Number Ones

Performer: Louis Jordan
Producer: Milt Gabler; Andy McKaie (Compilation)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Louis Jordan (vocals, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Eddie Roane (vocals, trumpet); Aaron Izenhall (vocals); Freddie Simon (tenor saxophone); William Austin, Arnold Thomas (piano); Dallas Bartley, Jessie Simpkins (bass instrument); Joe Morris , Walter Martin, Alex Mitchell , Rossiere Wilson, Wilmore Jones (drums). Liner Note Author: Gene Sculatti. A hugely popular performer in the 1940s, vocalist/saxophonist Louis Jordan won over World War II-era audiences with his swinging jump-blues style, which proved to be a direct link between '30s jazz and '50s rock & roll. True to its title, #1S includes the 18 songs that Jordan took to Number One on the Billboard R&B charts during his stint with Decca Records. This chronologically ordered collection begins with 1942's silly and appropriately swaying "What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)." Also featured are Jordan hits that crossed over into the pop charts, including his rollicking take on Johnny Mercer's "G.I. Jive" (Number One on both pop and R&B charts) and the proto-rock tune "Caldonia," which hinted at what was to come in the following decade from Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Throughout the compilation, Jordan's fun-loving persona is at the fore, with his smooth, deft vocals and always-grooving sax lines revealing the reasons behind his remarkably wide appeal. (Leave it to Jordan to have a hit with "Stone Cold Dead in the Market," a bizarrely catchy tale of murder that also featured Ella Fitzgerald on vocals.) For an excellent introduction to Jordan's peak years, #1S can't be beat.

The most successful and influential purveyor of saxophone-driven jump blues, Louis Jordan was also one of the crucial transitional figures between the swing era and R&B. Although he started out mainly as a saxophonist with bandleaders such as Bessie Smith, Chick Webb, and Louis Armstrong, he found a niche singing blues and novelty tunes. After a string of hits throughout the 1940s, Jordan eventually found himself outpaced by the very rock & roll he had helped inspire.

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