January 6
Amos Milburn
backed by the Paul Williams Band starts on a tour of the South with their first one-stop
in Columbia, Georgia
Sarah Vaughn and the Four Aces share the stage for two weeks at the Chicago Theater.
Early January
Little Richard is
playing his hometown of Macon, Georgia, with his new combo, the Upsetters.
The Fats Domino- Clovers tour heads west to California for the next two weeks.
Little Junior
Parker, formerly with Sun Records, signs with Peacock Records. His future releases will be
on Peacocks' Memphis subsidiary, Duke Records.
Also signing with Duke
is Lester Williams, formerly with Specialty.
Tommy Sands and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, are in New York while Sands cuts some sides for RCA Victor.\January 8
Johnny Otis brings his revue to the 5-4 Ballroom in Los Angeles for three days.
Faye Adams and Al Savage, fronting the Joe Morris Orchestra, open at the Apollo Theater in New York.
January 15
The Orioles
headline the revue at New York's' Apollo Theater. Also on the bill is Leslie Uggams and
Sonny Stitt's Combo.
Joe Morris, Faye Adams and Al Savage start a our of the South.
The Howard Theater in Philadelphia hosts Ella Fitzgerald along with Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters.
Roy Brown opens for a three-day weekend at Los Angeles' 5-4 Ballroom.
Sugar Ray Robinson starts a week at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater,
RCA Victor announces the formation of a new subsidiary, Groove Records, which will handle all the company's rhythm and blues artists.
Savoy Records signs Eddie Bateman, Napoleon and the Four Hearts.
January 19
The Buddy Johnson
Orchestra closes at the Savoy Ballroom in New York. They are off on a five-week tour of
Texas and the South.
January 21
Fats Domino returns to
the East Coast for an engagement at the Showboat in Philadelphia.
January 22
Clyde McPhatter and the
Drifters open at the Royal Theater in Baltimore for a week.
Ruth Brown and the Four Tunes begin a week's engagement fronting the Sonny Stitt Combo at the Howard Theater in Washington.
Dinah Washington with the Willis Jackson's band start a week;s engagement at the Apollo Theater in New York.
The Wanders open at Detroit's Flame Show Bar for a two-week layover. Also on the bill through the 30th is Baby Washington.
Charles Brown performs for three days at the 5-4 Ballroom in Los Angeles.
January 23
Peacock/Duke records
moves into its new recording studios, office and pressing plant in Houston, Texas. The
company estimates it sold 1.5 million
records in 1953, with Willie
Mae Thornton and Johnny Ace leading the company's talent roster.
January 24
Mabel Scott and
Joe Houston entertain Los Angeles at the Elks Ballroom for the evening.
Guitar Slim stops for the evening at the San Jacinto Club in New Orleans before embarking on a nationwide tour with Charles Brown.
January 29
The Four Tunes are
booked for a three-day engagement at the Twin Coaches Club in Pittsburgh.
In Washington, Dinah Washington and the Swallows share the spotlight at the Howard Theater.
Arthur Prysock starts ten days at Chic's Showbar in Detroit.
In Los Angeles,
Sarah Vaughn is on the stage or a record breaking two-week engagement at the Tiffany Club
in Los Angeles, Floyd Dixon and T-Bone
Walker perform for a
three-day weekend at the 5-4 Ballroom across town, Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers start
three days at Club Alimony.
The Orioles are heading Pep's Musical Bar in Philadelphia. with Brown and the Clovers take over Uptown Theater in Philadelphia for a week.
The Ravens and Al Hibbler share the bill for a week at the Apollo theater in New York.
January 31
Fats Domino
starts fifteen straight on-nighters along the Eastern Seaboard/
Late January
Dick Smith, the
lead singer of the Five Keys, signs with Bruce Records.
Decca Records reaches and agreement with Recorded in Hollywood Records whereby Decca will release a portion of Hollywood's future output.
Willie Mae
Thornton, Johnny Ace and Little Junior Parker are currently touring Alabama and
Georgia.\Bill Doggett signs to play a total of fifteen weeks at
Philadelphia's
Bill and Lee Club during 1954.
Billy Ward and His Dominoes are welcomed by the Colorado Contractor's Convention.
February 1
The
Four Tunes start a week at the Crown Propeller Club in Chicago.
The Joe Morris Orchestra, Faye Adams, Al Savage and the Orioles hit the road for two weeks though Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
February 5
Gatemouth
Brown entertains for two weeks at the New Era Club in Nashville.
B.B. King starts a three-day run at the 5-4 Ballroom
Ruth Brown headlines at the Apollo Theater for a week.
Guitar Slim appears at the Shrewsbury High School Gym near New Orleans.
February 7
Pee
Wee Crayton and Joe Liggins play for the Sunday night dance at the Elks Ballroom.
Early February
Gladys "Glad Rags" Patrick currently is playing the Flame Show Bar
Varetta Dillard is set for the Royal Peacock in Atlanta.
Derby Records announces its new subsidiary, Central Records, Willie issue several sides by Bette McLaurin.
February 8
The
Four Tunes appear at the Yankee Inn in Akron, Ohio for a week
The Howard Theater in Washington hosts Duke Ellington and the Flamingos for a week.
Jimmy "Mister 5 By 5" Rushing starts a ten-day engagement at Chic's in Detroit.
Joe Houston with Christine Kittrell open foe a weekend at the 5-4 Ballroom in Los Angeles.
Lionel Hampton Combo headlines the revue this week at New York's Apollo Theater.
The Uptown Theater in Philadelphia presents the Joe Morris Cavalcade starting Faye Adams and Al Savage.
February 13
Roy
Brown plays a one night stand at the Oro Ballroom in Los Angeles.
The music press reports that "Gee" by the Crows is a major rhythm and blues hit
in Los Angeles area. Sales of the record in southern California have
topped
50,000 as deejays at the pop radio stations start plugging the disk. The record was first
issued in June, 1953.
February 15
The
Four Tunes start a month-long engagement at the Cafe Society in New York.
Mid-February
Following their recent tour of the South, the Orioles start a tour of the Midwest.
Savoy signs Luther Boyd and the Emeralds and blues singer Little Eddie.
The B.B. King package tour has wound its way from the South through New Mexico and is currently playing dates in the Los Angeles area.
February 16
Following two weeks of one-nighters, Fats Dominio opens at the Celebrity Club in
Providence, Rhode Island.
February 19
Lionel Hampton brings his revue to the Howard Theater in Washington.
Roy Brown plays the first of three nights at the 5-4 Ballroom.
Dinah Washington, the Checkers and Eddie "Cleanhead "Vinson entertain this week at Chicago's Regal Theater.
The Flamingos appear with the Duke Ellington Band at the Apollo Theater this week.
February 20
Ray
Hamilton is scheduled to perform at a small club in Longbranch, New Jersey that seats five
hundred. Over two thousand show up, attesting to the
local
popularity of this new artist. One account puts the figure at eight thousand.
A
group of deejays on the Eastern Seaboard announces that they are forming a club in which
all members will be asked to refrain from playing records
that
advocate sex and drinking or holds Blacks up to ridicule. The club, which became the
Metropolitan Disk Jockey Club, is formerly inaugurated on
May
1.
February 1
Billy
Eckstine headlines a one-nighter tour with Ruth Brown, the Clovers and Johnny Hodges'
Combo. The tour will last two months and cover the South
and
Midwest.
Marvin Phillips, Mel Walker, Linda Hayes, the Flairs and Lamplighters entertain at the Elks Ballroom.
February 23
Ruth Brown,
Billy Eckstine, the Clovers and Johnny Hodges are at the Shrine Mosque in Pittsburgh. They
are on a tour that will cover the Northeast down
through the
South for a month.
February 26
Sonny
Thompson's Orchestra with Lulu Reed and the "5" Royales make a stopover at the
Howard Theater for a week.
Bette McLaurin starts a ten day stint at Chic's in Detroit.
In
Los Angeles, Al Hibbler opens a two week engagement at the Tiffany Club. Also in town at
the Club Oasis, Roy Brown Plays a one-nighter and B.B.
King
starts a three-day engagement at the 5-4 Ballroom.
