The Ebony label, which operated from 1952 to 1956, was the second of J. Mayo Williams' enterprises to use that name. (Its predecessor, which had sister labels called Harlem, Chicago, and Southern, opened in 1945 and ran its course by the end of 1949.)
By the time he opened his second Ebony label, J. Mayo Williams had been in the music business for nearly 30 years. He was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 26, 1893 (or July 25, 1894‹both dates have been given). His father was murdered when he was seven, and the family moved to his mother's hometown, Monmouth, Illinois. Williams initially became known as an athlete. In 1912, he took the Illinois high school state championship in the 50-yard dash and placed second in the 100. His football prowess eventually got him a scholarship to Brown University, where he played in 1917, 1919, and 1920. After graduating in 1921, he played in the fledging National Football League through 1926, making all-pro in 1923. "Ink" Williams, as he was known in his playing days, was one of the first three African-American athletes to play in the NFL.
But it was in the music business that J. Mayo Williams would make the rest of his career. In 1924, he began working for Paramount in Chicago, as a producer and talent scout for the label's race series. He also ran the house publisher, Chicago Music. In 1927, he went independent, opening the Chicago Record Company with the Black Patti label, but it folded in six months. Subsequently, he went to work for the Vocalion and Brunswick race music series, again running the house publishing company. When Decca emerged in 1934 from various mergers and consolidations Williams was the head of the race department. During the years when Williams occupied this high-profile position, however, Decca was doing do so little recording in Chicago that the studio was used as a storeroom several months out of the year.
Williams left Decca in 1945, setting up as a freelance producer and indepedent label entrepreneur. He ran his Harlem and Southern labels out of a New York office located at 307 Lenox Avenue. He put= 17 or so releases out on Southern, most of them recorded in New York. But several recordings by Chicago-based performers, notably two by Bob Camp, were probably done in Chicago. The Harlem operation was a bit more ambitious, with 27 releases; again there was some Chicago-based product, such as a gospel release by the Soul Stirrers, and two celebrated recordings by the Famous Blue Jay Singers (which are great recordings). Among the blues recordings that the company did in Chicago by Grant Jones backed by J. T. Brown. Since these artists appear to have been responsible for the last five releases on the label, Williams may have already closed down the New York office by then. Williams also maintained a rather strangely named Chicago label (with "Harlem Series" right on the logo). This Chicago imprint appeared on some 19 releases.
Williams was not fully in touch with musical trends in Chicago. He recorded Muddy Waters in 1946, but chose to accompany Muddy's version of "Mean Red Spider" with alto sax, clarinet, and a piano that Muddy's biographer Robert Gordon has described as "ragtimey." (The record was dealt to 20th Century, one of the companies that Williams had a relationship with, then incorrectly issued under the name of James "Sweet Lucy" Carter.) The new blues style that recent Southern immigrants were bringing to Northern cities would never fully reach him, though his appreciation for older styles continued undiminished, and he would do better later on with such performers as Earl Dranes.
Williams also operated a small strictly Chicago-based label, Ebony (which we will call Ebony I). He ran it out of an office at the old South Side Record Row, at 4823 South Cottage Grove. There were only a handful of releases on Ebony I (whose 1000 release number series was shared with Harlem). Williams wasn't listed in Chicago phone directory under "Record Wholesalers and Manufacturers" until June 1947, when his operation showed up under the name of Harlem Records, further identified as national distributors of the Harlem-Southern-Ebony labels. The address was at 5056 South Michigan Avenue. The listing last appeared in the June 1949 phone directory, and we can be sure that Williams' first independent operation closed down around this time.
By 1950, Williams had his office at the South Center Building, located at 417 East 47th Street, on Bronzeville's main business drag. That building contained not only the famed South Central Department Store, but also the Negro Chamber of Commerce, and offices of lawyers and other professionals. By this time, his Harlem-Southern-Ebony complex was closed down, and Williams probably maintained the office to keep up with his publishing and to gear up for a future relaunch. His company in the December 1950 directory was listed under the name, "Williams, J. Mayo," and then under there was a line that said, "Harlem Records-Artists Representatives."
