#945 (3/8/23)

LEWIS CHUDD — OWNER AND PRESIDENT OF IMPERIAL RECORDS

THE IMPERIAL RECORDS STORY (PART ONE) (CASH BOX, October 5, 1957) The success of Imperial Records, which has shot from a little-known label to one of the top independent record companies in the country in four short years, is due mainly to the fanatic devotion of President Lew Chudd to the company. Chudd picks all of his artists' material, supervises their recordings and sells and promotes each release as if his life depended on it. Imperial's success is also the story of Chudd's sure, quick eye for selecting talent, his thorough knowledge of a constantly changing market, and his dynamic sales and promotion tactics. This year Imperial will gross over $7,000,000. A twelve-hour work day is common practice for Chudd. He is in his Hollywood office at 7:00 a.m. every morning telephoning Eastern distributors and disk jockeys. He is in daily touch with each of Imperial's thirty-eight distributors—selling records, checking musical trends, learning what tunes are selling in various areas that Imperial can "cover" and supplying promotional and sales impact wherever needed. "Many of Imperial's hits," says Chudd, "have come from tips on local hits, which we have covered, or masters we have purchased and released on Imperial." Many times Chudd is interested in the local artists, too, and will fly anywhere in the country at a moment's notice to audition or sign an artist. Chudd averages 100,000 flying miles a year. Imperial distributors know about each upcoming record weeks before it is released. Chudd always sends each an acetate first and then phones to discuss the record's merit and to take their initial order. This dictates what his pressing order will be and builds excitement with the distributor. Another reason for Chudd's successful merchandising is that he talks to 100 disk jockeys a month throughout the country, either by phone or in person. Well aware of the important part deejays play in record salesmanship, Chudd boosts his new releases, confides in them as to what to expect from Imperial in the coming months and earnestly builds up a close relationship with each one. Many, in turn, have clued Chudd about new artists in their area, some of whom he has signed, and about potential hit songs, which he has recorded. Lew Chudd started Imperial Records twelve years ago after having held several positions with NBC, including Assistant in Charge of Radio Show Productions. This was followed by a wartime post with the Office of War Information. When Chudd set up his own company, instead of bucking the major labels, which at that time virtually dominated dealers' inventories, he picked out the spots in the music market that the majors did not concentrate on. The first was Latin music. In 1945, Chudd went to Mexico City and set about recording hundreds of sides with top Mexican musicians. He returned to Hollywood, set a friend up in a pressing plant and began releasing. The first year, with an initial investment of $10,000, Imperial grossed $90,000. "Nobody but my accountant knew who we were in those days. But it taught me a valuable lesson; that if you can fulfill a need—even a small need—you'll do business." Chudd knew the great buying power of Latins in the United States, so the following year he covered American pop hits in Spanish. He had four hits in a row, including a Spanish version of "Mule Train" which sold over 300,000. These hits were not freaks—Chudd made them by staying on the road for months at a time visiting hundreds of disk jockeys and dealers and continually prodding his distributors—a practice he continues to this day. Next, Chudd plunged into the folk and square dance field. In 1945 dancing had caught the public fancy and when Chudd hit, he had the market to himself. His initial releases were consumed as fast as they were pressed. He made a tie-up with the Square Dance Association which sold, pushed and plugged Imperial's records to their hundreds-of-thousands of members. Schools accepted the records too, and soon many, many square dancers were known to be practicing at home to Imperial's records. Traveling through Texas on one of his many promotion tours, Chudd discovered a square dance caller who had recorded two dances for his own use. Displaying even then a remarkably intuitive talent for picking material, Chudd bought both masters for $25 each and released them on Imperial. Both sold over 100,000 in four months. Hires Root Beer, looking for a self-liquidating premium, came to Chudd, then regarded in the industry as the square dance king, to purchase records. They left with 45,000 square dance records as an initial order. He used intensified sales and promotion methods such as concentration on 1ocal square dance groups and schools, and sending personal letters to thousands of square dance callers throughout the country, along with deejay and dealer promotion. As a result, four of Imperial's square dance records soared the million mark in sales. During this time, 1947, 1948, and 1949, the majority of record dealers carried only the four major lines. But now they had added a fifth—Imperial, the square dance line. Chudd, slight of build and dynamic in energy, had made his mark in the industry. Though he hadn't nudged the majors in their dominance of the pop and classical field, he took hold in the Latin and square dance fields and created two new markets. After four years of selling his "stepchild" type of music, Imperial was registering grosses close to a million dollars a year and in 1949, when Chudd decided to enter the Rhythm and Blues field, Imperial passed the million-dollar-a-year figure and the gross has been climbing meteorically ever since. In his constant travels throughout the country, Chudd was fascinated by strong beat music, sung and played entirely by Negro musicians. Though existing small record companies who were releasing these artists were not selling in big quantities, Chudd saw the potential and decided to throw his hat in the ring. "R & B music in those days" remembers Chudd, "was no different from today's rock and roll. It was something you could understand on first listening—it had an infectious beat, relatively simple instrumentation, and its effect on the listener was overwhelming." (...to be continued)

