Vee-Jay: The Early Years

Revision note: We've added a little information on singer Wellington Blakey (correct spelling), who recorded for the company during its first year.

Vee-Jay was one of Chicago's most successful labels. Until the advent of Motown during the early 1960s, it was the country's largest black-owned record company. Four individuals were most responsible for the success of the label: James Bracken and Vivian Carter who founded the company in mid-1953; Vivian's brother, Calvin Carter, who was the principal producer and A&R man; and Ewart Abner, Jr. A fifth individual, Art Sheridan, was a secret partner in the company.

Jimmy Bracken was born in Oklahoma on May 23, 1909, grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and attended Western University in Quindaro, Kansas. In 1944, while living in Chicago, he met Vivian Carter, who was working in the Signal Corps in the city. Carter had been born in Gary, Indiana, in 1920, and had graduated from Roosevelt High in 1939. In 1948 she won a talent contest for new deejays conducted by Al Benson of WGES. She worked three months at WGES, then moved to WWCA and later to WGRY, both in her hometown of Gary, Indiana. In 1950, Carter and Bracken became business partners when they founded Vivian's Record Shop in Gary. After three years of scrimping and saving the couple decided to start a record label in the late spring of 1953. Meanwhile, Vivian continued her deejaying, which was undoubtedly significant in attracting talent to their label.

At this time two acts, a vocal group called the Spaniels and a blues singer by the name of Jimmy Reed, entered the store inquiring about recording opportunities. They would become two of Vee-Jay's biggest recording acts during the 1950s. James and Vivian set up headquarters at the record shop, at 1640 Broadway. As the couple was now tied by business interests, on December 16, 1953, they got married--at the headquarters of Ernie and George Leaner's United Distributors.

The first Spaniels and Reed records were released in the summer of 1953 and became strong local hits. The company was firmly established following the release in March of 1954 of the Spaniels' third release, "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite," which became a top r&b hit and, as covered by the McGuire Sisters, a million seller.

Ewart Abner entered Vee-Jay through his executive position at Art Sheridan's Chance Records and Sheridan Distribution Company. When Vivian Carter and James Bracken decided to form Vee-Jay they went to Abner, whom they knew through Sheridan’s distribution company, which sold records to their store in Gary. He told interviewer Portia Maultsby, "I assisted them in the paperwork, the administrative legal work for Vee-Jay and handling the incorporation of the company." As the company grew, Abner and Sheridan continued to assist Vee-Jay in this manner and gradually becoming intertwined with the Brackens helping them run the company. In December 1954 Abner and Sheridan decided to close Chance. Abner then worked briefly an accountant for the George and Ernie Leaner’s United Distributors before being appointed by the Brackens as general manager of Vee-Jay in early 1955.

One of the musicians at Vee-Jay, Red Holloway, said, "Abner's role in Chance had been as administrator. In fact, he learned his tools of trade at Chance Record Company, he learned the business there. Vivian and Jimmy didn't really know all that much about business things when it got into the real paperwork, so since Abner had been doing that at Chance, they just made a deal with him and he went over there. Abner became pretty much the boss. Jimmy and Vivian still called the shots, because they owned the label, but when it came to the final details of making deals and stuff, that's where Abner was boss, because he knew more about it and had more insight into what was happening."

Art Sheridan had no direct hand in the operation of Vee-Jay but was ever present through his part ownership and his friendship and business relationships with Ewart Abner. He was born in Chicago on July 16, 1925, the son of an owner of an electronics factory. After World War II he caught the bug of the record business. His first experience was in the pressing plant business. He became more involved when he married Aristocrat label co-owner Evelyn Aron, after which she left the label and set up a distribution firm with Sheridan. In 1950 Sheridan started Chance and soon brought in Ewart Abner Jr, as a partner in the operation.

Sheridan’s involvement in Vee-Jay was unknown until 1993, when he was interviewed by Robert Pruter. Sheridan in so many words alluded to his ties with Vee-Jay, but did not convey them directly. For example, when Pruter asked if nightclub ownership was his only involvement in the music business after the closure of Chance in 1954, Sheridan replied, "You have to remember the same group who ran the nightclubs were basically Vee-Jay people. We were really very much intertwined all those years. It was just not very politic for a period of time to have too many white owners." He later talked of how important that Vee-Jay should be seen as a black-owned company, saying, "You had well-educated black people who wanted to be recognized, who wanted to be in business, and Abner always felt that was something that should be fostered. Philosophically he was very avant-garde [in black advancement] and Jimmy and Vivian were very pro-black." About a decade later, Sheridan was interviewed by Nadine Cohodas, and she related Sheridan was far more direct in asserting his part-ownership.

Calvin Carter, Vivian's brother, became the label's A&R man and principal producer. He was born May 27, 1925, and his first experience in the record business was when he joined his sister's and brother-in-law's firm in 1953. He took to it like a duck to water. While Carter was the producer in name, there was often a collective approach in producing the sessions. Said Holloway:

Calvin Carter was in charge of the recording sessions. Calvin was a singer, and when we recorded singers he would be saying things like, "Hey, you all didn't sing the do-do-wop right," or "you're out of tune with this one." When it came to the musicians' parts, certain fellows in the band, usually Lefty and I, would listen to the playback and take it upon ourselves to say, "let's take that over," or "you're not doing this or that," or "hey, that's not right, let's straighten that up." We in the band basically directed our part of it. When it came to vocals, though, Calvin Carter would do that. He had a good idea of what harmonies were supposed to sound like. Abner would come around to the sessions every once in a while, but he didn't usually have much to say. Musically, Abner wasn't that sharp, but he was good at making deals and doing things administratively.

The Vee-Jay house band began to coalesce in the middle of 1954, and was firmly established by the end of that year. The rhythm section usually included William "Lefty" Bates (guitar) and veteran Chicago musician Quinn B. Wilson (bass). Paul Gusman, Vernel Fournier, and Alrock "Al" Duncan alternated in the drum chair, and Horace Palm and Norman Simmons handled most of the piano duties. James "Red" Holloway was the designated tenor saxophonist in the early going; later on he would share those responsibilities, which included nearly all of the horn soloing, with Lucius Washington (aka "Little Wash") and Cliff Davis. McKinley "Mac" Easton, long a mainstay of the Red Saunders band, was the baritone saxophonist everyone wanted for session work in Chicago.

The house band of Vee-Jay was under the leadership of bassist Al Smith (musicians made fun of his prowess on the instrument, which others had to tune for him, but everyone respected his ability to get gigs and make deals). He also was in charge of rehearsing and preparing Vee-Jay acts for recording sessions; he held these rehearsal sessions in his home. Moving over from Chance, as it began to wind down, he and his musicians handled about 1/5 of the tracks that Vee-Jay releases, from June 30 through the end of 1954. Smith continued to lead a combo in the clubs during this period, and was not under exclusive contract to Vee-Jay. His band was also doing session work for Parrot, and occasionally for the declining United/States operation.

For its recording sessions, Vee-Jay went to Universal Studios on the near North Side. Said Pirkle Lee Moses, "Vee-Jay always used Universal Studios. They did it in three hour or six hour sessions, that's the way they did it. They would rent the studio for a half a day and they would cut maybe two or three artists." The organizing principle of this discography makes use of the matrix system established while the company worked out of Universal—a five digit number, the first two ostensibly for the year, followed by a hyphen and a three digit number (the series would eventually add a fourth digit, toward the end of 1958). The series was opened with 53-100 for the Spaniels’ "Baby It’s You."