Ebony appeared to have been relaunched in 1952, again using 417 East 47th Street as its business address. Throughout the lifetime of Ebony II (and its successor, which we will call Ebony III), Williams barely distributed his releases and probably sold handfuls on most of them. But he lived well during this time. Apparently he was drawing enough legacy income from his Decca years and his songwriting credits, which included "Corrina Corrina," "Fine Brown Frame," and Louis Jordan's "Mop Mop." The Chicago Defender considered Williams a society figure, and regularly reported on his vacation trips to California and the East, and visits to his Michigan summer home.
Like Ebony I, Ebony II was a boutique label. In fact, it was smaller and more local than its predecessor. To our knowledge all of Williams' new recording in the 1950s took place in Chicago. As Williams entered his 60s, his nose for talent was still fully functional, but his sense of what would sell had long deserted him, and the sonic quality of some of his company's sessions was on the rugged side.
Nonetheless, the second Ebony label was responsible for a number of interesting sides by bands and singers, then active on the Chicago scene, that would otherwise be completely forgotten today. It also recorded some artists, like saxophonist Red Holloway, who would quickly go on to greater renown.
Mayo Williams' late-1940s enterprise had partnered with other independent labels that had more capital or could offer better distribution. A relationship with Ivan Ballen's 20th Century label seems to have functioned for a couple of years (1946-1947). Some of the items that Williams recorded were released only on 20th Century; others were reissued on the Philadelphia-based label. However, Williams also sold at least two sides to Evelyn Aron and Leonard Chess's Aristocrat label. He also leased material to King and, supposedly, to his former employer, Decca.
The second incarnation of Ebony had even weaker distribution than the first, so an occasional deal with other companies was the only way to get a record in front of more potential buyers. So far we have been able to document partnerships with Art Sheridan and Ewart Abner's Chance label, as well as Joe Brown's JOB‹but again much remains unexplored.
To keep confusion at a maximum, Williams used a 1000 series for most of his releases on Ebony I (and Harlem) in the 1940s. He used a 1000 series for all known releases on Ebony II as well. And at least two of the Ebony IIs were reissues of material from Ebony I or another of Williams' 1940s labelsŠ
Jack Cooley (voc on ^, d); acc. by Tab Smith (as); other musicians unidentified.
Chicago, 1945
| EB-1001-A | Half Way Round the Clock (Cooley-Williams)^ | Ebony 1001 A | |
| EB-1001-B | Cooley's Cowboy Rock (Smith-Williams) | Ebony 1001 B |
Jack Cooley was a singing waiter in Chicago who also played drums. He often wore cowboy hats and liked to perform numbers with titles like "Mr. Two-Gun Pete." Never a recording star, Cooley enjoyed steady work in the South Side clubs from 1944 until 1960. He was on Williams' talent roster back in 1945. Subsequently he would record for the tiny Square Deal label (1948 or 1949), for his own C&G label (1950), for Nashboro (1951), and (as close as he would get to the big time) for States (1953).
The heavy rock and roll promotion attendant on Ebony 1001 indicate a release toward the end of the second company's run, in 1955 or 1956. Williams would not have been able to get Tab Smith's band into the studio at that date (Smith was under contract to United). In fact, both sides appear to be reissues of Ebony 1010, recorded back in 1945 and released with the same titles!
Edward El (eg); Earl Dranes (eg); other musicians unidentified.
Chicago, c. 1952
| EB-1002-A | How Long How Long Blues (Carr) | Ebony 1002-A | |
| EB-1002-B | Hey Babe (Dranes) | Ebony 1002-B |
Eddie El, a veteran blues guitarist, and Earl Dranes (whose name was subjected to a variety of spellings during his career) had worked, along with pianist Willie Mabon, in the first editiion of a group called the Blues Rockers, which recorded for DJ Al Benson in 1949; two sides from the session were released on Aristocrat.
Dranes went on to record a second session for Aristocrat with the Blues Rockers in 1950; by this time, El had left the group. He also recorded as a side man on the James Bannister/Alfred Harris session for States (August 1954). Dranes eventually exited the Chicago scene, using the Blues Rockers name one more time for a session that he made in Nashville for the Excello label (1955).