The Apollo Theater presents a full bill for this week's entertainment: chuck Willis, Sherman "Scatman" Crothers and the Tiny Bradshaw Orchestra.
February 28
Clyde
McPhatter fronts the Gene Ammons Band at the New Orleans' Coliseum.
Late February
Junior Parker is touring the South with the Bill Johnson Combo.
B.B. King continues his tour of California.
Joe Turner is featured in Ebony magazine write-up.
March 2
Clyde McPhatter frustrated by the
number of cover versions of Such a Night issues a press release making it known that he
will sue any artist that copies the
musical style or arrangement that
he devised for the Drifters' original recording.
March 5
Dinah Washington starts a
one-week layover at the Broadway Capitol Theater in Detroit with Eddie Vinson and Cootie
Williams Orchestra.
Ray Charles and Joe Liggins entertain the patrons for three days at the 5-4 Ballroom.
Johnny Otis Revue featuring Marie Adams is the house guest at the Apollo Theater for a week.
Billy Ward and His Dominoes begin their record breaking engagement at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia.
Early March
Savoy Records announces the
signing of the Hamilton Sisters and Dave Dixon and Chance Records inks country blues
singer Lazy Bill.
Johnny Ace and Willie Mae Thornton are currently at Pep's Musical Lounge in Philadelphia.
March 10
The Ray-O-Vacs start four
days at Harris' Tavern in Philadelphia
March 11
Chic's Club in Detroit
headlines Jimmy Witherspoon for a week.
March 12
This week, the Howard Theater
in Washington, hosts Illinois Jacquet, Ray Hamilton and Mabel Scott.
Floyd Dixon starts a three day weekend at the 5-4 Ballroom
March 13
WXYZ radio in Detroit bans
all three versions of Such a Night by Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, Johnnie Ray and
Bunnie Paul.
March 14
Willie Mae Thornton and Johny
Otis are off on a series of one-night stands through Ohio and Michigan.
Billy Eckstine, Ruth Brown, the Clovers and the Johnny Hodges' Orchestra travel to the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans.
March 15
The Four Tunes begin a
week-long engagement at Chubby's Club in Collingwood, New Jersey.
Louis Jordan opens for a week at the Casino Royal in Washington.
John Greer starts three days at the Harris Tavern in Philadelphia. He returns on the 23rd for a three-day weekend.
Mid-March
Faye Adams, the Orioles and the Joe
Morris Band bring in $4,000 on a one-nighter in Charleston, South Carolina as they wrap up
their tour of the South
which began February 1st.
The Wanders with Tiny Grime's
Combo are touring through Ohio until the end of the month. Other artists on the road
include Little Junior Parker, currently
touring the Southeast an
Guitar Slim, currently booked on a on-nighter circuit through June.
March 19
The Apollo Theater presents
the Harptones and Mabel Scott for the week.
Gladys "Glad Rags" Patrick opens for a week at the Sportsman's Club in Pittsburgh.
The Ravens and Mantan Moreland play the Howard Theater this week.
Savannah Churchill and Della Reese start a two week run at the Flame Show Bar,
The Orioles make their West Coat Debut with a two-day stay at the 5-4 Ballroom.
March 20
In a report published in the
music trade papers, it is reported that the nation's current high unemployment is
drastically affecting the rhythm and blues record
market, with record
sales in areas with high unemployment among Blacks, such as Detroit, running as much as
fifty percent behind last year's figures.
March 21
Fats Domino, just completing
a tour of the South. heads for the West Coast for another long tour, which is booked
solidly into late July.
March 22
In Philadelphia, Louis Jordan
is this week's entertainment at the Rendezvous Club. Pep's Musical Bar hosts Bullmoose
Jackson for a week, the Four Tunes
open for a week ant the
Showboat and Roy Hamilton begins and engagement at Emerson's Club.
March 23
The Orioles start three weeks
at the Down Beat Club in San Francisco (through April 14)
March 26
The 5-4 Ballroom in Los
Angeles hosts the Earl Bostic Combo for three days while on the other side of town, the
Treniers start a ten-day engagement at the
Club Oasis.
In New York, Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters and Lucky Millender's Orchestra are at the Apollo Theater this week
March 28
T-Bone Walker and Tommy
Ridgely headline at the Owl's Club in Shrewsbury, Louisiana.
Guitar Slim returns to the New Orleans area to play the Sugar Bowl Club in Thibodaux.
March 30
Earl Bostic starts a two-week
booking at the Blackhawk Club in San Francisco.
Late March
LaVern Baker returns from a
seven month tour of Europe that began in August, 1953. During her stay in Milan she became
a Countess, after being legally
adopted by an Italian
nobleman.
April 1
Charles Brown, Amos Miburn, Margie Day and the
Paul Williams Orchestra embark on a three-week tour of Louisiana, including Lake Charles
and
New Iberia, Texas and Oklahoma including
Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Lynn Hope starts a tour through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia.
April 2
Gladys "Glad Rags" Patrick opens at
the New Era Club in Nashville.
Red Prysock joins the Four Tunes on the stage of the Apollo Theater in New York.
Arthur Prysock holds court in Detroit at Chic's Club. Roy Milton starts three days at the 5-4 Ballroom.
Early April
The Royals, the Federal recording
artists, are changing their name to the Midnighters so not to be confused with the
"5" Royals, Apollo artists who are
currently being wooed by King Records,
the parent company of Federal/
Atlantic Records inaugurates a new
label, Cat Records. The first release on the label will be by Mike Gordon and the El
Tempos, Sylvia Vanderpool, formerly
Little Sylvia on Jubilee, Jimmy
Lewis, formerly on RCA Victor and the Chords. Records should be shipped by the end of the
month. Don Robey of
Duke/Peacock Records ships copies of
"out On a Party" and Little Junior Parkers' "Can't Understand. to Paris
following a request from a French Jukebox
operator, indicating a growing awareness
of American R&B in Europe. Meanwhile, the top stars of Duke/Peacock, Johnny Ace
and Willie Mae Thornton,
are currently playing one-nighters in New
England.
James Wayne, formerly with Imperial, signs with Atlantic Records.
April 9
Jimmy McCracklin and the Flairs share the stage
for three-days at the 5-4 Ballroom.
The Four Tunes open for a week at the New Trinidad Club in Washington.
The Harptones are welcomed for a week at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia.
Mid-April
Earl Bostic continues to be a hot
attraction on the West Coast where he has broken through as a "pop" artist on
his dance club bookings.
The new Ink Spots with Charlie Fuqua are currently in the seventeen-tour of their tour of the Far East.
Percy Mayfield continues to tour the West.
Buckley's Record Shop in
Nashville the eighth anniversary of its sponsorship of a one-hour show on WLAC radio.
Other major sponsors on WLAC are
Randy's Record Store in Gallatin,
Tennessee, owned by Randy Wood, founder of Dot Records and Ernie's Record Store in
Nashville owned by Ernie Young
of Nashboro/Excello Records.
Atlantic Records signs George "Mr. Blues" Jackson from New Orleans.
Roy Brown is currently on
a string of one-nighters through the West following an engagement at Bill and Lou's in
Philadelphia. Also turning the West Coast at
this time is the Johnny Otis
Revue.
Lulu Reed with Johnny Thompson's Orchestra continue to tour the East and Midwest.
The Tiny Bradshaw Orchestra sets off on a tour of one-nighters in the Pacific Northwest.
Fortune Records announce the signing of Nolan Strong and the Diablos.
April 16
Sarah Vaughn travels to the Howard
Theater for a week.
Roy Hamilton starts a week at the Flame Show Bar with Della Reese, who is a regular entertainer at the club.
Jimmy Liggins plays a three-day weekend at the 5-4 Ballroom.
The Four Tunes are booked for a month-long engagement in Toronto.
The Regal Theater in Chicago presents Sugar Ray Robinson, Ruth Brown and Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters for a week.
Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five entertain patrons this week at the Apollo Theater.
April 17
Cleveland deejay Bill Randle is injured in an
auto accident. This sidetracks his plans to start a new rock 'n' roll program in Chicago,
for which would commute
between Cleveland and Chicago on a daily
basis.