CASH BOX — SEPTEMBER 9, 1946 CASH BOX — 1947 CONVENTION ISSUE

CASH BOX, April 29, 1946: .... Lou Chudd, formerly of Pan-American Records, has gone into the business on his own. He has opened his place at 137 N. Western Avenue. The firm is known as the Gold Seal Record Company.... CASH BOX, May 6, 1946: ....Lou Chudd and Max Feirtag going into the record biz in a big way. The boys have had lots of experience in that line and have formed the Holiday Distributing Company. The firm will handle Discos Imperiales, featuring Mexican recording artists. Imperial and Gold Seal will be among their other labels.... CASH BOX, September 23, 1946: ....Lou Chudd of Holiday Distributing Co. is out on a selling trip covering northern California and plugging the firm's very good platters. Max Frietag manages the office and shipping department. The firm is reported to be really going to town with their Latin American and Folk Dance discs.... CASH BOX, October 9, 1946: L. R. (Lew) Chudd and Max Feirtag are setting up expansive plans for their new Imperial Record Company. Imperial waxings are featuring folk, hillbilly, and children's tunes. Chudd and Feirtag are also distributing Discos Imperiales, presenting prominent Latin American artists on south-of-the-border melodies. Chudd is currently in New York making organizational plans for his Imperial Transcription Company. Lew is a veteran waxster in these parts. CASH BOX, March 10, 1947: ....Lou Chudd of Holiday Distributing Company, producers and distributors of Imperial records and a new line of Spanish, Russian and Folk Dance Albums plans on a trip through the midwest, winding up in New York....

IMPERIAL RECORDS LATIN AND SQUARE DANCE/FOLK MUSIC RECORDS:

LALO GUERRERO

Above: Photo of Lalo Guerrero, a Mexican-American born in Tucson, Arizona. He was a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader. In the 1940s and 1950s, he dominated the Latin American charts in the U.S.A. and Latin America. He became known as "The Father Of Chicano Music". His first record was on the Vocalion label in 1939. In the mid-1940s, he recorded for Imperial Records. His first American hit was "Pancho Lopez", released on the Pasadena, California, Real label in 1955. This song is a parody of the popular 1954 hit "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett", but with Guerrero's lyrics. Guererro was part owner of Real Records. His next record was "Pancho Rock", a satirical take-off on rhythm and blues.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 242-B, released in circa 1946. "La Mula Bronca" is "The Angry Mule". The corrido is a traditional Mexican storytelling song style. "con El Mariachi Imperial" means "With The Imperial Mexican Style Band". The flip-side is "El Barzón", which means "The Idle Walk". Above Right: Label image for Real 218-A, released in 1955. This is the Spanish version. The American version was released on Real 1301-A. Both sides can be heard below. The flip-side is "Adan Y Eva", which means "Adam And Eve". THE BILLBOARD, July 16, 1955: PANCHO LOPEZ NEW "CROCKETT" HOLLYWOOD—There's a new hero in the making among Latin-American youngsters, and his name is Pancho Lopez. Pancho happens to be the Latin disk version of "Davy Crockett" and was recorded here by Lalo Guerrero on Real Records. Tune, which has shown heavy sales in this area, follows the melody line of "Crockett" with Pancho Lopez substituted for the American pioneer. As a result of its current sales activity, label is pitching its line at distributors thruout the nation. Heretofore, the firm had distribution in nine areas in the United States, in addition to coverage in Mexico. Firm is headed by Paul Landwehr and Guerrero, latter formerly with RCA Victor. The Billboard Review (7/23/55): LALO GUERRERO — Real 1301 Pancho Lopez (Davy Crockett) (75) An amusing take-off on "Davy Crockett" with new lyrics ("Pancho, Pancho Lopez you lazy son of a gun"), set to the old melody. Jockeys should spin for its novelty value, altho it's a bit late to cash in fully on the Crockett fad. I'll Never Let You Go (71) A melodic interpretation of a pretty Latin-American bolero, with effective vocal work on English lyrics. (NOTE: Ratings had a range of 0-100 with 70-79 considered as "good".) Cash Box Review (7/23/55): LALO GUERRERO — Real 1301 Pancho Lopez (Davy Crockett) (B+) Using the smash “Davy Crockett" melody, Lalo Guerrero offers a tribute to the pride of Mexico, Pancho Lopez. A soft, easy going, pretty waxing that’s a sensation out on the west coast. Spanish flavor is wonderful. Could spread and break. I'll Never Let You Go (C+) A bolero with a true Spanish backdrop, is chanted in English by the songster. Pretty. (NOTE: A rating of B+ was considered as "excellent" and C+ as "good".) LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "El Barzón" - Lalo Guerrero - Imperial 242-A - 1946. 2. "La Mula Bronca" - Lalo Guerrero - Imperial 242-B - 1946. 3. "Pancho Lopez (Davy Crockett)" - Lalo Guerrero - Real 218-A - 1955. 4. "Adan Y Eva" - Lalo Guerrero - Real 218-B - 1955. 5. "Pancho Lopez (Davy Crockett)" - Lalo Guerrero - Real 1301-A - 1955. 6. "I'll Never Let You Go" - Lalo Guerrero And The Song Sirens - Real 1301-B - 1955. ALL SIX SONGS played in sequence.

