BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY
One of the first and most successful artists to make the transition from jazz to rock, Joe Morris became a cornerstone of Atlantic Records during their first half dozen years in operation, helping to give the fledging label artistic credibility as well as commercial solvency.
Morris was the middle child of musical siblings, his brothers playing guitar and saxophone respectively for some quality jazz outfits. Joe began in jazz himself, the most successful of all the Morris brothers in that field no less, as trumpeter in Lionel Hampton’s band. But upon being coaxed to leave by Hamp’s sax player, Johnny Griffin, to start their own group, Morris laid down both jazz and rock styled songs and when it was the rockers that made the most noise out of the gate his course was set.
His original band featuring Griffin, who became one of the defining early rock saxophonists before eventually returning to the jazz field where his heart truly was, and guitarist George Freeman, another whose groundbreaking rock work quickly gave way to his desire to play jazz, was one of the tightest of the day. Though only together for two years their sides helped shape the course of rock instrumentals going forward.
Morris was a somewhat reluctant – though reasonably effective – vocalist but upon the turnover in his outfit he decided to follow the lead of Johnny Otis, who’d put together a large versatile ensemble with different singers to tour as a self-contained multi-act revue, and to that end Morris hired Billy Mitchell and Laurie Tate as singers as well as backing them in the studio. It was with Tate on lead that he scored his first chart topper in 1950 but when Tate left to start a family in 1951 Morris brought in Faye Scruggs, soon to be re-named Faye Adams, with whom he scored his biggest hits upon leaving Atlantic Records for Herald, three Number Ones over a two year span.
His male vocalist at this time was Al Savage who Morris scored a Top Three hit with at the same time and the Joe Morris Cavalcade was sitting pretty at the top of the field mid-decade. But defections and disputes after the hits started rolling in curtailed Morris’s momentum and following a return to Atlantic Records he was felled by a cerebral hemorrhage in 1958 at just 36 years old.
JOE MORRIS DISCOGRAPHY (Reviews To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):
LOWE GROOVIN’
(Atlantic 855; March, 1948)
Solid but not altogether exciting groove oriented instrumental which is notable largely for being the first commercial success in Atlantic Records’ long glorious history, giving them the artistic credibility to get them off the ground. (5)
BOOGIE WOOGIE JOE
(Manor 1128; April, 1948)
Otherwise standard fare set apart by George Freeman’s scintillating guitar-work, the first truly unhinged playing of its kind in rock, sounding as if it were dropped in from outer space… positively ahead of its time. (7)
THE SPIDER
(Atlantic 859; August, 1948)
An almost schizophrenic record that begins hinting strongly at jazz before exploding into a scalding obscene sounding rocker, casting the dye for the rest of Joe Morris’s career – jazz was out, rock was in. (7)
THE APPLEJACK
(Atlantic 866; October, 1948)
Clearly aiming at the growing instrumental sweepstakes in rock, this one falls a bit short aesthetically thanks to focusing too much on the baritone sax of its writer, Bill McLemore, rather than the more explosive tenor of Johnny Griffin. (4)
WEASEL WALK
(Atlantic 870; February, 1949)
Rousing rock instrumental featuring Johnny Griffin increasingly wailing on the sax as it goes along, there’s a few rough patches and it may be too well thought out, but it’s effective all the same. (6)
DRINKIN’ WINE SPO-DEE-O-DEE
(King 4292; May, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wynonie Harris.
SHE JUST WON’T SELL NO MORE
(King 4292; May, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wynonie Harris.
BEANS AND CORNBREAD
(Atlantic 878; June, 1949)
By emphasizing the brutally rhythmic aspects of this song Morris changes the implications from humorous novelty to aggressive rocker, distancing himself and rock music as a whole even further from the past as embodied by Louis Jordan’s version of this same cut. (7)
ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS ROCK
(King 4304; August, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wynonie Harris.
I WANT MY FANNY BROWN
(King 4304; August, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wynonie Harris.
CHUCK-A-BOOGIE
(Atlantic 885; October, 1949)
An odd release in that it was too jazzy for rock success yet too rockin’ for jazz acceptance, the contrasting aesthetics don’t exactly clash with one another, but it also doesn’t
distinguish itself in either realm. (3)
PORTIA’S BOOGIE
(Decca 48123; November, 1949)
A return to the major label where Morris and Johnny Griffin had recorded under Lionel Hampton finds them toning down their recent style to adhere to the company’s prevailing musical mindset with predictably indifferent results. (3)
LOWDOWN BABY
(Decca 48126; December, 1949)
Morris gives his trumpet playing its longest showcase to date in rock but it could use more saxophone to off-set it and though the storyline is decent it needs a resolution. Not a bad effort but nothing stands out about it either. (4)
BROKEN HEARTED BLUES
(Decca 48126; December, 1949)
A slight improvement on the more rural sounding original by Eddie Williams & His Brown Buddies, a rising hit that was the impetus for Decca wanting Morris to cover this, but though his more uptown style is more in line with rock, it’s hardly cutting edge. (4)
JAX BOOGIE
(Atlantic 892; January, 1950)
A leftover track cut back in late 1948 isn’t any worse off for the delay in its release, providing a solid democratic ensemble piece with good work by the horns playing in unison, solid piano and drumming which will keep you moving reasonably well. (5)
WIG HEAD MAMA BLUES
(Decca 48135; February, 1950)
A loud, but unexciting, uninteresting and unwelcome intrusion into Joe’s rock portfolio which has taken a huge loss since his arrival at Decca Records, with this an example of them both missing the target badly if they want to keep that market satisfied. (2)
ANYTIME, ANY PLACE, ANYWHERE
(Atlantic 914; August, 1950)
Despite moments where Morris and company are leaning backwards in the arrangement, the strong lyrics and melody and Laurie Tate’s dominant presence on vocals pulls them along and gives this enough muscle to justify its position as a #1 hit. (7)
COME BACK DADDY, DADDY
(Atlantic 914; August, 1950)
A well thought-out arrangement that keeps everything in balance, from the distribution of solos to the urgency with which they’re played, as well as their relationship to Tate’s emphatic vocals, making this a compact and powerful record that’s the equal of the #1 hit on the other side. (7)
DON’T TAKE YOUR LOVE AWAY FROM ME
(Atlantic 923; January, 1951)
A smart subdued arrangement with alternating guitar and horns keeps Laurie Tate’s vocal excesses in check on its way to becoming a huge hit and fulfilling Morris’s well-laid plans for re-establishing his credentials as a rocker. (7)
YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!