Billy Wright entertains at the Dew Drop Inn indefinitely.
April 18
Johnny Otis brings his revue to the Elks
Ballroom in Los Angeles.
April 19
The Harptones play the Convention Hall in
Asbury, New Jersey.
Tiny Bradshaw, Wynonie Harris, Big Maybelle and Bullmoose Jackson's Orchestra entertain this evening at the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit.
Red Prysock starts at Celebrity Club in Philadelphia.
April 21
The "5" Royales with Tab Smith's
Combo take off on a series of one-nihjters that will last through June 19th.
April 23
Johnny Ace, Willie Mae Thornton and Hal
"Cornbread" Singer's band share the spotlight for a week at the Apollo Theater.
In Washington, Louis Jordan begins a week engagement at the Howard Theater.
Al Hibbler is at Chic's in Detroit for a
ten-day-layover. Across town, Sugar Ray Robinson, Ruth Brown and Clyde McPhatter and the
Drifters headline a
week's engagement at the Broadway Capitol Theater.
Johnny Otis and his combo are the weekend entertainment at Los Angeles' 5-4 Ballroom. Also in town, the Treniers open at the Club Oasis.
In Chicago, Billy Ward and His Dominoes are welcomed at the Regal Theater for a week.
April 24
In a front page headline article in
Billboard titled "Teenagers Demand Music With A Beat, Spur Rhytmn and Blues" it
is reported that the record industry sold
sold a total fifteen million r&b
singles in 1953. There are 700 deejays programming rhythm and blues music across the
country and seventy-five companies
releasing over a thousand rhythm and
blues disks each year. I a related article, the power of the independent company in the
r&b field is detailed; in the past
five years of the top fifty R&B
records, forty-six were released by small companies.
April 27
The Five Keys play a date at the Odd Fellows
Hall in Wilmington. Delaware.
April 29
Roy Milton is booked into the Royal Ballroom in
Los Angeles.
April 30
This week find Billy Ward and His Dominoes with
Pigmeat Markham at the Howard Theater in Washington.
T-Bone Walker entertains as the Flame Show Bar in Detroit for the next two weeks.
The 5-4 Ballroom welcomes Red Callender and Jimmy Huff to Los Angeles for three days.
The Apollo Theater presents Sarah Vaughn for a week.
Late April
Little Richard has joined Junior Parker's tour
of the South
May 1
Alan Freed hosts his first dance outside of
Ohio,
The Coronation Ball at the Sussex Armory in
Newark, New Jersey, features the Clovers, Charles Brown, the Harptones, Sam Butera. Muddy
Waters,
Buddy Johnson's Orchestra with Ella Johnson.
Nolan Lewis and Arnett Cobb. Over 10,000 people attend the show. Freed is the deejay at
WJW in Cleveland
and is heard via tape delay over WNJR in
Newark.
May 2
Earl Bostic stops for the evening to entertain
at the Elks Ballroom in Los Angeles.
May 3
The Four Tunes begin a month-long engagement at
the Brown Derby in Toronto.
The Romaines are booked for two weeks at Chubby's in West Collingwood, New Jersey.
Red Prysock starts an engagement at Weeke's Cocktail Lounge in Atlantic City, New Jersey following a week layover at Enerson's Club in Philadelphia.
May 7
Johnny Ace, Willie Mae Thornton and the
Harptones are at the Howard Theater for a week.
Clyde McPhatter receives his notice to report for
active duty with the U.S. Army. During his absence the Drifters will continue to record
and perform
without him. With the exception of a short
June recording session, this marks the end of McPatter's association with the group. David
Baughn and Johnny
Moore will take over the lead tenor duties
until the original group disbands in 1957.
The Robins start a week at the Club Oasis in Los Angeles. Across town, Joe Turner plays the first three days at the 5-4 Club.
Early May
Jubilee Records signs Bette McLaurin, formerly
with Coral. Also signed to Jubilee is Gloria Mann, who recorded for SLS and whose cover
of "Goodnite
Sweethart Goodnite" is due out this week.
On the one-nighter circuits in May,
Amos Milburn is in California for most of the month, Little Junior Parker is booked for
two months on a tour of the
Midwest, while Gatemouth Brown is
currently in Texas.
Joe "Buddy" Baker, former
lead singer with the Clovers, returns to the group following his release from the U.S.
Army. The group will become a five-man unit
as Billy Mitchell, who replaced Bailey,
will remain.
George "Hound Dog" Lorenz increases his r&b show from six to fourteen hours a week. He is heard on WJJL in Niagara Falls, New York.
Savoy Records signs Nappy Brown, of
Charlotte, North Carolina, former lead singer with the Selah Jubilee Singers. Also new to
the label are the Hot Shots,
who have backed several singers on
demo records and the Dreams a teenage group from Philadelphia.
May 8
The Bihari brothers announce the
expansion of their recording facilities in Culver City in the Loa Angeles area. The new
offices will house Saul's Modern and
RPM Records, Joe Bihari's Flair
Records and Jules Hahari's Crown Records and Cadet Pressing Company.
May 10
Danny Oberbea begins a week's engagement at the
Ebony Club in Cleveland.
Chuck Willis stars at Emerson's in Philadelphia. Also in town, at Pep's Musical Bar, Sarah Vaughn and Don Gardner open for a week.
May 13
Johnny Otis starts a four-day layover
at the Los Angeles Club Alimony. Otis is now a regular deejay on KFOX in Los Angeles with
a daily, except for
a Sunday, rhythm and blues show from 7:00
to 8:00 P.M.
May 14
The Spiders and Guitar Slim front the Charlie
Barnett Orchestra at the Apollo Theater.
The Harptones play at the Royal Theater in Baltimore this week.
The "5" Royales and Tab Smith take off on a one-nighter tour through Texas.
Hadda Brooks and LaVern Baker start a two week layover at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit.
Amos Miburn starts a three-day stay at the 5-4 Ballroom.
Mid-May
Paul Williams, formerly with Capitol Records,
signs with Groove Records. Also signing recently with Groove are Big Red McHousun, Larry
Dale and Sam
"Highpockets" Henderson. Other recent
record company acquisitions include Delores Gibson with Aladdin and Four Bells with Gem.
Percy Mayfield is currently on Tour of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
May 17
Louis Jordan is booked into Pep's Musical
Lounge.
Dinah Washington starts a week at Club 86 in Geneva, New Work.
The Orioles, the Clovers and the Midnighters play a one-night stand at the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit.
May 21
Roy Milton starts three evenings at the 5-4
Ballroom.
Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra featuring Ella Johnson headline the revue at the Apollo this week. Also appearing are the counts and Nolan Lewis.
May 22
The Tiny Bradshaw Orchestra plays a dance at
the Virginia Military Institute,'The Five Keys do a on-nighter at the Elks Club in
Alexandria, Virginia.
The Palace Theater in New Orleans presents the Midnighters for ticket holders tonight.
May 23
Charles Brown plays the Forest Hotel in
Norwalk, Connecticut.
May 24
Dinah Washington holds court at Pep's Musical
Lounge this week.
Tiny Bradshaw brings his orchestra to the Loop Lounge in Cleveland this week.
May 28
B.B. King and Earl Forest make their New York
debut at the Apollo Theater this week backed by Lucky Millender's Combo.
Amos Milburn starts a tour of the Pacific
Northwest with a show at the Amor Ballroom in Spokane. Other shows on the tour include the
Eagle Auditorium
in Seattle (29th), the Evergreen
Ballroom in Olympia (30th) McElroy Ballroom in Portland (31st).
Buddy Johnson and sister Ella and the Counts start a week's engagement at the Howard Theater in Washington.
In Detroit, Bill Doggett lays over for a one-week engagement at the Crystal Lounge, while Tommy Edwards opens for two weeks at the Flame Show Bar.
In Los Angeles, Sugar Ray Robinson opens for ten-day run at the Club Oasis. Also in town, at the 5-4 Ballroom, Chuck Higgins starts a three-day stint.
The Trianon Ballroom in Chicago admits Blacks for the first time, Featured entertainment includes the Count Basie Orchestra.
