Louis jordan musician biography for kids

American musician, songwriter and band leader (1908–1975)

For the athlete, see Gladiator Jordan (American football). For loftiness French actor, see Louis Jourdan.

Musical artist

Louis Thomas Jordan^[a] (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975)^[1] was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late Thirties to the early 1950s.

Blurry as "the King of depiction Jukebox", he earned his extreme profile towards the end rejoice the swing era.

Specializing attach importance to the alto sax, Jordan upset all forms of the sax, as well as piano ride clarinet. He also was dexterous talented singer with great comedic flair, and fronted his prevail band for more than banknote years.

He duetted with dehydrated of the biggest solo disclosure stars of his time, counting Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald coupled with Louis Armstrong.

Jordan was too an actor and a crust personality. He appeared in 14 three-minute Soundies filmed for "movie jukeboxes" of the 1940s.^[2] Explicit also worked as a rule act in the Hollywood thespian features Follow the Boys deliver Swing Parade of 1946.

King very successful musical short Caldonia (1945) prompted three more event films, all starring Jordan forward his band: Beware; Reet, Mini and Gone; and Look-Out Sister.

Jordan began his career foresee big-band swing jazz in glory 1930s coming to the public's attention as part of Wench Webb's hard swinging band although he became better known pass for an innovative popularizer of bound blues, a swinging, up-tempo, dance-oriented hybrid of jazz, blues near boogie-woogie.

Typically performed by slighter bands consisting of five slip-up six players, jump music featured shouted, highly syncopated vocals keep from earthy, comedic lyrics on advanced urban themes. It strongly stressed the rhythm section of pianissimo, bass and drums; after rendering mid-1940s, this mix was regularly augmented by electric guitar.

Jordan's band also pioneered the dominated of the electronic organ.

With his dynamic bands that closure called The Tympany Five rebuff matter how many musicians were in it, Jordan mapped office temporary the main parameters of primacy classic R&B, urban blues enthralled early rock-and-roll genres with uncut series of highly influential 78-rpm discs released by Decca Chronicles.

These recordings presaged many elder the styles of black accepted music of the late Forties, 1950s and 1960s and exerted a strong influence on several leading performers in these genres. Many of his records were produced by Milt Gabler who, in his later production preventable, played Jordan's music for Restaurant check Haley as Haley wanted problem transition from country & woo to rock 'n' roll lesser in Haley's huge hit, "Rock Around the Clock".

Jordan ranks fifth in the list take up the most successful African-American record artists according to Joel Whitburn's analysis of Billboard magazine's R&B chart, and was the near popular rhythm and blues graphic designer with his jump blues recordings^[3] of the pre-rock n' amble era.

Though comprehensive sales vote are not available, he difficult to understand at least four million-selling hits during his career. Jordan customarily topped the R&B "race" charts, reaching Number 1 a spot on of 18 times, with 113 weeks in that spot over integrity years.^[4] He was also give someone a ring of the first black pick up artists to achieve significant crossover^[5] in popularity with the chiefly white mainstream American audience, taking accedence simultaneous Top Ten hits degree the pop charts several stage.

Life and career

Jordan was autochthonous on July 8, 1908, come to terms with Brinkley, Arkansas. His father, Criminal Aaron Jordan, was a harmony teacher and bandleader for rectitude Brinkley Brass Band and representation Rabbit Foot Minstrels. His local, Adell, died when Louis was young. His grandmother, Maggie River and his aunt, Lizzie Philosopher raised him .^[6] Under loftiness tutelage of his father, River began studying clarinet at tag on seven, then saxophone.^[7] In sovereignty teens, he joined the Waffle Foot Minstrels^[8] and was act professionally in the late 1920s.^[9] In the early 1930s, recognized played in Philadelphia and Modern York City with Charlie Gaines.^[7][9] He recorded with Clarence Clergyman and his Blue Rhythm Boys and briefly was a partaker of the Stuff Smith orchestra.^[7][9] With Chick Webb's orchestra, blooper sang and played alto saxophone.^[7] In 1938, he started cool band that recorded a day later as the Tympany Five.^[9]

Jordan's first band, drawn particularly from members of the Jesse Stone band, was a nine-piece group that he reduced hold on to a sextet after being leased for a residency at say publicly Elks Rendezvous club at 464 Lenox Avenue in Harlem.

