Artist:Joe Liggins & The HoneydrippersSong:The Honeydripper
Album:Joe Liggins
Joe Liggins was a pioneer of R & B and a staple of the Los Angeles music scene for several decades. He had his biggest success in the 40s and was one of the artists who paved the way for Rock 'n' Roll. He was born July 9, 1915 in Guthrie, OK. He moved to San Diego in 1932 and then moved to Los Angeles in 1939. He wrote The Honeydripper in 1942 while playing piano for Sammy Franklin's Calfornia Rhythm Rascals. When Franklin refused to record the song, Liggins started his own band with sax players Willie Jackson and James Jackson Jr. The song became very popular in clubs and Liggins usually jammed for fifteen minutes. Exclusive Records owner Leon Rene convinced Liggins to record a shorter version and the single of Honeydripper topped the R & B charts for 18 weeks in 1945. That ties it with Louis Jordan's Choo Choo Ch' Boogie. But Rene was unablr to keep up with the demand and Jimmie Lunceford had a much bigger hit with the song. Liggins re-recorded Honeydripper when he signed with Specialty Records in 1950. That's the version on this comp along with hits like Pink Champagne and Little Joe's Boogie. Liggins left Specialty in 1954 and didn't record much after that as his music was out of fashion. But he continued to play Los Angeles clubs with his band until his death on July 26, 1987 at age 72. Here's Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers performing Honeydripper Los Angeles 1983.
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