Early on, Vee-Jay became involved in gospel music and recorded many of the top acts in the field, notably the Staple Singers, the Swan Silvertones, the Original Five Blind Boys, and the Highway QC’s. Early jazz performers included Tommy Dean, Turk Kincheloe, and Julian Dash. For the first three years of the operation, Vee-Jay released the gospel and jazz releases on the same numbering system as the blues and vocal groups recordings. But Vee-Jay established itself as a hitmaker with doowop groups and blues singers. The biggest groups were the Spaniels, the El Dorados, and the Dells, but the label could boast a host of lesser names, such as the Magnificents, the Kool Gents, and the Rhythm Aces. The biggest blues acts were Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker, but the label also recorded Snooky Pryor, Billy Boy Arnold, Floyd Jones, Billy "The Kid" Emerson, L. C. McKinley, and Eddie Taylor.

The Spaniels were probably Vee-Jay’s first signing. The group originally consisted of James "Pookie" Hudson (lead tenor), Gerald Gregory (bass), Willis C. Jackson (baritone), Opal Courtney (baritone), and Ernest Warren (first tenor). They were accompanied by a rhythm unit from the Red Saunders band. From this first session on May 4, 1953, when the group was less than six months old, the Spaniels proved remarkably adept. The session yielded their delightful minor hit, "Baby It's You." The record was Vee-Jay's second release, but it proved too potent for the tiny company to handle. In July 1953, Carter and Bracken leased the record to Art Sheridan's Chance Records for national distribution and it was on Chance 1141 that the record was heard through most of the country. In the fall of 1953, "Baby It's You" lasted two weeks on Billboard's r&b chart and went to #10. Vee-Jay 202, featuring "Since I Fell For You" from this first session, was a single released in July 1956.

A second session (dated September 23, 1953 on a Charly reissue) not only established the Spaniels, but also helped immensely to establish Vee-Jay as a viable continuing entity. The big song they did at their second session was "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite." The unidentified backing is by a tenor sax, piano (very simple), guitar, bass, and drums. Surprisingly, the company chose a different first release from the session, "The Bells Ring Out," which although appealing to collectors today did nothing. The flip side, "House Cleaning," is a blues with a lead by Gerald Gregory and plenty of solo spaces for the tenor saxophonist. But when the company did get around to releasing it, "Goodnite Sweetheart" lasted 16 weeks on the Billboard R&B charts and went to #5 in the Spring of 1954. It sold a ton of copies in the pop market, and a cover by the McGuire Sisters was an even bigger hit, earning a lot of money for Vee-Jay publishing arm.

The Spaniels' third session (53-124 through 53-126, December 1953) produced a treasured street-corner song, "Do-Wah." Robert Stallworth says, "The instrumentation is very sparse leaving the voices to carry the song. The interplay of James Hudson doing lead and Gerald Gregory on bass is classic. The high tenor rounds out these three voices, which seem to be challenging each other for dominance. Listen to Gerald's voice 68 seconds into the song as he grunts Pookie from the microphone. Imagine hearing this song in Washington Park in Chicago on a Saturday night; it is pure street corner harmony. The other two voices are more complimentary than dominant. This was the last session by the full early group. On its delayed release "Do-Wah" (coupled with "Don'cha Go" from the myserious session of February 19, 1955) was only a modest hit, appearing on the St. Louis territorial charts in early June of 1955.

The third session also provided a flip side for "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite," a gospelly account of rejection titled "You Don't Move Me." According to Charly notes, the band on the session was led by tenor saxophonist Al Pitts, and included Henry Porter (trumpet), Ernest Robinson (piano), Jimmy Johnson (bass), and George Green (drums). The band on the September session sounds similar, with the addition of guitar.

Jimmy Reed, famous for his laid-back drawling delivery accompanied by his harmonica blowing and rudimentary guitar strumming, was Vee-Jay’s second signing. He was born Mathis James Reed on September 6, 1925, on a plantation near Dunleith, Mississippi. Reed moved to Chicago in 1943, and after service in the Navy during World War II settled in Gary, Indiana. The first session in June 1953 produced no hits, but Vee-Jay 100 sold enough under both Vee-Jay and Chance imprints to keep the fledgling company interested.

A second session near or at the end of the year produced Reed’s first national hit, "You Don’t Have to Go," which upon release in early 1955 lasted 10 weeks and went to #5 on the Billboard R&B chart. The key ingredient in the Jimmy Reed sound was the addition of guitarist Eddie Taylor who provided a firm drive to the songs. Reed soon emerged as one of the biggest blues acts in the country.

Wellington Blakey was a native of Gary, Indiana, who performed regularly in local venues. He was a cousin of the famed jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey (1919-1990). A baritone vocalist who sounded a lot like Roy Milton, Wellington Blakey was usually given a more pop-oriented production. Probably in 1952, he sang on one side of each of two singles by Max Miller and (the) Life Record All Stars, a quintet led by a vibraphonist. These are best described as bluesy pop performances. (On Life 5001 and 5002, the singer's name comes out as "Blaky.") Life Records, a tiny Chicago-based operation, had probably folded by the time Blakey got a chance to record for Vee-Jay, which decided to call him "Blakely."

What was apparently the only release to come out under the singer's own name, Vee-Jay 104, hit the stores in October 1953, when the company was still located in Gary. Both of his songs on Vee-Jay 104 were written by local songwriter Bernard Roth (both of the tunes he performed on the Life label had also been Roth compositions).

Wellington Blakey continued to perform locally without getting more offers from record companies. In October 1960, he cut four sides, all renditions of standards, at Bud Pressner's studio on Washington Street in Gary (a lacquer with the four songs on it was recently discovered by Dan Ferone). This time the studio got his name right. Pressner was about to start his own label called Steeltown, but according to Jason Yoder, an authority on Steeltown, he did not release anything on Blakey.

Wellington Blakey last appeared on record in February 1964, when his cousin invited him to New York to sing on a track while the Jazz Messengers were recording for Riverside. "Wellington's Blues," released on Art Blakey's Kyoto album, featured good smooth stand-up blues singing in the Roy Milton manner, with sterling accompaniment to Wellington's final chorus by tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. What Wellington Blakey did after making what was by far his most widely distributed recording remains a mystery to us.

According to a conversation that Big Joe Louis had with Kevin Chess (Phil Chess's son), Bernie Roth was a butcher in Gary, Indiana, who wrote songs. He continued to bring songs to Vee-Jay after the company lost interest in Wellington Blakey. Roth songs used by Vee-Jay included "You Painted Pictures," which the Spaniels would record in July 1954, and "False Love" and "Dear Heart," which they would cut in January 1956. Starting around 1955, Roth would also offer songs to Chess. His most famous compositions are "Just to Be with You" and "Forty Days and Forty Nights," two blues classics recorded by Muddy Waters; he was also responsible for "Who," a song recorded by Little Walter.

Blues shouter Clarence "Pro" McClam represented Vee-Jay’s third release, when the company paired "Policy Blues" with "Boot-um." The record was originally advertised in October 1953 as by "Professor of the Blues," but it was listed on the label as by "Pro. McClam & Orch." McClam might have objected to Vee-Jay leaving his name off the billing! McClam was accompanied by John Goosby on piano, Floyd Dungy on bass, and Delbert Scott on drums. Dungy, who had previously recorded with Schoolboy Porter for Chance, on June 25, 1951, had his name spelled "Dungee" on this occasion. Previously, McClam had made "Strange Strange Lover" with the Chicago All Stars, for Columbia in December 1947. That same month he appeared as a vocalist for Sax Mallard's All Stars on their Aristocrat single, "Rolling Tears."