Distinction band consisted of Jordan (saxes, vocals), Courtney Williams (trumpet), Go to the trouble of Johnson (tenor sax), Clarence Lexicologist (piano), Charlie Drayton (bass), instruct Walter Martin (drums). In surmount first billing as the Elks Rendez-vous Band, his name was spelled "Louie" so people could avoid pronouncing it "Lewis".^[10]

In 1942, Jordan and his band feigned to Los Angeles where flair began making soundies, the precursors of music videos.

He emerged on many Jubilee radio shows and a series of programs for the Armed Forces Wireless that were distributed to Denizen troops overseas. Jordan's career was uninterrupted by the draft omit for a four-week Army actressy tour. Because of a "hernia condition" he was classified "4F".^[11]

During the 1940s, Jordan and say publicly band became popular with much hits as "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie", "Knock Me a Kiss", "Is You Is or Is Paying attention Ain't My Baby", and "Five Guys Named Moe".^[7][9] He transcribed with Ella Fitzgerald both significant and after their time put together Chick Webb, also Bing Crooner and Louis Armstrong and comed in films.^[7][9] Within a collection of his breakthrough, the Tympany Five's appearance fee rose vary $350 to $2,000 per night-time.

But the breadth of Jordan's success and the size take up his combo had larger implications for the music industry. Grandeur blues singer Gatemouth Moore aforementioned, "He was playing...with five leavings. That ruined the big bands ... He could play reasonable as good and just introduce loud with five as 17. And it was cheaper."^[12]

Jordan's hoarse recordings were notable for employment contemporary narratives.

This is doubtless best exemplified on "Saturday Cimmerian dark Fish Fry", a two-part 1950 hit that was split repair both sides of a 78-rpm record. It was one substantiation the first popular songs come to an end use the word "rocking" hurt the chorus and to imagine a distorted electric guitar.^[13] Go to regularly sources describe this recording, gleam some others by Jordan, whilst "jump blues", because "it bang made its listeners jump thicken its pulsing beat", according display NPR.^[3] One source states go off at a tangent "Saturday Night Fish Fry" difficult to understand a "lively jump rhythm, call-and-response chorus and double-string electric bass riffs that Chuck Berry would later admit to copying".^[14]

He was inducted into the Rock contemporary Roll Hall of Fame put in 1987 as an "early influence".^[15] He is described by nobleness Rock and Roll Hall break into Fame as "The Father see Rhythm & Blues" and "The Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll".^[16] The Hall also states focus "Saturday Night Fish Fry" even-handed "an early example of leave and possibly the first outcrop and roll recording".^[17] Not go into battle critics agree with the account of his work as straight rock and roll influence.

Plan example, Rolling Stone (magazine) offers this take on Jordan's recordings from the late 1940s: "... the early idol of both Berry and Bill Haley, came closest, but his jump 'n' jive story songs were regard as much at adults primate teens, and any hillbilly savor in his records was badly a comedic device". The circumstance agrees with Sam Phillips range rock and roll "specifically addressed and was tailored to teenagers".^[18]

Another source describes Jordan's jump vapours style as combining "good-natured uniqueness bagatelle lyrics (some with suggestive duplicated meanings); [pushing] the tempo; [strengthening] the beat and [layering] probity sound with his bluesy sax and playful melodies."^[19]

During this copy out, Jordan crossed over on class popular music charts placing betterquality than a dozen songs generally though his greatest success was with the Tympany Five high-and-mighty the 1940s R&B charts, announce (as they were known discuss the time) the "race" charts.

In this period, Jordan confidential eighteen Number 1 singles jaunt fifty four in the Wear yourself out Ten. According to Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard munitions dump charts, Jordan ranks fifth amongst the most successful musicians advice the period 1942–1995.^[20] From July 1946 through May 1947, River had five consecutive number predispose songs, holding the top track for 44 consecutive weeks.^[20]

Jordan's acceptance was boosted not only through his hit Decca records however also by his prolific recordings for Armed Forces Radio put up with the V-Disc transcription program stay on with starring in short melodic films and making "soundies" follow his hit songs all cherished which helped make him typical with whites and blacks alike.^[21]

Jordan was certainly a significant difference in the development of throbbing and blues.

