters With Bobby Bland And Johnny Ace'' (
Ace records)
* 1989: ''The Original Memphis Blues Brothers'' (Ace Records)
* 1992: ''The Best Of Duke-Peacock Blues'' (
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
)
* 2005: ''Blowing The Fuse 1953 – 29 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox in 1953'' (
Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label, that specializes in reissues of archival material, ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.
History
The label has been in existence since ...
)
* 2008: ''Rockin' Memphis'' (
Proper Records
Proper Records is an English record label founded by Proper Music Group Chairman - Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley. Commencing with a handful of releases, including the Balham Alligators and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the label grew in ...
)
* 2010: Ike Turner – ''That Kat Sure Could Play! The Singles 1951–1957'' (
Secret Records Limited)
* 2012: Johnny Ace – ''Ace's Wild: The Complete Solo Sides And Sessions'' (Fantastic Voyage)
* 2017: Ike Turner – ''Sessionography Vol. 1'' (Real Gone Records)
As a sideman
* 1981: B.B. King – ''The Rarest King'' (Blues Boy)
* 1987: Junior Parker & Roscoe Gordon – ''Feelin' Good'' (
Sun Record Company / P-Vine Special)
* 1987: Bobby Bland – ''Blues You Can Use'' (
Malaco Records
Malaco Records is an American independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, that has been the home of various major blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, Mel Waiters, Z. Z. Hill, Denise LaSalle, La ...
)
* 1992: B.B. King – ''King of the Blues'' (MCA Records)
* 2001: Bobby Bland – ''The Antholog''y (MCA Records)
* 2010: Ike Turner – ''That Kat Sure Could Play! The Singles 1951–1957'' (Secret Records Limited)
* 2013: B.B. King – ''The Indispensable 1949–1962'' (Frémeaux & Associés)
* 2013: Little Junior Parker – ''Feelin' Good – The 1952–1962 Recordings'' (Hoodoo Records)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest, Earl
1926 births
2003 deaths
American rhythm and blues singers
Flair Records artists
Meteor Records artists
Duke Records artists
Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee
Rhythm and blues drummers
African-American drummers
20th-century African-American male singers
American rhythm and blues musicians
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
21st-century African-American people