The great LOUIS JORDAN has been somewhat of a small-time obsession of mine the last six months. Everyone should have some Louis in their life. The guy was a megastar performer, hitmaker, songwriter and even filmstar throughout the 1940s and early '50s, his list of truly great songs almost staggering. I have a 56-track 2CD on the JSP label covering his '50s material and there ain't a dud in it. His popularity began to wane as rock 'n' roll hit, which is somewhat ironic as his wild, jumped-up rhythm 'n' blues littered w/ bawdy lyrics, bad-assed raps, wailing horns and pounding rhythms prefigured much of what passed for rock 'n' roll throughout the latter half of the '50s. For my money, it bettered a lot of it, too. Not that Louis never got his due: he sold a zillion records in his day and even featured on a US stamp a few years back. Can't get much more recognition that that! Favoured by paunch-ridden middle-aged collector types, I'm putting this clip here so everyone can get a taste of his genius.
The great LOUIS JORDAN has been somewhat of a small-time obsession of mine the last six months. Everyone should have some Louis in their life. The guy was a megastar performer, hitmaker, songwriter and even filmstar throughout the 1940s and early '50s, his list of truly great songs almost staggering. I have a 56-track 2CD on the JSP label covering his '50s material and there ain't a dud in it. His popularity began to wane as rock 'n' roll hit, which is somewhat ironic as his wild, jumped-up rhythm 'n' blues littered w/ bawdy lyrics, bad-assed raps, wailing horns and pounding rhythms prefigured much of what passed for rock 'n' roll throughout the latter half of the '50s. For my money, it bettered a lot of it, too. Not that Louis never got his due: he sold a zillion records in his day and even featured on a US stamp a few years back. Can't get much more recognition that that! Favoured by paunch-ridden middle-aged collector types, I'm putting this clip here so everyone can get a taste of his genius.
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