"Early in the Mornin'" or "'Early in the Morning" is a song that was recorded by

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

and His

Tympany Five Tympany Five was a successful and influential American rhythm and blues and jazz dance band founded by Louis Jordan in 1938. The group was composed of a horn section of three to five different pieces and also drums, double bass, guitar and pian ...

in 1947. It is an early example of a blues which incorporates

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

rhythms and percussive instruments. "Early in the Mornin'" became a hit, reaching number three in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine's race records chart. Jordan and his band later performed the song in the 1949 film ''Look Out Sister''. It served as inspiration for

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

. Various artists have recorded renditions of "Early in the Mornin'", often spelled as "Early in the Morning" (not to be confused with the earlier

Sonny Boy Williamson I John Lee Curtis "Sonny Boy" Williamson (March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He is often regarded as the pioneer of the blues harp as a solo instrument. He played on hundreds of rec ...

song " Early in the Morning").

Original song

"Early in the Mornin'" has the structure of a twelve-bar blues with a strong rhythmic element. It is credited to Jordan, Tympany Five bassist Dallas Bartley, and Leo Hickman and has been variously described as a

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

, a

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

, a calypso-influenced song, and a " Caribbean-flavoured number". As with many Jordan songs, it also has a comic element. The song begins with Latin-style percussion and Jordan calls out "Hey Pedro! ... Where is Lolito?" After a twelve-bar piano solo intro, Jordan's vocal begins: Backing Jordan on vocal and alto sax are

Wild Bill Davis Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with t ...

on piano, Bartley on bass, and

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

on drums. Percussion is provided by band members Aaron Isenhall, Eddie Johnson, and Carl Hogan.

Look Out Sister

Louis Jordan recorded a second version of "Early in the Mornin'" in 1949 for ''Look Out Sister'' "a sixty-seven-minute picture that featured Louis as a musical cowboy". His performance of the song was filmed in front of a U.S. southwestern-style ranch house with the band dressed in 1940s Hollywood cowboy garb. In his autobiography,

recalled seeing Jordan's films when he was young and was inspired by the showmanship of performances such as "Early in the Mornin'" and especially "

Caldonia "Caldonia" is a jump blues song, first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. Although credited to Fleecie Moore, his wife at the time, Jordan is the actual songwriter. The song was a hit for Jordan as well as several other musici ...

References

{{authority control 1947 songs 1947 singles Louis Jordan songs Blues songs Songs written by Louis Jordan Dinah Washington songs B.B. King songs Ray Charles songs Ike & Tina Turner songs Harry Nilsson songs Decca Records singles