Vee-Jay began to establish a presence in gospel music when the label signed organist Maceo Woods. Maceo Woods was born in the Morgan Park neighborhood in Chicago, on April 23, 1932. Woods organized his first group, the Maceo Woods Male Chorus, from members of the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. Out of the chorus came The Maceo Woods Singers, consisting of Norman Muchison, Billy Kyles, and Donald Smith. Wood’s first recordings were for Apollo in 1952, and the following year he joined the fledging Vee-Jay company. The session from the fall of 1953 featured one instrumental, and three vocals—Norman Murchison leading on "Keep Trusting," Billy Kyles leading on "Run to Jesus," and Donald Smith leading on "Garden of Prayer."

Count Morris was probably pianist Floyd Morris, accompanied by a rump unit of the Red Saunders band—identifiable as Leon Washington on tenor sax, probably Jimmy Richardson on bass, and definitely Red himself at the drums. The track was recorded on December 20, 1953, but was only released in April of 1955 on the flip side of a Dells record, "Tell the World." Jørgen Jepsen's Jazz Records lists this session, but he credits Count Morris with vocals, and there aren't any!

By the end of 1953, Vee-Jay had recorded 28 sides by seven artists. (Matrix number 53-115 appears to have been left blank.) As is our custom, we have marked in bold the matrix numbers that we are able to confirm from the 78 and 45-rpm singles that Vee-Jay released at the time. We have also identified artists and titles as they appeared on the singles.

Twenty-eight sides actually seems fairly vigorous, even over a half-year of business, for a company that was just a mom and pop operation. The only substantial sales for the company came from one national hit, "Baby It’s You," by the Spaniels, and the national distribution was attained only by placing the record with Chance. At year's end, just five releases (100 through 104) were in the catalogue. The prospering record store in Gary was probably keeping the record business afloat in these tenuous early months. But the next year would see an increased level of activity, and an even larger national hit by the Spaniels.

Early in 1954 the Brackens would move Vee-Jay's headquarters from Gary to a modest dwelling on 412 East 47th Street. Red Holloway called it a converted "garage on 47th Street." The new headquarters placed Vee-Jay in the midst of Chicago’s rhythm and blues record row, near United, Chess, Parrot, and Chance. By August, the company had grown so much that Vee-Jay moved around the corner to larger headquarters at 4747 South Cottage Grove.

Vee-Jay did hardly any recording from January through March—we have only two blues sessions from that period listed, one by Floyd Jones and one by Sunnyland Slim. The company’s experience with these deep blues artists must not have been satisfactory, because it never recorded Floyd Jones again and it kept the Sunnyland Slim sides in the can. Vee-Jay avoided recording any downhome blues artists for the remainder of the year, not even bringing Jimmy Reed back. The Brackens may have felt that the artists were not commercially viable. It was only after Reed’s third single, "You Don’t Have to Go" (Vee-Jay 119), became a hit after its release in December 1954 on Vee-Jay 119 that the Brackens decided there might be commercial potential in down-home blues.

In contrast to its low level of blues recording, Vee-Jay was unusually vigorous in recording gospel acts during 1954. Vee-Jay resumed recording with a marathon session on April 11 that featured one gospel group after another—Brother Isaiah’s Church of God in Christ Choir, the Lockhart Singers, Singing Sammy Lewis, and the Holy Gospel Singers. Three days later Vee-Jay would take into the studio organist Maceo Woods, who must have been selling a lot of platters, because he would become the label’s most prolifically recorded gospel act. Among the additions to the secular artist stable in 1954 were the El Dorados, the Five Echoes, the Rhythm Aces, Julian Dash, and Tommy Dean.

Guitarist Floyd Jones specialized in dark, brooding blues that often spoke to depressed economic and social conditions—"Stockyard Blues" for Marvel (1948), "Hard Times" and "School Days" for Tempo-Tone (1949), and two versions of "Dark Road," for JOB (1951) and Chess (also 1951). He made another session for Chess in 1952 and one for JOB in 1953, before moving to Vee-Jay, where he cut "Ain’t Times Hard." In fact, two of his four sides were remakes of his Tempo-Tones. Leadbitter and Slaven give a date of February 3, 1953 for his Vee-Jay session, but this would be months before Vee-Jay was formed; what's more, the matrix numbers postdate those that were applied to the label's December 1953 sessions. The date was obviously February 3, 1954. The rest of the band on this session consisted of Snooky Pryor (harmonica), Sunnyland Slim (piano), Eddie Taylor (guitar), and Alfred "Fat Man" Wallace (drums).

Floyd Jones was born on July 21, 1917, in Marianna, Arkansas. After several years of dabbling with the guitar, he began playing it in earnest when Howlin’ Wolf gave him an instrument. Through much of the 1930s and early 1940s he worked the South as an itinerant musician. After visiting Chicago a couple of times, Jones moved to the city permanently in 1945, settling in the Maxwell Street neighborhood. In the city, the blues became more electrified, and Floyd Jones, who had been playing an acoustic guitar with an electric pickup, switched to a Gibson electric. He began playing on Maxwell Street and in non-union venues with such artists as Snooky Pryor, Little Walter, John Henry Barbee, and Sunnyland Slim. He joined the union in 1949.

The Vee-Jay session proved to be Jones’s last before the blues revival of the 1960s. A new White audience created a market for the pioneers of Chicago blues, and in 1966 Pete Welding recruited Floyd Jones to record an LP with Eddie Taylor for his Testament label. Jones subsequently recorded for the Swedish Magnolia label (with Big Walter Horton in 1970) and Earwig (with Honey Boy Edwards, Sunnyland Slim, and Kansas City Red in 1979, and with Big Walter in 1980). Floyd Jones died in Chicago on December 19, 1989.

The four sides that Slim did for Vee-Jay must be counted among his best work from the early 1950s, for both performance and sonics. He used Eddie Taylor and Floyd Jones (guitars), Snooky Pryor (harmonica), and Alfred Wallace (drums). (The notes to the Classics release incorrectly state just one guitarist was present when both are readily audible.) "Worried about My Baby" is the only number redone from previous session as a leader (done in January 1953 for JOB and also left unreleased at the time.) The first three sides are noteworthy for their clarity and their brooding grandeur; it doesn't hurt that Pryor is in the best form he would attain on record. "Be My Baby" concludes the session with tricky rhythms and two blazing amplified harp solos. We haven't heard Eddie Taylor's tracks and therefore can't evaluate them.

Sunnyland Slim never returned to Vee-Jay. He moved on quickly to Al Benson's Blue Lake operation, cutting four sides later the same year, then made one outstanding single for Club 51 in 1955. He would do hardly anything in the studio in the second half of the 1950s, but the blues revival of the early 1960s would bring him a spate of new recording opportunities. Eddie Taylor, on the other hand, would get futher opportunities to prove himself to Jimmy Bracken and Vivian Carter.

While published accounts routinely refer to the first gospel group to record for Vee-Jay on April 11 as Brother Isaiah’s Choir, the full name of the group was Brother Isaiah’s Church of God in Christ Choir, which identifies the ensemble as coming from the leading black Pentecostal denomination. COGIC, as the denomination often called itself from its acronym, was the greatest moving force in the development of gospel music in the black church. Hayes and Laughton identify Brother Isaiah as Isaiah Pryor, but Bob Marovich believes that Brother Isaiah was actually Isaiah Roberts, who in 1954 was pastoring a COGIC church at 9230 South State and billing himself as "Brother Isaiah." His father, William Roberts, had founded the first COGIC church in Illinois, in 1916, and was still pastoring the church at 4021 South State in early 1954, but died later that year.