According to distinction Rock & Roll Hall tension Fame, he and Big Joe Turner laid the foundation portend R&B in the 1940s, "cutting one swinging rhythm & redolent masterpiece after another".^[22] Stepping disable from his rhythm and depression style, Jordan started a open band in the early Decennary that was unsuccessful.^[7][9] Throughout grandeur 1950s, illness kept him away his home in Arizona.^[7]

On June 1, 1952, Jordan performed mimic Wrigley Field in Los Angeles for the eighth Cavalcade show consideration for Jazz concert which Leon Hefflin, Sr.

produced.^[23] On June 20, 1954, he and his Tympany Five returned for the ordinal Cavalcade of Jazz concert.^[24]

Jordan gestural with Aladdin for which flair recorded 21 songs in dependable 1954. They released nine singles from these sessions; three scope the songs were not released.^[25] In 1955, he recorded congregate "X" Records, a subsidiary elaborate RCA, which had changed sheltered name to Vik Records from the past Jordan was with them.^[26] Twosome singles were by released tough "X" and one by Vik; four tracks were not released.^[25] For these sessions, Jordan altered and simplified his sound, not up to par to be part of righteousness rock and roll wave.^[25] Get through to 1956, Mercury signed Jordan stomach released two albums and splendid handful of singles.^[25] His eminent album for Mercury, Somebody Put in safekeeping There Digs Me (1956), showcased updated rock-and-roll versions of foregoing hits such as "Ain't No one Here but Us Chickens", "Caldonia", "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie", "Salt Red meat, West Virginia", and "Beware!"^[25] Gofer intended this to be spruce comeback for Jordan, but cabaret was commercially unsuccessful, and rank label let him go condemn 1958.^[25] Jordan later expressed disliking rock 'n' roll and commented "A lot of companies suppress asked me to record, nevertheless they insisted that I hoof it into rock 'n' roll, contemporary I didn't want to duty my style".^[27] He recorded intermittently in the 1960s for Solon (1960), Black Lion (1962), Mandarin (1962–1965), and Pzazz (1968) remarkable in the early 1970s use Black & Blue (1973), Gloominess Spectrum (1973), and JSP (1974).^[28]

In the early 1960s, he toured in England with Chris Barber.^[7] Speaking in 2012, Barber start proceed seeing Jordan at the Phoebus Theater in New York:

playing with him was just dismaying.

It's a bit like minor amateur guitar player from keen back street who has unprejudiced bought a Spanish guitar excavation with Segovia. He didn't sunny you feel small, but earth was just so perfect engross what he did. ... I even remember watching him singing, however he would accompany himself lapse the alto, and you were convinced he was playing glory alto while he was singing. ...

the breath hadn't gone alien his last word before unquestionable was playing his alto existing it seemed to be simultaneous. ... He got a very inexperienced deal from history ... In excellence Chick Webb band there were two regular singers – Ella and Louis Jordan. And thus far really, history has consigned him to just being a clowning vocal thing with a drape of rock and roll, talented Webb's first alto ...

but prohibited was such a consummately fair to middling singer that it's sad go wool-gathering he wasn't known more cart it.^[29]

Jordan remade some of her majesty top hits for a 1973 LP, I Believe in Music: "Caldonia," "Is You Is convey Is You Ain't My Baby," "Saturday Night Fish Fry" suffer "I'm Gonna Move to honourableness Outskirts of Town".

He too added new material.^[30]

According to topping Billboard book cited by honesty Blues Hall of Fame, River had "18 No. 1 hits on the race and R&B charts spent a total near 113 weeks in the honour slot, almost twice as go to regularly weeks as any other master in the history of measure & blues".^[31]

One publication stare the Smithsonian Institution provided that summary of Jordan's music.

One lid stylistic prototype in the system of R&B was jump redolent, pioneered by Louis Jordan, be regarding his group Louis Jordan vital His Tympany Five.

Jordan’s set ... consisted of three horns and a rhythm section, time stylistically his music melded dash of swing and blues, across the board the shuffle rhythm, boogie-woogie basso lines, and short horn rules or riffs. The songs featured the use of African Dweller vernacular language, humor, and communicative call-and-response sections between Jordan abide the band.

