Joseph Christopher Liggins, Jr. (born Theodro Elliott; July 9, 1916 – July 26, 1987) was an American R&B,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

pianist and vocalist who led Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers in the 1940s and 1950s. His band appeared often on the ''Billboard'' magazine charts. The band's biggest hit was " The Honeydripper", released in 1945. Joe Liggins was the older brother of R&B performer Jimmy Liggins.

Music career

The son of Harriett and Elijah Elliott, he was born in Seminole, Oklahoma, and took his stepfather's surname, Liggins, as a child. He apparently dropped the name Theodro and adopted the names Joseph Christopher during the 1930s. The family moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

in 1932.Michael Jack Kirby, "Joe Liggins – Pink Champagne", ''Wayback Attack''
Retrieved November 15, 2016 He graduated from Hoover High School, studied music at

San Diego State College San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, and performed with local bands at clubs and Naval bases. He wrote arrangements on a freelance basis for

Curtis Mosby Curtis J. Mosby (July 7, 1895 (or 1892) in Kansas City, Missouri – June 25, 1957 in San Francisco) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and businessman. Bio Mosby toured with the Tennessee Ten in the 1910s, and also led his own ensem ...

’s Blue Blowers, and in 1935 Liggins joined the Creole Crusaders, which was led by the drummer Ellis Walsh. He moved to Los Angeles in 1939, where he played with Sammy Franklin's California Rhythm Rascals and other groups. When Franklin turned down a chance to record Liggins' song "The Honeydripper", Liggins decided to start his own band. The original Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers recordings were issued on the

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 direc ...

imprint of brothers

Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

and

Otis René Otis Joseph René Jr. was an American songwriter and record label owner. As a songwriter, he is notable as the co-author of "When It's Sleepy Time Down South", which became a signature song for Louis Armstrong. Biography Otis René was born in Ne ...

. Joe Liggins' Honeydrippers was formed in the basement of the Los Angeles home of the saxophonist Little Willie Jackson, who co-founded the group and who, at the time of his death in 2001, was the last original surviving member of the Honeydrippers. "The Honeydripper" topped the R&B chart, then called the race chart, for 18 weeks in 1945. More than 60 years later, "The Honeydripper" remains tied with

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 ...

's "

Choo Choo Ch'Boogie "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" is a popular song written by Vaughn Horton, Denver Darling, and Milt Gabler. The song was recorded in January 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five and released by Decca Records. It topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks fr ...

" for the longest-ever stay at the top of that chart. It reportedly logged two million sales. The Honeydrippers performed for five of the famed Cavalcade of Jazz concerts all performed at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

in Los Angeles and produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. The first Cavalcade of jazz concert was on September 23, 1945 and included

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, The Peters Sisters, Slim and Bam, and Joe Turner to a crowd of 15,000. The second Cavalcade of Jazz concert was held October 12, 1946 and included Jack McVea,

Slim Gaillard Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. Gaillard was noted for his comedic vocalese singi ...

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

and his Orchestra and

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

. The third Cavalcade of Jazz was held September 7, 1947 and included

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

, The Valdḗs Orchestra,

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He ...

and his Orchestra,

Toni Harper Toni Harper (born June 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, California), also known as Toni Dunlap, is an American former child singer who retired from performing at the age of 29. After learning dance under Maceo Anderson, Harper was cast by the choreograp ...

, The Three Blazers, and

Sarah Vaughn Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

. The fourth Cavalcade of Jazz was held September 12, 1948 and included Joe Adams as Emcee,

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

Frankie Lane Frankie Lane (20 July 1948 – 19 May 2011) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He began his Football League career with Tranmere Rovers, before joining Liverpool, where he spent four years as reserve goalkeeper. He made only ...

, Little Miss Cornshucks, The Sweethearts of Rhythm, Joe Turner,

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

, The Blenders and The Sensations. The seventh Cavalcade of Jazz was held July 8, 1951 and featured

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

Percy Mayfield Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He also was a songwriter, known for the songs " Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song ...

, and Roy Brown. Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers were on the program for more Cavalcade of Jazz concerts than any other artists. In the program description it was noted that band critics called Joe Liggins and his Original Honeydrippers, "The Hottest Little Band in the Land." Liggins had a series of further R&B chart hits on the Exclusive label, including "Left a Good Deal in Mobile" (#2, 1945); "Got a Right to Cry" (#2, 1946); "Tanya" (#3, 1946); and "Blow Mr. Jackson" (#3, 1947). He signed with Specialty Records in 1950, where he gained more hits, including " Rag Mop" (#4, 1950), "Boom-Chick-A-Boogie", " Pink Champagne" (#1 for 13 weeks in 1950), and "Little Joe's Boogie". "Pink Champagne" also reached number 30 on the pop chart, and both "Pink Champagne" and "Got A Right To Cry" sold over one million copies and were awarded gold discs. His songs were mostly a blend of

jump blues Jump blues is an up-tempo style of blues, usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues was renewed in the 1990s as ...