In 1955, Isaiah Roberts was called to head his late father's church, now called the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ. There a regular broadcast of services was begun on WHFC (later moving to WSBC and WVON), and the hymn that opened the broadcast was the choir's first Vee-Jay recording "All Night, All Day" (Vee-Jay 109). The choir’s principal lead singer was the great Lorenza Brown, who would play a large role in Chicago gospel music, notably as lead of the famous Argo Singers. She is heard on both sides of Vee-Jay 109 and on "The Fountain" from Vee-Jay 140. "Climbing High Mountains" (54-139) featured soloists Jerry Jordan and Clara Mae Stevenson.

The Lockhart Singers were a mixed Chicago group under the direction of lead singer Esther Lockhart. According to Horace Clarence Boyer, in his book How Sweet the Sound, the other members were two of Esther Lockhart's sisters and a cousin. Ed Robinson played piano on the session, which also included organ (probably by Maceo Woods) and drums. Of the four sides released on the group, "Own Me as a Child" (Vee-Jay 110), proved to be a hit. Horace Clarence Boyer said that the group rarely toured on the gospel circuit, and that audiences "demanded" that they always sing "Own Me as a Child" (p. 232). The Lockhart Singers did not record for Vee-Jay again; Boyer reports that they broke up in 1957. Esther Lockhart, who went by the name "Little Esther," got married and continued her gospel career as Evangelist Esther V. Smith. In the early 2000s, her home church was the International Gospel Center in Ecorse, Michigan.

Sammy Lewis was usually billed as Singing Sammy Lewis. Born in 1921, he was a long-time star on Chicago's gospel circuit. As a boy he was a member of the Roberta Martin singers. In 1949, he recorded under his own name for Aristocrat and in 1954 he cut two sessions for Vee-Jay, in April and October. Accompaniment for the April session consisted of piano (Robinson), organ (Woods), and drums. In his liner notes to Working the Road: The Golden Age of Chicago Gospel (Delmark), Anthony Heibut points up the influence of Mahalia Jackson in Lewis's singing, with his "bluesy runs and impassioned interjections." His last session, shared with the Lucy Smith Singers, was done for United in June 1956. Sammy Lewis died in 1994.

The Holy Gospel Singers, a female vocal group whose personnel is unknown to us, recorded four sides at the April session. Two were released as Vee-Jay 120: "Revive Us Again" and "Move Up." The other two sides, "In the Morning When I Rise" and "Hold on to God's Unchanging Hand," remained in the can.

Said gospel maven Bob Marovich, "’Revive Us Again’ is arranged very neatly and delivered very neatly by the group. What is most striking about this recording is the alto section. The altos get so low I had to listen a couple of times to make certain these were not men singing! The Holy Gospel Singers really let loose on ‘Move Up,’ their fourth and final recording that day. Buoyed by what must have seemed a successful recording date and encouraged by a rocking piano and drum backbeat, the group sunk their teeth into this gospel chestnut. Soloist and choir let out all the stops as they rendered this song in the Pentecostal tradition."

Besides recording his singing group, Vee-Jay also recorded Maceo Woods as a solo artist playing his Hammond organ, first in April and again in September 1954. The second session produced his gospel hit, "Amazing Grace," which according to gospel expert Lee Hildebrand remains the "best-selling instrumental in African-American gospel history."

"Amazing Grace" came about from Woods’ work on Vivian Carter’s radio show. Woods' job was to play organ interludes on the show, and at one point he was noodling around on "Amazing Grace." Carter was taken with the number, immediately taped a complete run-through of the gospel classic, and made it the theme for her show. Then the number was released as a single on Vee-Jay 122.

On June 30, it appears Vee-Jay held a marathon recording session of secular acts that included Pro McClam, Floyd Valentine, Willie Jones, and almost certainly the El Dorados. That four acts were recorded on the same day at the very end of the month suggests that Vee-Jay was feeling great urgency about getting back into the secular market.

Pro McClam recorded his best known number at the June 30 session, "Cinemascope Baby," which could not have been more topical in 1954, when Hollywood was desperately trying to fight the inroads of television with large screen presentations. It also served as the perfect answer to Big Joe Turner's "TV Mama," which had been a hit a few months earlier. (Both women were praised for having a "big wide screen.") Pro McClam acquits himself well on this 12-bar blues with a gentle swinging lope. The tenor saxophonist gets a nice long swinging solo on the break. McClam probably used the same accompaniment as Floyd Valentine on his two numbers recorded the same day, which would make John Gooseby the tenor soloist. So far as we know, this was McClam's last recording session.

Floyd Valentine, who played trumpet and sang, was born Floyd Jones (he changed his name so as not to be confused with the down-home blues singer whom Vee-Jay had just recently recorded). He had previously recorded with Sonny Thompson's band on two sessions for Miracle, in April and June 1949 (he got a solo spot on "The Fish-I," from the April session); he also appeared on Thompson's first session for King, in January 1950. Valentine is accompanied on his Vee-Jay session by John Gooseby (tenor sax), Leroy Harrison (piano), Dresden Thomas (guitar), Floyd Dungy (bass), and Delbert Scott (drums). [At least, that's what our sources have said... we note that on Pro McClam's 1953 session, Gooseby was credited with playing piano. And the bassist's name came out "Dingy" this time around.] The Vee-Jay session—his only one as a leader, according to Lord—took place on June 30.

The El Dorados were a West Side group that consisted of Pirkle Lee Moses (lead), Louis Bradley (tenor), Jewel Jones (second tenor-baritone), Arthur Bassett (tenor), and Richard Nickens (baritone-bass). The group was signed to Vee-Jay on June 1, 1954. During that year they recorded a session in June—we suspect June 30—and one in September. The early numbers tended to be slow and bluesy, and Vee-Jay got no hits on the group from them. The June session, which marked the Al Smith Band's first appearance for Vee-Jay, was only for two numbers; a single from it was released in July 1954. There are no instrumental solos on either side. Pirkle Lee Moses sings the lead on "My Loving Baby;" Arthur Bassett is responsible for the lead on "Baby I Need You." On early pressings of Vee-Jay 115, the name of the group was misspelled "El Darados."

In September, the El Dorados returned for a second session, now featuring the standard four numbers. The backing unit again was the Al Smith Combo, but a female singer, Hazel McCollum, also made an appearance. At the time, she was married to Robert McCollum (i.e., blues guitarist and singer Robert Nighthawk). She can be heard leading on "Annie’s Answer," which, of course, responded to the Midnighters’ "Work with Me Annie" and "Annie Had a Baby." Lefty Bates gets a guitar solo on "Annie’s Answer." The El Dorados sang on "One More Chance’ and "Little Miss Love," two exceedingly weak numbers. The fourth side, "Livin’ with Vivian," is a Count Basie-style instrumental, on which Horace Palm deftly imitates the master, but the main attraction is baritone saxophonist Mac Easton. Mac rarely got an extended solo opportunity on record; he makes the most of it on this tour de force.

Willie Jones was born William Marvin Jones in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on February 21, 1920. He served in the military in World War II and joined the Musicians Union in Chicago on November 26, 1945. For three decades, Willie Jones regularly played the clubs and worked as a backing musician on jazz, blues, and R&B recording dates. His Vee-Jay recording date in 1954 stemmed from a trio he formed in April to play at the Esquire Lounge, which included Betty Dupree (bass) and Earl Phillips (drums). Betty Dupree Overton (to use her married name--her husband was tenor saxophonist Timothy Overton) was the contractor on the gig. The trio then moved to the Streamliner for several weeks. After these two engagements, it appears that the entire trio (Willie Jones, Betty Dupree, and Earl Phillips) became the rhythm section for tenor saxophonist Melvin Scott, when he took over at the Flame Lounge at the end of May.