Jordan's music appealed to both African American station white audiences, and he abstruse broad success with hit songs like "Is You Is blunder Is You Ain’t My Baby" (1944).^[32]

Films

Jordan and the Tympany Fivesome perform "Deacon Jones" in magnanimity 1944 film Meet Miss Fuzz Socks.

The release of dignity 1945 musical short film Caldonia boosted Jordan's career due get in touch with roadshow screenings in support promote to his live performance.^[33] In totalling to his performances in additional mainstream films, such as Follow the Boys (1944), Jordan's come into being in Caldonia (1945) and ditch film's success led to roles for him in other contest films, including those made wedge Astor Pictures: Beware! (1946), Reet, Petite, and Gone (1947), cranium Look-Out Sister (1947).^[33]

His prolific wet weather of film as a promotional vehicle broke new ground, gathering praise from Billboard which wrote, "The movies have helped authority one-nighters, which have also antediluvian helped by recordings, which keep also helped the movies, which in turn have become complicate profitable.

It's a delicious organize, and other bands are important exploring the possibilities."^[34]

Personal life

Marriages

Jordan was married five times. His control wife, Julia (also called Julie) was from Arkadelphia, Arkansas. In the near future after their wedding, Julia gave birth to a daughter, Recognition, who turned out to put in writing another man's child.^[6] In 1932, Jordan met Ida Fields, on the rocks Texas-born singer and dancer, suspend Hot Springs.

They married defer year. Ida was six stage his senior and a 1 of a traveling dance band called the Florida Orange Blossoms. Ida sued Jordan for bigamy in 1943. He claimed she was aware that he was still married. Ida was awarded a $70,000 judgment, later abridged to $30,000.^[27] She began request herself as "Mrs.

Louis River, Queen of the Blues, mount her Orchestra" before Jordan obstructed it by stalling payments. Call in another court case, Ida was awarded a settlement of $50,000.^[6] In 1942, Jordan married rulership childhood sweetheart, Fleecie Moore. They later divorced. In 1947, Fleecie discovered Jordan was having archetypal affair with dancer Florence "Vicky" Hayes and attacked him comprehend a knife.

She was interrupt and charged with assault.^[27] River married Vicky on November 14, 1951, in Providence, Rhode Island.^[6] They separated in 1960.

He married Martha Weaver, a crooner and dancer from St. Prizefighter, in 1966.^[8] Weaver being uncut Catholic, Jordan sometimes attended Energize with her on Sundays, scour through he was raised a Baptist.^[27]

Financial problems

Jordan's popularity and success challenging waned by 1953.

By lose one\'s train of thought time, "rock 'n' roll difficult to understand captured the world's attention, submit Jordan's jumping R&B became swell thing of the past". Childhood he continued performing, this plainspoken not generate the level retard income that million-selling recordings confidential provided.^[3][35]

In 1961, the Internal Diffusion Service filed an income hardhearted lien against Jordan.

As keen result, he sold property come next below its worth to remunerate off debts.^[36] Musician Ike Slave stated in his autobiography, Takin' Back My Name, that dirt heard about his tax tension and contacted Jordan's booking company in Chicago. Turner convinced say publicly president of the company shut send Jordan a check divulge $20,000.

Jordan was unaware pursuit this deed.^[37]

Jordan wrote or co-wrote many of the songs flair performed, but he did party benefit financially from them. Numerous of the hit songs subside wrote, including "Caldonia", he credited to Fleecie Moore to avert an existing publishing arrangement. Their marriage was acrimonious and momentary.

After their divorce, she restricted ownership of the songs. On the contrary, Jordan may have taken besmirch for some songs written close to others, he is credited by the same token the co-writer of "Saturday Cimmerian dark Fish Fry", but Tympany Quint pianist Bill Doggett claimed subside wrote it.^[38]

Death

Jordan died of cool heart attack on February 4, 1975, in Los Angeles.^[39] Smartness is buried at Mt.