Fancourt and McGrath list this session, claiming that the two guitars are the only intruments on it, and giving a date of "early/mid 1950s."
Georgia Boy McCain (voc^); Dossie Terry (voc); other musicians unidentified.
Chicago, c. 1952
| EB-1003-A | I Got to Check on My Baby (McCain)^ | Ebony 1003-A | |
| EB-1003-B | New Moon Blues (Terry) | Ebony 1003-B |
Dossie Terry had previously recorded for Mayo Williams in the 1940s.
Alfred Harris (hca, voc); unidentified (eg); unidentified (d).
Chicago, c. 1953
| 45 EB 1003 A | I Need You Pretty Baby for My Own (Harris-Williams) | Ebony 1003 A [sic] | |
| 45 EB 1003 B | Blues King Mango ("Duke Iron Arrangement") | Ebony 1003 B [sic] |
Alfred Harris could sing in the manner of B. B. King. He often billed himself as "Blues King," where King was meant as a surname, not a title. He had previously cut one track in Memphis for Modern. His best-known session took place a little after this one; he shared an outing with drummer James Bannister for States, on August 9, 1954. Harris dropped off the Chicago scene in 1959, and his subsequent movements remain unknown.
An unusual feature on this release is the Calypso number on Side B. Calypso enjoyed a niche market in the African-American community during this period; Williams' colleague Joe Brown recorded three different Calypso singles by drummer Zona Sago for release on JOB.
Fancourt and McGrath list this session, putting a 1956 date on it. According to them, the other instruments on the session were guitar and drums.
Wiliams' casualness with release numbers begins to manifest itself here; there were two different Ebony 1003s.
Eurreal "Little Brother" Montgomery (p, voc on %); Ransom Knowling (b); Booker T. Washington (d); George Blunt (shouts on ^).
Chicago, c. 1953
| EB 1005 A | Pinetops [sic] Boogie ("Ureal [sic] Montgomery Adaptation")^ | Ebony 1005 A | |
| EB 1005 B | Arkansas Blues: Vocal Southbound Special (Williams-Montgomery)% | Ebony 1005 B |
When Williams recorded Little Brother Montgomery he was calling on the services of a veteran blues performer whose discograhy extended all the way back to 1930. Montgomery's piano technique was still intact, and he performed well on a number of 1950s sessions, including this one and his 1953 outing for JOB.
The bassist and drummer are as identified in Fancourt and McGrath's Blues Discography 1943-1970. Fancourt and McGrath place the session in 1956. They also state that "Pinetop's Boogie" appeared on an Ebony 1000 with "Cow Cow Blues" from another session for a coupling, though they do not specify whether this was the second or third incarnation of the label.
Although the precise date of the session can't be estabished this way, both sides of Ebony 1005 are definitely from the 1950s. Washington's well-recorded drums practically surround the piano in the sonic image.
Goodie Watkins (voc ^); Alfrena Shelton (voc ^); Larry Shaw (voc ^); The Humming Tones (vocal group); acc. by Norma Shelton (p, dir); other musicians unidentified.
Chicago, c. 1954
| EB 1006 A | Mama Don't Allow (No Presley Shaking in Here)^ | Ebony EP 1006 A | |
| Daddy Rock Me One More Time^ | Ebony EP 1006 A | ||
| EB 1006 B | Rain Drops Are Falling | Ebony EP 1006 B | |
| Concentrate Baby | Ebony EP 1006 B |
Goodie Watkins was a regular on the Musicians Union Local 208 contract list during the 1940s and early 1950s; this is her only known recording.
Norma Shelton played piano and led a band during the early 1950s. Williams would record her again with her Rhythm Boys (see one of the Ebony 1010s, below).
Birmingham Junior (voc on ^, hca); other musicians unidentified.
