Label: Bear Family Records
Release Date: February 23, 1996
Recording Time: 78 minutes
Recording Date: September 29, 1947 - June 30, 1958
Styles: Early R&B, Rock & Roll
Jesse Stone wrote some brilliant and enduring songs -- "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Lipstick, Powder and Paint" -- and has been inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, but his name is generally unknown except to historians and collectors. Jesse Stone Alias Charles "Chuck" Calhoun documents the recording career of this talented songwriter, bandleader, and music industry figure, spanning the years 1949-1958 and following Stone's evolution through a variety of musical styles. Stone's late-'40s recordings, which comprise half the set, are jazzy vocal numbers with a pronounced novelty streak. Then there is an odd pop single from 1954 and a few vocal R&B cuts from 1955 that are the highlights of the set (even though Stone's vocals are merely adequate). The remaining tracks are mostly instrumental R&B/rock & roll sides. The original records were credited variously to Jesse Stone, the Stone Crushers, and Chuck Calhoun & the Atlantic All Stars, and were released on several different labels. There are many fascinating trivia facts and tidbits to be gleaned from the package, but it is primarily of historical rather than musical interest.
by Greg Adams
Credits: B. Bairbay - saxophone; Mickey Baker - composer, guitar; Everett Barksdale - guitar (electric); Millie Bosman - vocals; Lawrence Brown - trombone; Chuck Calhoun - composer; Hoagy Carmichael - composer; Cy Coben - composer; Bernardo Cosachov - transfer engineer, transfers; Jim Crotty - transfer engineer, transfers; John Davenport - composer; Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - saxophone; James Dempsey - composer; Herman Diaz, Jr. - producer; Doles Dickens - bass; Tom Dowd - composer; George Duvivier - bass; Ahmet Ertegun - composer, producer; Pee Wee Erwin - trumpet; The Four Students - choir/chorus; Panama Francis - drums; Charles Randolph Grean - producer; Peter Grendysa - biographical information, liner notes; Chris Griffen - trumpet; Ernie Hayes - piano; Milt Hinton - bass; Bud Johnson - sax (tenor); Money Johnson - trumpet; Bob Jones - mastering; Taft Jordan - trumpet; Bert Keyes - piano; Gail Kubik - composer; Joseph "Kaiser" Marshall - drums; Dave McRae - sax (alto), sax (baritone); Jack McVea - composer; George Mitchell - composer; Larry Neill - composer; Sally Nix - composer; Victor Pearlin - illustrations, photography; Jake "Vernon" Porter - composer; Wally Richardson - guitar (electric); Bob Rolontz - producer; Al Sears - composer, concert master, sax (alto), sax (tenor); Steve Sholes - producer; Hal Singer - sax (tenor); Fred Spielman - composer; Walter Spriggs - bongos; Jesse Stone - composer, illustrations, photography, piano, primary artist, vocals; Sam "The Man" Taylor - sax (alto); Bob Thiele - producer; Rudy Toombs - composer; Janice Torre - composer; Lloyd Trotman - bass; Jim Vienneau - producer; Gerd Weiler - artwork; Ben Weisman - composer; Richard Weize - discography, reissue producer, research, tape research; Jerry Wexler - producer; Mark Wilder - transfer engineer, transfers; Al Williams - piano; Dootsie Williams - composer; Nathaniel Williams - trumpet; Fred Wise - composer.
Tracks: 1) An Ace In The Hole; 2) Mister Jelly Fingers; 3) Hey, Sister Lucy (What Makes Your Lips So...); 4) The Donkey And The Elephant; 5) Keep Your Big Mouth Shut; 6) Sneaky Pete; 7) I Came Home Unexpectedly; 8) Who's Zat; 9) Bling-A-Ling-A-Ling; 10) Don't Let It Get Away; 11) Get It While You Can; 12) Who Killed 'Er; 13) Cole Slaw (Sorghum Switch); 14) Do It Now; 15) Easy Walkin' (Instrumental); 16) Oh That'll Be Joyful; 17) Runaway; 18) Smack Dab In The Middle; 19) (I Don't Know) Why The Car Won't Go; 20) Come And Dance With Me; 21) Hey Tiger; 22) Night Life; 23) Barrelhouse; 24) The Rocket; 25) My Pigeon's Gone; 26) Jamboree; 27) The Stash; 28) Tall And Short; 29) Crawfish; 30) Tadpole Wiggle.
* * * * *
Whether the label said Jesse Stone or Charles (or Chuck) Calhoun, it still referred to one of the giant figures of R&B and early rock 'n' roll - and one of the architects of the legendary Atlantic Records sound. Stone's long involvement with R&B started when he put Louis Jordan onto the vocal path that led to so many hits. In 1947, he joined Atlantic Records, and soon he was writing and arranging for the best of them: The Clovers, LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Joe Turner, The Drifters, Ray Charles...you get the idea. If only for penning Shake Rattle & Roll, Jesse Stone belongs in the Hall Of Fame. This 30-song anthology collects his solo recordings for RCA, Atlantic, Poplar, MGM, Coral and Atco from 1947 to 1958, and includes jive based ditties like Hey Sister Lucy and Sneaky Pete, plus the original of Cole Slaw. It also includes uptempo R&B where he fronts the likes of Sam 'The Man' Taylor, Big Al Sears, King Curtis and Mickey 'Guitar' Baker on songs like Smack Dab In The Middle, Hey Tiger, The Stash, and a great cover version of Elvis' Crawfish. Fantastic Rock 'n' Roll and R 'n' B material from the writer of the millionseller Shake, Rattle And Roll!