The Choo Choo Jazzers and Similar Groups: A Musical and Discographical Reappraisal, Part Three By Bob Hitchens, with revised discographical information compiled and edited by Mark Berresford Please see Part One (VJM 175) for index to abbreviations and reference sources. THREE MONKEY CHASERS Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, October 16, 1925 141142-3 Uncle Remus Stomp (Fuller and Hooper) Har 50-H 141143-1 Montmarte Giggles [sic] (Spencer Williams) Har 50-H Rust, Kidd, LW: BF,LH,ES. The personnel is from the Columbia file cards. Rosa Henderson With The Three Jolly Miners Rosa Henderson (vcl) acc by: Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, October 17, 1925 E-1511/2/3 An’ I Don't Mean If ! (De Leath) Voc A-15215 E-1514/5/6 You Can't Be Like My Last Man Was (Davis - Hooper) Voc B-15215 Rust: JF,BF,LH. B&GR, Kidd: BF,LH,ES. MB and I agree with the latter. MONETTE MOORE Monette Moore (vcl) acc by: Rex Stewart (cnt) Louis Hooper (p) New York, October 19, 1925 141153-3 Take It Easy (Overstreet and Davis) Col 14105-D 141154-3 Get It Fixed (Spencer Williams) Col 14105-D Rust, B&GR, Kidd, Bastin: RS,LH. Miley disco: RS. The personnel is taken from the file card. The Charleston Trio Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, October 28, 1925 33824-1,2,3 Carolina Stomp (Rube Bloom) Vic unissued 33825-1,2,3 Ridiculous Blues (Fuller, Hooper) Vic unissued All three takes of each title were marked as ‘Destroy’. Rust: BF,LH,ES. Not mentioned by Kidd or LW. According to Louis Hooper (RR 77, June 1966), “We were only at Victor once. There was a slight feud going on between Joe Davis and Nat Shilkret who was the chief recorder there. Joe had managed to get an audition for us and for some inexplicable reason, Bob Fuller developed a case of the jitters. He muffed two or three important notes and we had had it for that day. Whether or not that played into the hands of Shilkret I don’t know… we were never permitted to do a re-make.” Three Jolly Miners Banjo - Piano - Clarinet Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, October 29, 1925 E-1540/2 House Party Stomp (Waller) Voc A 15164 E-1543/5 Grand Opera Blues (Fuller - Hooper) Voc B 15164 Rust, Kidd, LW: BF,LH,ES. I have not heard these recordings (BH). Billy Higgins and Alberta Perkins Billy Higgins and Alberta Perkins (vcl) acc by: unknown (cl) (p) New York, October 31, 1925 E1574/75/76 How can I miss you when you’re gone Voc unissued E1577/78/79 You can’t proposition me Voc unissued Rust: omitted. B&GR: u/k cl,p. Not available. Rocky Mountain Trio Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, c. November 2, 1925 9805-A GRAND OPERA BLUES (A Highbrow Stomp) (Hooper - Fuller) Gen 3184-A 9806-A OLD MAN'S CHARLESTON (Fuller - Hooper) Gen 3184-B Rust, Kidd, LW: BF,LH,ES. Agreed. Elmer Snowden is now with the Plantation Revue on tour with Ethel Waters. (BAA 5/12/25, p4/6) 3 Viola McCoy Comedienne, with Piano, Violin and ‘Cello [sic] Viola McCoy (vcl) acc by the Dixie Trio: Rex Stewart (cnt) prob Elmer Snowden (vln) prob Louis Hooper (p) New York, January 6, 1926 2043/45W Stomp Your Blues Away (Smolev - Seaman) Voc B 15245 E2046/48W Shake That Thing (Jackson) Voc A 15245 Rust, B&GR: RS,u/k vln,p. Howard Rye confirms RS in notes to Document DOCD5417 and rejects Porter Grainger as pianist. Sounds like LH. A search has found no confirmation that ES played violin, although, as MB emphasises, he might be expected to do so, and was probably available in the studio on the day. Three Jolly Miners Banjo - Piano - Clarinet Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, January 12, 1926 E-2108/9/10 Chicago Back Step (Fuller - Hooper) Voc B 1004 E-2111/2/3 F Minor Blues (Tate) Voc A 1004 Rust, Kidd, LW: BF,LH,ES. Agreed – a lot of piano on 2108. Typical ES on 2113, not quite so clear on 2108. Date from LW. E-2108 credits from ledger Three Jolly Miners Banjo - Piano - Clarinet Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, February 15, 1926 E-2435/6 Pig Alley Stomp (Williams) Voc A 1003 E-2437/8 Ridiculous Blues (Fuller - Hooper) Voc B 1003 Rust, Kidd, LW: BF,LH,ES. Agreed – more piano on 2438. The Vocalion file cards credit Spencer Williams as the composer of Pig Alley Stomp. Viola McCoy, With the Dixie Trio Piano-Violin-Cornet [sic] Viola McCoy (vcl) acc by: Bob Fuller (cl,perc-1) prob Elmer Snowden (vln) Louis Hooper (p) New York, February 15, 1926 E2439/40W South Street Blues (Roberts) Voc B-1002 E2441/42W Charleston Blues (Smolev - Seaman) -1 Voc A-1002 Rust: BF,u/k,LH? B&GR: BF,u/k,u/k. See 6/1/26 for thoughts about violin. This sounds like the same man. MB points out that ES was present in the studio (see Three Jolly Miners above). Ethel Waters in 1929 and in the 1928 Columbia Race Records catalogue. 