(Atlantic 931; February, 1951)
In their haste to get out a cover of a rising pop song Joe Morris didn’t have time or inspiration to re-arrange it for his own stylistic purposes so other than a fiery sax solo thrown in the middle this is just warmed over Louis Prima without the personality to go with it. (4)
JUMP EVERYBODY JUMP
(Atlantic 931; February, 1951)
A visceral and celebratory party anthem that was tightly worked out for maximum impact yet still appears to be a loose jam session wherein Morris is shouting almost incoherently while he and the others in the band are riffing to the point of losing their minds. (8)
PACK UP ALL YOUR RAGS
(Atlantic 933; March, 1951)
The debut of Billy Mitchell as Morris’s male vocalist winds up sounding a lot more like Larry Darnell, which was surely intentional since the idea for the song itself was taken from a Darnell cut from a year ago, as such it’s not too memorable though fairly well executed. (4)
MIDNIGHT GRINDER
(Atlantic 940; May, 1951)
Though at times it threatens to get bogged down in more standard old school mentalities, the primary guitar riff – surely a guesting Jimmy “Baby Face” Lewis – and tenor sax that rides shotgun make this as tough as any instrumental of recent vintage. (8)
LOVE FEVER BLUES
(Atlantic 940; May, 1951)
This time a credited Jimmy “Baby Face” Lewis, who both wrote and sings this, adds some despondent desire for a woman that is competent but hardly compelling as the mood is hardly anything listeners would find all that appealing. (4)
I HOPE YOU’RE SATISFIED
(Atlantic 942; June, 1951)
A mixed bag as this is a decent composition with some great guitar work and Laurie Tate invests herself in the vocals, but sometimes goes overboard in that department while Morris’s trumpet lead the other horns into a jazzier terrain than is generally recommended. (5)
YOU’RE MY DARLING
(Atlantic 942; June, 1951)
A somewhat promising song is done in largely by Morris’s uninspired arrangement as the 40’s styled horn charts add nothing of value leaving it up to a discreet piano/guitar combo to support Tate who is very good at times but can’t go it alone. (5)
If I HAD KNOWN
(Atlantic 950; November, 1951)
A competent if unexceptional tandem duet between Billy Mitchell and Teddy Smith which does nothing wrong thanks to a relatable story, decent melody and good singing, but also does nothing much to stand out and set itself apart. (6)
VERNA LEE
(Atlantic 950; November, 1951)
An uninspired pastiche of a Johnny Otis styled track suffers from the lack of originality along with the outdated components, a tired story and the fact Billy Mitchell can’t duplicate Mel Walker’s appeal on slower material. (3)
LET’S HAVE A BALL TONIGHT
(Atlantic 954; January, 1952)
A record that is all about atmosphere as Morris replicates an authentic sounding party where the conversation – some sung, some spoken – mixes with eclectic musical snippets to create a vibrant scene, a first of its kind in rock. (7)
SOMEDAY YOU’LL BE SORRY
(Atlantic 954; January, 1952)
Despite a really good humid sort of musical ambiance created by the band on a top notch arrangement, vocalist Billy Mitchell almost completely steals the show with a deep nuanced performance revealing a subtle but impactful emotional shift. (7)
ROCK ME DADDY
(Atlantic 965; April, 1952)
A nearly two year old track can’t help but sound slightly outdated thanks to Morris’s arrangement which is both too tame and utilizing the wrong instruments to put across what is a really good racy story by Tate whose screechy vocals are another obstacle to contend with. (6)
CAN’T STOP MY CRYING
(Atlantic 965; April, 1952)
This one was cut a few months later but still in 1950 and features a better Tate vocal and an improved arrangement with nice guitar and sax, but while well told the story itself isn’t quite as alluring which evens things out a bit even if this is the slightly better side overall. (6)
GHOST TRAIN
(Atlantic 974; July, 1952)
A haunting instrumental making effective use of Morris’s trumpet, plus a creeping piano and a languid saxophone to create a slightly morbid ambiance in this late night mood piece that’s hardly a very commercial tune but worth hearing all the same. (7)
BALD HEAD WOMAN
(Atlantic 974; July, 1952)
An older formula, somewhat generic in nature but durable, is recycled here to reasonably good effect framing a semi-humorous story with a nice delivery by Billy Mitchell, and while it doesn’t offer anything cutting edge, it’s not so out of date to spoil the mood. (5)
