On September 22, 1919--Yeah, 1919!-- Bert Williams had the #1 tune in the nation and it had to do with folks minding their own buisness, Here's that tune:
Who would have ever thought that the covers and versions of this tune, about a preacher man who was getting harassed by the general public, would have had such an impact on the EVOLUTION OF ROCK 'N Roll!?!
A few years later, in 1923 as a matter of fact, Bessie Smith did her version:
Wasn't long before Billie Holliday made the tune her own:
Everybody did this tune! The least of which not being Jimmie Witherspoon:
Along came Taj Mahal in the 1960s and made it a monster again!
Otis Spann put that all important Chicago spin on it
Eric Clapton puts the British slant on the tune:
Freddie King electrified the tune:
Gladys Knight, Etta James and Chaka Khan did a bit of an update in concert (with B.B. King, no less!):
Diana Ross did her GREAT covers in the movie, "Lady Sings The Blues" and then took it on the road:
Amy Winehouse (R.I.P.) even took a shot at the tune in 2010!
Who would have thought that a cat in 1919 would have penned and recorded a tune that would be a theme in THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘N ROLL!?!
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (September 20, 1885 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was a ragtimeand early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer—THE CAT INVENTED JAZZ!!!
His composition "Jelly Roll Blues" was the first published jazz composition, in 1915.
Reputed for his arrogance and self-promotion as often as recognized in his day for his musical talents, Morton claimed to have invented jazz outright in 1902 — much to the derision of later musicians and critics However, jazz historian Gunther Schuller writes about Morton's "hyperbolic assertions" that there is "no proof to the contrary" and that Morton's "considerable accomplishments in themselves provide reasonable substantiation...
Morton was one of the best regarded pianists in the Storyville District of New Orleans early in the 20th century. At the age of fourteen, he began working as a piano player in a brothel. While working there, he was living with his religious church-going great-grandmother and had her convinced that he worked as a night watchman in a barrel factory. In that atmosphere he often sang smutty lyrics and it was at this time that he took the nickname "Jelly Roll", which at the time was black slang for the female genitalia...
Morton's grandmother eventually found out that he was playing jazz in a local brothel, and subsequently kicked him out of her house. "When my grandmother found out that I was playing jazz in one of the sporting houses in the District, she told me that I had disgraced the family and forbade me to live at the house... She told me that devil music would surely bring about my downfall, but I just couldn't put it behind me."
Morton moved to Chicago in 1923 to claim authorship of his recently-published rag "The Wolverines", which had become a hit as "Wolverine Blues" in the Windy City. There he released the first of his commercial recordings, first as piano rolls, then on record, both as a piano soloist and with various jazz bands
The Chicago recordings by Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers are regarded as classics of 1920s jazz. The Red Hot Peppers featured such other New Orleans jazz luminaries as Kid Ory, Omer Simeon, George Mitchell, Johnny St. Cyr, , Barney Bigard, , Johnny Dodds and Baby Dodds . Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers were one of the first acts booked on tours by MCA...
In November 1928, Morton married showgirl Mabel Bertrand in Gary, Indiana, and moved to New York City, where he continued to record for Victor. His piano solos and trio recordings are well regarded, but his band recordings suffer in comparison with the Chicago sides where Morton could draw on many great New Orleans musicians for sidemen...
In 1935, Morton moved to Washington, DC, to become the manager/piano player of a bar called, at various times, the "Music Box", "Blue Moon Inn", and "Jungle Inn" in the African American neighborhood of Shaw. (The building that hosted the nightclub still stands, at 1211 U Street NW.) Morton was also the master of ceremonies, bouncer, and bartender of the club. He was only in Washington for a few years; the club owner allowed all her friends free admission and drinks, which prevented Morton from making the business a success. Morton was stabbed by one of the owner's
friends in 1938, suffering wounds to the head and chest. After this incident his wife Mabel demanded that they leave Washington. Is this jazz cat living the Blues Life or what!?! A nearby whites-only hospital had refused to treat him, and he had to be transported to a lower-quality hospital further away When he was in the hospital the doctors left ice on his wounds for several hours before attending to his eventually fatal injury. His recovery from his wounds was incomplete, and thereafter he was often ill and easily became short of breath.
