Bullmoose
Jackson
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"Bull Moose" Jackson was a singer and saxophone player prominent in the 1940s and 1950s.
He was born Benjamin Clarence Jackson in Cleveland on April 22, 1919, and he was a musical prodigy. He soloed in church choir at age 3, began studying the violin at 4, and had started to play the saxophone by the age of 5.
He started his first band, The Harlem Hotshots, while still a student at Central High School, and was soon playing in many Midwest lakeshore communities, becoming especially popular in Buffalo.
Ben was recruited in 1943 by bandleader Lucky Millinder, who saw him performing in Cleveland. Jackson began touring with The Lucky Millinder Orchestra, whose members gave him the nickname "Bull Moose". One night in Texas a scheduled singer failed to show up. Millinder called "Bull Moose" out of the sax section to sing, and "The Moose" was off and running.
In 1946, Millinder helped Jackson sign a solo recording deal with Syd Nathan, who was expanding his Cincinnati-based country and western label King Records. Over the next several years, Bull Moose Jackson recorded almost every style of popular music and became King Records' top artist.
He named his new combo the Buffalo Bearcats based on his popularity in that city, and they became one of the top money-grossing acts of the era.
Jackson's first notable effort was "I Know Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well", a follow-up to the Lucky Millinder song "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well?".
Bull Moose had his first big hit in 1947 with "I Love You, Yes I Do", which was a huge national success, and widely accepted as the first R&B single to sell a million copies. It held the #1 spot on the R&B chart for 3 weeks.
He had several more hits in 1948 including "All My Love Belongs to You" and "Little Girl Don't Cry" which helped solidify his reputation as a crooner of ballads. That same year he appeared in the film "Boarding House Blues" with Lucky Millinder. In 1949 He recorded "Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me", considered the first hit country and western song by a black singer.
The 1950s brought more shows with the Bearcats and as a solo artist with revues featuring other well-known singers. Jackson's hit songs, such as "Nosy Joe", began to show a suggestive, even raunchy streak. One of his lesser-known songs of this period, "Big Ten Inch Record", has been re-discovered by artists of later eras. Other hits for Jackson in the 50s included "Big Fat Mamas Are Back in Style" and "I Never Loved Anyone but You".
Bull Moose's star began to fade in the late 50s as popularity shifted to rock 'n roll.
By 1964, he had moved to Washington, D.C. and was working for a catering service, then in the 1970s he became a food service administrator for Howard University. During this time his playing dates were primarily private engagements.
That changed in 1983 when Carl Grefenstette, leader of a Pittsburgh bar band called The Flashcats, was put in touch with Jackson through a mutual acquaintance. The Flashcats had been playing some of Bull Moose's songs, and Grefenstette persuaded Jackson to appear with the band. The Moose became an "overnight sensation" in Pittsburgh, playing many sold-out dates. A regional hit "Get Off the Table, Mable- the Two Dollars is for the Beer" was followed by an LP entitled "Moosemania". The rebirth of Moose's career led to shows in Los Angeles, at New York's Carnegie Hall, and a European tour with Johnny Otis.
Bull Moose continued performing regularly until 1987 when his health began to fail. His last performance was in Pittsburgh with The Flashcats on April 23, 1988.
He moved back to Cleveland for an extended stay at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and then was cared for by a former girlfriend until his death from cancer on July 31, 1989.
Benjamin "Bull Moose" Jackson will be remembered for his booming voice and engaging stage personality by generations of fans.
Cow Cow
Davenport
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Charles "Cow Cow" Davenport was a pioneer of blues piano. He was born April 26, 1894 in Anniston, Alabama, and began playing piano at age 12.
His mother was a church organist, but Charles' parents frowned on his fascination with ragtime and sent him to the Alabama Theological Seminary, where he was expelled in 1911 for playing ragtime at a church function.
Davenport's career began in the 1920s with Banhoof's Travelling Carnival, and his early career was mostly in carnivals and vaudeville with TOBA (Theater Owners' Booking Association).
His walking bass lines combined with his ragtime influences helped to create the style known as "barrelhouse" or "boogie-woogie", a term that Davenport claimed to have invented in 1924.