While they were working the Flame, Vee-Jay signed the trio up and recorded a session. It would be the only session Jones made as a leader. Jones's showmanship had gained him a following in the clubs, but what did Chicago record buyers make of this material in 1954? Willie Jones' wildest solos were often done on the simple framework of the 12-bar blues. His mature style resembled a cross between Milt Buckner and Cecil Taylor (but Cecil would not make his first record for another 2 years!). Willie Jones died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Chicago on December 31, 1977.

From the collection of Dr. Robert Stallworth

The Spaniels' fourth session for Vee-Jay in July 1954 featured some strong songs. Remakes appear to have been necessary, as three Spaniels sides were rejected outright. "Play It Cool" was a tremendously appealing novelty song, where rarely used Willis Jackson employed his rough-hewn voice on a story that made use of liquor and cigarette brand names. "Let’s Make Up" was a lovely but conventional ballad. "Danny Boy" was always popular with African-American singers and this was the Spaniels' first take on the old chestnut. Vee-Jay kept it in the can. The Spaniels were accompanied by this occasion by Morris Wilkerson (piano); Ike Perkins (electric guitar); George Green (bass); and Frank Collins (drums), according to the Mohr-Flückiger-Demeusy files. A special credit for session supervision (unique in the early history of Vee-Jay) went to an arranger and producer from New York City. As explained by an item from "Chicago Tidings" in a July 1954 issue of Cash Box: "Joel Turnero, visiting Cash Box columnist, in town to supervise the Spaniels' latest wax session at the invitation of Jimmy and Vivian Bracken and Leo Kolheim of Vee-Jay Records" (see Galen Gart, The History of Rhythm & Blues Vol 4: 1954, p. 74, published by Big Nickel Publications). In June 1953, Turnero had supervised a session by blues pianist Willie Mabon for Chess.

When tenor sax player Julian Dash joined Vee-Jay in 1954 for his first recording session, he had already achieved fame as a long-time member of the great Erskine Hawkins band. Joining Hawkins in 1938, Dash played on such hits as "After Hours" and "Tuxedo Junction." He was born St. Julian Bennett Dash, on April 9, 1916, in Charleston, South Carolina. Before the Vee-Jay sessions, Dash had recorded under his own name for Mello-Roll (1950), Signature, Sitting In With (1951), Mercury (1951), and Coral. Dash cut for Vee-Jay with his working group: Hank Marr (piano), Warner E. Stephens (electric guitar), Lee Stanfield (bass), and Bill English (drums). Vee-Jay released one single from the four-number session in August, "Zig-Zag" backed with "So Let It Be," but neither side found an audience. According to Dr. Robert Stallworth and Tom Kelly, both 78 and 45 rpm releases of Vee-Jay 117 suffer from reversed labels.

Raymond Rasberry, who played piano and sang, was one of the most significant gospel songwriters in the post-World War II era. He was born in 1928 in Akron, Ohio. He learned to play the piano by ear when he 8 years old and gained experience accompanying the congregation at his Pentecostal church. After accompanying Wynona Carr, Mahalia Jackson, and Clara Ward, he started the Rasberry Singers, a group of five men, not long before this session. The Rasberry Singers were national stars and toured regularly from their base in Cleveland. Carl Hall, who is identified as a soloist on one side from the Rasberry Singers' first session, was considered one of the top male sopranos in gospel during the period; we do not know the names of the other singers.

The Turk Kincheloe Quartet was a jazz ensemble. The band was led by a pianist, Stuart G. Kincheloe (born April 13, 1931), who at this time was going as Turk Kincheloe. By the early 1960s, he had changed his marquee name to Kirk Stuart and was still leading jazz combos in the Chicago area. By the mid-1960s he had relocated to Los Angeles. For years, Stuart led a trio that backed singers, notably Sarah Vaughan and Joe Williams, but he also worked as an arranger and in other jazz bands, notably that of Al Grey.

Big Miller cut two never-issued sides which may or may not have been accompanied by Kincheloe's group. He was a stand-up blues singer who got some play in the Chicago clubs during 1954. In October, the Crown Propeller Lounge was promoting his "sensational blues."

The Five Echoes were one of the many acts that migrated over to Vee-Jay as Chance wound down its business (it would close for good in December 1954). During their Chance years, the Five Echoes included such luminaries as Johnnie Taylor and Tommy Hunt. By the time of the Vee-Jay session, the Hunt was gone, and the members consisted of Earl Lewis (first tenor); Johnnie Taylor (second tenor); Constant "Count" Sims (baritone); Herbert Lewis (baritone); Jimmy Marshall (bass). Taylor appears to be the lead on the jumps "Tell Me Baby" and "Tastee Freeze, and the blues "Evil Woman." A different lead was used on the two blues ballads, "I Really Do" and "Fool’s Prayer."

The group was backed by the Al Smith band (the Al Smith combo also recorded on October 28 and 31, 1954, with singer Hazel McCollum, but everything was rejected and no matrix numbers were assigned; most likely the titles with the Five Echoes were done on October 31). Making one of his few appearances on an Al Smith-led session, Harold Ashby gets unmistakable tenor sax solos on "Evil Woman," "Tell Me Baby," "Fool’s Prayer," and "Tastee Freeze," plus a brief tag at the end of "I Really Do." Mac Easton's baritone sax is relegated to a secondary role. Lefty Bates has guitar solos on "I Really Do" and "Tastee Freeze," and Vernel Fournier’s drumming is clearly apparent. In all, the session shows off the Al Smith group with Harold Ashby to advantage; even Al’s elementary bass playing is flattered by the recording process.

Collectors beware: The so-called "Five Echoes" who appear on a phony Vee-Jay 190 are not the Five Echoes of Chance and Vee-Jay fame. The group that appears on this bootleg was called just the Echoes; their songs originally appeared on an obscure EP on the EP 4 Hits label number 11. The name Five Echoes and the Vee-Jay label were used to "enhance" the bootleg. The real Vee-Jay 190 is an Arnett Cobb release (see below, under 1956). It is so rare that the perpetrator of the bogus Five Echoes release picked a number that he thought had never been used on Vee-Jay single.

When nothing happened with the two genuine Five Echoes releases--the group had no teen appeal--Vee-Jay dropped the group, which never recorded again. Lewis insisted to interviewer Robert Pruter that the group stayed together until the end of the decade. That seems unlikely. The Five Echoes probably became moribund in 1956, when Tommy Hunt, who had returned to them for a time, left again to join the Flamingos.

The one Vee-Jay session by Dave Shipp's Combo featured an extraordinary array of jazz talent—David Shipp (bass), Melvin Moore (trumpet), Porter Kilbert (tenor sax), Andrew Hill (piano), and William Hobbs (drums), playing top-quality bebop. Two sides were released in 1955 on Vee-Jay 145; the other two had to wait till 1961, when they were included on a Top Rank LP compiled by Kurt Mohr. Andrew Hill said that this session was his first recording opportunity. The Shipp session, taped on November 4, 1954, looks to a casual reader of the matrix number series to have been shared with the Rhythm Aces. However, the Aces appear to have used different accompaniment (the tenor saxophonist on their sides doesn't sound like Kilbert at all), and there is an uncomformity in the master number series that suggests that the ledgers weren't being kept up to date. A further sign of confusion: a CD reissue of Vee-Jay material included "Let's Live" from this session but gave it the title of another track, "Swinging Easy." But then the Vee-Jay Master Book gives both titles for 54-214.