Above Left: CASH BOX, November 26, 1955: CONGRATULATING ESTELITA LOS ANGELES—Pictured above are personnel of the Real Record Company who turned out to congratulate Estelita on her opening November 3 in the Terrace Room of the Statler in Los Angeles. Estelita has just cut "LaMacarena" b/w "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" [Real Records 211], which got off to a great start judging by disk jockey reception and initial orders. Standing 1. to r. are Sid Fields, Estelita's manager; Jimmy Jones, REAL V.P.; Mrs. Jones. Seated 1. to r. are Paul Landwehr, REAL President; Estelita; Mrs. Landwehr; Emery Johnston; Mrs. Johnston; Lalo Guerrero, REAL A&R Chief; and Mrs. Guerrero. Above Right: CASH BOX, December 24, 1955: NOW ON WAX HOLLYWOOD—Film and cafe star Estelita studies the progress of her Real record of "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" and "La Macarena". Earl McDaniel, KPOP deejay, happily helps interpret The Cash Box charts. (NOTE: "Estelita" is Estelita Rodriguez, a Cuban actress and singer who lived in the Los Angeles area. Her first film was "Mexicana" in 1945. Among her many movies, including nine in Roy Rogers productions, was a credited part in the 1959 film "Rio Bravo". She signed a recording contract with Real Records in 1955.)

IMPERIAL RECORDS 8000 SERIES COUNTRY AND WESTERN RECORDS:

Above Left: CASH BOX, March 26, 1949. Above Right: Label images for Imperial 8049, released in 1949 and Imperial 8082, released in 1950. NOTE: Imperial also released gospel records, which were given 5000 series numbers. Imperial's gospel line will be included in a future part of this article.

ARTISTS RECORDING FOR IMPERIAL'S 5000 R&B SERIES (1947-1950)

Dick Lewis And His Harlem Rhythm Boys "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis King Porter And His Orchestra Lloyd Glenn And His Joymakers Walter Henry And His KC Cats Charles Norris Trio

Bill Johnson Trio Tommy Ridgley And His Orchestra Jewel King Country Jim Charlie Ventura Septet Fats Domino Erroll Garner Trio

Howard McGhee And The All Stars Rodney Harris Dave Bartholomew Cecil Gant Smiley Lewis Archibald T-Bone Walker

Joe Turner Peewee Barnum Lil' Son Jackson Mercy Dee The Mello Kings Smokey Hogg Duke Henderson

DICK LEWIS AND HIS HARLEM RHYTHM BOYS

Above: THE BILLBOARD, August 21, 1948.

Above Left: ATWATER SIGNAL (Atwater, California), November 14, 1947. (NOTE: At this time, King Records was heavy into country and western.) Above Middle: Label image for Imperial 5001-A, released in 1947. Tucker Wilson, formerly with the Duke Ellington orchestra, is playing the piano. The flip-side is "Eight O'Clock Stomp". The above two records are the first to be released by IMPERIAL RECORDS on their new Rhythm And Blues line. Imperial 5003 and 5004 are also by Dick Lewis And His Harlem Rhythm Boys. These first four releases have matrix numbers IM-1 through IM-8. Above Right: Label image for Imperial 5002-B, released in 1947. Again, Tucker Wilson is the piano player and, as shown, composed "Harlem Blues". The label on the other side, "Old Crow Boogie", does not show a composer. Both of the above records are instrumentals. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Hurricane Boogie (Instrumental)" - Dick Lewis And His Harlem Rhythm Boys - Imperial 5001-A - 1947. 2. "Eight O'Clock Stomp (Instrumental)" - Dick Lewis And His Harlem Rhythm Boys - Imperial 5001-B - 1947. 3. "Old Crow Boogie (Instrumental)" - Dick Lewis And His Harlem Rhythm Boys - Imperial 5002-A - 1947. 4. "Harlem Blues (Instrumental)" - Dick Lewis And His Harlem Rhythm Boys - Imperial 5002-B - 1947. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.

"POISON" GARDNER

Above Left: Leon "Poison" Gardner, from the Los Angeles area, was a boogie piano player extraordinaire. He was the second artist, along with "Fat Man" Hamilton, to be released on Imperial's 5000 rhythm and blues series. Gardner had eleven of the first thirty records released. Above Middle: CALIFORNIA EAGLE, July 10, 1947: RARING TO GO Dynamic "Poison" Gardner can hardly wait until his famous quintette meets the sensational Blenders in a band battle Sunday afternoon at the beautiful new Club Alabam. Above Right: CALIFORNIA EAGLE, July 10, 1947. (NOTE: There was a vocal group named The Blenders in the Los Angeles area in 1947. They were actually The Ebonaires, but used "The Blenders" name when recording for Roy Milton's Miltone label.) CASH BOX, October 4, 1947: ........Poison Gardner, currently working at Culver City's Toddle House, waxed initial sides for Imperial label.... DAILY NEWS, April 20, 1950: ....Where did POISON Gardner get that nickname? Well, according to the legend, he was playing with a small combo whose leader thought himself pretty hot and when Poison stole the show he canned him, saying "you may be a wizard to some people, but you're just plain POISON to me." (NOTE: Do you believe legends?)