May 29
Floyd Dixon plays the CIO Hall in Flint,
Michigan.
May 31
The Clovers open at Emerson's Club in
Philadelphia.
Floyd Dixon is in Taunton, Massachusetts for a one-night stand.
Count Basie and Percy Mayfield stop for an
evening at Detroit's Graystone Ballroom. Mayfield is just coming off a tour through Texas,
Oklahoma and
Arkansas.
June 1
Ruth Brown goes out on eight-week tour of
California.
June 4
The Orioles, fronting the Erskine Hawkins
Combo, headline the show at the Apollo Theater this week.
The grand opening of Los Angeles' Savoy
Ballroom features entertainment by Earl Bostic. Also in town, Ruth Brown and Johnny
Moore's Three Blazers
at the 5-4 Ballroom for a three-day
weekend engagement.
In New Orleans, Tommy Ridgely opens a weekend stand at the Dew Drop Inn.
June 6
Johnny Otis takes his statge show to the
Lincoln Theater in Los Angeles for the evening. Across town, Sugar Ray Robinson is
entertaining at the Club Oasis.
Early June
Atlantic Records, following the immediate
and overwhelming success of "Sh-Boom" by the Chords on its subsidiary, Cat
records, is removing the B-Side
"Cross Over the Bridge," which
originally had been intended to be the A-Side. The new B-side will be "Little
Maiden" "Cross Over the Bridge" will be held
for a future release, since the
company still believes it will be a hit. In a related story, a cover version of
"Sh-Boom" by the Crewcuts is issued this week on
Mercury.
The Du Droppers are booked for an eight-week engagement at Lau Lee Chaai's Club in Honolulu.
The squabble between Billy
Ward and the Associated Booking Corporation is still not settled. Ward claims that he and
the Dominoes will no longer honor
ABC bookings; the agency says
otherwise. In frustration, Ward breaks off his contract with the company. In other news
concerning the Dominoes, it is
reported that Ward is
shopping for a new recording company.
King Records, which releases the
Dominoes on its subsidiary Federal was well as the parent, reports that the group's
contract is good through June 30, 1955
or until twelve more songs are
recorded. Meanwhile, the group starts a Southern tour with the Paul Williams Orchestra
this week.
Pittsburgh's WCAE radio, formerly an all-pop station, adds a daily afternoon r&b show.
Johnny Ace and Willie Mae Thornton are touring the Carolinas.
Feeling the thrill of new found royalties, Guitar Slim, Amos Milburn and Charles Brown all buy new fishtail Cadillacs.
June 8
Following a successful engagement at the Royal
Peacock in Atlanta, Lowell Fulson is off on a one-nighter tour of Florida (including Fort
Pierce, Bellgrade
and Fort Lauderdale).
June 11
Johnny Otis starts three days at the 5-4
Ballroom. Tonight he performs a double shift, entertaining at 6P.M. at the Lincoln
Theater, followed by a late show at
the 5-4 Ballroom.
The Apollo Theater presents the Spaniels.
In what is billed as their "initial appearance." along with Joe Turner and Arnett Cobb's Orchestra this week.
June 12
In Detroit, Jimmy Witherspoon starts a ten-day
layover at Chic's Club.
June 15
Following his successful tour of the West
Coast, Earl Bostic embarks on a tour of the Midwest.
Mid-June
Currently on the road are Charles Brown in
North Carolina for two weeks; Amos Milburn in California; Floyd Dixon doing two weeks of
one-nighters in Ohio,
Indiana, Kentucky West Virginia and
Arkansas; and Don Gardner working Atlantic City.
Bruce Records announces the signing of the Mastertones.
Aladdin Records starts a new
subsidiary, Lamp Records, which be under the supervision of Jesse Stone. The label joins
Aladdin's other subsidiaries, Intro,
Score and 7-11.
In Chicago Chess and Checker Records move
into new quarters on Cottage Grove Avenue. A new recording studio is under construction to
record all the
records at one location.
Parrot Records has taken over the old Chess location on East 49th Street.
Record companies on the road in search
of new talent include Johnny Vincent of Specialty Records and Ernie Young who owns
Nashboro and Excello
Records in Nashville.
June 16
Guitar Slim starts a two week tour of Texas.
Lynn Hope is at the El Rancho in Chester, Pennsylvania.
June 18
Joe Turner entertains for a week at the Howard
Theater in Washington
Coast Basie brings his orchestra to the 5-4 Ballroom for three days in Los Angeles. Also in town, Amos Milburn starts three days at the Savoy Ballroom.
Baby Washington starts a three-day stand at the Dee Drop Inn in New Orleans.
June 20
The " Tenth Annual Cavalcade of Jazz" at
Los Angeles' Wrigley Field features Count Basie, Ruth Brown and the Flairs.
June 21
Roy Hamilton and Illinois Jacquet perform for
the crowd at the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit.
June 23
The Orioles are one of the acts feature in "Star
Night" in Detroit. The short concert tour also takes ion Chicago (24th) and Cleveland
(25th).
Lynn Hope returns to the El Rancho in Chester, Pennsylvania.
June 25
In Los Angeles, the 5-4 Ballroom welcomes Sonny
Thompson and Lulu Reed for a three-day layover and at the Savoy Ballroom Ruth Brown and
Johnny Hodges entertain for the weekend.
Baby Washington, Eddie "Cleanhead" Williams and Cootie Williams Orchestra start a week at the Apollo Theater.
Bill Doggett is in Philadelphia at Reynolds Hall for the evening.
June 26
Dinah Washington is currently on tour with Earl
Bostic through the Midwest. Dates include Kansas City tonight and St. Louis on the 27th.
June 29
Dinah Washington opens at the Patio Club in Las Vegas
for two weeks.
June 30
Following his short tour of Texas, Guitar Slim
starts a one week trek through the South including Florida.
Late June
The 45 rpm record celebrates its fifth birthday
this month. RCA Victor introduced the first 45 singles in June 1949. At this time it is
estimated that there are five
million 45 rprm record players in use and the
45 rpm format dominates the field of juke box and disk jockey spins.
Sil Austin, former sax-man with Cootie
Williams an Tiny Bradshaw combos, has formed his own band and signed with Jubilee Records.
He will be booked by
Universal Attractions.
July 1
Earl Bostic is currently on tour, playing tonight in
Rochester, New York. Othe dates this week include the Hotel Bradford in Boston (2nd), New
London,
Connecticut (3rd), Tanton, Massachusetts (4th) and Bridge
Port, Connecticut (5th).
July 2
Fats Domino starts another California tour.
The Four Knights, Tommy Edwarda and the Willis Jackson Band entertain at the Howard Theater this week.
The Robins open for three days at the Savoy Ballroom in Los Angeles.
At the 5-4 Club, T-Bone Walker and Effie Smith are the weekend entertainment.
Lionel Hampton and the Five Flamingos open for a
week at the Broadway-Capitol in Detroit.\In New Orleans, Johnny Moore is booked into the
Dew Drop
Inn for three days.
July 4
Louis Jordan brings his show to the Auditorium in Oakland,
California.
Alan Freed, whose taped radio broadcast is heard over
WNJR, puts on a stage show featuring Roy Hamilton, the Orioles, Big Maybelle, Luther Bond
and
the Emeralds, Larry Darnell, Bull Moose Jackson, Joe
Liggins, the El Tempos, the Dreams, Nappy Brown, the Orchids, Varetta Dillard and the Four
Bells.
The show takes place at Patrylow's Grove Park in
Kenilworth, New Jersey.
Early July
The Chords are set for a West Coast tour starting in
August to capitalize on the popularity of "Sh-Boom," which hit the pop charts a
few weeks ago.
The Lark's recording of "the World Is Waiting
For the Sunrise" recently issued on Lloyds, receives a big boost from their
appearance on the Arthur Godfrey
TV show.
Pat Boone's recording of "loving You Maddly" on Republic is covered in the pop field by Alan Dale.
Savoy Records signs Earl Williams and the Lee Allen Combo, both from New Orleans.