During the 1970s, Shipp played in the Von Freeman Quartet—along with John Young (piano) and Wilbur Campbell (drums)—and appeared on three of Freeman’s albums. Lord's Jazz Discography mentions these LPs but not his Vee-Jay single.

The Rhythm Aces were not a rhythm and blues group as such. Their style actually harked back to the 1940s and could be considered a type of vocal jazz. The group was formed in Germany around 1950, where the members were stationed as soldiers in the U.S. Army. Members were Billy Steward (first tenor), Chuck Rowan (second tenor), Clyde Rhymes (baritone), and Vic House (baritone/bass). House and Rowan were cousins. Upon their discharge in 1954, the Rhythm Aces decided to make a go of it in the entertainment world, and started a tour in the Midwest. When they hit Chicago, they went to the famed Crown Propeller Lounge and replaced the Moonglows. This was in October 1954. Ewart Abner, who was making the transition from Chance to Vee-Jay, saw the group and signed them up. Their session apparently took place in November 1954, with accompaniment by unidentified tenor sax, piano, electric guitar, bass, and drums. The Aces' first release was "I Wonder Why," which is the best example of the their modern harmony approach, a beautiful ballad where the emphasis is on the entire group singing in harmony as opposed to the R&B style of lead vocals backed by doowop riffing of the other members.

Pianist Tommy Dean was born in Franklin, Louisiana, on September 6, 1909, and grew up in Beaumont, Texas. By the time he reached adulthood he was a full-time musician. During much of the 1930s he worked in carnivals and circuses, then near the end of the decade was hired by the Eddie Randle Band in St. Louis. He eventually left Randle and formed his own band, and by 1945 was working the clubs in Chicago. Before he joined Vee-Jay, Tommy Dean recorded for Town & Country in St. Louis, and Miracle, Chance, and States in Chicago. His band for Vee-Jay included Oliver Nelson (alto sax), Chuck Tillman (tenor sax), Arthur Burnside (bass), Edgar Plaes (drums), and Joe Buckner (a blues singer who was born in St. Louis in 1924). The group's first session, in December 1954, yielded two outstanding Buckner-led bluesy ballads "Eventime" and "How Can I Let You Go," plus "Why Don't Chu," a light R&B workout where the entire group sings ensemble, and an instrumental, "Deanie Boy."

Vee-Jay 125 was released in January 1955; Vee-Jay 141 came out in June of that year; Vee-Jay 339 (a marketing experiment of some sort where "Deanie Boy" was retitled "The Horse") was a 45-rpm single released in 1960.

Trumpet player and occasional blues singerKing Kolax was born William Little in Kansas City, November 6, 1912, and grew up in Chicago. He began leading bands in 1936. Through much of the 1940s Kolax-led big bands (after 1947, small combos) were touring nationwide and performing regularly in Chicago clubs. Kolax first recorded under his own name for Opera (probably 1948), followed by a session as a leader for JOB (1951). In 1953, Kolax and his combo did studio work for Chance, where they backed the Flamingos on a couple of key sessions. In December 1954, just after Chance closed its doors, King Kolax was invited to record for the new label. But he got only two sessions for Vee-Jay, and the jazzier material was held out of release at the time. For instance, "Right Now" did not see release until 1962, when Kurt Mohr put it on a Top Rank LP of Vee-Jay material title Jazzville Chicago Volume 2. Nor did his band get further opportunities to accompany vocal acts: Al Smith, Lefty Bates, and Red Holloway had those assignments sewed up.

Kolax’s band on Vee-Jay consisted of himself (trumpet and vocals), Harold Ousley (tenor sax), Prentice McCarey (piano), "Cowboy" Martin (bass), Leon Hooper (drums), and Grant Jones (vocals). Kolax was using Sun Ra as an arranger during this period, and the Latin-flavored instrumental called "Vivian" sounds like Sunny's work.

During 1954, Vee-Jay recorded 100 tracks, and released another 6 sides that had been acquired from outside sources. One matrix number was left blank. While the company started out slowly in the three months of the year, the huge Spaniels hit, "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite," in April made it possible for Vee-Jay to aggressively record in the last half of 1954. The rate of new releases did not show comparable acceleration, however; by the end of the year the catalogue reached only to 119.

Unlike its Chicago rival Chess, in its early years Vee-Jay did not pick up a lot of outside productions for its release schedule. In 1954, however, the company acquired a Famous Boyer Brothers session originally done in July for Chance. Art Sheridan and Ewart Abner were at this time already closely working with Vivian and James Bracken, and for some reason decided that the Famous Boyer Brothers should be added to the Vee-Jay release schedule.

Later in the year, the company purchased two sides by Reverend James Lofton’s Choir—a two-part hymn called "Great Day." The full name of the organization was Reverend James Lofton and His Church of Our Prayer 250 Voice Choir. With credits to Leslie Busch for piano and Francis Chandler for organ, to Charles Craig for directing the choir, and to Jimmy Mitchell and Mildred Means for vocal solos, the label of Vee-Jay 137 filled up with fine print. The single would be re-released later on in Vee-Jay’s 800 gospel series

Early in 1955 Ewart Abner became the company’s general manager, formalizing a silent role he had assumed since Vee-Jay’s formation in mid-1953. Around June 1955, Vee-Jay followed Chess and other companies north to the record row on Michigan Avenue, just south of Chicago’s downtown—where mainstream companies and distributors had been gathering since after World War II. Vee-Jay established itself at 2129 S. Michigan. With the move, the company also began handling its own distribution for Chicago and surrounding areas.

Vee-Jay recorded a full array of talent during the year—jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, doowop, and gospel. An important addition to the company’s jazz line was Wardell Gray, who unfortunately died at age 34, within months of his first recording session with the label. Other jazz acts—perhaps broadly defined—making their debut on Vee-Jay were Baby Face Willette, Jay McShann, and Big Jay McNeely. Three outstanding additions to the gospel lineup were the Highway QC’s, the Famous Boyer Brothers, and the Staple Singers, the latter who would prove the label’s biggest gospel hitmakers. Two significant vocal groups also signed with the company in 1955, the Dells and the Kool Gents.

Vee-Jay in 1955 considerably expanded its stable of blues acts, adding Eddie Taylor (as a reward for his stellar accompaniment to Jimmy Reed), L. C. McKinley, Billy Boy Arnold, Morris Pejoe, Billy "The Kid" Emerson, and the great John Lee Hooker. Outstanding blues stylist Priscilla Bowman joined Vee-Jay when the company signed Jay McShann.

Bluesman Eddie Taylor was born in Benoit, Mississippi, on January 29, 1923. As a youngster he took up guitar. In 1943, he moved to Memphis, and worked in the Beale Street clubs. In 1949 Taylor moved to Chicago, initially playing in Maxwell Street but then moving into the clubs. In 1953 he began working with Jimmy Reed, who was a childhood friend in the Delta. His guitar work played a large role in the success of Jimmy Reed’s records. Taylor also appeared on the February 1954 sessions with Floyd Jones and Sunnyland Slim, but only the numbers led by Jones were released; two tracks that he sang on were left in the vault. But in January 1955, Vee-Jay rewarded Taylor by giving him another chance to record two numbers of his own, on the front end of a Jimmy Reed session. Nothing terrific came out of it for Taylor, though he fared better than Reed, whose three tracks were left in can. Long thought to be lost, "You Upset My Mind" eventually came out on a Charly LP, and "I'm Gonna Ruin You" showed up by accident on 1992 Vee-Jay reissue CD A Taste of the Blues Vol. 2. "Pretty Thing" is still unreleased. The company remade "I'm Going to Ruin You" and "Pretty Thing" on Reed's next session, in March, and chose the later versions for release. According to Dave Sax, who recommended the January version of "I'm Gonna Ruin You" for its second reissue, on a Charly CD, "It's a totally diffferent treatment with Reed taking a more menacing, Willie Mabon-like approach" (email communication, October 2, 2006.

