"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: *

(#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''.

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

History

Other recordings

See also

References

External links