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The Four Blazes were an American R&B vocal and instrumental group formed in Chicago and popular in the 1940s and 1950s. They were also occasionally billed as The Five Blazes and (probably just on record labels) as the "Blasers" or the "Flames."
The group was formed in 1940 by drummer Paul Lindsley "Jelly" Holt, an experienced Chicago musician who had previously been a member of the Five Rhythm Rocketeers. The Rocketeers had a residency at the Grand Terrace Ballroom, and linked up with Earl Hines for a European tour in 1939. When they returned, the Rocketeers broke up and Holt formed a new band, The Four Blazes. The other original members were Jimmy Bennett and William "Shorty" Hill on guitars and mandolin, and Prentice Butler on bass.
Bennett was later replaced by lead guitarist Floyd McDaniel (1915-1995), and the group also added pianist Ernie Harper (1920-1984) - brother of pianist Walt Harper from Pittsburgh. As The Five Blazes, they signed with Aristocrat Records in 1947, becoming only the second act to record for the predecessor to Chess Records. Confusingly, one of their numbers was "Chicago Boogie," and an entirely different group from Los Angeles called The Four Blazes recorded a song called "Chicago Blues" around the same time.
The Chicago group became The Four Blazes again after Ernie Harper left in 1948 for a solo career. In 1951, Butler died and was replaced by lead vocalist and bass player Tommy Braden. The group recorded a series of singles for United Records from 1952 onwards, several of them featuring saxophonist Eddie Chamblee. Their first release, "Mary Jo", hit # 1 on the R&B charts in August 1952, and the follow-ups "Please Send Her Back To Me" and "Perfect Woman" also made the R&B top ten.
In 1954, Braden left the band for a while, seeking a solo career; he died in 1957. Although Braden returned for a while, and Red Holloway took over from Eddie Chamblee accompanying the band in the studio, the Blazes broke up for good after a last recording session in 1955. "Jelly" Holt started a new vocal/instrumental group called the Four Whims before retiring in the early 1960s, and McDaniel performed with the Ink Spots before launching a solo career late in life.
New Orleans rhythm and blues is a style of rhythm and blues music that originated in the U.S. city of New Orleans. Most popular from 1948 to 1955, it was a direct precursor to rock and roll and strongly influenced ska. Instrumentation typically includes drums, bass, piano, horns, electric guitar, and vocals. The style is characterized by syncopated "second line" rhythms, a strong backbeat, and soulful vocals. Artists such as Roy Brown, Dave Bartholomew, and Fats Domino are representative of the New Orleans R&B sound.
United Records was a record company and label founded in Chicago by Leonard Allen and Lew Simpkins in 1951. United issued records by such artists as Tab Smith, Jimmy Forrest, Gene Ammons, Memphis Slim, Roosevelt Sykes, the Four Blazes, the Moroccos, Robert Anderson, and the Staple Singers.
"That Lady" is a 1973 R&B and soul song by The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. It was originally performed by the group nearly a decade before in 1964 inspired by The Impressions. After signing with Epic Records in 1973, the eldest members of the group had included younger members, guitarist Ernie Isley, bassist Marvin Isley and keyboardist/pianist Chris Jasper, as official members. In a response to this transformation, the group gave themselves the moniker of 3 + 3, describing the three original vocalists in the group and three recruited instrumentalists, inspiring the title of the album that came out that year. They performed the song on Soul Train on September 22, 1973.
Edwin James Costa was an American jazz pianist, vibraphonist, composer and arranger. In 1957 he was chosen as Down Beat jazz critics' new star on piano and vibes – the first time that one artist won two categories in the same year. He became known for his percussive, driving piano style that concentrated on the lower octaves of the keyboard.
Carey Bell Harrington was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s before embarking on a solo career. Besides his own albums, he recorded as an accompanist or duo artist with Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Louisiana Red and Jimmy Dawkins and was a frequent partner with his son, the guitarist Lurrie Bell. Blues Revue called Bell "one of Chicago's finest harpists." The Chicago Tribune said Bell was "a terrific talent in the tradition of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter."
Wild Bill Davis was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis.
The Cathedral Quartet, often simply known as The Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet that performed from 1964 until retiring in December 1999. The group's final line-up consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott Fowler, and Roger Bennett.
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound is a Southern gospel quartet founded in 2002 by Ernie Haase, former Cathedral Quartet tenor, and Garry Jones, former Gold City pianist. As of January 2020, the group consists of Dustin Doyle (baritone), Devin McGlamery (lead), Paul Harkey (bass) and Ernie Haase (tenor). As of June 2015, when Doug Anderson departed the group, Haase was the only member left remaining from the group's inaugural vocal lineup. The lineup of the band has changed several times. The group has released 23 albums and 9 DVDs, which feature other Christian artists.
The Wesley Willis Fiasco was an American punk rock band based in Wicker Park, Chicago, Illinois.
"Night Train" is a twelve-bar blues instrumental standard first recorded by Jimmy Forrest in 1951.
Ernest Aaron Freeman was an American pianist, organist, bandleader, and arranger. He was responsible for arranging many successful rhythm and blues and pop records from the 1950s to the 1970s.
"The Honeydripper " is an R&B song by Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers which topped the US Billboard R&B chart for 18 weeks, from September 1945 to January 1946.
The Individualism of Gil Evans is an album by pianist, conductor, arranger and composer Gil Evans originally released on the Verve label in 1964. It features Evans' big band arrangements of five original compositions and compositions by Kurt Weill, Bob Dorough, John Lewis and Willie Dixon. Tracks 1, 6, 7, 8 & 9 first appeared on the CD version of the album.
The All-Stars were a short-lived English blues combo active in the early-mid 1960s that later evolved into a studio supergroup. Originally known as the Cyril Davies (R&B) All-Stars, their later recordings are often credited to the Immediate All-Stars due to their strong ties to Immediate Records. In 1999, the group reformed as the Carlo Little All-Stars.
Jason V. Narducy is an American musician from Evanston, Illinois, United States.
Edwin Leon Chamblee, known as Eddie "Long Gone" Chamblee, was an American tenor and alto saxophonist, and occasional vocalist, who played jazz and R&B.
Legend of the Blues Vol. 1 is an album by American blues pianist Memphis Slim which was released in 1967 on the Jubilee label. The album was reissued on CD in 2008 by Wounded Bird Records.
The Legacy of the Blues Vol. 7 is an album by American blues pianist Memphis Slim which was recorded in 1967 and released on the Swedish Sonet label.
The Four Shades of Rhythm were an American R&B group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1938. Established in a hotbed for R&B musicians, the Four Shades of Rhythm are generally considered the first group to emerge from the scene. After singer and drummer Oscar Lindsay reshuffled the group's line-up in the 1940s, the Four Shades of Rhythm performed and recorded in Chicago. At least seven singles were released during their career.
