The Jive Bombers were an American
R&B group from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
The Jive Bombers consisted of members of two previous vocal groups, Sonny Austin & the Jive Bombers and The Palmer Brothers.
They first recorded under the name The Sparrows in 1949 for
Coral Records
Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer.
Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head o ...
,
and changed their name to The Jive Bombers in 1952 to record for Citation Records.
Their 1957
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music.
In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music.
...
single "
Bad Boy", co-written by
Avon Long
Avon Long (June 18, 1910 – February 15, 1984) was an American Broadway actor and singer.
Biography
Long was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Frederick Douglass High School, where he was especially influenced by the Latin teacher and ...
and
Lil Hardin
Lillian Hardin Armstrong (née Hardin; February 3, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader. She was the second wife of Louis Armstrong, with whom she collaborated on many recordings in ...
, was a hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 7 on the R&B Singles chart and No. 36 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The song has since been covered by
The Escorts,
Mink DeVille
Mink DeVille was a rock band founded in 1974, known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York's CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in the years 1977 to 1985, after ...
,
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
, Buster Poindexter (a.k.a. David Johansen),
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After g ...
, and others, and was used in the 1990 film ''
Cry-Baby
''Cry-Baby'' is a 1990 American teen musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Waters. It was the only film of Waters's over which studios were in a bidding war, coming off the heels of the successful ''Hairspray''. The film sta ...
''.
What distinguishes The Jive Bombers from similar bands of the same era, was the unique and often downright bizarre vocal style of lead singer Clarence Palmer. Apart from his powerful normal singing style, he would frequently scat-sing an indescribable "UAH-UAH-UAH" sound at the end of certain words or lines. In "
Bad Boy" he uses this effect every time he sings the song's title.
Members
*Earl Johnson (November 30, 1932)
*
Al Tinney (May 28, 1921 – December 11, 2002)
*William "Pee Wee" Tinney (September 25, 1930)
*Clarence Palmer: (January 2, 1911, Pawtucket, Rhode Island – March 1978, The Bronx, New York City)
References
External links
The Jive Bombers*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jive Bombers, The
Musical groups from New York City
Musical groups established in 1952
Savoy Records artists
1952 establishments in New York City