and basic R&B. With Roy Milton, he was an architect of the small-band jump blues of the first post-war decade. Liggins often toured with such acts as

Amos Milburn Joseph Amos Milburn (April 1, 1927 – January 3, 1980) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Houston, Texas, and died there 52 years later. One commentator noted, "Milburn exce ...

and the jump blues shouter

H-Bomb Ferguson Robert Percell Ferguson (May 9, 1929 – November 26, 2006), who performed as H-Bomb Ferguson, was an American jump blues singer. He was an early pioneer of the rock and roll style of the mid-1950s, featuring driving rhythm, intensely shouted voc ...

. In March 1954, the band took part in a benefit show held at the Club 5-4 in Los Angeles for the wife of

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre ...

. In 1946, before the concept of rock music had been defined,

Billboard (magazine) ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the mus ...

described the group's song "Sugar Lump" as "right ryhthmic rock and roll music". Although Liggins' success stopped in the late 1950s, he continued to perform until his death following a stroke, in

Lynwood, California Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California. At the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the central portion of the Los Angeles ...

, at the age of 71.

The Honeydrippers (band members)

* Little Willie Jackson –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B t ...

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contrab ...

* James Jackson, Jr. –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

* Joe Liggins – piano, vocal * Frank Pasley – guitar * Eddie Davis – bass * Preston "Peppy" Prince – drums Guest session musicians: *

Joe Darensbourg Joe Darensbourg (July 9, 1906 – May 24, 1985) was an American, New Orleans-based jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, notable for his work with Buddy Petit, Jelly Roll Morton, Charlie Creath, Fate Marable, Andy Kirk, Kid Ory, Wingy Manon ...

–

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

* Johnny Moore – guitar * Gene Phillips – guitar * Red Callender – bass

Discography

Original 10" shellac (78rpm) and 7" vinyl (45rpm) releases

Bronze Records: * 125 The Honeydripper, Part 1/The Honeydripper, Part 2 -1944

: * 207 The Honeydripper, Part 1 e-recordingThe Honeydripper, Part 2 e-recording−1945 * 208 Left a Good Deal in Mobile (by Herb Jeffries w/Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers)/Here's Hopin' (by Herb Jeffries Orchestra w/Homer Hall Chorus) * 210 Got a Right to Cry/Blue Moods * 211 Got Your Love in My Heart (by Herb Jeffries w/Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers)/Tisco Tisco (by Pat Kay w/Herb Jeffries Orchestra) * 212 I Know My Love Is True/Harlemesque * 213 Lovers Lament/Miss Betty's Blues * 216 Caravan/You Ain't Goin' to Heaven No How * 219 Sugar Lump/Boddle-Do-Da-Deet * 231 Breaking My Heart/Tanya * 232 Drippers' Boogie, Part 1/Drippers' Boogie, Part 2 * 236 T.W.A./Last Night Blues * 238 Someday Sweetheart/Yvette * 242 Some of These Days/The Blues * 244 The Blues/Blow Mr. Jackson * 250 Down Home Blues/Ten Toes * 252 Think of Me/Little Willie * 256 Sugar/You'll Miss Me Sure's You're Born * 258 Life Don't Mean a Thing to Me/Siboney * 262 Worried/How Come * 267 Groovy Groove/Apple of My Eye * 271 Drippers' Blues/Sweet Georgia Brown * 41x Roll 'Em/Sweet And Lovely * 49x Spooks Holiday/The Darktown Strutters' Ball * 61x Don't Stop Loving Me/Key Jam * 68x Got a Right to Cry eissueBlue Moods eissue* 79x End of a Kiss/He Knows How to Knock Me Out * 84x Three O'clock Jump, Part 1/Three O'clock Jump, Part 2 * 102x Miss You/Big Baritone * 124x The Honeydripper, Part 1 eissueThe Honeydripper, Part 2 eissue* 132x Ruth/Loosiana * 144x Lonesome Guitar/Hey Mama * 151x What Is the Reason (You Don't Love Me)/Ham-Bone Boogie * 152x I Cover the Waterfront/Fascination

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 ...

: * 20-547 58th Street Jump/On the Sunny Side of the Street * 20-566 Black and Blue (v: Little Willie Jackson)/Jackson's Boogie * 20-571 I Ain't Got Nobody (v: Peppy Prince)/Shasta * 20-587 Little Willie's Boogie/You Can Depend On Me (v: Peppy Prince) * 20-605 Someday, Somehow, Somewhere (v: Little Willie Jackson)/My Baby's Blues * 20-613 The Peanut Vendor/Let's Jump ---note: these 12 sides were recorded by The Honeydrippers and released under the name/leadership of Little Willie Jackson.