Atlantic Records purchases the master recording of
"Co-Operation" by Prince Partridge from Blaze Records. The single has received
favorable airplay on the
West Coast. The song will be released on the Cat
label/
July 8
The Ernie Freeman Combo starts a four-days-per-week, four-
tour engagement at the New Orleans Seafood Grotto in Los Angeles.
July 9
Earl Bostic continues to tour the Northeast with show
in York, Pennsylvania. Other shows this week include Saratoga Springs, New York (10th),
Annapolis, Maryland (11th) and Cape Cod,
Massachusetts (14th).
The Apollo Theater presents the Ravens and Bette McLaurin for the week.
The "Timmie Rogers Revue" featuring Roy Hamilton opens for a week at the Howard Theater.
The Spiders make their West Coast debut with a
three-day weekend performance at Los Angeles Savoy Ballroom. Across town at the 5-4
Ballroom,
Fats Domino entertains for a three-day weekend.
The Midnighters at booked at small clubs in the New Orleans area through July 22.
July 13
Billy Ward and His Dominoes start a two week
engagement in Las Vegas at the Sands Hotel.
July 14
Sonny Thompson and Lulu Reed stop at the Bandbox in
Covington, Louisiana, enroute to the West Coast.
Mid-July
Recent record company acquisitions include Lamp
Records' Bonnie Evans and Clarence Samuels; Columbia Records' the Wailers; the Embers and
Eileen
Hamilton and Checker Records' Jimmy Witherspoon.
The strength of "Sh-Boom,"
originally recorded by the Chords, continue the grow. The cover version by the Crew Cuts
on Mercury is a solid hit on the pop
charts and now there are more versions. In the
op field, Billy Williams Quartet has cut it on Cora for the country and western
market Bobby Williamson has
record out on RCA Victor.
Other cover records in the McGuirre Sisters'
Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" on Coral, Bill Haley's "Shake, Rattle and Roll
on Decca, Honey Love by
Vicki Young and I Understand (Just How You
Feel) by June Valli.
Willie Mae Thornton and Johnny Otis are currently on a tour of Texas. Louisiana and New Mexico.
Apollo Records and King Records
both claim rights to the "5" Royales. Apollo reports that it has a current
contract with the group that is valid through
October 1956. King claims to have
the group currently under contract.
Okeh Records, a subsidiary of
Columbia Records. is the first major r&b company to start sending of its records to
deejays only in the 45 rpm format instead
of 78 rpm. Other R&B companies
are expected to follow suit.
July 16
In Los Angeles, Tiny Bradshaw is at the 5-4 Ballroom
and Percy Mayfield at the Savoy Ballroom for a three-day weekend. At the Oasis Ballroom,
Dinah
Washington opens for two weeks.
July 17
The "Fifth Annual Rhythm and Blues Jubilee"
at the Hollywood Shrine Auditorium features the Four Tunes, the Chords, the Robins, the
Hollywood Four
Flames and Chuck Higgins and His Band.
"Riot In Cellblock #9" by the Robins is banned by CBS radio and television. The network refuses to let the to be aired as part of its "Juke Box Jury" show.
Earl King plays a two day engagement at the Dew Drop Inn.
July 22
Amos Milburn plays the Alpha Inn in Dayton, Ohio for five
days.
The Robins are booked for an extended engagement at the Dew Drop Inn.
July 23
The Midnighters front Arnett Cobbs' Combo during
their week at the Howard Theater in Washington.
In Los Angeles, Lulu Reed with the Sonny Thompson
Orchestra open the weekend at the Savoy Ballroom. At the 5-4 Ballroom the Clovers team
with Fats
Domino to entertain nightly for the next three days.
July 27
Faye Adams, Al Savage and Joe Morris start a one-nighter
tour through the Southern states/
July 30
The weekend entertainment bill in Los Angeles features
Louis Jordan at the 5-4 Ballroom and Floyd Dixon at the Savoy Ballroom.
Guitar Slim, T-Bone Walker and Joe Turner start a tour of Texas that will run through August 24th.
July 31
RCA Victor announces that 45 rpm records are accounting for
more than fifty percent of its total record volume, with long play albums far behind at
twenty-three percent and 78 singles at twenty-one
percent.
Elvis Presley makes his first profession personal as part of the country and western jamboree at the Overton Park Shell in Memphis featuring Slim Whitman.
Late July
Jimmy Liggins formerly, formerly with Specialty Records, signs with Aladdin.
Charles Brown continues on tour with dates booked in Michigan,
The Mellows sign a recording contract with Jay-Dee
Records and Baby Dee signs with MGM Records. She is currently booked at the Cotton Club in
Atlantic
City through Labor Day.
August 1
Dinah Washington and Tiny
Bradshaw perform for the Tenth Annual Disk Jockey Ward Ball at the Elks Auditorium in Los
Angeles. Washington is booked
on the West Coast through
September.
August 2
Ruth Brown and Ray Charles
kick-off a short tour with a show in Cleveland.
August 6
The second annual
"Biggest Rhythm and Blues Show" sets out on a one month tour with an opening
night in Cleveland. Alan Freed promotes the show,
which brings in 9,600 fans.
Other record breaking dates for the tour include Dayton, Ohio, on the seventh (4,700 fans
make the largest audience up to this
time for a non-racing event
at the Dayton Speedway); and Flint, Michigan on the eighth (6,800 is reported as the
biggest audience ever in that city);. Dates at
the Arcadia in Detroit (9th)
and in Gary, Indiana (10th), have smaller crowds, but a show at Cincinnati on the eleventh
brings in 11,000 people, Both shows
at the Lyric Theater in
Indianapolis on August 12th are sellouts. In Chicago, on the 13th, over ten thousand stand
in line for hour to watch the entertainers,
among whom are Roy Hamilton, the
Drifters, the Spaniels, the Counts, Faye Adams, LaVern Baker, King Pleasure, Erskine
Hawkins and Rusty Bryant. The
tour continues with shows in St.
Louis (14th) and Kansas City (15th), The first eight days on the road, over 50,000 attend
the shows. The tour will run
through September 12th.
August 7
Following his tour of
Florida, Smiley Lewis plays the Caffin Theater in New Orleans. He follows this date with a
one-nighter tour of Louisiana, Texas and
Mississippi before heading
up the Atlantic Seaboard.
Early August
In Hollywood, the new
r&b club is the Riverside Rancho which previously had featured country music. The
opening headliners are Tiny Bradshaw and the
Flairs.
Decca signs the Wanders, formerly with Central Records. They will be renamed the Singing Wanders.
On separate tours of the South during August are Fats Domino and Amos Milburn.
Cat Records announces that "Sh-Boom" by the Chords is set for release in England on the EMI label. Also, the Playboys have recently signed with Cat.
The Clovers and John Greer are playing the Rainbow Room in Denver.
Following the
completion of a successful engagement, the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas announces that it has
signed Billy Ward and His Dominoes to a
two-year pact. The
contract will start in November with the group playing two weeks at $5,000 a week.
Thereafter, the Dominoes will play the hotel every
four months at an
increasing salary.
August 8
Earl Bostic takes the spotlight at
the Crystal Lounge in Detroit.
August 13
Ruth Brown opens at the
Apollo with the Larks and the Willis Jackson Band. Brown makes several movie shorts for TV
to promote her latest releases.
Jimmy Witherspoon
and Percy Mayfield hold court at the Savoy Ballroom in Los Angeles for three weeks.
Meanwhile, at the 5-4 Ballroom this weekend,
Ray Charles and Dinah
Washington are crowd pleasers, while across town Marvin and Johnny open at the Club Oasis.
August 15
Billboard magazine
reports that rhythm and blues music is invading the pop market though this is still
considered a teenage phenomena. In the Midwest, r&b
has taken over the juke
boxs and record stores of many middle class neighborhoods. In most locations the original
rhythm and blues records are receiving
the most plays on juke
boxes and over the radio then the pop cover versions.
Mid August
Aladdin Records opens a New
York office with Eddie Mesner in charge. Jesse Stone continues to head Atlantic's
subsidiary, Lamp Records. Aladdin has
recently signed the Dodgers,
a vocal quintet and Margie Hawkins.
