American comedian and actor Richard 'Dusty' Fletcher knocking on a door mocking his 'Open the Door Richard' routine
Saturday, 14 September 2019
Dusty Fletcher - Open The Door Richard, 1947
"Open The Door Richard" becomes the smash of the year with five different artists hitting the Top Three on the R&B Charts with a version, including its writer Dusty Fletcher. The comical song about a drunk trying to get into his apartment while his roommate is there with a woman signal a loosening of sexual mores, which become an R&B hallmark.
The Ravens - Old Man River, 1947
The Ravens introduce a new form of harmony singing featuring bass vocalist Jimmy Ricks out front with tenor Maithe Marshall floating on top of the melody. Their radical reworking of "Old Man River" is the prototype for the new style of R&B group singing on the horizon.
The Ravens (top l to r= Jimmy "Ricky" Ricks, Warren "Birdland" Suttles; bottom l to r= Maithe Marshall, Leonard "Zeke" Puzey); Savoy Records
1948
Be on Your Merry Way - 13 R&B
Bye Bye Baby Blues - 8 R&B
It's Too Soon to Know - 11 R&B
Ol' Man River - 10 R&B
Send for Me If You Need Me - 5 R&B
Silent Night - 8 R&B
Write Me a Letter - 5 R&B
Louis Jordan - Choo Choo Ch' Boogie, August 31, 1946
"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five becomes the biggest hit ever in the increasingly popular jump blues style that later leads to rock 'n' roll.
August 31, 1946
Louis Jordan and Showgirls, Paramount Theater, New York City, 1946
1946
Beware (Brother, Beware) - 20 US, 2 R&B
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' - 3 R&B
Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule - 1 R&B
Let the Good Times Roll - 2 R&B
Reconversion Blues - 2 R&B
Salt Pork, West Virginia - 2 R&B
That Chick's Too Young to Fry - 3 R&B
01/1946
Buzz Me - 9 US, 1 R&B
08/1946
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - 7 US, 1 R&B
11/1946
Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time) - 17 US, 1 R&B
Lew Chudd - Art Rupe - firms, 1945
1945 - Lew Chudd forms Imperial Records and the following year Art Rupe forms Specialty Records, both in Los Angeles, to record rhythm & blues. Each label will also make significant recordings of New Orleans R&B over the next decade and a half.
Lew Chudd - Art Rupe
Les Paul invents, 1945
Les Paul invents echo-delay, multi-track recording and many other techniques that further expand recording possibilities.
Photo: Les Paul playing Super 400 in 1939
10/1945
It's Been a Long Long Time by Bing Crosby and Les Paul and His Trio - N.1 US
10/1946
Rumors Are Flying by The Andrews Sisters and Les Paul - 4 US
Cecil Gant - I Wonder. March, 1945
Cecil Gant's "I Wonder" becomes the first massive R&B hit to be significantly covered for other markets.
1944
I Wonder - 1 R&B
1945
Cecil Boogie - 5 R&B
I'm Tired - 4 R&B
The Grass Is Getting Greener - 7 R&B
Bihari brothers - Modern Records, 1945
The Bihari family forms Modern Records in Los Angeles, one of the most successful and groundbreaking R&B labels in the country.
Joe Liggins - The Honeydripper, Oct. 1945
1945-Oct. - "The Honeydripper" by Joe Liggins is #1 on the black music charts for a record 18 weeks. The sexually suggestive term is an early indicator for the new direction of R&B music.
Almanac: 1949 Billboard debut
Almanac: Music Highlight of the Early Years
billboard.com
billboard.com
Best Selling Popular Retail Records - debut in
Billboard National Top 30
January 1, 1949
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November 19, 1949
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December 31, 1949
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