Morton made a new series of commercial recordings in New York, several recounting tunes from his early years that he had been talking about in his Library of Congress interviews
A worsening asthma affliction sent him to a New York hospital for three months at one point and when visiting Los Angeles with a series of manuscripts of new tunes and arrangements, planning to form a new band and restart his career, the ailment took its toll. Morton died on July 10, 1941 after an eleven-day stay in Los Angeles County General Hospital.
Louis Myers - September 18, 1929 – September 5, 1994
Though he was certainly capable of brilliantly fronting a band, the remarkably versatile guitarist/harpist Louis Myers will forever be recognized first and foremost as a top-drawer sideman and founding member of the Aces -- the band that backed harmonica wizard Little Walter on his immortal early Checker hits.
Louis Myers’ family left Mississippi for Chicago when he was two years old. Fate saw that the family move next door to blues great Lonnie Johnson, whose complex riffs caught the youngLouis' ear. Myers also played with guitarist Arthur "Big Boy" Spiresbefore teaming with his brother, David, on guitar and young harpist Junior Wells, to form the first incarnation of the Aces(who were initially known as the Three Deuces). In 1950, drummer Fred Below came on board.
In 1952 Little Walter was just breaking nationally with his classic "Juke" AND moved into the frontman role with the Aces. Myers and the Aces backed Walter on his seminal "Mean Old World,"
"Sad Hours"
"Off the Wall"
and "Tell Me Mama"
Louis Myers & The Aces left Little Walter in 1954 to do more gigs with Junior Wells
Plenty of sideman work awaited Myers after he left Little Walter; as well as gigging with Junior Wells, he played with Otis Rush, Earl Hooker, and many more. But his own recording career was practically non-existent. His one 1956 single for Abco "Just Whaling"/"Bluesy" came close,
but he did little to follow up on his solo career.
The Aces, back together during the '70s, played Europe often as a trusty rhythm section for touring acts. Myers cut a fine set for Advent in 1978, (I'm a Southern Man) that showcased his place as a leader . Myers suffered the effects of a stroke during the recording of “Tell My Story Movin’,” his last album for Earwig, his contribution limited to playing harp only.
Norman Whitfield, a native of Harlem, New York, spent much of his teen years in local pool halls. In his late teens, he and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan.
Norman, Barrett and Smokey
When Norman was just 19 years old, he began frequenting Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. offices, Barry Gordy recognized Whitfield's persistence and hired him. Norman’s first Motown gig was in the quality control department which determined which songs would or would not be released. Whitfield eventually joined Motown's in-house songwriting staff.
After co-writing the Marvin Gaye hit "Pride & Joy",The Marvelettes’"Too Many Fish inthe Sea" and The Velvelettes’ "Needle in a Haystack", his big break came when he took over Smokey Robinson's role as the main producer for The Temptations in 1966, after his "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" performed better than Robinson's "Get Ready" on the pop charts...
In 1968, Whitfield moved The Temptations into a harder, darker sound that featured a blend of psychedelic rock and funk, moving away from love songs to the social issues of the time, such as war, poverty and politics.
First came "Cloud Nine" in late 1968, which earned Motown its first Grammy award (for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group). A second Best R&B Group Performance Grammy for Whitfield and the Temptations ; then, in 1973,came "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone". That single's instrumental B-side earned Whitfield a Grammy with arranger Paul Riser for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, and Whitfield and Barrett Strong shared the songwriters' award for Best R&B Song...
The psychedelic soul records Whitfield produced for The Temptations and other artists such as Edwin Starr and The Undisputed Truth experimented with and updated the Motown sound for the late-1960s.
Even so, The Temptations hated how Whitfield put more emphasis on instrumentation instead of their vocals and the Whitfield/Temptations relationship became strained and less workable.
So, In 1973, Whitfield left Motown to form his own label, Whitfield Records, and he took Motown’s The Undisputed Truth along with him.
He also signed Rose Royce (Edwin Starr’s backing band from Motown), and Junior Walker to the Whitfield Label. Whitfield had a smash hit in 1976 with Rose Royce's "Car Wash", issued on MCA Records . Car Wash served as the theme song to the 1976 motion picture of the same name. The Car Wash soundtrack won Whitfield a 1977 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album.
In the early 1980s, Whitfield again began working as a producer for The Temptations' 1983 hit single "Sail Away.”
Norman Whitfield was busted for income tax evasion on $2 million in 1995 ~ 1999 royalties, for which he paid $25,000 in fines and did a six month house arrest sentence.
Norman Jesse Whitfield passed away on September 16, 2008 at the age of 65, most likely due to complications associated with diabetes.R.I.P. Norman Whitfield!!!