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5007-A, released in 1947. The flip-side is "Lenox Avenue Boogie" without "Fat Man" Hamilton. "Poison" Gardner had eleven records on Imperial, all released in 1947. Above Right: Label image for Imperial 5008-A, released in 1947. The flip-side is "Mobile Boogie". Gardner is shown as composer on all four labels. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Workingman's Blues" - "Fat Man" Hamilton With "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5007-A - 1947. 2. "Lenox Avenue Boogie (Instrumental)" - "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5007-B - 1947. 3. "Big Leg Mama Blues" - "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5008-A - 1947. 4. "Mobile Boogie (Instrumental)" - "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5008-B - 1947. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.

Above: THE BILLBOARD, September 25, 1948:

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5009-A, released in 1947. The flip-side is "Between Midnight And Day" by the same artists. Above Right: Label image for Imperial 5010-A, released in 1947. Was this song an accolade to Imperial Records' square dance line? Or perhaps a parody. Either way, it's quite funny. The flip-side is "Double Crossin' Woman" by "Fat Man" Hamilton supported by "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars. The labels for all four sides designate "P. Gardner" as composer. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "House Rent Blues" - "Fat Man" Hamilton With "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5009-A - 1947. 2. "Between Midnight And Day" - "Fat Man" Hamilton With "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5009-B - 1947. 3. "Square Dance Boogie" - "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5010-A - 1947. 4. "Double Crossin' Woman" - "Fat Man" Hamilton With "Poison" Gardner And His All Stars - Imperial 5010-B - 1947. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.

EXTRA RECORD — "Poison" Gardner

Above: THE BILLBOARD, December 14, 1946. (NOTE: "Poison" Gardner is in the center playing the piano.) NOTE: Detailed information about JUKE BOX RECORDS is included in the "Specialty Records - Part One" article.

At Left: Label image for Juke Box JB 515 B, released in 1946. The members of the Poison Gardner Trio are named on the label. Vocal is by Jimmy Miller, their guitarist. The Billboard Review (12-7-46): POISON GARDNER TRIO — Juke Box JB 515 Poison's Boogie/My Baby's Gone Away The breakaway piano pounding of Poison Gardner, surrounded by bass and guitar, makes for effective back room boogie blues fingering for his own "Poison Boogie". And in the slow race blues style, Gardner hits the keys blue as guitar-man Jimmy Miller sings his "My Baby's Gone Away" in hazy but rhythmic style. However, it all adds up to a weak sister side. Back room race spots will like the barrelhouse piano in "Poison's Boogie". Cash Box Review (1-20-47): POISON GARDNER TRIO — Juke Box 515 My Baby's Gone Away/Poison's Boogie The Poison Gardner Trio step forth here to come up with a fair race tune, that ops might use to good advantage. Headed "My Baby's Gone Away", the disk offers Jimmy Miller in the vocal department. It's slow stuff that doesn't quite come up to par, but the combo add finish to the side. Backed by "Poison's Boogie", a piano, bass and guitar get together and jam away. It's a good instrumental side. Ops will have to pick their spots with this pair. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): "My Baby's Gone Away" - Poison Gardner Trio - Juke Box JB 515 B - 1946.

Above Left: VALLEY TIMES (North Hollywood, California), October 15, 1948. Above Right: IDAHO STATE JOURNAL, October 6, 1950. (NOTE: As used here, "hotcha" means hot jazz.)

CHARLIE "BOOGIE WOOGIE" DAVIS

Above: CALIFORNIA EAGLE, May 23, 1946. NOTE: Charlie Davis, a piano player from the Los Angeles area, was the third artist to have records released on Imperial's 5000 series. He had a total of eleven records on Imperial (1947-1949, but all recorded in 1947).

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5019-B, released in 1948. The flip-side is "17 Million $ Baby" (Matrix IM-34). Above Right: Label image for Imperial 5033-A, released in 1949. Note that the matrix number is earlier than the record on the left. The flip-side is "You Fine And Healthy Thing", which has a matrix number IM-33. Cash Box Review (2-19-49): CHARLIE DAVIS ORCH. — Imperial 5033 You Fine And Healthy Thing/West Side Baby More wax that definitely has top coin culling possibilities is this bit rendered here by the Charlie Davis ork. Tagged "You Fine and Healthy Thing" and "West Side Baby", Charlie and the boys get together and turn up some stuff the jump fans can latch onto. Top deck has a band chorus echoing the title, with a great up tempo beat seeping thru the wax. The coupling, a blues piece with the maestro in the spotlight once again, should be well known to music ops since it has kicked around a bit. Top deck for the moola.

