#1 R&B Song 1971: Never Can Say Goodbye,” the Jackson 5
Born: Ada Brown, 1890; Big Maybelle (Maybelle Louise Smith), 1924; Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs, 1930; Reather Dixon (the Bobbettes), 1944; Ray Parker Jr. (Raydio), 1954
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1948 Wynonie Harris bounced back onto the R&B hit parade with “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” reaching #1. Six years later, Elvis Presley would make the song his own at the start of his legendary career, which was heavily influenced by artists like Harris. This particular type of blues/R&B song was known then as jump blues, in essence, rock ‘n’ roll in its early beginning stages.
Here is another good example of jump blues, from the song “Beans and Cornbread”. If you are like most people, the first time you ever head this hilarious song was if you saw the Spike Lee movie Malcolm X. Now, take it away, “Beans and Cornbread.”
From Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five: “Beans and Cornbread.”
Beans and Cornbread had a fight
Beans knocked Cornbread out of sight
Cornbread said, “Now that’s alright.
Meet me on the corner tomorrow night.
“I’ll be ready, I’ll be ready tomorrow night. (2x)
I’ll be ready, I’ll be ready to have a fight.”
That’s what Beans said to Cornbread.
“I’ll be ready tomorrow night.”
Beans told Cornbread, “You ain’t straight.
You better wake up or I’ll gash your gate.
Been in this pot since half past two,
swelling and puffing and almost due.”
“I’ll be ready, I’ll be ready tomorrow night.”
That’s what Beans told Cornbread.
“Always getting mad at me.
I ain’t mad at you.
I’ll be ready tomorrow night.
I’ll be ready, mmmmm.”
Beans grabbed Cornbread by the toe.
“Beans,” said Cornbread, “let me go.”
Cornbread said, “I’ll lay you low.
I’m gonna fight you, you so-and-so.”
“Meet me on the corner.
Meet me on the corner tomorrow night.”
That’s what Beans said to Cornbread.
“You’re so bad, you always wanna fight.
Meet me on the corner tomorrow night,
and I’m gonna beat the hell out’ya.
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
Meet me on the corner tomorrow night.”
Beans hit Cornbread on the head.
Cornbread said, “I’m almost dead.”
Beans told Cornbread, “Get up, man.
You know that we go hand-in-hand.”
“Beans and Cornbread,
Beans and Cornbread, hand-in-hand.”
That’s what Beans said to Cornbread,
“We should stick together hand-in-hand.
We should hang out together like wieners and sauerkraut.
We should stick together like hot dogs and mustard.
We should get up every morning,
and hang out together like sisters and brothers.
[“Yeah!”]
Every Saturday night, we should hang out like chitlins and potato salad.
[“Yeah!”]
Like strawberries and shortcake.
[“Yeah!”]
Like corned beef and cabbage.
[“Yeah!”]
Like liver and onions.
[“Yeah!”]
Like red beans and rice.
[“Yeah!”]
Like bagel and lox.
[“Yeah!”]
Like sour cream and biscuits.
[“Yeah!”]
Like bread and butter.
[“Yeah!”]
Like hot cakes and molasses.”
[“Yeah!”]
Beans told Cornbread,
[“Yeah!”]
“It makes no difference what you think about me,
[“Yeah!”]
but it makes a whole lotta difference what I think about you.
[“Yeah!”]
We should hang out together like hot cakes and molasses.”
[“Yeah!”]
That’s what Beans said to Cornbread.
‘Cause Beans and Cornbread,
they go hand-in-hand.
Here is one of Wynonie’s classics, “I Like My Baby’s Pudding.” (Obviously, Wynonie is not speaking about the actual dessert pudding 😉
Another good example is Alberta Hunter’s “Handy Man”: “”My ice never gets a chance to melt away, ’cause he sees that I get a nice, fresh piece every day.”
And Wynonie’s “Keep On Churning (Til the Butter Comes)”: “..keep on churnin’ til the butter comes, keep on pumpin’, make the butter flow, wipe off the batter and churn some more..”
1961 The Edsels’ “Rama Lama Ding Dong” debuted on the pop charts, rising to #21. It was originally issued thre years earlier but went nowhere.
1965 The Supremes leaped onto the charts with “Back In My Arms Again,” their fifth #1 in a row.
1965 Solomon Burke had his biggest hit when “Got To Get You off My Mind” reached #1 R&B for three weeks and peaking at #22 pop. Originally signed to Apollo Records in 1955, he temporarily retired from music to become a mortician.
1971 Wilson Pickett charted with “Don’t Knock My Love, Part 1,” reaching #1 R&B and #13 pop and becoming his last of five #1s.He had just returned from performing in Ghana, for that country’s independence celebration.
1973 Marvin Gaye performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Earlier in the day, the city declared it Marvin Gaye Day.
1993 Shirley Owens Reeves of the Shirelles received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening of the doo-wop Hall of Fame of America in providence, RI.
1998 The Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Sharon, PA. By October, the hall would induct fourteen groups into the shrine, eight of which were legendary Black acts. (See October 30.)
Ann
