Deacon's Hop - Big Jay McNeely and Detroit Gary Wiggins
Big Jay McNeely (born Cecil James McNeely, April 29, 1927, Watts, Los Angeles, California, United States) is an American rhythm and blues saxophonist. Inspired by Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young, he teamed with his older brother Robert McNeely, who played baritone saxophone, and made his first recordings with drummer Johnny Otis, who ran the Barrelhouse Club that stood only a few blocks from McNeely's home. Shortly after he performed on Otis's "Barrel House Stomp." Ralph Bass, A&R man for Savoy Records, promptly signed him to a recording contract. Bass's boss, Herman Lubinsky, suggested the stage name Big Jay McNeely because Cecil McNeely did not sound commercial. McNeely's first hit was "The Deacon's Hop," an instrumental which topped the Billboard R&B chart in early 1949. The single was his most successful of his three chart entries. Thanks to his flamboyant playing, called "honking," McNeely remained popular through the 195...