Billy Ward and the
Associated Booking Company settle their six month contract dispute.Ward will receive a
financial settlement and their contract, which
was to run through 1958, is
replaced by an agreement that will be effective through April 1955.
August 16
"The Biggest Rhythm and Blues
Show" moves west with tonight's performance in Tulsa. Other shows during the week are
Oklahoma City (17th), Dallas
(18th), Fort Worth (19th), Corpus
Christi (20th), San Antonio (21st) and Houston (22nd).
August 19
B.B. King brings a
record-breaking crowd a one-nighter at the Savoy Ballroom in Los Angeles. The room seats
2.400 and over 2,800 were turned away
at the door. On
the bill is Johnny Otis with Marie Adams, Shirley Gunter and the Queens, Marvin and
Johnny, the Platters and the Lamplighters. Also in
Los Angeles.
Louis Jordan joins the Robins at the Club Trocadera for a ten-day engagement.
Billy Ward and His Dominoes along with Earl "Fatha" Hines Combo are at the Apollo this week.
Ivory Joe Hunter starts a week's engagement at the Flame Show Bar.
In Los Angeles
the three-day weekend entertainment includes Roy Milton at the Savoy Ballroom and Charles
Brown with Lowell Fulson at the 5-4
Ballroom.
Brown has reformed his traveling combo
after a year as a solo artist.
August 23
"The Biggest Rhythm and Blues
Show" moves into the Deep South with a show at the New Orleans' Municipal Auditorium.
Other dates for the rest of the
month include Mobile (24th),
Montgomery (25th), Atlanta (26th), Nashville ( (27th), Memphis (28th), Birmingham (29th),
Chattanooga (30th) and Augusta,
Georgia (31st).
Ruth Brown appears at Pep's in Philadelphia.
August 27
The Chords and Earl
"Fatha" Hines start a week at the Skyliner Lounge in Washington.
In Los Angeles Johnny Otis and the Dreamers entertain for the weekend at the Savoy Ballroom.
The Four Knights headline the Apollo Theater revue.
August 28
Guitar Slim is booked on a
California tour for three weeks.
Adjust 29
Louis Jordan kicks off s three
month tour of one-night stands in Texas with a show tonight in El Paso, Midland on the
30th and San Antonio on the 31st. He
will play fifty-two dates in
twelve states through October in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee,
Florida, West Virginia and
Virginia. This is his first Southern tour in two years.
August 31
Fats Domino and the Clovers
start a tour of the South, including Florida through September 19.
Late August
Capitol Records signs the
Five Keys, who have been recording for Apollo Records.
Decca Records announces that they have signed popular Hollywood Four Flames, who recently had recorded for Lucky Records.
Jubilee Records signs
Billy Ward and His Dominoes and immediately has them in the recording studio. The group
started with Federal in 1951 and recently
has singles issued by both
Federal and its parent company, King Records.
September 1
The "Biggest Rhythm and Blues Show" continues up the Eastern Seaboard with a
show in Charleston, South Carolina (2nd), Greenville, South Carolina
(3rd), Northfolk, Virginia (4th) and Washington (5th).
Bill Haley and His Comets are at the Hof Brau In Wildwood, New Jersey, for two weeks
September 3
The Ink Spots featuring Charlie Fuqua headline the Labor Day Week Show at the Apollo
Theater
Earl "Fatha" Hines and the Chords open for a week at the Howard Theater
In Los Angeles the Savoy Ball room plays host to Buddy DeFranco and the Lamplighters for
three days and the 5-4 Ballroom welcomes Charles
Brown and Stan Getz for the weekend.
September 6
The "Biggest Rhythm and Blues Show" winds up its tour this week with
performances in Raleigh, North Carolina tonight, Charlotte, South Carolina (7th),
Richmond, Virginia (8th), Philadelphia (9th) and Newark (19th).
September 7
Alan Freed transfer from WJW in Cleveland and begins broadcasting from WINS in New York
City. He is heard six nights a week from 11 PM to 2
AM. His show is syndicated in a one-hour format on tape in St. Louis, Kansas City and
Columbus, Ohio, while Cleveland and Flint, Michigan, will carry
the show live for three hours a day. Freed will reportedly be paid $75,000 per year. Radio
station WINS also hires Bill Graham, an expert in Black
marketing, to start selling the station's advertising.
September 10
Earl Bostic brings his combo to Boston.
The Ink Spots, Cootie Williams and Wini Brown start a week entertaining at the Howard Theater.
In Los Angeles, Shirley Gunter and the Queens play a one-night stand at the 5-4 Ballroom.
meanwhile, Wynonie Harris makes his first Los Angeles
appearance in three years during a three week stay at the Savoy Ballroom.
September 11
Duke Ellington appears at the 5-4 Ballroom with a rare two day visit.
September 12
Following its successful five-week road trip, the Biggest Rhythm and Blue Show" opens
for five days at Brooklyn's Paramount Theater. Featured
performers are Roy Hamilton, the Drifters, the Counts, the Spaniels, Rusty Bryant, Erskine
Hawkins, LaVern Baker, Faye Adams and Big Maybelle.
Louis Jordan plays the Booket T. Washington Auditorium in New Orleans while on a three month tour.
September 13
Fats Domino comes down with tonsillitis while on tour in Baton Rouge. His is hospitalized
in New Orleans. Following a tonsillectomy at the end of the
month, Fats is expected to return to the tour circuit on October 10th. His place on the
current tour is filled by Amos Milburn and Floyd Dixon.
Mid-September
Harlem Records, a new entry in the r&b field, releases its first records by the Kings,
Brownie McGhee, the Sernaders and Lightin' Hopkins.
Currently on tour are Roy Brown in the South and the Ravens with Hal Singer's Combo in the Midwest.
Okeh Records signs the Hi-Lites to a recording contract.
September 16
The Midnighters make their first Los Angeles appearance fronting the Todd Rhodes Orchestra
at the 5-4 Ballroom for the evening.
Bill Haley and His Comets play for three days at Andy's Log Cabin in Gloucester, New Jersey.
September 17
Charles Brown and the Spiders start a tour of the Eastern Seaboard..
Dinah Washington starts in the Tropican Revue" this week at the Howard Theater.
The Rusty Bryant Trio backs the Will Maston Trio for the week at the Apollo Theater.
T-Bone Walker begins three weeks at the Flame Show Bar.
In Los Angeles. the Savoy Ballroom offers a "Battle of the Bands"
featuring Lowell Fulson, Jimmy Witherspoon and Floyd Dixon for three days. The
Club
Oasis hosts Shirley Gunter and the Queens for the first show of a ten-day run and the 5-4
Ballroom presents Ray Charles and Guitar Slim for a
three-day weekend.
September 19
Bill Haley and His Comets are at the Sleepy Hollow Ranch in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, for a
one-night stand.
September 20
The Orioles are the headliners at Gleason's in Cleveland.
September 24
Bill Haley and His Comets entertain for three nights at the Armory in Painsville, Ohio.
The show is sponsored by Bill Randle of WERE radio of
Cleveland.
Earl King spends three days at the Dew Drop Inn.
At the Apollo Theater this week, Dinah Washington entertains for ticket holders.
Weekend entertainment in Los Angeles leans toward the blues with Muddy Waters and
Guitar Slim sharing the bill at the Savoy Ballroom and Amos
Milburn playing for the dancers at the 5-4 Ballroom.
September 26
Buddy Johnson, Nat "King" Cole and Ella Johnson are the featured attractions for
the evening at New Orleans Municipal Auditorium.
September 28
Earl Bostic returns to New York City, opening at Basin Street.
September 29
Bill Haley and His Comets perform for a week at the Case Loma Ballroom in St.
Louis.
Late September
Clark Willis and Joe Turner join together for a tour of the eastern club circuit through November.
October 1
Charles Brown and Ruth Brown share the bill with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra as their tour of Texas, Oklahoma and the South kicks off today.
The Orioles with the Paul Williams Orchestra appear at the Howard Theater this week.
The Drifters and the Erskine Hawkin's Orchestra entertains for the week at the Apollo Theater.
Al Hibbler, Dakota Staton and Della Reese headline at two week stay at the Flame Show Bar.