Above: THE BILLBOARD, February 28, 1948.

LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "17 Million $ Baby" - Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis - Imperial 5019-A - 1948. 2. "Ain't No Better For You" - Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis - Imperial 5019-B - 1948. 3. "West Side Baby" - Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis And His Orchestra - Imperial 5033-A - 1949. 4. "You Fine And Healthy Thing" - Charlie "Boogie Woogie" Davis And His Orchestra - Imperial 5033-B - 1949. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.

KING PORTER

Above: DETROIT TRIBUNE, July 17, 1948: LEADING BAND POLL King Porter and his band are leading the band poll this week with a total of 310 votes. Porter himself, the man on the trumpet, is shown blowing away. The band is appearing currently this week at the Royal Blue Bar.

Above: King Porter was a trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was the fourth artist to have records on Imperial's 5000 series. He was also known as Jake Porter, forming Combo Records in 1951. He was one of the label's primary artists, sometimes recording with vocal groups.... Jake Porter And The Laurels (1954), Jake Porter And The Buzzards (1955), and Jake Porter And The Ebonairs (1955-1956). Betty Hall Jones had four records on Combo, two released in 1952 and another two in 1955.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5018-B, released in 1948. The flip-side is "Hey! Little Brownie", again featuring Alton Redd as vocalist. King Porter had seven records on Imperial (1947-1949). Note that Betty Jones is shown as a composer on both of the above labels. Above Right: Label image for Imperial 5032-A, released in 1949. The flip-side is "Goodbye Doretha", with Alton Redd doing the vocal.

Above Left: Betty Hall Jones, as a member of Roy Milton's Solid Senders in their early days. In Porter's orchestra, she was a piano player and singer. Above Right: Alton Redd, who was a drummer and singer in Porter's orchestra. Click HERE for an article about BETTY HALL JONES by Marv Goldberg. (Will open in a separate window)

Cash Box Review (2-19-49): KING PORTER ORCH. — Imperial 5032 Goodbye Doretha/That Early Morning Boogie The great King Porter ork on deck with a pair, and the spark of a pair of hot coin cullers in this offering of "Goodbye Doretha" and "That Early Morning Boogie". Top deck, featuring Alton Redd on the vocal, is a rhythm and blues tune, full of vim and vigor. It's sure-fire meat for the phonos. The other end, with chirp Betty Jones offering a boogie vocal, makes for first rate musical fare and should be greeted with heavy demand. The King Porter ork blend well throughout to round out an excellent pair of sides. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Hey! Little Brownie" - King Porter And His Orchestra (Vocal Alton Redd) - Imperial 5018-A - 1948. 2. "Should Have Rationed Myself" - King Porter And His Orchestra (Vocal Alton Redd) - Imperial 5018-B - 1948. 3. "That Early Morning Boogie" - King Porter And His Orchestra (Vocal Betty Jones) - Imperial 5032-A - 1949. 4. "Goodbye Doretha" - King Porter And His Orchestra (Vocal Alton Redd) - Imperial 5032-B - 1949. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.

COMBO LABEL'S FIRST RECORD — Jake Porter

Above Left: Label image for Combo 1A, released in 1951. Combo was located in Hollywood, California. Note that Dorothy's name is misspelled on the label. "Slowley" is another misspelling. The label maker was fired shortly after this record was released. Above Right: CASH BOX, October 20, 1951.

Above Left: Dorothy Ellis And Her Rockin' Aces Band in the 1950s. Above Right: This may or may not be the same Dorothy Ellis. This photo was taken in Los Angeles in 1951. Please contact me if can confirm either way. CASH BOX, October 27, 1951: ....This time John Dolphin of Recorded in Hollywood really has a couple of topflight potentials in Jake Porter's new combo label's first release of "Slowly Go Out Of Your Mind". It's that rare combination of emotionally moving ballad lyrics with a mean blues rhythm that should make a load of loot for distributor Dolphin and orkster Porter, and a big name for vocalist Dorothy Ellis.... The Billboard Review (12/15/51): JAKE PORTER — Combo 1 Slowly Go Out Of Your Mind (75) The warm, husky voice chanting of Dorthey Ellis, on this melodic, slow tempo blues, plus the pretty rhythm background, makes this a listenable disk, and one that could catch some coin. (NOTE: Ratings had a range of 0-100 with 70-79 considered as "good".) LISTEN (Windows Media Player): "Slowley Go Out Of Your Mind" - Jake Porter (Vocal Dorothy Ellis) - Combo 1A - 1951.

ANOTHER VERSION OF "SLOWLY...."

Above Left: Label image for Mercury 5795, released in 1952. Somehow distributor John Dolphin (Recorded In Hollywood) got added to the label's composer credit. BMI has only Jack Carrington for this song. Be careful, this version can actually grow on you! Above Middle: Picture of Stash Carter. He had one more record on Mercury, from a later recording session, before they stashed him away. Above Right: THE BILLBOARD, March 8, 1952. ASBURY PARK PRESS, March 23, 1952: ....Stash Carter, 22-year-old Cleveland vocalist, may make a dent in the Johnny Ray popularity with a rather exciting Mercury coupling of "Trees" and "Slowly Got Out Of Your Mind" [sic].... LISTEN (Windows Media Player): "Slowly Go Out Of Your Mind" - Stash Carter - Mercury 5795 - 1952.