Chicago, c. 1954
| EB 1007 A | Birmingham Late Hours ("Birmingham"-Williams) | Ebony 1007A | |
| EB 1007 B | You're Too Bad ("Birmingham"-Williams)^ | Ebony 1007B |
Roebie Kirk (voc on ^); Tab Smith (as, dir); other musicians unidentified.
location uncertain, 1945 (see note below)
| EB 1008 A | Romance-Time (Kirk-Wiliams)^ | Harlem 1008-A, Ebony 1008 A | |
| EB 1008 B | Tabs [sic] Rocker (Smith-Wiliams) | Ebony 1008 B |
The combo led by alto saxophonist Tab Smith (1909-1971) had been under contract to Mayo Williams for a time in 1945. Roebie Kirk sang on two of the four sides that Smith's group recorded for the very small Beltone label in Los Angeles (August 1945); material from this session was quickly acquired by Williams and released on Harlem and 20th Century. A session cut in New York City around September 1945 featured a different Smith combo and Roebie Kirk; the initial releases were on Southern. Kirk did not continue with Smith after these outings; Smith, meanwhile, made one more session for Harlem and the first incarnation of Ebony in November 1945. Smith then moved on to the New York-based Hub and Manor labels and, for one session in 1949, to a brand-new outfit called Atlantic. In the later part of 1947, sides from all three of the 1945 sessions under Williams' control were dealt to King Records, which put out several reissue singles. Whether this was a lease or a purchase is not known.
After moving to Saint Louis, Tab Smith began recording again in 1951: first for Premium, with some success, then for United, where his first single, "Because of You," was a big hit, and his subsequent releases were reliable sellers. Obviously, at some point thereafter Williams sensed an opportunity to cash in on Tab Smith's popularity, then near its height. However, his prospects of making new recordings with Smith (who remained under contract to Leonard Allen of United until the company folded in 1957) were nil. So he dusted off some sides from 1945.
"Romance-Time" originally appeared on Harlem 1008-A back in 1945. "Tabs Rocker" is almost certainly a retitle job on an instrumental from one of the 1945 dates. Which one it was remains to be determined. The B side of Harlem 1008 was "Purple Heart," reissued on King as "Tab's Purple Heart."
Anna Lee (voc); Sunnyland Slim (p -1); J. T. Brown (ts -2); unidentified (eg -1); unidentified (maracas -1); unidentified (perc -1); other musicians unidentified.
Chicago, 1953?
| EB 1009 A | Shake It Baby ("Sunnyland"-Williams) [SS, AL voc] -1 | Ebony 1009-A, JOB 1105, Westside WESA 910 [CD], Classics 5171 [CD] | |
| EB 1009 B | Nature Boy Blows It (Brown-Williams) [AL speech] -2 | Ebony 1009-B |
The A side of Ebony 1009 features Sunnyland Slim on piano and vocals, someone (possibly Sunnyland's regular bassist Big Crawford) shaking maracas, a drummer (possibly Sunnyland's regular drummer Alfred Wallace) doing hand percussion only, a guitarist (not Junior Lockwood, and not J. B. Lenoir) who is hard to hear, and one Anna Lee responding to Sunnyland's pleas. The recording quality proves that the side was not made anywhere near Universal Recording.
Joe Brown picked up the Sunnyland Slim side and reissued it on JOB 1105, which came out around August 7, 1954. Anna Lee was not credited on the JOB. Because of the JOB connection, the side has been further reissued on Westside WESA 910, Sunnyland Slim & Friends: Sunnyland Special: The Cobra & JOB Recordings 1949-1956, a British CD released in 2001. Classics 5171, Sunnyland Slim 1952-1955, was released on CD in 2006. Neither of these reissues cites the side's original appearance on Ebony.
Although Joe Brown recorded J. T. Brown and released a single on him, the recording quality on 1009B was apparently too raw to interest him.
Lillian Campbell (voc) acc. by Norma Shelton (p, ldr); Hilliard Blanchard (tp -2); Warren Smith (as -1; cl -2); unidentified (eg -1); Jimmy Cooper (d).
Chicago, 1952
| EB-1010-A 323 | Money Honey (Stone) -1 | Ebony 1010-A | |
| EB-1010-B 323 | Money Talking Boogie (Williams) -2 | Ebony 1010-B |
Williams issued two Ebony 1010's during this period. The Lillian Campbell has a 323 in the trail-off vinyl that is not present on the Mata Roy (which can be seen in the next entry).