However, when Taylor was given the opportunity to record two songs at the tail end of a Jimmy Reed session in December, with accompaniment by Reed and drummer Ray Scott, he produced the outstanding "Bigtown Playboy." It became Taylor’s signature song.

Tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray was born in Oklahoma City on Febuary 13, 1921. He started on clarinet at Cass Tech in Detroit, and began working as a professional musician in that city. Gray was a member of the Lester Young school, who later took on some bebop influences; he played his instrument aggressively with full tone. He was with Earl Hines from 1943 to 1946, and spent some time in the Billy Eckstine band in 1944. Later he would work with Benny Goodman (1948-49), Tadd Dameron (1948-49), and Count Basie (1948-51). His first recordings with his own band, the Wardell Gray Quartet, were done with Swingtime, in 1946 in Hollywood. His Wardell Gray Quintet playing at Gene Norman’s Just Jazz Concerts in 1947 ended up on the Modern Music label. In late 1948 he was back in the studio, recording his quartet for the Sittin’ in With Label, followed by sessions for Prestige during 1949-52. In the early 1950s he settled in Los Angeles. His next and last studio recording was done with Vee-Jay in January 1955, featuring accompaniment by Gene Phipps (trumpet), Tate Houston (baritone sax), and the house trio at the Beehive: Norman Simmons (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), and Vernel Fournier (drums). The label designated his group as a quintet. One of the top jazz musicans of his time, Gray was a model to young Chicago tenor players like Melvin Scott and John Gilmore. Wardell Gray died just four months after this session, on May 25, 1955, in Las Vegas, the apparent victim of a heroin overdose. He died two months after Charlie Parker, who also played one of his last professional gigs at the Beehive, less than a month after Gray was there.

A T-Bone Walker disciple, guitarist L. C. McKinley, was born on 22 October 1918, in Winona, Mississippi, but had relocated to Chicago by 1941. Though his Musicians Union Local 208 membership card and death certificate give only the initials, one of his records bears composer credits to "Larry" McKinley. McKinley did not begin to play professionally until 1947; he joined the union on February 3 of that year. In the early 1950s he was a regular headliner at the famed 708 Club; in 1951 and 1952, he recorded as a sideman with pianist Eddie Boyd for JOB, appearing on Boyd's biggest hit, "Five Long Years." He first recorded as a leader in 1953 for the Parrot label, but label owner Al Benson chose not to release his session. He probably also did some further session work during this period. The guitarist’s next session under his name was with States, in 1954. The following year, he recorded two sessions for Vee-Jay.

On his January 1955 session, McKinley was accompanied by Red Holloway and Johnny Board on tenor saxes, Bob Call at the piano, James "Hawk" Lee on bass, and Vernel Fournier in the drum chair. On his August session, the saxophonists were John A. Gordon (alto and baritone) and Ernest Cotton (tenor). The rhythm section now consisted of Bob Call (piano), Lafayette Thompkins (bass), and veteran blues drummer Odie Payne, Jr.

McKinley subsequently recorded for Bea & Baby in 1959, and made a final session for Sunnyland around 1964. When L. C. McKinley died on January 19, 1970, he was working as a presser in a dry cleaning establishment in East Chicago, Indiana.

An enigmatic spot in the Vee-Jay matrix list is the session (some sources put it on February 19, 1955) on which two vocal groups, The Spaniels and The Dells, cut three titles with accompaniment by a non-Al Smith group that was led by Red Holloway. The Spaniels were responsible for one tune, and The Dells, who had just begun recording for Vee-Jay, for two. One of the Dells' contributions was left in the can; the other was released on Vee-Jay 134 with an instrumental by Count Morris, which had been sitting around for more than a year, as the flip. The Spaniels' sole contribution, "Don'cha Go," exemplifies street corner singing and nearly rivals "Do-Wah," the side from December 1953 that was chosen as its coupling on Vee-Jay 131. The Dells would return for a full session in September, and we will provide background on the group at that point. The Spaniels would also be back in July or August.

Vee-Jay brought Tommy Dean right back into the studio in February 1955. But for some reason just one track ended up being recorded. "The Gold Coast," an instrumental done by a quartet with Oliver Nelson (alto sax), Archie Burnside (bass), and Edgar Plaes (drums), was eventually released on Vee-Jay 218 in December 1956. Could the rest of the session been scratched because Dean's tenor saxophonist didn't show up?

Cecil James "Big Jay" McNeely was born in Los Angeles, on April 29, 1927. McNeely was one of the myriad acolytes of Illinois Jacquet, whose famous 64-bar solo on Lionel Hampton’s "Flying Home" (1942) created a nationwide craze for wild, physical, honking sax players. McNeely moved to the forefront of the honking tenors with his 1949 hit "The Deacon's Hop." During the early 1950s, while McNeely was recording for Federal, he emerged as a sensation of the early rock 'n' roll scene, recording some of the best numbers of his career, notably "3-D" and "Nervous Man Nervous." By 1955, his Federal contract was up, and he and his band were playing in Chicago at the Crown Propeller Lounge on 63rd Street. Representatives from Vee-Jay caught McNeely's performance at the club and signed him. The company had McNeeley cut four numbers. Two of the numbers were remakes of earlier recordings: "Jay's Rock" was simply a number he had done for Federal in 1953, originally called "Texas Turkey," and "Big Jay's Hop" was an updated version of "The Deacon's Hop," which gave 1955 listeners an idea as to what all the excitement was about in 1949. The other two numbers were "All Night Long" and Three Blind Mice." The latter has been described by McNeely expert Jim Dawson as "a jivey nursery rhyme with a mambo rhythm, complete with vocal grunts, designed to catch the quickly fading mambo craze."

On his session, Big Jay was accompanied by members of his working band: Bob McNeely (baritone sax), Earl DeWitt (piano, organ), and Cecil E. Harris (bass), plus Chicagoan Johnny Walker (drums). This was McNeely's only session for Vee-Jay. It was dismissed by Dawson as "one of Big Jay's most uninspired recording sessions." In May 1955, Vee-Jay released "Big Jay's Hop" backed with "Three Blind Mice," to little public interest. The following year, the company put "Jay's Rock" on the back of a novelty number by the Delegates, "The Convention." McNeely subsequently recorded for Atlantic, Swingin’, Warner Brothers, Bluesway, and Modern Oldies.

Source: Jim Dawson, Nervous Man Nervous: Big Jay McNeely and the Rise of the Honking Tenor Sax! Milford, New Hampshire: Big Nickel, 1994, p. 123.

Jimmy Reed’s first four sessions in 1955--January, March, July, and November--produced little of commercial interest. The November session in particular seems to have been a dud. But because Reed had "You Don’t Have to Go" on the charts, Vee-Jay persevered.

The July session produced a minor r&b hit in "I Don’t Go for That" (#12 Billboard R&B). It's worth noting that "I Ain’t Got You," also from July, exists in at least two takes. What was apparently intended as the master was released on an LP in the Vee-Jay 1000 series. Later reissues, starting with Vee-Jay LP 7303, have all used an alternate take that, according to Dave Sax, is not as good. Besides the first Vee-Jay LP issue, the master take can be found only on Charly CDGR 299, Found Love, which came out in 2000.

The company struck pay dirt on Reed's fifth session, in December. "Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby" went to #3 and lasted 11 weeks on Billboard’s R&B chart in 1956. The number also became a valuable publishing property as the song was done innumerable times by both r&b and pop artists.

