La Verne Baker lU viilX U tl/ .. Boni Billiard Penniman December 25th, 1932 or 1935 Macon, Georgia Richard Penniman wasn’t exactly on top of the 14th, 1955. Art Rnpe of Specialty had been attracted world when he sent a demo tape to Art Rupe of Spe­ by the hard edges of little Richard’s voice, -which he cialty Records in Los Angeles. He’d had his share of thought would jibe well with a New Orleans R&B breaks, but none of his rhythm and blues sides had sound. He paired Pemriman with a rhythm section at captured the public’s imagination in a lag way or re­ a session supervised by producer Bumps Blackwell. vealed any of the gleefully uninhibited vocal style that What resulted was no more startling than any of little would become his trademark. In 1951, as a teenager Richard’s previous recordings, except for one song, with gospel training and church-sponsored piano les­ “Tutti Frutti,” a knockoff number with obscene lyrics sor» behind him — not to mention the wealth of expe­ that had been cleaned up for the occasion by New Or­ rience that conies from bring thrown out of your own leans lyricist Dorothy La Bostrie. Released as a single family’s home at age thirteen — Little Richard won an two weeks later, “Tutti Frutti” was called a “cleverly RCA contract at an audition sponsored by Atlanta ra­ styled novelty with nonsense words, rapid-fire deliv­ dio station WGST. From RCA, he moved to Houston ery” by Billboard. It sold 500,000 copies, and little in 1952 and joined Don Robey’s Peacock label. Richard’s voice rocked and rolled through two years’ But little Richard has said that it was back in Ma­ worth of bits on Specialty, including “Long Tail Sal­ con, Georgia — labdless again — that he was struck by ly,” “Rip It Up,” “The Girl Can’t Help It” and “Lu­ the inspiration for his legendary work to come. “I was cille.” washing dishes at the Greyhound bus station at the In 1957, claiming to have witnessed a vision of the time. I couldn’t talk back to my boss man. He would apocalypse while on tour in Australia, little Richard bring all these pots back for me to wash, and one day decided to give it all up for the Lord. He tossed his I said, ‘I’ve got to do something to stop this man jewels into the Sydney harbor and abandoned a musi­ bringing back all these pots for me to wash,’ and I cal career for a ministerial calling. In 1964, the Brit­ said, ‘A wop bop ahi bop a wop bam boom, take ’em ish Invasion would lure him bach to rode and roll. He out!’ and that’s what I meant at the time. And so I recut some of his classics, sang the blues and scaled wrote ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ in the kitchen; I wrote new heights of flamboyance in the early Seventies with ‘Long Tail Sally’ in that kitchen.” his “Bronze Liberace” persona — until the Lord came Bobby Darin The actual session, as opposed to that moment of calling once again. divine inspiration, is easier to pinpoint: September « O Major companies have seemed to control ists - along with Nat King Cole, the Mills the industry, almost from the dawn of re­ Brothers, the Ink Spots, the Andrews Sis­ corded music — as far back as cylinder re­ ters, Louis Jordan and Eddy Howard - cordings, when Edison Bell had a virtual were among the most consistent pop sellers monopoly on the market. Yet of the 41 art­ of the postwar years. However, new musical ists nominated for induction into the Rock trends were beginning to take root as a re­ and Roll Hall of Fame, only two began their sult of developments that date back to the recording careers on a major label (Buddy early Thirties, when the Depression caused Holly on Coral, a subsidiary of Decca, and a great migration of Southern rural blacks Gene Vincent on Capitol). The remaining 39 and whites to the industrial cities, taking artists were discovered and signed by the their music with them. The economic boom small independent labels which began to after World War II not only accelerated this emerge just after World War II and which, shift in population, but brought records and I t } by the early Fifties, were flourishing in cit­ phonographs within the reach of more peo­ ies throughout the United States. ple than ever. With the introduction of the flat-disc gramophone, the tendency of the majors to control the marketplace continued. Within ten years, the Victor Talking Machine Com­ pany and American Gramophone (Colum­ bia) dominated the American marketplace, with the Gramophone Company (HMV) and its then-subsidiary, Deutsche-Gramophone, in control of the U.K. and Germany respec­ tively. A similar situation existed with Pathe in France. 