Post by erik on Aug 14, 2021 12:26:13 GMT -5
Elvis' former bass player is in this week's Classical Works Spotlight with a big R&B/pop instrumental hit that made him a hit maker for a sadly abbreviated span of time.
SMOKIE (PART 2) (Bill Black’s Combo; Hi; 1959)—Arguably the first important bass player in rock and roll history was Bill Black. A native of Memphis, Black, in his early days, was known for playing the stand-up bass, sometimes known as a bass fiddle. He was also known for a very clownish persona when he started getting gig work around town in 1952, mostly with fairly straight country material like Hank Williams, and with a band that including Paul Burlson, Dorsey and Johnny Burnette, and guitarist Scotty Moore. But when Sam Phillips, the chieftain of Sun Records, came calling in 1954 to get them to back up a then-unknown kid originally from Tupelo, Mississippi named Elvis Presley, everything began to change in a most seismic way for Black, and Moore. Both guys backed Elvis on his landmark recordings of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s Alright Mama” and a hard-charging version of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”. The three even made an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1954 that, as legend and fact would show, was theirs (and Elvis’) only appearance on country music’s flagship radio show. Elvis’ move to RCA in 1955 would result in a gigantic American music explosion early the following year, when, after adding D.J. Fontana on drums, the hits started happening for Elvis, with as many as five of the King’s songs hitting #1 on all three major singles charts: pop; C&W; and R&B. In a move that many considered a palace coup, however, they were canned by Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker on the grounds that they were making too much money and siphoning cash off of Elvis. The move, whose motivations were absolutely untrue, was considered by Elvis’ close friend, Memphis DJ George Klein, to be the first indication that the Colonel could be dead wrong about things. Black, in fact, never worked for Elvis again. But in 1959, he formed his own Bill Black’s Combo, featuring Reggie Young (guitar); Joe Lewis Hall (piano); Martin Willis (saxophone); and Jerry Arnold (drums), with personnel changes occurring over the next several years. Their first record for the brand-new Hi label, “Smokie (Part 2)”, a jazz/R&B instrumental featuring Willis prominently on, was a significant hit upon its release in November 1959; it peaked at #1 on the R&B chart and #17 on the pop chart in February 1960. Its follow-up, “White Silver Sands”, did even better (hitting #9). Black and his combo would have several Top 40 hits between 1959 and 1963. But his health began failing him by 1963; and although he and his combo were chosen to be the opening act on the Beatles’ first US tour in 1964, Black himself wasn’t able to make the tour. Black passed away at the terribly early age of 39 of a brain tumor on October 21, 1965. His famous stand-up bass was given to Paul McCartney by Sir Paul’s wife Linda in 1978 as a birthday present. Meanwhile, the Bill Black Combo continued on into the 1970’s, but their success was limited to the country charts.
SMOKIE (PART 2) (Bill Black’s Combo; Hi; 1959)—Arguably the first important bass player in rock and roll history was Bill Black. A native of Memphis, Black, in his early days, was known for playing the stand-up bass, sometimes known as a bass fiddle. He was also known for a very clownish persona when he started getting gig work around town in 1952, mostly with fairly straight country material like Hank Williams, and with a band that including Paul Burlson, Dorsey and Johnny Burnette, and guitarist Scotty Moore. But when Sam Phillips, the chieftain of Sun Records, came calling in 1954 to get them to back up a then-unknown kid originally from Tupelo, Mississippi named Elvis Presley, everything began to change in a most seismic way for Black, and Moore. Both guys backed Elvis on his landmark recordings of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s Alright Mama” and a hard-charging version of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”. The three even made an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1954 that, as legend and fact would show, was theirs (and Elvis’) only appearance on country music’s flagship radio show. Elvis’ move to RCA in 1955 would result in a gigantic American music explosion early the following year, when, after adding D.J. Fontana on drums, the hits started happening for Elvis, with as many as five of the King’s songs hitting #1 on all three major singles charts: pop; C&W; and R&B. In a move that many considered a palace coup, however, they were canned by Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker on the grounds that they were making too much money and siphoning cash off of Elvis. The move, whose motivations were absolutely untrue, was considered by Elvis’ close friend, Memphis DJ George Klein, to be the first indication that the Colonel could be dead wrong about things. Black, in fact, never worked for Elvis again. But in 1959, he formed his own Bill Black’s Combo, featuring Reggie Young (guitar); Joe Lewis Hall (piano); Martin Willis (saxophone); and Jerry Arnold (drums), with personnel changes occurring over the next several years. Their first record for the brand-new Hi label, “Smokie (Part 2)”, a jazz/R&B instrumental featuring Willis prominently on, was a significant hit upon its release in November 1959; it peaked at #1 on the R&B chart and #17 on the pop chart in February 1960. Its follow-up, “White Silver Sands”, did even better (hitting #9). Black and his combo would have several Top 40 hits between 1959 and 1963. But his health began failing him by 1963; and although he and his combo were chosen to be the opening act on the Beatles’ first US tour in 1964, Black himself wasn’t able to make the tour. Black passed away at the terribly early age of 39 of a brain tumor on October 21, 1965. His famous stand-up bass was given to Paul McCartney by Sir Paul’s wife Linda in 1978 as a birthday present. Meanwhile, the Bill Black Combo continued on into the 1970’s, but their success was limited to the country charts.