Not long after tenor Arthur Bassett dropped out—leaving a five man group—the El Dorados entered Universal Recording Studios on April 24, 1955, and made history, recording with the Al Smith band their classic song, "At My Front Door." The song pushed the group to national success when it hit #1 and lasted 18 weeks on Billboard's r&b chart. The record was a big pop hit as well, going to #17. Its appeal is based on equal parts El Dorados and backing band. The El Dorados, who with natural ease and swing, pushed through the energetic number with great rock 'n' roll verve, especially in Moses' fine lead work. Al Smith and his band created one of the most memorable opening riffs in rock 'n' roll, and without Al Duncan's propulsive drumming and the great tenor sax break (by Holloway) the song would have been far less. "At My Front Door" also has a concluding vamp by Red and pianist Norman Simmons. The session continued with two instrumentals by Al Smith and group, and two vocal sides by Hazel McCollum, but Vee-Jay kept these sides, the last she did for the company, in the can. The label's principals seem to have lost interest in her after "Annie's Answer."

The Rhythm Aces' second session in the spring of 1955 followed in the same style of their November 1954 session, modern harmony. They were accompanied by the house band from the Club DeLisa with Sonny Cohn and Fip Ricard (trumpets), Marty Martinez (trombone), Riley Hampton (alto sax); Porter Kilbert (subbing for Leon Washington on tenor sax), McKinley Easton (alto and baritone saxes), Earl Washington (piano), Jimmy Richardson (bass), and leader Red Saunders at the drums. The standout among the four numbers cut in the studio was "Whisper to Me." Vee-Jay could not sell such a sophisticated number, and dropped the group after releasing two singles from the session. The Rhythm Aces then moved to California, and continued their recording career through the remainder of the 1950s in a more R&B vein. The reorganized California group consisted of Vince House, Billy Steward, Chuck Rowan, and Jimmy Brunson, who recorded as the Rockets and Rocketeers for Modern, as the Planets for Era, and again as the Rocketeers for MJC.

Bluesman Billy Boy Arnold was born William Arnold on September 16, 1935, in Chicago. Harmonica player Arnold first began performing on 47th Street with Bo Diddley’s street band. He made his first recording in 1953 for the highly obscure Cool label with "Bob Carter’s Orchestra." After Bo Diddley was signed to Chess in February 1955, Arnold recorded a couple of his own numbers at the end of the first Bo Diddley session, but Leonard Chess did not seem interested in releasing them. So Arnold went to Vee-Jay, where he recorded his great number, "I Wish You Would" (this was really the same tune that Bo Diddley recorded on his second session as "Diddley Daddy"). The session took place on May 5, 1955; his supporting band included Henry Gray (piano), Jody Williams (electric guitar), Milton Rector (on the then-novel electric bass), and Earl Phillips (drums). Vee-Jay chose to present Arnold as "Billy Boy."

Arnold recalls sharing this session with Earl Phillips and Morris Pejoe, each artist getting two sides to record, and confirms that it all happened on the same day. We are thus inclined to list all three artists as recording on May 5. (The date for Pejoe's was entered in the Master Book as May 9.)

Vee-Jay 146 from the Billy Boy session, featuring "I Wish You Would," sold well, and a second session was held in October, yielding two more singles. On the second session, veteran bassist Quinn Wilson replaced Rector. One of the songs from the October session, "You've Got Me Wrong," was composed by veteran performer Jesse Cryor. Cryor had supplied the singing voice of Br'er Rabbit in the Walt Disney movie Song of the South; his final recording as a vocalist was made for Premium in 1951. He had been retired from performing since 1952.

Drummer Earl Phillips was born in New York City, on April 25, 1920. He was a session drummer for years in Chicago, before Vee-Jay gave him his only opportunity to record under his own name. On the session, Phillips, who also sings, is accompanied by Henry Gray on piano, Jody Williams on guitar, Milton Rector on electric bass, and unknown saxes. Phillips died in Chicago, on November 20, 1990. This session, dated May 5, 1955, was shared with and Billy Boy Arnold and Morris Pejoe.

Guitarist-singer Morris Pejoe was born Morris Pejas in Palmetto, Louisiana, in 1924. He began his music career on the violin. After moving to Beaumont, Texas, in 1949, he switched to guitar. In 1951 Pejoe was in Chicago, performing with pianist Henry Gray. During 1952-53 he recorded three sessions for Checker, accompanied by Gray among others. A session for United, featuring blues and New Orleans-styled R&B, took place in December 1954 (it was actually recorded in Al Smith's basement, and United eventually decided not to release anything from it, probably on account of the sound quality). The following year Pejoe recorded one session for Vee-Jay. Leadbitter, Fancourt, and Pelletier's Blues Discography shows accompaniment by Henry Gray on piano, with unknown saxes, bass, and drums. However, if what Arnold says is true, the drummer was Earl Phillips and the bassist was Milton Rector. The Master Book has Pejoe recording on May 9, but Arnold recalls that his session, Earl Phillips', and Pejoe's all took place on the same day. In fact, Henry Gray, Milton Rector, and Earl Phillips had all accompanied Pejoe in his session for United.

Pejoe subsequently recorded for Abco (1956), Atomic H (1960), and Kaytown (1969). He died on July 27, 1982, in Detroit.

There are no details on Sammy Lewis’s May 22, 1955 session. He went to United the following year and performed with the Lucy Smith Singers. Lewis recorded later sessions for Halo (1965), Checker (1965-67), St Lawrence (1967), and Hope Sermon Series (1968-69).

The Highway QC’s were formed in 1945. The original name was the Teenage Highway QC’s after the name of their Highway Baptist Church. In the late 1940s, Sam Cooke was in the group, but he left in 1950 to join the Soul Stirrers. By the time the group was signed to Vee-Jay in 1955, members were Lee Richardson (tenor lead), Sonny Mitchell (tenor), Creedell Copeland (baritone), Johnnie Taylor (baritone), Charles "Jake" Richardson (bass). The Johnnie Taylor, who sings lead on "Every Man, Woman and Child" and "Somewhere to Lay My Head," is the same singer who became the soul giant in the 1960s and 1970s. "Somewhere to Lay My Head" became a sizable gospel hit.

According to Bob Marovich, the QC's first two sessions for Vee Jay—on May 22, 1955 and March 6, 1956—rank as one of the group's "finest recorded moments." He considers the songs "Pray" and "Somewhere to Lay My Head" to be gospel classics.

The Knights of Rhythm were a South Side group that featured Leon Arnold (lead), John Gillespie (alto), George Vinyard (first tenor), Davie Hargrove (second tenor), and Lester Martin (bass). They shared a session on June 8, 1955 with the El Dorados. Each group sang two tunes, backed by the Al Smith band. Leon Arnold was an exceptional songwriter, and it appears that Vee-Jay recorded the Knights of Rhythm simply to get their songs. This same "Forever Loving You" was taken over later by the El Dorados, who had a big hit with it. When this happened the Knights promptly left Vee-Jay and changed their name to the Rip-Chords, under which name they made a record for Abco.

Julian Dash’s second session for Vee-Jay took place in June 1955. Dash was again joined by his touring combo, which now consisted of Jimmy Oliver (electric guitar), Ray Tunia (piano), Lee Stanfield (bass), and Bill English (drums). The session produced his best-known number, the rousing and appropriately named "Rhythm Punch." After this session, Dash got on record as a leader just one other time, in 1970, when he recorded an LP for Master Jazz Recordings, the awkwardly titled Who Was It Sang That Song. He toured Europe in 1972.