EXTRA RECORD — King Porter

Above Left: Label image for 4-Star X-64, released in 1953. Vocal is by Marie Wells. The flip-side is an instrumental, "Special Request", a good one somewhat similar to Jimmy Forest's 1952 hit, "Night Train". Composer "Stevenson" is actually 4-Star Records owner William Aubrey McCall Jr., who was known to claim writer credit for songs actually composed by others. BMI gives him credit for over 600 songs. Above Right: DETROIT TRIBUNE, September 4, 1948. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "I've Tried" - King Porter And His All Stars (Vocal Marie Wells) - 4 Star X-64 - 1953. 2. "Special Request (Instrumental)" - King Porter And His All Stars - 4 Star X-64 - 1953. BOTH SONGS played in sequence.

JOE TURNER

Above: Joe Turner, from Kansas City, was probably the most famous blues singer of all time. He was known as the "Boss of the Blues". Turner recorded for many different record labels during his long career, but he gained the most success with Atlantic Records in the 1950s. Most notable of these was his 1954 hit, "Shake, Rattle And Roll".

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5090, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Jumpin' Tonight". Note that Dave Bartholomew and his orchestra are backing Joe Turner on this record. Turner was also known as "Big Joe Turner" and "Shoutin' Joe Turner". This is the first of two records that Turner had on the Imperial label, both released in 1950. The labels show that both sides of this record were composed by him. In 1950, Turner was recording for five different labels... National, Freedom, M-G-M, Aladdin, and Imperial. The lack of Imperial's promotion of this record makes one wonder about Turner's contractual situation at the time. Above Right: Label image for Bayou 015, released in 1953. Bayou was a label affiliated with Imperial Records. The name may have been a nod to Imperial's heavy reliance on New Orleans' talent. Don't know why the apostrophe (or maybe it's the French accent aigu, which is even more confusing). The flip-side is "Blues Jump The Rabbit". Again, both sides were composed by Turner. In 1953, Turner was contracted with Atlantic Records for the full year. Again, this may explain why there was no promotion for this record in either The Billboard or Cash Box publications. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Story To Tell" - Joe Turner - Imperial 5090 - 1950. 2. "Jumpin' Tonight" - Joe Turner - Imperial 5090 - 1950. 3. "The Sun Is Shining" - Joe Turner - Bayou 015 - 1953. 4. "Blues Jump The Rabbit" - Joe Turner - Bayou 015 - 1953. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence. (NOTE: "Joe Turner (1939-1953)" CD with 29 tracks is now available.) At Right: INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER, February 22, 1947: Joe (Blues Singin') Turner—Big Joe Turner, your blues singin' favorite, Snookum Russell's orchestra, and tantalizing Maybelle Smith are all keyed up for their Sunday show at the Sunset Terrace. This cavalcade of swing has been stacking up new attendance records throughout the Middle West and returns to Naptown [Indianapolis] by popular request. Call your friends and make a date with them to be on hand when the one and only Joe Turner knocks himself out with the songs you love to hear.

INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER — 2/22/47

JOE TURNER VIDEO WATCH Joe Turner performing "Shake, Rattle And Roll" from a 1955 movie in MP4 format. (Will open in a new window) Here The Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams Orchestra backs Big Joe Turner. Released on record in 1954, this song was Turner's biggest hit for the Atlantic label. On that version of the song, Atlantic executives Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegaun provided a chorus backing.

ARCHIBALD

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5082, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Ballin' With Archie", an instrumental. Above Right: Photo of Archibald, who was from New Orleans. His real name: Leon T. Gross. Archibald played piano in a New Orleans boogie style. He had four records on the Imperial label and another on Imperial's affiliated label, Colony. The Billboard Review (7-1-50): ARCHIBALD ORK — Imperial 5082 Shake Shake Baby (83) Arch follows his great "Stackalee" disking with a vocal blues very similar in melody and beat but with different type lyric. Could do follow-up biz. Ballin' With Archie (55) Characterless boogie woogie instrumental is a letdown. (NOTE: Ratings had a range of 0-100 with 80-89 considered as "very good" and 50-59 as "limited".)

At Left: THE BILLBOARD, January 21, 1950. Above: Label image for Imperial 5212, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Early Morning Blues", an instrumental. Dave Bartholomew composed many songs for Imperial Records' artists. Notice that Imperial has moved from Los Angeles to Hollywood. Cash Box Review (12-20-52): ARCHIBALD — Imperial 5212 Early Morning Blues (C+) Archibald spins a slow blues instrumental in moving style. Spotted on this deck is a smart bit of pianoing. Great Big Eyes (B) Archibald sings on this end. The chanter belts out a fast moving jump with a colorful vocal against a solid ork backdrop. (NOTE: A rating of C+ was considered as "good" and B as "very good".)

LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Shake Shake Baby" - Archibald - Imperial 5082 - 1950. 2. "Ballin' With Archie (Instrumental)" - Archibald - Imperial 5082 - 1950. 3. "Great Big Eyes" - Archibald - Imperial 5212 - 1952. 4. "Early Morning Blues (Instrumental)" - Archibald - Imperial 5212 - 1952. ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.

FATS DOMINO QUAD-CITY TIMES (Davenport, Iowa), December 29, 1957: MAN ON THE GO — FATS DOMINO Fats Domino's mother, being a patron of the arts, agreed to store a cousin's upright piano in her New Orleans apartment some twenty years ago. It wasn't exactly in the way, but her nine children kept bumping into it. The only one who expressed anything other than irritation at the contraption was Antoine, Jr., better known as Fats, who discovered that he could chord with his left hand while he melodied with his right. That was all the musical education Fats Domino needed. By the time he was ten he was playing the piano for pennies in the local honky tonks. And now that he's a mature twenty-eight, with six children of his own, Fats Domino has discovered that quite a few people like to listen to him play the piano and sing his own compositions in his friendly wheeze. At last count, a reported twenty-five million Fats Domino records had been sold.... Fats started to sing in 1948, and made his first record for the Imperial label in 1949. It sold 800,000 copies. Fats still produces for the Imperial people on grounds of don't argue with prosperity. "If they go down, I go down with 'em" he said. Rock 'N' Roll, Fats insists, is just New Orleans rhythm and blues under a new name.

THE IMPERIAL RECORDS STORY (PART TWO) (CASH BOX, October 5, 1957) (Lew Chudd, owner and president of Imperial Records,) flew to New Orleans, then the hub for R & B music and signed arranger-writer Dave Bartholomew to an exclusive Imperial contract. Bartholomew's knowledge and feel for the strong beat music was, and still is, invaluable to Chudd. The two set out immediately, scouring New Orleans for talent. On one of their nightly club-to-club prowls, Chudd discovered a singer-piano player named Fats Domino, and a young female vocalist named Jewel King. "The first time I heard Fats," smiles Chudd, "he knocked me out. It was late at night and the club was packed and noisy. But when Fats came on the noise changed to a mountain of hands clapping in unison and voices murmuring 'yeh' in agreement with each line of the lyrics. And it wasn't long before I was joining in." "It's true that in the music business you can never be certain that a singer will catch on and sell records," continues Chudd, "though he may be great in a club or on a stage. But I was willing to bet my bottom dollar that Fats would. If ever there was a singer who reached the listener's sense of rhythm and could evoke foot tapping and hand clapping, Fats was and is the one." Within a week, Chudd had the material picked, and Bartholomew's arrangements were set for recording. "That was an eventful day," remembers Chudd. "We cuts Fats and Jewel King on the same day and both of their records were big hits." Jewel King's record of "Three Times Seven Equals Twenty-One" hit close to a million and Fats' "Fat Man" passed the million mark, immediately establishing him as one of the hottest artists in the field. Building these two records meant months away from home for Chudd. He visited over 800 disk jockeys, personally sold records to hundreds of dealers who had never before handled an R & B record, and continually harassed distributors, who had been content to sit back and reap a harvest from the successful Latin and square dance disks. (...to be continued)

CASH BOX — APRIL 8, 1950

Above Left: THE BILLBOARD, February 18, 1950. Above Right: THE BILLBOARD, March 4, 1950.

Above Left: Photo of Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew working on a song together. Above Right: Photo of Antoine "Fats" Domino. He was the lifeblood of Imperial Records, at least until "Ricky" Nelson came onto the scene. The label released forty-seven Fats Domino records in the 1950s. Part One of this article will feature the five records that were issued in 1950.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5058, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Detroit City Blues". Above Right: THE BILLBOARD, January 21, 1950. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "The Fat Man" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5058 - 1950. 2. "Detroit City Blues" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5058 - 1950. BOTH SONGS played in sequence.

Above Left: CASH BOX, February 11, 1950. (NOTE: The actual Cash Box Review and Most Played List are included in these two Imperial ads.) Above Right: THE BILLBOARD, February 25, 1950. NOTE: The pictures show a rather unrealistically thin version of Fats.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5065, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Little Bee". Above Right: CASH BOX, March 11, 1950. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Boogie Woogie Baby" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5065 - 1950. 2. "Little Bee" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5065 - 1950. BOTH SONGS played in sequence.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5077, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Hide Away Blues". Above Right: THE BILLBOARD, June 17, 1950. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "She's My Baby" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5077 - 1950. 2. "Hide Away Blues" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5077 - 1950. BOTH SONGS played in sequence.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5085, released in 1950. "Hey La Bas" in French means "Hey Over There". "Venez Mon Cher" means "Come Here My Dear". That's the complete lyrics to this song! The flip-side is "Brand New Baby". Above Right: THE BILLBOARD, July 15, 1950. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Hey! La Bas Boogie" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5085 - 1950. 2. "Brand New Baby" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5085 - 1950. BOTH SONGS played in sequence.

