Louis Jordan I Got the Walkin Blues Recording Date
| "Caldonia" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | |
| B-side | "Somebody Done Changed the Lock on My Door" |
| Published | April 16, 1945 (1945-04-16) by Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc., New York[1] |
| Released | April 19, 1945 (1945-04-19) |
| Recorded | January 19, 1945 (1945-01-19) [2] |
| Studio | Decca Studios, New York |
| Genre | Jump blues |
| Length | 2:40 |
| Label | Decca 8670 |
| Songwriter(s) | Fleecie Moore (credited) |
| Producer(s) | Milt Gabler |
"Caldonia" is a jump blues song, first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. A version by Erskine Hawkins, also in 1945, was described by Billboard magazine as "right rhythmic rock and roll music".[3]
The Blues Foundation states that "Louis Jordan was the biggest African-American star of his era" and that his "Caldonia" reached "the top of the Race Records chart, as it was known prior to the introduction of term Rhythm & Blues in 1949".[4]
Louis Jordan recording [edit]
In 1942, Jordan had started on an unparalleled run of success on the Billboard Harlem Hit Parade (forerunner of the R&B chart), which by 1945 had included four number-one hits, and eventually made Jordan by far the most successful R&B chart act of the 1940s.[5] "Caldonia" became his fifth number one on "Race Records" chart.[5] It debuted on the chart in May 1945 and reached number one in June, where it stayed for seven weeks. On the pop chart, the song peaked at number six with the title "Caldonia Boogie".[5] [6]
The writing of the song is credited to Jordan's wife of the time, Fleecie Moore. However, it was written by Jordan, who used his wife's name to enable him to work with an additional music publisher. Jordan later commented, "Fleecie Moore's name is on it, but she didn't have anything to do with it. That was my wife at the time, and we put it in her name. She didn't know nothin' about no music at all. Her name is on this song and that song, and she's still getting money."[7] However, by the time of that quote, Jordan and Moore had divorced after a number of arguments in which she had stabbed him with a knife. The lyrics include Jordan's trademark use of comedy:
Walkin' with my baby she's got great big feet
She's long, lean, and lanky and ain't had nothing to eat
She's my baby and I love her just the same
Crazy 'bout that woman 'cause Caldonia is her name
The verses conclude with the refrain:
Caldonia! Caldonia!
What makes your big head so hard?
I love her, I love her just the same
Crazy 'bout that woman 'cause Caldonia is her name
Jordan re-recorded the song in 1956,[8] arranged by Quincy Jones with Mickey Baker on guitar.[9] Jordan also filmed a "soundie" performance of the song for the musical short Caldonia, which was shown in movie theaters.[10] He and the group also performed the song live on television.[11]
"It's rooted in jazz," according to music journalist John Morrison. "The energy is very much rock and roll. And you can even hear the future of what would become rap music and hip-hop along with the beat of rock and roll."[12]
Renditions by other artists [edit]
At the same time as Jordan's success, the song was also recorded both by Erskine Hawkins and Woody Herman. The issue of Billboard magazine for April 21, 1945, described Hawkins' version as "right rhythmic rock and roll music", possibly the first use of the term to describe a musical style, and pre-dating by 14 months a more often cited use of the words in a June 1946 description of "Sugar Lump" by Joe Liggins.[13] Hawkins' version of "Caldonia", featuring piano and vocals by Ace Harris, reached number two on the Billboard R&B chart and number 12 on the pop chart.[5] Herman's version, arranged by the young Neal Hefti, reached number two on the pop chart.[14]
In 1949, a version by Sugar Chile Robinson reached number 14 on the R&B chart.[15] Bill Haley and the Comets recorded "Caldonia" on April 27, 1959 at Decca Recording Studio, Pythian Temple, 135 West 70th St., New York City.[16] It was released on Decca 9-30926 and charted nationally on June 29, 1959 at number 113 for one week,[17] Later, James Brown recorded the song, with an arrangement by Sammy Lowe, as his first release for Smash Records in 1964. It appeared at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (the R&B chart was suspended at the time).[18] It was also released in 2008 as part of the album Two Men with the Blues by Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis.
Influence [edit]
Several sources indicate that Little Richard was influenced by Louis Jordan. In fact, the artist said Caldonia was the first non-gospel song he learned; and the shriek on the Jordan record "sounds eerily like the vocal tone Little Richard would adopt" in addition to the "Jordan-style pencil-thin moustache".[19] [20]
In 2018, Jordan posthumously received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.[21] Jordan's recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame include "Caldonia Boogie".[22]
References [edit]
- ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1945). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1945 Music New Series Vol 40 Pt 3 No 1. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
- ^ "Decca matrix 72711. Caldonia / Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu . Retrieved 2022-05-24 .
- ^ "Record Reviews". Billboard. April 21, 1945. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ "Caldonia - Louis Jordan (Decca, 1945)". Blues.org . Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. pp. 229, 185.
- ^ "Louis Jordan - Caldonia (1946)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Claude Demetrius". Rockabilly.nl. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ "Caldonia - Louis Jordan 1945 & 1956 Versions". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ Jordan. Louis, ''The Greatest Hits: No Moe!'', Mercury Records, 1992 liner notes
- ^ "Caldonia / Louis Jordan". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - Caldonia (Live)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "The Black Roots Of Rock And Roll: Part 1 : World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN". Npr.org . Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard". Books.google.co.uk. 1945-04-21. p. 66. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ John Fordham. "Obituary: Neal Hefti | Music". The Guardian . Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 353.
- ^ https://countrydiscoghraphy2.blogspot.com/2016/10/bill-haley-part-1.html.
- ^ https://kimsloans.wordpress.com/rockin-60s/founders-2/60s-mod/,.
- ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 59.
- ^ ""Caldonia" Louis Jordan (1945)" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Vintage photos: Rock Hall inductee Louis Jordan is the music master behind 'Five Guys Named Moe'". Cleveland.comk. January 23, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Ledisi To Honor Louis Jordan On "GRAMMY Salute…"". Grammy.com. 3 October 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "The Meters and Louis Jordan among GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement winners". Planetradio.co.uk . Retrieved May 25, 2021.
Sources [edit]
- Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. ISBN0-89820-068-7.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldonia
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