Louis Thomas Jordan was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "the King of the Jukebox", he earned his highest profile towards the end of the swing era. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "early influence" in 1987.
"Caldonia" is a jump blues song, first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. Although credited to Fleecie Moore, his wife at the time, Jordan is the actual songwriter. The song was a hit for Jordan as well as several other musicians.
"Let the Good Times Roll" is a jump blues song recorded in 1946 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. A mid-tempo twelve-bar blues, the song became a blues standard and one of Jordan's best-known songs.
"Ration Blues" is a song written by Louis Jordan, Antonio Cosey, and Collenane Clark. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in October 1943, and released on the Decca label. The "B" side of the record was "Deacon Jones".
"Buzz Me" is a 1946 song by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five that is credited to Fleecie Moore and Danny Baxter. Released by Decca Records as a single, it was the first song in 1946 to reach the number one spot on the R&B chart and was the first of five Louis Jordan releases to achieve the top position in 1946. "Buzz Me" also peaked at number nine on the pop chart. The single became a double-sided hit when the B-side "Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule" also hit number one on the R&B chart later in the year.
"Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)" is a 1939 song with lyrics and music by Wilmoth Houdini, a Trinidad and Tobago musician who had moved to the United States. Houdini's first version bore the title "He Had It Coming." It was recorded in 1946 by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five on Decca and later included in the Ella Fitzgerald album Ella and Her Fellas.
"Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)" is a 1946 song by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. The song reached number one on the R&B Jukebox chart for two weeks and peaked at number seventeen on the pop chart. Chuck Berry, who acknowledged the influence of both Louis Jordan and Carl Hogan, copied the latter's guitar intro to the song for his 1958 classic "Johnny B. Goode".
"Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" is a jump blues song, written by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney. Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five recorded the song on June 26, 1946, and Decca Records released it on a 78 rpm record. It was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013.
"Texas and Pacific" is a song written by Jack Wolf Fine and Joseph E. Hirsch. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in October 1946, and released on the Decca label. The song describes a rider's experience on the Texas & Pacific Railway. The "B" side of the record was "I Like 'Em Fat Like That".
"Jack, You're Dead" is a song written by Dick Miles and Walter Bishop. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in October 1946, and released on the Decca label. The song describes a man's physical state if he fails to respond to romance.
"Boogie Woogie Blue Plate" is a song written by Joe Burhkin and Johnny DeVries. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five and released on the Decca label.
"Early in the Mornin'" or "'Early in the Morning" is a song that was recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five in 1947. It is an early example of a blues which incorporates Afro-Cuban rhythms and percussive instruments. "Early in the Mornin'" became a hit, reaching number three in Billboard magazine's race records chart.
"What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)" is a song written by Busby Meyers, performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in July 1942, and released on the Decca label (catalog no. 8645). The "B" side of the record was "The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall".
"Salt Pork, West Virginia" is a song attributed to Fleecie Moore and William J. Tennyson Jr., performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, and released on the Decca label. It peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's race record chart and remained on the chart for 15 weeks. It ranked No. 8 on the magazine's list of the most played race records of 1946.
"Beware" is a song attributed to Morry Lasco, Dick Adams, and Fleecie Moore. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in January 1946, and released on the Decca label.
"That Chick's Too Young to Fry" is a song written by Tommy Edwards and Jimmy Hilliard. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in January 1946, and released on the Decca label. The record's "B" side was "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie".
"Reconversion Blues" is a song attributed to Steve Graham and Fleecie Moore. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in October 1946, and released on the Decca label. The record's "B" side was "Salt Pork, West Virginia".
"Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends" is a song written by Benny Carter, Irving Gordon, and Louis Jordan. It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in December 1947 and released on the Decca label. The "B" side of the record was "We Can't Agree".
"Knock Me a Kiss" is a song written by Mike Jackson (music) and Andy Razaf (lyrics). It was performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in November 1941, and released on the Decca label. The B-side was "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town".
"Five Guys Named Moe" is a song written by Jerry Bresler and Larry Wynn, performed by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, recorded in January 1942, and released on the Decca label. The song peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's race record chart and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks.