4 End of the likely absence of Arthur Ray with Margaret Johnson’s tour. ETHEL WATERS Ethel Waters (vcl) acc by: Louis Hooper (p) New York, February 17, 1926 141688-3 After All These Years (Brooks) Col 14199-D 141689-1 Throw Dirt In Your Face (Brooks) Col 14132-D 141690-3 I'm Saving It All For You (Williams and Davis) Col 14197-D Rust, Kidd: Shelton Brooks-1, LH-2. B&GR: LH (all tracks). Hooper’s presence is confirmed on the Columbia file cards. same personnel New York, February 19, 1926 141704-3 Refrigeratin' Papa (Mama's Gonna Warm You Up) (Wasserman) Col 14132-D Rust, Kidd: as above. B&GR: LH. The personnel is taken from the Columbia file card. Ethel Waters recorded six other titles on the 19th and 20th February with various piano accompanists, but Hooper appears on only these titles. ROSA HENDERSON Rosa Henderson (vcl) acc by : Rex Stewart (cnt) Louis Hooper (p) New York, March 2, 1926 141740-1 Let's Talk About My Sweetie (Donaldson and Kahn) Col 14130-D 141741-2 Mama Is Waitin' For You (Williams) Col 14130-D Rust, B&GR, Kidd: RS,LH. Agreed. The personnel is taken from the Columbia file card. Five Musical Blackbirds Tom Morris (t) Bob Fuller (cl) Ted Brown (as,vln-1) Louis Hooper (p) Herb Brown (bj) New York, early March, 1926 106633 Hot Coffee (Krueger – Costello) -1 Pathé-Actuelle 36404-A 106634 Carolina Stomp Pathé-Actuelle unissued 106635-1 18th Street Strut (Bennie Moten) Pathé-Actuelle 7508-B 106636 Black Horse Stomp (Joe Tarto) Pathé-Actuelle 36404-B Rust, Kidd: TM,BF,TB,LH,HB. Lord’s discography adds that either Fuller or Brown doubles on violin on (1). Brown is known to have doubled violin and sax - why suggest BF? KBR refutes TM and BF here. Rocky Mountain Trio Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) Elmer Snowden (bj) New York, March 23, 1926 X-47-A BLOWIN’ OFF STEAM (Johnson) Gen 3288-A X-48-A GALLOPIN’ DOMINOES (Waller) Gen 3288-B Rust, LW: BF,LH,ES. [Gallopin’ Dominoes is the same tune as Alligator Crawl. I have not heard these titles (BH). Rosa Henderson and The Four Musical Blackbirds Rosa Henderson (vcl) acc by: Tom Morris (t) Bob Fuller (cl) Louis Hooper (p) unknown (tu) New York, March 31, 1926 E2713/15 Do It, Mr. So-and-So Voc unissued E2716/18 Fulton Street Blues Voc unissued Rust: TM,BF,LHu/k tu. B&GR: all u/k. Rains agrees TM. Date from Rust. GEORGE WILLIAMS George Williams (vcl) acc by: Harry Tate (t) Louis Hooper (p) New York, March 31, 1926 141897-3 SOME BABY - MY GAL (Dowell) Col 14148-D 141898-1 LEVEE BLUES (Williams) Col 14148-D Rust, B&GR: Harry Tate, LH. Kidd: u/k,LH. The personnel is taken from the Columbia file card. HT is a very good trumpeter, similar to RS. GEORGE WILLAMS AND BESSIE BROWN George Williams, Bessie Brown (vcl) duets acc: by Louis Hooper (p) New York, April 2, 1926 141902-2 You Can't Proposition Me (Moore, Davis) Col 14135-D 5 (April 2, 1926 session continued) 141903-3 Hit Me But Don't Quit Me (Chris Smith) Col 14135-D Rust, B&GR, Kidd: LH. The personnel is taken from the Columbia file card. Harry Cooper joins Duke Ellington. From this point onwards BF records increasingly with TM and Mike Jackson. In general I omit these sessions. MAGGIE JONES and Her Band (Col 14243-D) MAGGIE JONES (Col 14139-D) Maggie Jones (vcl) acc by: Louis Metcalf (t) Jake Frazier (tb-1) Cliff Jackson (p) New York, May 7, 1926 142165-3 THE MAN I LOVE IS OH SO GOOD (Johnson and Troy) -1 Col 14243-D 142166-2,3 I'm Leaving You (Maisto and Costello) -1 Col 14139-D 142167-1,2 I'm A Real Kind Mama (Maceo Pinkard) Col 14139-D 142168-2,3 YOU AIN'T GONNA FEED IN MY PASTURE NOW (Smolev and Seaman) Col 14243-D Rust, B&GR, Collinson: LM,JF,CJ. The personnel is taken from the Columbia file card. Rosa Henderson With The Three Hot Eskimos (Piano – Clarinet – Cornet) Rosa Henderson (vcl) acc by: prob Louis Metcalf (t) Bob Fuller (cl) Cliff Jackson (p) New York, May 14, 1926 E-3048/49/50 Here Comes My Baby (Dowell – McHugh - Mills) Voc A 1021 E-3051/52/53 Chicago Policemen Blues (Smith) Voc B 1021 Rust: LM,BF,CJ or Edgar Dowell.