One wonders whether Mayo Wiliams had anything to do with placing a photo of Norma Shelton's band in the Chicago Defender. The band was not booked in the South Side clubs at the time, and the dance it had just played was not a high-profile event...
Mata Roy (voc); other musicians unidentfied.
Chicago, prob. 1954
| EB 1010 A | Petes [sic] Shuffle Boogie Part 1 (Roy) | Ebony 1010-A [sic] | |
| EB 1010 B | Petes Shuffle Boogie Part 2 (Roy) | Ebony 1010-B [sic] |
Mata Roy was active in the Chicago clubs as late as 1960. "She" was in fact a female impersonator. So far as we know, Roy worked as a solo performer instead of participating in a revue like Valda Gray's, which became a virtual South Side institution during its multi-year run at Joe's Deluxe Club.
This Ebony release is the only known Mata Roy recording. Williams liked to record female performers doing talking boogies (see Anna Lee's contribution to "Nature Boy Blows It," and Lillian Campbell's "Money Talking Boogie"). In this case, the boogie takes up both sides of the 78.
Freddie Hall (voc); unidentified (ts); unidentified (p); unidentified (b); unidentified (d).
Chicago, prob. 1954
| EB 1011 A | This Crooked World (Hall-Williams) | Ebony 1011-A, Chance 1159 | |
| EB 1011 B | Knock Me Out (Hall-Williams) | Ebony 1011-B, Chance 1159 |
Freddie Hall was a blues shouter. From the florid label copy on his Ebony release, we gather that he was originally from Gadsden, Alabama. We have seen no photos, but Ebony confidently proclaims him to be "Gadsdens [sic] Gift to the Girls."
According to Fancourt and McGrath, Hall played piano on this session, and was accompanied by tenor sax, bass, and drums. "This Crooked World" is definitely inspired by Willie Mabon's "I Dont' Know," maybe even by some of its knockoffs. So the record cannot have been made before 1953.
Apparently Joe Brown, who had collaborated with Chance in 1953, brokered a deal with label owner Art Sheridan, because in August 1954, the single was reissued (sans boasts about gifts to the girls) as Chance 1159. Until the recent discovery of the original release on Ebony 1011, we had only the matrix numbers HF-1011A and HF-1011B on the Chance single to indicate Ebony as the source.
Freddie Hall would next record for Abco (a label co-owned by Joe Brown) in 1956. His last known recordings were made in 1959; they consisted of three singles issued by the C. J. label.
On ^, Bill Lacey (voc, prob. eg); unidentified (p, b, d).
Chicago, unknown date
On %, Olivette Miller (harp); undientified (p, b).
Chicago, prob. late 1940s
| XYZ 1012 | Lilacs in the Rain ^ | Ebony 1012-A, Ebony 1010 (45 rpm) | |
| CHI-108 | Harpin on the Harp% | Ebony 1012-B |
Ebony 1012 pairs two disparate sides.
The Three Brown Buddies may have used Willie Lacey, who played guitar on a number of late 1940s blues sessions, as their lead singer. To be researched. The XYZ prefix could indicate that the side was recorded during the lifetime of Ebony I, or it could simply be a way to differentiate this side from its discmate.
The Three Brown Buddies side reappeared on a 45-rpm release, confusingly numbered 1010, from the Ebony III days.
Olivette Miller was active as a harp player in Chicago, from the late 1940s well into the 1950s. The CHI prefix on the matrix number was one that Williams used on a few sessions in the late 1940s; whether this side was released during the Ebony I/Harlem/Southern/Chicago period still needs checking.
In any event, the Miller side was not reissed on Ebony III.
Marguerite (voc ^); Dickie Adams (ldr, poss. voc^) with unidentified (as); unidentified (ts); unidentified (ts); unidentified (p); unidentified (b); unidentified (d).