In
Los Angeles, this weekend finds Roy Hamilton and Amos Milburn at the 5-4 Ballroom and King
Perry and Joseph "Mr. Google Eyes" August at the
Savoy
Ballroom.
October 2
Less than a month
after changing from Cleveland's WJW to New York's WINS radio, Alan Freed is given another
hour and an earlier time slot to
broadcast his
rhythm and blues program. The show will rum from 7 to 11 p.m. nightly. The taped
syndication of his show has run into opposition from
Black deejays who
fear Freed's popularity will put them out of work in markets far from the New York area.
Elvis Presley makes his only appearance at the Grand Olde Opry radio broadcast from Nashville.
Smiley Lewis returns to the New Orleans' Caffin Theater for the evening.
Early October
Ella Johnson's new
release on Mercury, We'll Do It," is the first without her brother, bandleader Buddy
Johnson.
Rhythm and blues
performers currently on tour include Chuck Willis and Joe Turner, who continue to tour the
Eastern Seaboard. Muddy Waters and Todd
Rhodes, who are on
separate tours of the West Coast and Memphis Slim, who is on the one-night circuit
of Texas.
Chess Records, a leading independent r&b company, releases its first country and western record, "If You Don't Someone Else Will" by Jimmy and Johnny.
Memphis radio station WDIA, the nation's most powerful Black station at 50,000 watts, bans all records with suggestive lyrics and double-entendres.
October 8
Fats Domino
resumes touring with the Clovers after his tonsillectomy last month. They hit the road
doing one-nighters in Texas.
LaVern Baker and the Spaniels make a week-long stopover at the Apollo Theater.
Lionel Hampton travels to the Howard Theater for a week of entertaining.
The weekend
finds the Midnighters with Todd Rhodes' Orchestra playing the 5-4 Ballroom, with Little
Walter making a rare West Coast appearance along
with Chuck Higgins for
the next two weeks at the Savoy Ballroom.
Dinah Washington headlines the talent at the "Queen Contest and Coronation Ball" at the Flint Armory in Flint, Michigan.
October 14
Derby
Records files for bankruptcy. Started only three years earlier, the label only had one
major hit in Wheel of Fortune with Eddie Wilcox and Sunny
Gale.
October 15
The Apollo
presents the Five Keys for the week.
Earl King and the Spiders front the Dave Bartholomew's Combo in Shrewsbury, Louisiana,
Bill Doggett swings the crowd at Detroit's Crystal Lounge.
In Los Angeles. Muddy Waters and Johnny "Guitar" Watson are the weekend entertainment at the 5-4 Ballroom.
Mid-October
Billy
Ward and His dominoes are currently performing at the Latin Quarter in New York.
To
add to the confusion between the Royals, now re-named the Midnighters on King Records and
the "5" Royals (King and Apollo Records), there is a
new
group from Detroit calling itself the Royals on Venus Records.
Recent record company signing include the Griffin Brothers and Lloyd Fulson on Chess Records.
Recorded In Hollywood Records buys the masters of five top rhythm and blues Christmas records from Swing Time.
The
songs are Merry Christmas Baby by Charles Brown, "Lonesome Christmas" by Lowell
Fulson, "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" by Mabel Scott, "Sleigh
Ride" by Lloyd Glann and "How I Hate To See Christmas Come Around" by Jimmy
Witherspoon.
October 16
Elvis
Presley makes his first appearance on the Louisiana Hayride national broadcast from
Shreveport, Louisiana. within three weeks he signs a long term
contract to appear on the show every Saturday night for a year.
October 18
Bill Haley
and His Comets starts a week's engagement at the Blue Mirror Club in Washington.
October 19
Billy
Eckstine and the Drifters, headling the "Biggest Show Of 54," appear in
Philadelphia at the Academy Of Music.
October 22
The Clovers
are scheduled for a week at the Apollo. Also, on the bill is Edna McGriff and the Paul
Williams Orchestra.
Pee Wee Crayton headlines a three-day run at the Dew Drop Inn.
LaVern Baker, Big Maybelle, the Spaniels, the Counts, Larry Darnell and Red Prysock are the highlights of the revue at the Howard Theater.
Arthur Prysock is on the stage for a ten-day run at Chic's in Detroit.
Percy Mayfield is at the Savoy Ballroom, Joe Morris with Al Savage is at the 5-4 Ballroom
and the Chords are the Club Oasis for the weekend in Los
Angeles.
October 23
A feud had
developed between the Chords and humorist Stan Freberg, whose parody of
"Sh-Boom" is on the op charts. Everything ends humorously that
evening as both
Freberg and the Chords appear on the CBS-TV show "Juke Box Jury" to joke with
each other.
The "Midnight Ramble" at the New Orleans' Caffin Teater features Dave Bartholomew's Band and the Spiders.
October 28
Bily
Eckstine and the Drifters with the "Biggest Show Of 54" play a one-nighter at
the Peoria Mosque Theater.
October 29
The weekend in
Los Angeles finds Linda Hayes and Prince Partridge at the Savoy Ballroom. Also, Faye
Adams, Johnny Ace, Memphis Slim and Willie
Mae Thornton are
at 5-4 Ballroom.
October 30
Pee Wee Crayton
brings his West Coast blues to Slidell, Louisiana.
In New Orleans. the Spiders and Little Bo stop for two days at the Club Desire.
Late October
Lamp Records signs the Cues and the Mellow-Fellows to recording contracts.
November 1
Fats Domino and Amos Milburn start a tour that will take then from the East Coast down
through the Deep South before winding up in New Orleans.
This week they are playing dates in the Carolinas.
Johnny Otis, regular deejay on KFOX radio in Los Angeles, starts a two-week engagement at the Club Oasis.
November 5
In Detroit, Earl Bostic is at the Crystal Lounge for the next two weeks and Nolan Strong
and the Diablos open for a three-week run at the Madison
Theater.
The Apollo Theater presents Sonny Thompson's Orchestra featuring Lulu Reed with the Treniers.
The weekend entertainment at the 5-4 Ballroom features Roy Milton and the Joe Morris Orchestra with Al Savage on vocals.
November 6
In an article in Billboard magazine titled "R&B Music Success Sends Major Diskers
Back To The Field," it is reported that Capitol. RCA. Victor,
Decca, Mercury, MGM and Columbia se three reasons to step up their rhythm and blues
releases: (1) to increase the percentage of the records that the
major companies sell to teenagers, (2) to continue to fully utilize their southern
distributors, who are increasing turning to independently produced R&B
product and (3) to keep from surrendering the rhythm and blues market entirely to the
smaller independent record companies. Victor announces it is
taking back control of Groove Records, its subsidiary, which as been run by the
"X" banner. Columbia is taking over the running of Okeh, which had
previously been run by Epic, Capitol which had stopped R&B production in 1948, is now
solidly back in the field.
One reason not mentioned by the major record companies, but point out in the article, is
that the original versions of most r&b records are selling better
than the pop covers issued by the majors.
Lynn Hope is entertaining at the Showboat in Philadelphia for two weeks.
On tour, T-Bone Walker, Ray Charles and Lowell Fulson are in the Southwest and Chuck Willis and Joe Turner are in Florida and Alabama.
Epic Records celebrates its first anniversary with a party in New York City attended by Roy Hamilton among others.
The Blenders sign with R&B Records in Los Angeles and the Chestnuts sign with Mercury.
Tiny Bradshaw is recovering from a stroke he suffered last week.
Billy Ward and His Dominoes open at Basin Street in New York.
Aladdin Records signs the Regals, the Five Pearls and the Cookies
The Chords ridding the crest of popularity with their hit "Sh-Boom," are forced
to change their name to the Chordcats to avoid conflict with another group
that
claims to have used the name first in 1953 with Gem Records.
Allied Records started a subsidiary, Kicks Records.
November 12
The "Hall Of Fame Show" tour takes to the road with a performance in Kansas
City. The package will be out ten days and play various locations,
including Wichita and Topeka in Kansas and Decatur, Illinois. Entertainers will include
Faye Adams, the Spiders, Joe Morris, Amos Milburn and Al
Savage.