Above Left: Label image for Imperial 5099, released in 1950. The flip-side is "Korea Blues". The audio for that side is not included here because Dave Bartholomew's irritating trumpet dominates the recording. Above Right: CASH BOX, November 11, 1950. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): "Every Night About This Time" - Fats Domino - Imperial 5099 - 1950. LISTEN TO ALL NINE SONGS by Fats Domino played in sequence.

THE BILLBOARD AND CASH BOX MAGAZINES — GENERAL THE BILLBOARD, June 29, 1946: FIRST IMPERIAL RECORDS! CHICAGO—A new waxery, Imperial Records, Inc., will have their releases on the market by the middle of next month.... (NOTE: This is a different "Imperial Records"!!) CASH BOX, December 16, 1946: ....Dropped around to see Lou Chudd and Max Feirtag of Holiday Distributing Company, who are producing Imperial records. Listened in while the boys talked about their latest recordings of Latin American songs. They recorded 22 sides in one afternoon. The firm plans on entering the race record field, and have recorded their initial effort in "Hurricane Boogie" and "Six O'Clock Stomp" [sic]. In addition, the boys plan on doing a number of westerns to complete their catalogue.... THE BILLBOARD, May 1, 1948: SAME MUSIC UNDER TWO LABELS CHICAGO—A new twist in record distributing was uncovered here last week when it was learned that two local distributors, Advance and Frumkin Sales, were handling an album and one single side, and possibly four albums more, which contained the same masters under two entirely different labels.... The Billboard obtained Imperial Album FD24, entitled Square Dance Without Calls, by Bill Mooney and his Cactus Twisters and a copy of a Colony Album 3 called Square Dances Without Calls by Bob Russell and the Rhythm Ramblers. When played simultaneously on a pair of synchronized turntables, it was found that the eight masters in the two albums were exactly the same note for note in title and tune treatment. A check of the eight masters in each album showed that the same master number was found on the Imperial album master as on the corresponding tune in the Colony package. On the silver and black label of the Colony masters was found the wording, "Manufactured by Colony Records, Inc. 135 N. Western, Los Angeles." On the Imperial Records' maroon and silver label was found the wording, "Manufactured by Imperial Record Company, 137-139 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles." One single record was also uncovered. Colony record C121, which pairs Loves and Graces with Blackhawk Waltz by Bob Russell and the Rhythm Ramblers is note for note the same as a similar titled pairing on Imperial 1006, with the band on the Imperial side being listed as Al Toft and his orchestra. Further examination of the album covers on both the Imperial and Colony label revealed that the long folk dance descriptive passages, which cover both back and front inside covers, were word for word the same, except that on the Imperial album, the heading read: "Singing Squares by Paul Eder," while that on the Colony album read: "5 S inging Squares." Type face and size of the copy was found to be the same in both albums. The last half of the inside back cover on the Imperial album lists other stock available on Imperial, while the same space on the Colony album advises the reader to watch for other forthcoming Colony albums. THE BILLBOARD, June 11, 1949: DENIES COLONY, IMPERIAL, DISK SAME ETCHINGS HOLLYWOOD—....Lou Chudd, prexy of the Imperial firm, said Colony recorded the same tunes released by Imperial and that the arrangements may be somewhat similar but insisted that Colony's product was not pressed from the same cuttings made by Imperial. Chudd stated that altho Colony and Imperial are next door neighbors, no other connection exists between the firms which, he claimed, are independent of each other in ownership. (NOTE: Interestingly, at some point in time, Imperial did supply masters for use by the same "Colony Records".)

IMPERIAL RECORDS - PART TWO FEATURES FATS DOMINO, CECIL GANT, LIL' SON JACKSON, T-BONE WALKER, SMILEY LEWIS, MARY WALLACE, BIG JAY McNEELEY, JOE HOUSTON, AND TOMMY RIDGLEY. IMPERIAL RECORDS - PART THREE FEATURES SMILEY LEWIS, SLIM WHITMAN, FATS DOMINO, BOBBY MITCHELL AND THE TOPPERS, DAVE BARTHOLOMEW, THE LOVE NOTES, ROSE MITCHELL, JESSE ALLEN, AUDREY WALKER, AND GUITAR SLIM. IMPERIAL RECORDS - PART FOUR FEATURES FATS DOMINO, GENE GILMORE, LITTLE BOOKER, PEE WEE CRAYTON, THE SPIDERS, THE HAWKS, THE PELICANS, AND THE KIDDS. IMPERIAL RECORDS - PART FIVE FEATURES THE JEWELS, ROOSEVELT SYKES, THE BARONS, THE HONEY BEES, THE GAY NOTES, ROY BROWN, AND RICKY NELSON. ALSO, AFFILIATED LABELS AND IMPERIAL'S GOSPEL. HIGHLIGHTED SONGS ARE "LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW" AND "GOOD ROCKING TONIGHT".

Listen to all of this article's R&B audio selections using Windows Media Player:

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