Chicago, c. 1954
| EB-1013-A | Rock It Little Daddy (Adams) [M, poss. DA, ens voc]^ | Ebony 1013-A | |
| EB-1013-B | Indiana Blues (Adams) | Ebony 1013-B |
Dickie Adams, about whom nothing is known, led a sturdy jump combo with solo contributions from the alto saxophonist, one of the tenors, and the piano. The lack of down-home references in the label copy suggests that Adams was a native of the Chicago area. "Rock It Little Daddy" is a variant of "Rock Daddy Rock," as done by Bertha Henderson for Chance and a number of other performers for other labels; "Indiana Blues" is a slow instrumental.
The sonics are clear but the recording balance is not what one would expect from one of the top studios in town.
The Eagle-Aires: Robert Dunbar (voc); Eddie Clark (voc); ... Jones (voc); ... Brent (voc); acc. by James "Red" Holloway (ts); Lewis Carpenter (p); prob. Lefty Bates (eg); Hawk Lee (d); Robert "Hendu" Henderson (d).
Chicago, early 1954
| 1014-A | My Number One Baby (Dunbar)^ | Ebony 1014-A, JOB 1104 | |
| 1014-B | Cloudy Weather Blues (Clark) | Ebony 1014-B, JOB 1104 |
The two records by The Eagle-Aires are Williams' only known venture into doowop. The group was first-rate, but Williams apparently didn't sustain his interest in the genre. Again, the balance between the singers and the instrumentalists is not what would ensue from an outing at Universal Recording.
One of Williams' many eccentricities was a predilection for attaching the Aires suffix, then commonplace in the gospel world, to the names of secular vocal groups. See also the Ruppert-Aires, who performed on Ebony 1008.
Ebony 1014 was quickly dealt to Joe Brown, who reissued it (with a lot less label copy) as JOB 1104. Until recently, only the JOB issue was known to most collectors, on account of the extreme rarity of the original release; at present the copy in the hands of Bill Sabis is the only one known.
The Eagle-Aires: Robert Dunbar (voc); Eddie Clark (voc); ... Jones (voc); ... Brent (voc); unidentified accompaniment.
Chicago, prob. 1954
| 1015-A | Honey-Hush (Turner) | Ebony 1015-A | |
| 1015-B | Money Honey (Stone) | Ebony 1015-B |
The second Eagle-Aires release was never picked up by JOB and consequently remained even more obscure for many years. Since Joe Turner's "Honey Hush" was recorded and released in 1953, we can be reasonably confident about the date. The copy in the hands of George Paulus is the only one currently known to survive.
The Clantones (vocal group); unidentified (g).
Chicago, early 1952
| EB 1020 A | It's No Sin (Shull-Haven) | Ebony 1020-A | |
| EB 1020 B | Some Day (Clanton-Williams) | Ebony 1020-B |
The Clantones were a different kind of vocal group, specializing in ballads. "The Quaker City Boys Singing Pretty for the People" is Williams' other descriptor for them.
The group was one of the first that Wiliams would sign to his revived label; he placed a photo of them in the Chicago Defender in February 1952.
"It's No Sin" is a schmaltzy number recorded around this same time (as an instrumental) by Tab Smith for United.
McGrath lists another Clantones single on Ebony 1021. He claims it was originally released in 1964, on the third incarnation of Ebony. McGrath also attributes ownership of Ebony III to Charles Priest, which is clearly incorrect. There is still work to do clarifying things.
How Mayo Williams decided to number Ebony releases is, well, not obvious. One possiblity is that different ranges in the overall 1000 series were reserved for different genres. If we are right about this, 1000-1019 constituted the main series, for blues and R&B; the 1020s went to pop vocalizing; and the 1030s were allocated to gospel.
George Curry (voc); others unidentified.
Chicago, 1952
| EB 1030 A | Tell Mother I'll Be Home Someday (Curry) | Ebony 1030-A | |
| EB 1030 B | Rock Daniel (Curry) | Ebony 1030-B |
Brother George Curry was billed as the "One Man Gospel Quartet." In the studio, multi-tracking was the key. How he could achieve any such effects in live performance remains a little difficult for us to figure, but Williams, whose promotional budget must have been microscopic, actually took out an advertisement in the Chicago Defender to promote bookings for him.
