"The Honeydripper (Parts 1 and 2)" is an R&B song by
Joe Liggins
Joseph Christopher Liggins, Jr. (born Theodro Elliott; July 9, 1916 – July 26, 1987) was an American R&B, jazz and blues pianist and vocalist who led Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers in the 1940s and 1950s. His band appeared often on the ''B ...
and his Honeydrippers which topped the US Billboard R&B chart (at that time called the "Race Records" chart) for 18 weeks, from September 1945 to January 1946.
History
Liggins claimed to have written the tune around 1942, when playing piano in Los Angeles with a group called the California Rhythm Rascals. The tune was based around the traditional song "
Shortnin' Bread
"Shortnin' Bread" (also spelled "Shortenin' Bread", "Short'nin' Bread", or "Sho'tnin' Bread") is an African-American folk song dating back at least to the 1890s. James Whitcomb Riley published it as a poem in 1900, building on older lyrics. A " ...
". It was adopted by dancers performing a dance called the Texas Hop, and Liggins wrote words to fit the tune - ''"The honeydripper, he's a killer, the honeydripper ... he's a solid gold cat, he's the height of jive ... he's a riffer, the honeydripper."'' The term "honeydripper" was black slang for a "sweet" guy, and had already been adopted as a nickname by blues pianist
Roosevelt Sykes
Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper".
Career
Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...
.
Liggins tried to persuade his next bandleader, Sammy Franklin, to record it, but Franklin refused and Liggins put together his own four-man group with
Little Willie Jackson (alto sax and clarinet), James Jackson Jr. (tenor sax) and a bass player. The song was heard by the owner of
Exclusive Records
Exclusive Records was a record label established by Leon René, which existed from 1944 to 1950.
History
Exclusive Records was established by Leon René in Los Angeles in 1944 and ceased operations in January 1950. Buddy Baker was the music dire ...
, Leon Rene, who wanted to record it although in live shows Liggins' performance often ran to fifteen minutes. Liggins suggested cutting it down and recording it over two sides of the record, 3 minutes per side. The recording was done on April 20, 1945,
with Liggins' regular bass player replaced by
Red Callender
George Sylvester "Red" Callender (March 6, 1916 – March 8, 1992) was an American string bass and tuba player. He is perhaps best known as a jazz musician, but worked with an array of pop, rock and vocal acts as a member of The Wrecking Cr ...
and Earl Carter added on drums.
The recording was an immediate smash hit.
"It was a hit booming from every record store, shoeshine stand, barber shop and barbecued chicken shack on Los Angeles' famed Central Avenue as many thousands of G.I.s returned from the Pacific, hungry for nightlife and new civilian experiences."
[Jim Dawson and Steve Propes, ''What Was The First Rock'n'Roll Record'', Faber & Faber, 1992, , pp.5-8] However, the small record company could not keep up with the demand, and a cover version by
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.
Early life
Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River, near Fulton, Mi ...
on the larger
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
label eventually replaced it at the top of the charts. Liggins' recording has been cited as ''"the earliest runaway hit in the formative R&B combo style"'',
[ and as such was an important precursor to the development of rock and roll. It made #13 on the Billboard pop chart.]
Liggins later moved to Specialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd Pr ...
and re-recorded the song in a shortened version in 1950. The original Exclusive part 1 of the song was dubbed (with another hit by Liggins on Exclusive, "I've Got A Right To Cry") and issued on 45 by Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...
around 1956.
Other recordings
Hit cover versions were also made by:
*Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.
Early life
Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River, near Fulton, Mi ...
(#2 R&B, 1945)
* Roosevelt Sykes (#3 R&B, 1945)
*Cab Calloway
Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...
(#3 R&B, 1946)
*An instrumental jazz version is on the 1963 album '' Night Train'' by the Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
Trio.
*Australian band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons
Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Joe Camilleri (aka "Jo Jo Zep"). The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and had severa ...
recorded a version and released it as the lead single from their EP ''Live!! Loud and Clear
''Live!! Loud and Clear'' is the first extended play by Australian blues, rock and R&B band Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons
Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are an Australian blues music, blues and rock music, rock band that features the singer, songwr ...
'' in 1978.
*Versions were also recorded in later years by Eddie Chamblee
Edwin Leon Chamblee (February 24, 1920 – May 1, 1999), known as Eddie "Long Gone" Chamblee, was an American tenor and alto saxophonist, and occasional vocalist, who played jazz and R&B.
Life and career
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United S ...
(on '' The Rocking Tenor Sax of Eddie Chamblee''), King Curtis
Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musicia ...
, Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...
and others.
''Evan's Shuffle'' by Little Walter
Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...
(with Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...
) is based on ''The Honeydripper''.
See also
* ''Billboard'' Most-Played Race Records of 1946
*R&B number-one hits of 1945 (USA)
Linked here are '' Billboard'' magazine's number-one rhythm and blues hits. The ''Billboard'' R&B chart is today known as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
History
From May 22, 1948 to October 13, 1958, multiple charts were published, which explai ...
References
External links
Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers
performing "The Honeydripper", 1983
{{DEFAULTSORT:Honeydripper, The
1945 songs
1978 singles
Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons songs
Rhythm and blues songs