Bman's Blues Report

Hubert 'Bumps' Myers - solo tenor sax, Joe Guy - trumpet, Ben 'Bull Moose' Jackson - alto sax, Illinois Jacquet - tenor sax, Horace Henderson - piano/arranging, Al Casey - guitar, John Simmons - bass, Sidney Catlett - drums A fine swing tenor player influenced by Coleman Hawkins, Bumps Myers, who occasionally played alto and baritone, had many interesting musical experiences during his career although he never gained much fame outside of the Los Angeles area. Myers became a professional musician in 1929 when he was 17 and freelanced around L.A. including with Curtis Mosby. Myers played in Shanghai with Buck Clayton's big band (1934-36) and Teddy Weatherford, and in L.A. with Lionel Hampton and Les Hite. Myers was part of the short-lived Lee and Lester Young band from 1941-42, had two stints with Jimmie Lunceford in 1942 and 1945, and worked with Benny Carter off and on during 1943-48, Benny Goodman in 1947 and Red Callender from 1952-54. He appeared at several mid-1...

Royal G. "Rusty" Bryant (November 25, 1929, Huntington, West Virginia - March 25, 1991, Columbus, Ohio) was an American jazz tenor and alto saxophonist. Bryant grew up in Columbus, Ohio and became a fixture of the local jazz scene. He worked with Tiny Grimes and Stomp Gordon before founding his own ensemble, the Carolyn Club Orchestra, in 1951. He signed with Dot Records in 1955 and released several albums as a leader in the second half of the 1950s. In 1952, his live recording "All Night Long", a faster version of "Night Train", became a hit R&B single in the U.S. Bryant's contract with Dot ended in 1957, and he returned to Columbus to do mostly local engagements, playing often with pianist-organist Hank Marr. Nancy Wilson also sang in his group. It wasn't until his appearance on the 1968 Groove Holmes album That Healin' Feelin that he resurfaced beyond regional acclaim, and soon after he began leading dates for Prestige Records. He reco...

Bob Gaddy (February 4, 1924 – July 24, 1997) was an American East Coast blues and rhythm and blues pianist, singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his recordings of "Operator" and "Rip and Run," and musical work he undertook with Larry Dale, Wild Jimmy Spruill, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Gaddy was born in Vivian, West Virginia, a small town based around coal mining. He learned to play the piano at a young age, both playing and singing in his local church. In 1943 he was conscripted and served in the Navy, being stationed in California. He progressed from learning the blues and, using his gospel background, graduated towards the boogie-woogie playing style. He played in blues clubs in Oakland and San Francisco, but after World War II finished he relocated to New York in 1946. Gaddy later commented "I came to New York just to visit, because I was on my way to the West Coast. Somehow or other, I just got hooked on it. New York got into my system...

Clarence Clifford "Peg" Richardson, Vocals & Slide Guitar d. December 30, 1984 in Charleston, West Virginia. Born December 18, 1918, Sumter, SC. Richardson got his foot in the blues doorway by performing in his uncle"s quartet in Brown Chapel Church in Sumter, SC. Sadly, he lost part of one foot in a train accident as a child. He performed in bands with such notable leaders as Jay McShann and Nat Cole and claimed to be influenced most by Blind Boy Fuller. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Mary Smith McClain was born on August 27, 1902. She was an African-American blues singer and entertainer. Better known as "Walking Mary" and later "Diamond Teeth Mary," she was born in Huntington, West Virginia. Mary McClain and was the half sister of Bessie Smith (Smith's mother was one of Mary's four stepmothers). At the age of 13, young McClain couldn't stand the beatings any longer and left home to join the circus disguised as a boy in her brother's clothes. It was Mary's own skills as an acrobat and singer that enabled her to survive. McClain spent the 1920’s and 1930’s performing in a variety of medicine and minstrel shows. She traveled in troupes like Irwin C. Miller's Brown Skin Models, the Davis S. Bell Medicine Show and for 11 years as part of the infamous Rabbit Foot Minstrels. She toured with the USO and sang at the Apollo Theater, the Cotton Club, and other prominent night clubs, where her show-stopping charisma received stand...

Garnet Mimms (born Garrett Mimms, 16 November 1933, Ashland, West Virginia) is an American singer, influential in soul music and rhythm and blues. He is best known for the hit "Cry Baby" (later recorded by Janis Joplin) and "A Quiet Place," a popular song in the Carolina Beach Music community. Mimms grew up in Philadelphia, where he sang in gospel music groups such as the Evening Stars, the Harmonizing Four, and the group with which he would record his first record in 1953, the Norfolk Four. He returned to Philadelphia after serving in the military and formed doo-wop group, the Gainors in 1958. In 1961, Mimms and Sam Bell from the Gainors left to form a new group, Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters, with Zola Pearnell and Charles Boyer. The group moved to New York and began to work with the songwriter and record producer, Bert Berns. Berns signed them to the United Artists label and wrote the hit, "Cry Baby" for them with songwriting partner Jerry Ragovoy...

Johnnie Johnson (July 8, 1924 – April 13, 2005) was an American pianist and blues musician. His work with Chuck Berry led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born Johnnie Clyde Johnson in Fairmont, West Virginia and began playing piano in 1928. He joined the United States Marine Corps during World War II where he was a member of Bobby Troup's all serviceman jazz orchestra, The Barracudas. After his return, he moved to Detroit, Illinois and then Chicago, where he sat in with many notable artists, including Muddy Waters and Little Walter. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1952 and immediately put together a jazz and blues group, The Sir John Trio with drummer Ebby Hardy and saxophonist, Alvin Bennett. The three scored a regular gig at the Cosmopolitan Club in East St. Louis. On New Year's Eve 1952, Alvin Bennett had a stroke and could not perform. Johnson, searching for a last minute replacement, called a young man named Chuck Berry, the only musician Jo...

Bob Gaddy (February 4, 1924 – July 24, 1997) was an American East Coast blues and rhythm and blues pianist, singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his recordings of "Operator" and "Rip and Run," and musical work he undertook with Larry Dale, Wild Jimmy Spruill, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee Gaddy was born in Vivian, West Virginia, a small town based around coal mining. He learned to play the piano at a young age, both playing and singing in his local church. In 1943 he was conscripted and served in the Navy, being stationed in California. He progressed from learning the blues and, using his gospel background, graduated towards the boogie-woogie playing style. He played in blues clubs in Oakland and San Francisco, but after World War II finished he relocated to New York in 1946. Gaddy later commented "I came to New York just to visit, because I was on my way to the West Coast. Somehow or other, I just got hooked on it. New York got into my system and ...