Starting in early 1963, Hendrix performed with Bob Fisher and the Bonnevilles and in backing bands for various soul, R&B, and blues musicians,
including Chuck Jackson, Slim Harpo, Tommy Tucker, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson. The Chitlin' Circuit was where Hendrix refined his style.
in January 1964 Jimi moved to New York City. In February 1964, he won first prize in the Apollo Theater amateur contest. Hoping to land a gig, Hendrix made the club circuit and sat in with various bands. Eventually, Hendrix was offered the guitarist position with The Isley Brothers' back-up band and he readily accepted.
Hendrix' first studio recording occurred in March 1964, when the Isley Brothers, with Hendrix as a member of the band, recorded the two-part single "Testify".
On March 1, 1964, Hendrix (then calling himself Maurice James) began recording and performing with Little Richard. Hendrix would later (in 1966) say, "I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice."
During a stop in Los Angeles while touring with Little Richard in 1965. He also played on the session for Little Richard's final single for Vee-Jay, "I Don't Know What You've Got, But It's Got Me (Jimi played the opening lick, Don Covay sang the backup, and Billy Preston played the organ.)
Later in 1965, Hendrix joined a New York–based R&B band, Curtis Knight and the Squires, after meeting Knight in the lobby of the Hotel America, off Times Square, where both men were living at the time. He performed on and off with them for eight months In October 1965, Hendrix recorded a single with Curtis Knight, "How Would You Feel" backed with "Welcome Home" (1966 RSVP 1120)
In between performing with Curtis Knight in 1966, Hendrix toured and recorded with King Curtis.
Hendrix recorded the two-part single "Help Me (Get the Feeling)" with Ray Sharpe and the King Curtis Orchestra
After The Hendrix Experience (formed in England in 1966) was enthusiastically received at France's No. 1 venue, the Olympia theatre in, an on-stage jam with Cream, a showcase gig at the newly opened, pop-celebrity oriented nightclub Bag O'Nails and the all important appearances on the top UK TV pop shows "Ready Steady Go!"
and the BBC's "Top of the Pops"
Word of Hendrix spread throughout the London music community. His showmanship and virtuosity made instant fans of reigning guitar heroes Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, as well as Brian Jones and members of The Beatles and The Who, whose managers signed Hendrix to their new record label, Track Records.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience had become very popular in Europe but had yet to crack America. Their first single there, "Hey Joe" c/w "51st Anniversary" (Reprise 0572, released 1 May 1967), failed to reach the Billboard chart.
The first Jimi Hendrix Experience album, Are You Experienced, was released in the United Kingdom on May 12, 1967 and shortly thereafter internationally, outside of USA and Canada. Only The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandprevented Are You Experienced from reaching No. 1 on the UK charts.
THEN CAME MONTERREY...
Though word of the Hendrix phenomenon spread to the US, he was not seen in America (and no records were released) until the summer of 1967, when, at Paul McCartney's insistence, The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival, held in Monterey California on June 18, 1967. It was only after this show-stealing performance that his American and Canadian label, Reprise Records, prepared the album for release...
In August, the US version of Are You Experienced saw issue in both the original mono mix and the new stereo mix and became a strong and enduring seller. When the album was finally released in August 1967, three months after its European release, the new lineup-proved hugely influential with the album peaking at #5 and remaining on Billboard’s album chart for two years.
Are You Experiencedhas been cited as one of the greatest debut albums of the rock era:
In 2001 the TV channel VH1 named it the fifth greatest album of all time
In 2003, the US version of the album was ranked number 15 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the album as number 5 in their twentieth anniversary listing The Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years published in 1987)
Guitarist magazine named the album number one on their list of "the most influential guitar albums of all time" in 1994[
Mojo magazine listed it as the greatest guitar album of all time in 2003
. Creem magazine named the album number six on the Top Ten Metal Albums Of The 60s
Vibe (12/99, p. 156) included it in its list of 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.
New Musical Express (UK) 10/2/93 ranked it #29 in its list of the "Greatest Albums Of All Time".
In March 2000 a poll from Guitar World Magazine named Are You Experienced the greatest album of the Millennium.
On September 22, 1919--Yeah, 1919!-- Bert Williams had the #1 tune in the nation and it had to do with folks minding their own buisness, Here's that tune:
A few years later, in 1923 as a matter of fact, Bessie Smith did her version: 