0 . BY SEYMOUR STEIN V. important early leaders and are worthy of mention. The country field, too, has had its share of great indies. King, for example, started Although the independent labels were ac­ as a country label, before branching out tive in all areas of music, the vast majority more successfully into R&B. Other impor­ specialized in “race” or rhythm and blues tant early country labels were Abbott, Today, the world record market is virtu­ recordings. The majors, for the most part, which discovered Jim Reaves ; Four Star, ally controlled by six major multinationals ignored this field, especially the up-and- whose roster included Webb Pierce, Rose and their subsidiaries. But for about a doz­ coming artists whose music had a new beat. Maddox and T. Texas Tyler; and Starday, en years, from the early Fifties to the mid- As the Fifties began, the big labels’ ros­ whose founders discovered George Jones. Sixties, things were different. ters had swelled to include pop mainstays ATLANTIC was set apart from its com­ There were scores of small companies in like Patti Page, Eddie Fisher, Les Paul and petitors in that it was indeed the first truly New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadel­ Mary Ford, Guy Mitchell, Teresa Brewer, professionally run indie in the R&B field. phia, Cincinnati, Houston and just about the Ames Brothers, the Four Aces, Joni The label was founded in 1948 by Ahmet every major American city, and they collec­ James, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Frankie Ertegun and Herb Abramson — joined later tively reigned over the music scene. These Laine and Mario Lanza. Victor and Colum­ by Jerry Wexler, and later still by Nesuhi independent labels nurtured rock and roll bia, the two largest companies, survived a Ertegun — at a time when older, more estab­ and set the trends, paving the way for a new battle of the speeds, with both Victor’s 45 lished indies like Savoy, King and Aladdin musical era. rpm and Columbia’s 33-1/3 rpm accepted. dominated the R&B scene. They boldly To comprehend this phenomenon, we But the death knell had sounded for the 78. printed on the backs of their singles sleeves must go back to the years just following Record sales hit an all-time high, with no the statement “ Atlantic leads the field in World War II and the decline of the big end in sight. Sales for country and western rhythm and blues,” along with caricatures bands. The majors — RCA Victor, Colum­ and for rhythm and blues had increased to of their major artists. Merely a boast in bia, Decca and Capitol — retained virtual the point that Billboard and Cashbox were 1950, this became reality in 1954 and cer­ control of the industry, although certain devoting weekly sections and compiling tainly remained true well into the Sixties. In well-financed new labels, such as Mercury best-seller charts in both categories. The addition to Atlantic’s 11 nominees — Ray in Chicago, MGM (the first film company to majors had maintained control of the pop Charles, La Vern Baker, Ruth Brown, the enter the record sweepstakes) and London and country fields, and were little bothered Coasters, King Curtis, Bobby Darin, the (owned by Sir Edward Lewis, of British that rhythm and blues music was now total­ Drifters, Ben E. King, Clyde McPhatter, Decca), were gaining a foothold in the pop ly in the hands of the indies. Joe Turner and Chuck Willis — the label’s market. These early R&B leaders are responsible other great stars of that period included Ivo­ The big bands may have gone, but many for 23 of the 41 nominees. Atlantic leads the ry Joe Hunter, the Clovers and the Cardi­ of the pop stars who’d been featured vocal­ way with 11, followed by King with 4, Chess nals. Atlantic was also perhaps the first com­ ists with these ensembles back in the Thir­ with 3, Specialty and Imperial with 2 pany to recognize the benefit of ties and Forties — Perry Como, Frank Sina­ apiece, and Modern and Savoy each with 1. independent production through its ground­ tra, Jo Stafford, Dinah Shore and Vaughn Although none of their artists was nominat­ breaking deals with Jerry Leiber and Mike Monroe — remained on the scene. These art- ed, Alladin, Apollo and Jubilee were also Stoller and, later, Phil Spector, Bert Berns, Clockwise: Lester Sill, Duane Eddy and Lee Hazelwood Alan F reed...in the beginning H enry G lover H ank Ballard and Syd Nathan Morty Kraft of Melba Records Dave Miller (Essex Records), Martin Block and Don Howard. Martin Block promised to eat a record if it became a hit.