Hayes and Laughton in The Gospel Discogaphy 1943-1970 claim that this session was made "c. 1948." A shellac pressing with the first Ebony label on it would be persuasive... Actually it was in 1948 that a secular-singing George Currie (as he spelled his name then) was briefly featured in the Chicago Defender. The blurb said of him, "boasting of four singing voices has recorded several numbers by singing bass, baritone, tenor, and lead that are solid. Recording carries all four numbers, sounding as real as if sung by Mills Brothers or Ravens." We don't know who Curry made his first record with.
According to Hayes and Laughton, Curry recorded one gospel single at an unknown date for Elko, and two in Hollywood, also at an unkown date, for a label called Phoenix. Both labels were active in the 1950s.
This is the first gospel release that we know of on the second Ebony label. Williams had previously been quite active recording gospel for his 1940s enterprises.
The Melody Jubilee Singers of Chicago (vocal group).
Chicago, poss. late 1952
| EB 1034 A | Jesus Keeps Me Alive (Saxton Arrangement) | Ebony 1034 A | |
| EB 1034 B | I'm in His Care (Parks Arrangement) | Ebony 1034 B |
Williams also identified this group as "The Saginaw Singers."
Bob McGrath, in the second edition of The R&B Indies, lists Ebony 1031 by The Melody "Gospel" Singers of Chicago and Ebony 1033 by The Melody Jubilee Singers of Chicago. He attributes both to the first incarnation of Ebony. Hayes and Laughton, concur, giving "c. late 1948" as the recording date for those items; they, too, do not mention Ebony 1034.
Williams may have recorded the Melody Jubilee Singers in 1948. However, the group was on his active artists' roster in 1953, as we learn from another one of his sporadic Defender ads.
The Harmonettes: Dorothy Herron O'Bryant, Princess Stewart, Sara Bell, Annalee Boyd (voc.)
Chicago, October 1954
| A Letter to Santa Claus | Ebony [?] | ||
| unidentified titles | Ebony [?] |
The Chicago Defender for October 9, 1954 ran a photo of J. Mayo Williams with his new recording group, the Harmonettes. This was a female gospel group under the direction of well known gospel impresario, Dorothy Herron O'Bryant; it had been around since the late 1940s. The group was reported to have been signed by Williams the previous week to record "A Letter to Santa Claus."
We don't know whether this record actually saw release. In the photo both Dorothy O'Bryant and Mayo Williams are holding Ebony 78s, but the label copy cannot be read.
After the second Ebony operation went inactive in 1956, Mayo Williams continued to operate his publishing companies. A third incarnation of the Ebony label opened after a hiatus of a couple of years, still at the same business address. Williams held onto the 78 rpm format for a while, so how many of the third-incarnation Ebonys were strictly on 45 rpm is just one of several matters that call for further research. There were also a couple of EP releases as well. Ebony III probably made its final issue in 1965 (many of the items on this version of the label were reissues, but research still needs doing on that as well).
In March 1968, he lost his wife of many decades, Aleta S. Williams, who died while in a convalescent home. The couple had been living at 4906 South Drexel. In the Chicago Defender death announcement, J. Mayo Williams was identified as a phonograph record producer.
The May 27, 1969 edition of the Chicago Defender ran an "Inquiring Reporter" column in whiich two of the four people asked about a current event were had been association with the Williams operation: Little Brother Montgomery (described as a recording artist) and Bob Camp (sound service). Also interviewed was Montgomery's second wife, who was described as an office manager.
As the 1970s rolled around, Williams was no longer making new records and was sitting on a lot of excess stock, consisting of poorly distributed disks in dated musical styles. In the Chicago Defender of March 28, 1973, he advertised "Free Records" for dealers, one stops, and distributors, giving them a deal where if they bought a minimum of fifty at 10 cents each, they would get another 50 free. Whether he was able to move some boxes and unclog some shelves, we have our doubts. Certainly the distributors wouldn't have recognized most of his "name artists." A couple of years later, George Paulus was able to pick up 9 copies of the Birmingham Junior record (Ebony 1007), but reports of such multiple-copy finds are few.
Williams subsequently retired for reasons of health, dying in Chicago on January 2, 1980. On his death certificate, his occupation was listed as "recorder" and under kind of business was listed "Ebony Recordings."