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 ...

: * 1031 The Honeydripper, Part 1/The Honeydripper, Part 2 * 1032 I've Got a Right to Cry/Last Night Blues * 1033 Tanya/Down Home Blues ---note: these 6 sides are reissues of material originally recorded for Exclusive Records; Dot bought these masters and re-released them in 1951. Specialty Records: * 338 I've Got a Right to Cry e-recordingThe Honeydripper e-recording* 350 Rag Mop/Ramblin' Blues * 355 Pink Champagne/Sentimental Lover * 368 Rhythm in the Barnyard, Part 1/Rhythm in the Barnyard, Part 2 * 379 Little Joe's Boogie/Daddy on My Mind (v: Joe Liggins & Candy Rivers) * 392 I Just Can't Help Myself/Frankie Lee * 394 That's the One for Me (v: Joe Liggins & Candy Rivers)/Bob Is The Guy (v: Candy Rivers) * 402 Whiskey, Gin & Wine/One Sweet Letter (v: Candy Rivers) * 409 Louisiana Woman/Trying to Lose the Blues * 413 So Alone/Oh, How I Miss You * 426 Boogie Woogie Lou/Rain, Rain, Rain (v: Candy Rivers) * 430 Tanya e-recordingDrippers' Boogie e-recording* 441 Cryin' Over You/Going Back to New Orleans * 453 Blues for Tanya/Freight Train Blues * 465 Farewell Blues (v: Dell St. John)/Deep Feeling Kind of Love (v: Joe Liggins & Christine) * 474 The Big Dipper/Everyone's Down on Me (v: Billy Bivins) * 492 Make Love to Me/Tears on My Pillow * 529 Whiskey, Woman & Loaded Dice/Do You Love Me Pretty Baby

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

: * 70440 Yeah, Yeah, Yeah/They Were Doin' the Mambo el. 1954

Aladdin Records Aladdin Records was a record company and label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner. It was originally called Philo Records before changing its name in 1946. Aladdin was known for jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock mus ...

: * 3368 Justina/Go Ahead el. 1957 Duplex Records: * 1004 House Party/Tell Me So el. 1964

Original 10" shellac (78rpm) 3-disc album set

* 1948 ''Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers'' (a self-titled release) ec. 1945–1947(Exclusive #EX-1004, although not listed on jacket cover); includes the following discs: ** 262 Worried (instrumental) x# 1224How Come x# 1226** 238 Someday Sweetheart x# 1086Yvette (instrumental) x# 1087** 216 Caravan (instrumental) x# 1018You Ain't Goin' To Heaven No How x# 1017

LP/CD releases/compilations of note

* 1962 ''Honeydripper'' (Mercury #MG-20731/#SR-60731 P -note: re-recordings of hits. * 1974 ''Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies, Volume 6: Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers'' (Blues Spectrum (Johnny Otis' label) #BS-106 P * 1976 ''Joe & Jimmy Liggins: Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man'' (Sonet #SNTF-5020 P -note: one side each from Joe and his brother Jimmy; all Specialty material. * 1981 ''Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers: Darktown Strutters Ball'' ec. 1945–1950(Jukebox Lil #JB-601 P * 1988 ''Joe Liggins With the Original Million-Seller "The Honeydripper"'' ec. 1945–1949(Jukebox Lil #JB-622 P * 1989 ''Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers'' (Specialty #SPCD-7006) * 1992 ''Dripper's Boogie: Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers – Vol. 2'' (Specialty #SPCD-7025) * 1996 ''The Honeydripper: Rare And Unreleased Recordings 1946–1949'' (Night Train International #7031) * 2002 ''The Shuffle Boogie King'' (Proper Pairs #PVCD-117 CD * 2002 ''The Chronological Joe Liggins 1944–1946'' (Classics 'Blues & Rhythm Series' #5020) * 2003 ''The Chronological Joe Liggins 1946–1948'' (Classics 'Blues & Rhythm Series' #5063) * 2004 ''The Chronological Joe Liggins 1948–1950'' (Classics 'Blues & Rhythm Series' #5108) * 2005 ''The Chronological Joe Liggins 1950–1952'' (Classics 'Blues & Rhythm Series' #5155) * 2008 ''Jukebox Hits 1945–1951'' (Acrobat #ACMCD-4236) * 2016 ''The Joe Liggins Collection 1944–1957'' (Acrobat #ACTRCD-9061 CD

References

External links

* Liggins biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

.com
Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liggins, Joe 1916 births 1987 deaths People from Guthrie, Oklahoma Rhythm and blues pianists American blues pianists American male pianists African-American pianists Jump blues musicians Specialty Records artists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians