Song:Poppity Pop
Album:Laughing In Rhythm
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard was a jazz eccentric similar but not as well known as Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan. Gaillard even created his own language called Vout. But there was real musical talent underneath the silliness or guys like Dizzy Gillespie wouldn't have played with him as he did on this 1945 recording of Boppity Bop. Gaillard was born Jan. 4, 1916 in Santa Clara, Cuba and he grew up in Detroit. His father worked on cruise ships and would take Gaillard on voyages. He once accidentally left him on the island of Crete. Gaillard was a boxer, a mortician and a rum runner. But then he got into vaudeville and formed Slim and Slam with bassist Slam Stewart in 1936. Their song Flat Foot Floogie was a big hit and was covered by Benny Goodman. This is Gaillard's signature song. Slim and Slam recorded similar records and appeared in the 1941 Olsen & Johnson film Hellzapoppin. After serving in the US Air Force during World War II, Gaillard moved to Los Angeles and scored another hit with Cement Mixer. His band at the time was Bam Brown on bass, Dodo Maramarosa on piano and Zutty Singleton on drums. In 1945, he recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Jack McVea for Savoy. Gillespie has a trumpet solo on Poppity Pop. So Gaillard may be eccentric but he was a good enough musician to hang with Gillespie. You can get Poppity Pop on this Proper Records 4CD box set. In the 50s, Gaillard recorded for Verve and toured with Jazz At The Philharmonic and was a member of Stan Kenton's band. He left the music business in the 60s. And then he moved to Los Angeles in the 70s and acted on several TV shows. Gillespie got him back into music in the 80s. Gaillard moved to London and toured the festival circuit until his death on Feb. 26, 1991 at age 75. Gaillard's daughter was once married to Marvin Gaye. So actress Nona Gaye is the daughter of Marvin Gaye and granddaughter of Slim Gaillard. Here's Slim Gaillard performing Cement Mixer, Poppity Pop and Flat Foot Floogie in The Flip Wilson Show 1969.
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