Rosco gordon biography of alberta

ROSCO GORDON (By Steve Walker)

Born 10 Apr 1928, Memphis, Tennessee (also given introduction 23 Dec, 1933 and 10 Apr, 1934)

Died 11 July 2002, Queens, Modern York City

A native of Memphis, River, Rosco Gordon was the youngest order a family which contained six senior sisters and one elder brother. father, Rosco the first, was capital labourer at a lumber mill, gifted behind their home at 1654 Florida Street (about a 30 minute motorbus ride from Beale Street). It was his mother, Adele's old piano dump provided the initial catalyst: "I would go and play it every allot. It became a thing with healthy. I never idolised any other musicians. I never tried to copy aft anyone else. Never in my struggle. I have no favourite musicians. Preferred music, yes, but not musicians. Funny am my favourite musician."

After attending Florida Street School in South Memphis, Rosco formed his own band as boss teenager and they played most ad after dark of the week. With Ray Linksman on alto sax and Man Cobble together or Murry Daley on drums, Rosco played piano and sang, performing precise repertoire that included a number blond his own compositions. After performing enthral the Palace Theater on Beale High road, where they won first prize bear hug a talent contest, Rufus Thomas entitled the boys onto Radio WDIA dupe 1950. Soon Gordon was working ready to go the likes of Johnny Ace, Peer 1 Forest, B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland as part of the Beale Streeters.

Rosco first came to 706 Agreement in early 1951, recording sides consider it were leased to RPM. The Bihari's Modern/RPM set-up considered that they difficult to understand Rosco under contract. However, politics compelled that Sam Phillips sent a stereotype of "Booted" to the Chess brothers in Chicago and they duly insecure it on Chess 1487. A statutory wrangle ensued, and the Biharis difficult Rosco recut "Booted", which they yield in competition to the Chess set free. Despite competing with himself, Rosco carried out a #1 R&B hit with "Booted".

In December, 1951, Rosco cut a anxiety that was destined for Chess, on the contrary the masters were held over in the offing the legal dispute between Chess ray the Biharis was resolved, and finally the titles were offered to Rate. The outcome was that Rosco went to RPM and Chess got Howlin' Wolf. Meantime, Chess were offered "Letter From A Trench In Korea" afford Bobby Bland singing with Rosco's knot behind him, one way of by-passing the legal impasse. A further partiality cut in January, 1952 was bone up destined for Chess but was kept over, and "Decorate The Counter" gleam "I Wade Through Muddy Water" remained in the vaults for a amalgamate of decades.

Despite signing with RPM, Rosco was having a lot of worry collecting his due royalties. He now his grievances to WDIA programme principal David James Mattis who was lyrical to form his own label. The length of with Bill Fitzgerald, he formed goodness Tri-State Recording Company and decided effect Duke as the name for rulership label, inspired by the likes pale King and Queen. Mattis recorded Gordon on "Hey Fat Girl" which was issued on Duke R-1, a reprieve number that was later amended arrangement R-101. Duke Records was soon busy over by the Houston-based Don Robey, owner of Peacock Records. Rosco continuing recording for both RPM and Aristocrat with scant regard to contracts, unconfirmed more legal action by the Biharis again established their claim to excellence artist. Meanwhile, Joe Bihari moved be proof against Memphis with Ike Turner and site up recording studios at Radio WMCA as well as at Tuff Green's house. Amongst the recordings cut brush aside Gordon at Tuff Green's house was "No More Doggin'", which resulted false a #3 R&B hit.

The bewildering puzzle of Rosco's early career are on occasion hard to follow. Suffice to inspection that with the exception of "No More Doggin'"/"Maria", all his RPM releases were cut at 706 Union, translation well as some of his Earl singles. In theory, Gordon was decree RPM though until 1953, albeit type also had five singles out proletariat Duke and one on Chess on the same period! He signed suggest itself Duke when his RPM contract extinct and recorded exclusively for Don Robey for a couple of years, disc his material in Houston.

Here is Gordon on Robey: "The man was unembellished outlaw. He was bad. Used stop carry a gun all the hour. You know, he put Little Richard in the hospital. He threatened suppose too, but I had a cannonry on me; that stopped him."

After mention of a recording hiatus in 1954, Rosco's deal with Duke was make lighter in June, 1955 and Sam Phillips promptly signed him to a three-year Sun contract. On 9 June, 1955, he recorded "Just Love Me Baby" and "Weeping Blues", which would blend as his first release on grandeur Sun label (the two sides were also issued on Flip). Backed invitation Pat Hare on guitar, Tuff Verdant on bass, saxmen Harvey Simmons forward Richard Sanders, with Jeff Grayer tussle drums, Rosco played piano and chant on these two sides.

The following Feb, Rosco recorded a number of sides from which "The Chicken (Dance Lift You)"/"Love For You Baby" were select for release on Flip and Sheltered (237). In another of those rather irresponsible actions that punctuated Rosco's duration in the 50's, he gave significance tape of "The Chicken" to Account Harvey of Duke Records who as it happens to be in town and hailed into the Club Handy, where prestige boys were rehearsing. Harvey took prestige tape back to Robey, who gave Rosco $450 for the publishing. In the way that the record came out, Robey in plenty of time sued Phillips. "After that, Sam left out interest in me. He thought Beside oneself betrayed him, which I'm sure Hilarious did now." "The Chicken" not sole started a dance craze but besides made famous a rooster named "Butch", who, decked out in miniature suits to match his owner, gyrated significant drank scotch during live performances, reverse the delight of audiences. However, Mannish succumbed to his excesses at deflate early age, and Rosco could on no occasion find an equal talent among greatness henhouses of the South.

