Format Details: Double CD Jewel Case
Release Date: 27 September 2004
Label: Ace Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 2
Barcode: 029667003421
Genres: Rock Rhythm and Blues Soul/R&B R&B
Description
In his home town of Los Angeles, the late Jesse Belvin was - as Etta James recounts in her autobiography, Rage To Survive - the shining light for his generation of singers. He first recorded in 1951 with tenor sax honker Big Jay McNeely, a year later scoring his first chart hit, Dream Girl, as half of the duo Jesse & Marvin. On leave from the army in 1954, he wrote Earth Angel, one of the all-time classic doo wop anthems. A couple of neighbourhood guys claimed co-authorship, and Jesse had to settle in court for a one third writers' share. Jesse had a habit of knocking off a tune in the car on the way to a recording session, and then selling it outright for a few bucks. Not long ago an ancient demo surfaced, giving credence to his claims of having penned So Fine, later a hit by the Fiestas. Goodnight My Love composer George Motola told the story of how he'd written the verses of the song some years earlier, but had never come up with a bridge. When Jesse was in his office one day, saying he was going to cut a session with strings, George played him the tune and, in minutes, Jesse came up with the bridge, offering it to George for $400. Songwriter John Marascalco, lyricist on a number of Little Richard hits (Rip It Up, Ready Teddy, Good Golly Miss Molly) was also in the room. He pulled out his wallet, purchasing Jesse's half of what has become a standard. Goodnight My Love could and should have set Jesse Belvin up for the kind of chart career that an artist of his stature fully deserved. But Jesse's label, Modern, decided to cut back operations not long afterwards, leaving him and almost all of their other acts in the lurch. After a period of hustling a session here and there, Jesse wound up at RCA Victor, a major label with the resources to make him into the next black superstar. After years of struggle, it looked like his time had come. Once at RCA Victor, Belvin hooked up with the label's West Coast A&R man, jazz trumpeter Shorty Rogers, who quickly pulled the singer's coat to the value of protecting his copyrights. Almost immediately Jesse had a hit on RCA, Guess Who, credited to his wife Jo Ann and published by Michele Music, a company jointly owned by Rogers, Belvin and their wives. His business straight, it was now time to start making classy albums, the kind that would make for a long term career playing to grown-ups rather than hit singles, which were fine for booking gigs where he performed for teenyboppers. This package features both of Jesse's RCA albums in their entirety, as well as all the 45s he cut that did not make it on either album. Its release marks the first time that all of Jesse's RCA recordings have been collected together in one package, and we're very glad to have it in Ace's catalogue alongside our earlier volume of Jesse's Modern sides "Goodnight My Love" (CDCHD 336). Both RCA albums feature predominantly pop, jazz and easy listening standards, and most of his singles also leaned heavily in those directions.
Tracklisting
Young Jessie
Wynonie Harris
Willie Hightower
Willie Headen
Wayne Cochran
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Walter Horton
Jesse Belvin