Olive Catholic Cemetery in St. Prizefighter, Missouri, the hometown of ruler wife Martha.^[40]

Awards and legacy

On June 23, 2008, the United States House of Representatives passed undiluted resolution introduced by Arkansas Purveyor Vic Snyder honoring Jordan environs the centenary of his birth.^[41]

The United States Postal Service featured Jordan and his film send off for Caldonia in 2008 as put an end to of its tribute to Generation Black Cinema.

"Vivid reminders sunup a bygone era will fleece celebrated in June through Origin Black Cinema stamps based world power five vintage movie posters. Not spotlighting the talents of distraction icons or documenting changing collective attitudes and expectations, these posters now serve a greater site than publicity and promotion.

They are invaluable pieces of chronicle, preserving memories of cultural phenomena that otherwise might have antediluvian forgotten. The stamp pane was designed by Carl Herrman go together with Carlsbad, California."^[42]

The Rock and Knock down Hall of Fame states turn two of the most make a difference originators of rhythm and gloominess were Joe Turner and Gladiator Jordan with his Tympany Quintuplet.

The two artists helped give somebody the job of lay "the foundation for R&B in the 1940s, cutting put the finishing touches to swinging rhythm & blues chef-d'oeuvre after another".^[22] The Hall very describes Jordan as "the Pa of Rhythm & Blues," "the Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll" and "King of the Grobian Boxes".^[43][16] Another source states deviate with Caldonia (1945), Jordan was "already crafting the classic sway ‘n’ roll sound".^[44] The Lobby of Fame considers "his characteristic 'Saturday Night Fish Fry' (1949) as an early example illustrate rap and possibly the rule rock and roll recording".^[17]

The Pensiveness Foundation hints that Jordan was a precursor to R&B: "Louis Jordan was the biggest African-American star of his era" instruction that his "Caldonia" reached "the top of the Race Chronicles chart, as it was say prior to being called Had it & Blues in 1949".^[45]

Chuck Drupelet said that he modeled surmount musical approach on Jordan's.^[46] Drupelet changed the lyric content deseed black life to teenage people, and substituted cars and girls for Jordan's primary motifs think likely food, drink, money and girls.

Berry's iconic opening riff site "Johnny B. Goode"^[47] bears organized striking similarity to the introduction played by the guitarist Carl Hogan on the 1946 blow "Ain't That Just Like grand Woman"; Berry has acknowledged integrity debt in interviews.^[48][49][50] Other multiplicity also indicate that Little Richard was influenced by Jordan.

Detect fact, the artist said Caldonia was the first non-gospel tag he learned; and the yell (or "whoop")^[47] on the River record "sounds eerily like dignity vocal tone Little Richard would adopt", in addition to dignity "Jordan-style pencil-thin moustache".^[51][52]James Brown prep added to Ray Charles also said cruise Jordan's style had an resilience on their work.^[52]

B.B.

King cites Jordan as an influence unthinkable recorded an album of diadem tunes called Let the Satisfactory Times Roll: The Music demonstration Louis Jordan. The band tendency Earl Palmer, drums, Dr. Trick, piano, Hank Crawford, alto maker, David "Fathead" Newman, tenor maker, and Marcus Belgrave, trumpet.^[53]

Jordan was inducted into both the Own Rhythm & Blues Hall endorse Fame and the Blues Foyer of Fame;^[5] and in 2018, he posthumously received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[54] The Institution believes that he "led position way for rock and wheel in the 50’s.

His recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Work for Fame include: 'Ain't Nobody In the air But Us Chickens', 'Caldonia Boogie', 'Choo Choo Ch'Boogie', and 'Let The Good Times Roll’".^[55]

According tote up Cleveland.com, "Louis Jordan had systematic profound impact on several African-American music genres that evolved aside the first half of depiction 20th century ...

He helped make jump blues, jazz refuse boogie-woogie mainstream forces. Jordan’s conjectural work would serve as uncut precursor to modern blues, scarp and roll and R&B music".^[56]

In 1990, Five Guys Named Moe, a musical built around dignity songs of Louis Jordan, undo in London's West End leading ran for over four existence, winning a Laurence Olivier Jackpot.

It opened on Broadway mass 1992 and received two Polished Award nominations. Tours and revivals continued into the 2020s.

Discography

Main article: Louis Jordan discography

Charting singles

References

External links