He had his first hit on both piano rolls and 78s with "Cow Cow Boogie", one of the most popular boogie-woogie piano tunes ever recorded. "Cow Cow Boogie" was written by Benny Carter, Gene de Paul, and Don Raye, and combined two of that era's fads- the "Western" song and big band/boogie-woogie. The track was written for the Abbot and Costello movie "Ride 'Em Cowboy".
Later in the 20s, Davenport worked with singers Dora Carr and Ivy Smith, and was a talent scout for Brunswick and Vocalion Records. Throughout the 20s he was based in Birmingham, which was a hub of blues piano activity at the time.
He moved to Cleveland in 1930, continued working with TOBA, and recorded with the Gennett label, which was owned by the Starr Piano Company and folded due to the Depression.
He suffered a stroke in 1938 which affected his playing, but jazz pianist Art Hodes helped him to remain active as a singer until he recovered enough to play again.
A new version of "Cow Cow Boogie" by the Freddie Slack Orchestra, with seventeen-year-old Ella Mae Morse on vocals, sparked a boogie-woogie craze in 1942, and revived interest in Davenport. His attempted comeback, which included appearing on the bill with Duke Ellington at the Masonic Temple on East 36th and Euclid Avenue on January 28, 1950, was hampered by illness, and "Cow Cow" Davenport passed away in Cleveland from heart problems on December 2, 1955.
Robert
Lockwood Jr.
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Robert Lockwood Jr. was born in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas on March 27, 1915. He was the godson and musical heir to Robert Johnson, who is considered the greatest of the delta bluesmen.
Lockwood's recording career began in the 1930s with the Bluebird label in Chicago, but he then returned to Arkansas to start his longtime association with Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), and in 1941 the two were featured on the first King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena. The rest of the 40s saw Lockwood playing in cities such as Memphis, St. Louis, and Chicago. In 1950, Lockwood settled in Chicago and became a session musician for Chess Records, accompanying artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He also recorded as a solo artist for other labels, including Decca.
In 1961, Lockwood moved to Cleveland, and during ensuing decades played many area venues, while continuing to record as a solo artist, and these years produced some of his best recorded work.
During his final years, he and his band the "All-Stars" were a fixture on Wednesday nights at Fat Fish Blue in Downtown Cleveland. The "All-Stars" still carry on this Wednesday tradition.
Robert Lockwood Jr. passed away at the age of 91 on November 21, 2006.
Robert Lockwood Jr.'s career was legendary, his accomplishments legion. Here is a brief sample:
Two W.C Handy awards, a National Heritage Fellowship award, one Grammy award, two Grammy nomination, an honorary doctorate (from Case Western Resereve University), an honorary degree (from Cleveland State University), induction into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, the Delta Blues Hall of Fame, and now the Cleveland Blues Society Hall of Fame.
"Mr. Stress"
Bill Miller
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Bill Miller was born on January 1, 1943, and grew up on Cleveland's east side, where he was exposed to blues, jazz, and rock and roll at an early age, and developed a special interest in the blues.
He bought his first harmonica at Jack Epstein's music store on Prospect Avenue.
The first Mr. Stress band debuted in 1966, and by 1968 the band was playing in other cities as well as Cleveland. The band shared the stage with many top rock bands such as Cream. Capitol Records offered the band a contract in 1969 which the band turned down due to the deal's unfavorable terms.
By the 70's, The Mr. Stress Blues Band had found a home at The Euclid Tavern near Case Western Reserve University. During this decade, Mr. Stress was one of only a few local acts playing blues. The band remained a fixture at The Euclid Tavern for 17 years.
The Mr. Stress Band, which featured many of the area's finest blues talent during its time is no more, but as of the date of this award, Bill is still very active on the Cleveland blues scene as a featured performer with The Alan Greene Band.
AWARDS:
1983- Named one of Cleveland Magazine's "Most Interesting People"
Mr. Stress Blues Band selected Best Blues Band in Northeast Ohio 4 years in a row
DISCOGRAPHY:
LIVE AT THE EUCLID TAVERN
STRESS FORMULA
KILLER STRESS