The Howard Theater hosts the Timmie Rodgers Revue,featuring Roy Hamilton, for the week.
In Detroit, Wynonie Harris is the entertainer at Chic's for the week and Bullmoose Jackson opens at the Flame Show Bar.
In Los Angeles this weekend, T-Bone Walker entertains dancers at the Savoy Ballroom and Roy Milton Returns to the 5-4 Ballroom.
The Apollo Theater offers Louis Jordan with the Hal Singer Band this week,
Mid-November
A survey by Billboard magazine discloses that r&b records are aired on local radio an
average of five hours a week, against ten hours of country music.
There has been little change in the ratio since an earlier poll conducted in 1953.
Marvin and Johnny are currently on the road in the Midwest before opening in Cleveland at the Cotton Club later this month.
Studio Films, Inc., is producing a series of made for TV films titled "Apollo Varieties" that will showcase acts that appear on stage at the Apollo.
Decca Records begins negotiations with Spark Records of Los Angeles that would result in
the catalog of unreleased masters coming under the Decca
banner. Decca would acquire the services of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, owners of Spark
and Major songwriters in the rhythm and blues field and
Lester Sill, sales manager for Spark.
Joe Davis of Jay-Dee Records, reactivates the Beacon label, which had been in business
from 1943-1948, The first Beacon release will be Dean Barlow
and the Crickets who were previously on the Beacon label.
Dewey Bergman, president of Benida Records, announces the start of the Roulette label. He
will switch all of the r&b talent on Benida, including Sugar
Tones, to Roulette.
The Bihari brothers (Jules of Crown Records, Saul of Modern Records and Joe of RPM/Flair)
are off on another talent search through the Midwest and
along the Eastern Seaboard.
Last week Saul Bihari signed Arthur Lee Maye.
November 19
In celebration of the second anniversary of the "Night Train" show broadcast
over KEYS radio in Corpus Christi, Texas, the station airs six hours of the
"Night Train" (midnight to 6 a.m.) making it one of the longest r&b radio
shows to date in this area.
The Five Keys headline the weekly revues at the Regal Theater in Chicago.
Roy Hamilton is welcomed for a ten-day Thanksgiving appearance at the Apollo.
The Howard Theater offers the Drifters and Erskine Hawkins on this week's bill.
LaVern Baker is the headliner at Detroit's Flame Show Bar.
In Los Angeles, T-Bone Walker returns to the Savoy Ballroom for the weekend, while
Johnny Ace and Willie Mae Thornton share the spotlight at the
Savoy Ballroom.
November 24
Moondog, a blind street musician in New York City, wins a judgement in his $100,000
suit against Alan Freed for use of the "Moondog" name. The
actual amount awarded is not announced, but it thought to be $5,000. Freed's new
WINS radio show will be renamed "The Rock and Roll Party" and
will be extended. Freed will be on the air Monday through Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.
(in addition to his regular late night shift of 11 PM to 1 a.m.
Monday through Thursday and 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday), making a
total of twenty-eight hours of r&b airtime at WINS for Freed.
November 26
The Clovers, Joe Morris' Orchestra and Al Savage entertain at the Howard Theater.
Weekend dancers in Los Angeles have their choice between Charles Brown at the Savoy
Ballroom and Johnny Otis at the 5-4 Ballroom. Across town,
Joe Houston starts a week-long engagement at the Club Oasis.
Late November
The Moonglows sign with the Shaw Agency for personal appearances.
December 1
Louis Jordan
begins a two-week engagement at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
December 2
Guitar Slim opens at the Walahuje Club in Atlanta.
December 3
The sixth annual WDIA radio "Goodwill Revue" in Memphis draws 6,700 fans to the
Ellis Auditorium for a charity show that raise over$5,000. Headline
attractions include the El Dorados, the Five Cs, Eddie Boyd, John Greer and Gatemouth
Brown.
The Charms, Slim Gaillard and Margie Day open for a week at the Howard Theater.
Joe Turner plays for the weekend dancers at the Savoy Ballroom in Los Angeles.
The Harptones and Buddy Johnson's Orchestra with Ella Johnson headline the show at the Apollo Theater.
December 6
Earl Bostic is at the Surf Club in Baltimore through the 12th.
In Providence, Rhode Island, the feature attractions are Marvin and Johnny at Celebrity Club and Ivory Joe Hunter at the Downbeat
Early December
Sarah Vaughn starts a month-long engagement at the Birdland in New York, where she shares
the bill with Jimmie Rushing and Count Basie.
December 9
Johnny Otis plays one-nighter at the Club Oasis in Los Angeles.
December 10
Savannah Churchill is the house guest at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit.
Chuck Willis and Faye Adams kick off a month-long tour of New Jersey and Pennsylvania with
a show in Trenton. Other dates include Newark.
Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Joining the tour for a few dates will be the Bill Doggett Trio.
In Los Angeles, B.B. King starts three days at the 5-4 Ballroom, while Charles Brown plays a weekend layover at the Savoy Ballroom.
December 15
Earl Bostic starts week at the Markeez Club in Lowell, Mississippi.
Mid-December
The Drifters and Red Prysock wind up a Florida tour that has kept them on the road for
about thirty days.
The Counts are now touring with the Gene Ammons Combo through the Midwest.
Aladdin Records, in a move of dubious legality. hires the Feathers to re-record
"Johnny Darling," which was released by the same group this week on
Show Time Records.
Chess Records policy of issuing records by the Moonglows under two names. the Moonglows
and the Moonlighters, has had a humorous side effect.
Promoters, eager to booked the Moonlighters, are having a hard time locating the
non-existent group. The Shaw Agency on the other hand. gets "two for
the price of one" as they sign the Moonglows. Moonlighters to an exclusive personal
appearance contract. On future play dates, the Moonglows and
Moonlighters will both perform.
December 17
Charles Brown is held over for another weekend at the Savoy Ballroom, where he is joined
by Billy Ward and His Dominoes. Across town, the 5-4
Ballroom hosted Joe Turner and Choker Campbell.
December 20
Tiny Bradshaw headlines the review at the Celebrity Club in Providence, Rhode Island.
December 21
Dinah Washington, the Checkers, Danny Overbea and Cootie William's Orchestra start a
winter tour through the Midwest. Miss Washington has taken
over the management of her female backing singers, the Honey Tones, who accompany
her on tour.
December 22
Earl Bostic, just completing a full year of tours and club date, starts a well deserved
six week vacation.
December 23
Buddy and Ella Johnson are welcomed for a three-week stay at the Savoy Ballroom in Los
Angeles.
December 24
The
Clovers and Floyd Dixon open at the 5-4 Ballroom in Los Angeles for ten days. Also in
town, Johnny Otis starts an extended engagement playing
weekends at the Club Alimony.
Joe Turner plays tonight in Shreveport, Louisiana, followed by Christmas Day show in New Orleans.
In Washington, the Christmas Week show at the Howard Theater features Ivory Joe Hunter and the Regals.
Johnny Ace is accidentally shot backstage at the Houston Auditorium while playing Russian Roulette with a loaded revolver. He dies within hours.
December 25
Bill Randle, deejay on WERE Cleveland starts a weekly rhythm and blues show, that will be
aired every Saturday in New York over WCBS< Randle
will commute between Cleveland and New York.
In California, Louis Jordan and B.B. King break the house record at the Oakland Auditorium, bringing in 12,300 patrons.
December 27
The Elks Ballroom in Los Angeles features B.B. King for its Christmas dance. Other
performers include the Medallions, Roy Milton, Little Willie
Littlefield, Johnny Otis, the Flairs, Earl orest and Marie Adams.
Also in Los Angeles, the Christmas rhythm and blues benefit concert at the Shrine
Auditorium features the Clovers, Big Jay McNeeley, the Robins, the
Platters, the Cheers and the Jewels.
December 31
The New Year's Eve weekend dance at the Savoy Ballroom in Los Angeles offers Billy ward
and His Dominoes, Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Charles
Brown.
Washington's Howard Theater presents the "5" Royales, the Penguins Tad Smith's Combo to close out the year.
Late December
The Phonograph Manufactures Association estimates the record sales in 1954 have dropped
$61 million.