Rosco Gordon
Rosco Gordon | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Rosco N. Gordon III |
Born | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | April 10, 1928
Died | July 11, 2002 Queens, New York City | (aged 74)
Genres |
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Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Piano |
Years active | 1950–2002 |
Labels |
Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002),.
Biography
Gordon was born in
In 1951, WDIA manager, David Mattis, introduced Gordon to producer Sam Phillips.[5] Around this time, Gordon was scouted by Ike Turner, talent scout for the Bihari brothers, to record for Modern Records.[7] His first hit single, "Saddled the Cow (and Milk the Horse)," released on RPM Records (subsidiary of Modern) reached No. 9 on the Billboard R&B chart.[8]
Gordon's next single "Booted" was recorded at Phillips'
Gordon also had a successful record with "No More Doggin'" (No. 2 R&B) which was also released by RPM in 1952.[12][10] Between 1952 and 1959, Gordon released numerous singles on Duke, Sun, Flip, and Vee-Jay Records. His last single to reach the charts was "Just a Little Bit" (No. 2 R&B, No. 64 Pop) in 1960.[2][3] He was paid $250 for the song which became an R&B standard, covered by Etta James, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Butler.[4] Gordon didn't receive royalties from the millions of copies sold in cover versions, because producer Ralph Bass at King Records stole the song from a demo Rosco sent and had it copyrighted before him.[5]
In the late 1950s, Gordon toured internationally, reaching South America and the Caribbean, where his off-beat rhythmic technique influenced the sound of early ska and reggae.[4]
In 1962, Gordon quit the music industry and moved to Queens, New York with his new wife, where he purchased a partnership in a laundry business after winning a poker game with a pair of deuces.[4] In 1969, Gordon formed his own label, Bab-Roc, operated from his home, but he did not perform again until 1981. In 1983, he released the album Rosco Rocks Again, recorded live at the 100 Club in London.[13] Following his wife's death in 1984, he returned to touring.[4]
In 2000, Gordon teamed up with blues guitarist
Discography
Albums
- 1983: Rosco Rocks Again (JSP Records)
- 2000: Memphis Tennessee (Stony Plain Records)
- 2004: No Dark in America (Dualtone Records)
Compilations
- 1977: The Legendary Sun Performers: Rosco Gordon (Charly Records)
- 1980: The Best of Rosco Gordon Volume One (Ace Records)
- 1982: Volume 2: The Memphis Sessions (Ace Records)
- 1993: Just a Little Bit (Vee-Jay Records)
- 1996: Rosco's Rhythm (Charly Records)
- 1998: Bootin' (The Best of the RPM Years) (Ace Records)
- 2004: A Proper Introduction to Rosco Gordon - No More Doggin' (Proper Records)
- 2009: Let's Get High: The Man About Music From Memphis (JSP Records)
- 2016: Just A Little Bit (Jasmine Records)
References
- ^
Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b c
ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ a b c
Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60473-920-6.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Bryan. "Rosco Gordon: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- ^ a b "Rosco Gordon". All About Blues Music. July 11, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ "Roscoe Gordon Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Music VF.
- ^ "Rhythm & Blues Record Releases" (PDF). Billboard. December 29, 1951. p. 26.
- ^ ISBN 9780285640245.
- ^
Cohodas, Nadine (2000). Spinning Blues into Gold. ISBN 0-312-26133-0.
- ^ "Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues" (PDF). Billboard. May 10, 1952. p. 35.
- ^ "Rosco Rocks Again - Rosco Gordon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "Memphis, Tennessee – Rosco Gordon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ Gallo, Phil (September 6, 2003). "The Road To Memphis". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2019.