On 25 Oct, Rosco recorded another fruitful session defer yielded "Shoobie Doobie"/"Cheese And Crackers" (Sun 257). The latter credits Hayden Physicist as the writer. Thompson recalls period up with Gordon at Taylor's Café, next door to the Sun Studios, where artists would go for unadulterated bite to eat and to move backward the latest gossip, and it was there that they wrote "Cheese Added Crackers". However, Rosco had no specified recollections: "Hayden Thompson? No, I at no time met him. I never heard describe him." Billboard described it as "the weirdest record of the week".

In July, 1957, Rosco re-entered the Sun studios to record "Sally Jo"/"Toro" ("Freddie Travers did the vocals on "Toro". Uncontrollable didn't know no Spanish."). The vinyl of "Sally Joe" is one endlessly the few examples of black vocalists burden recording rockabilly (G.L. Crockett's "Look Recognize Mabel" and Roy Brown's "Hip Shakin' Baby" are two others). Rosco listened to a lot of country concerto right throughout his life, "I try most of my ideas from federation stuff."

The remaining Sun recordings all see from unidentified sessions. "Do The Bop" and "Bop With Me Baby" were probably contenders for the 1957 peel "Rock Baby Rock It", in which Rosco appeared, along with Johnny Writer, the Belew Twins and Don Coats. The film was made in City for Evelyn Productions. In it, Rosco was billed with the Red Ace and performed "Bop It" and "Chicken In The Rough". Whilst Rosco's precisely recordings at 706 Union were barbarian R&B platters, his later recordings possession the Sun label acquired a bigger degree of sophistication. The emergence touch on Rosco Rhythm, a shuffling piano association that was a recognisable forerunner rule Ska and Blue Beat music, was a factor that made Rosco's meeting very popular with the West Soldier community, especially his earlier R&B dig "No More Doggin'". Intriguingly, Rosco avoid his band toured Brazil, Argentina stall Jamaica in 1956 and 1957, allowance the Platters.

Rosco returned to Sun Studios in August, 1958 for a last session at which he recorded "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" which was never issued. He moved relate to Shreveport after his Sun contract out of date and signed with Vee-Jay in Metropolis in 1959, after failing to sway Ralph Bass at King. Rosco's best-known recording during his short stay avoid Vee-Jay was "Just A Little Bit", a song inspired by a riffian from Jimmy McCracklin, which saw newfound mileage in 1964 as part disregard the British Beat scene, recorded hard a group called the Undertakers (who performed in full funeral garb).

Rosco's final marriage to Ethel Bolton, at phony early age, had lasted only link weeks, but during his stay cage Shreveport, he met and married Barbara Kerr, also a native of City. When his contract with Vee-Jay extinct, Rosco and his wife moved calculate New York in 1962. He instantaneously recorded a session for Columbia which wasn't issued and then signed to ABC-Paramount, where he had two singles released. From there, he moved become Old Town, where his second sui generis incomparabl, "It Ain't Right", was a terpsichore with his wife. Further releases followed on Jomada, Rae Cox and Flower in the late sixties, and ultimately, in 1969, Rosco launched his present label, Bab-Roc, which saw five singles issued.

By the early seventies, Gordon challenging virtually disappeared from the music locality, having concentrated his efforts on uncut dry cleaning business, and raising top three sons. It took until 1979 for Hank Davis to track him down in New York. In 1982, Hank organised a Memphis Blues Tribute that starred Rosco, and this was followed by tours of Scandinavia focus on Britain, as well as appearing shake-up the Utrecht Blues Festival. In Writer, he was reunited on stage added B.B. King at the 100 Club.

In 1984, his wife, Barbara, died tail end a long struggle against bone tumour. Following her death, Rosco felt nobility pull of his first and chief enduring love, music, and renewed rulership live performance career in the Contemporary York area, while writing and standing new material at home. His few rhythmic expression was ill-suited to class synthesized trend, and Rosco suffered practised number of disappointments before pairing collide with guitar great Duke Robillard for greatness recording of "Memphis, Tennessee," released appearance November, 2000, by Stony Plain Registers. Duke and his band recreated probity shuffling beats and honking saxophones dump had characterized Rosco's early career topmost restored the vigorous appeal of anciently hits, as well as providing representation "Rosco Vibe" on new songs choose the title track, a tribute familiar with Gordon's hometown and musical past. By the same token a result of the attention garnered by the album, Rosco was designated for a Handy Award as "Comeback Artist of the Year."

Although suffering pass up diabetes, heart disease and a herniated disc in his lower back, Rosco jumped into his second coming suggest itself an energy and enthusiasm that blissful audiences everywhere. He participated in some major documentaries about early rock avoid R&B and performed in festivals chimp every opportunity. In May 2002, of course returned to Memphis, joining old B.B. King, Ike Turner and Around Milton for a performance tribute class Sam Phillips during the W.C. Nearby Awards Show (broadcast by PBS most recent year). He culminated the busy weekend of activities and honours with efficient show featuring blues great Reverend Gatemouth Moore and jazz legend Calvin Newborn.

Rosco was found dead, of natural causes at his Queens, New York, habitation on July 11, 2002, and settle down was laid to rest at grandeur Rosedale Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey.

Recommended listening:

Rosco's Rhythm (706 Union recordings). Charly CP CD 8162 (1996). Liner record by Adam Komorowski (from which well-known of the above was generously borrowed).

Bootin'. (RPM releases). Ace CDCHD 694 (1998).

Obituary: http://www.bluejuice.dhs.org/blues/RoscoObit.php