ROCKING CHAIR BLUES: 1949

IT IS A BIT SAD that such scant information has survived regarding what is surely one of Seattle’s most fabled jazz joints: the Old Rocking Chair Club. Sure, I occasionally turn up various vintage trade tokens from the place (as seen below) but the shortage of photographs of the long-gone place is simply a travesty to our efforts to document local history. So, saints-be-praised then that this image just recently surfaced in a stack of old pix recently unearthed here in town.  

Based in a 2-story wooden house on the Southeast corner of 14th & Yesler – note: its street address has variously been listed as either being 115 14th Avenue S., or 1301 E. Yesler Way – the Rocking Chair was run by Fred Owens who had begun in the nightlife biz by operating the Blue Rose club in that same locale back in the Roaring ‘20s. The greatest legend about the room certainly centers on its role in the “discovery” of one of America’s greatest musical talents: Ray Charles – who considered it “the gonest place in town.”

It was in March, 1948, that the 17-year-old pianist, Ray Charles Robinson – seeking a better life & a way into the music business – arrived in town by Greyhound bus from his home down south. On his very first night in town he was steered to a jam session at the Rocking Chair, a venue that boasted a comfortable bar built from glass blocks, a small bandstand, & a not-so-discrete gambling room upstairs. Since its opening back in ‘46, the Rocking Chair had fully earned its reputation as the place to stir up some action or just hang: even touring stars like Count Basie & his band would relax, or jam, there into the wee small hours after their main gigs across town. The original house band was the Elmer Gill Trio & that’s who was onstage when Robinson showed up and asked to sit in a play a few tunes. Instantly winning over the club’s colorful cast of regulars, the kid was offered a weekly gig at the local black chapter of the Elks Club (662 1/2 S. Jackson Street). Robinson (who soon assumed the stage-name of “Ray Charles”) added guitarist Garcia McKee & the duo held down that gig until summertime when they formed the McSon Trio (which soon became: the Maxin Trio) by adding bassist Milt Garred & moving up to the Rocking Chair gig.  

Then one night in late-‘48 an LA-based businessman named Jack Lauderdale was shooting dice at the Rocking Chair and began diggin’ the tunes that were wafting up from the bandstand. And Lauderdale certainly knew his music:  he operated what was one of the very first black-owned independent labels, Downbeat Records, which had already issued R&B hits by artists including Lowell Fulson, Jay McShann, & Joe Turner. So when the Maxin Trio informed him that some of the tunes they’d been playing were originals, he tried to lure them into a recording session. As Charles later recounted:

“I first met Jack Lauderdale…when we were at the Rocking Chair. There was a private club upstairs – that's where they would gamble at – and downstairs was where we were working. Jack was there one night and he came downstairs and heard us playing. He said, ‘I'd like to sign you guys up to a contract. What would you think about that?’ Oh, Man, I was so excited! ‘Wow! We're gonna get a record contract!’ There was nothing about any advance or money up front. All the man said to me was the he was gonna record me, and we'd have a hit. I didn't even ask about the terms. All I knew was that I wanted to make a record; this was a big thing to me at that time.”

Jazz historian Paul de Barros once reported that: “When Lauderdale offered the trio a record date, they thought he was putting them on. McKee recollects: ‘Ray and I got together and said, “This guy thinks we damn fools!”…We didn’t know he was serious, because we didn’t know nothing about recording. He kept on persisting, and persisting, and finally he got us down to this station and then that’s when we did our first tune. …We recorded them downtown.’ …‘You know,’ adds Charles, ‘…We just couldn’t believe that – we’re going to make a record and we’re going to make it in Seattle.’” “A record! Man, that was the ultimate!” Charles enthused in his autobiography, Brother Ray. “Yes we’ll cut a record, Mr. Lauderdale. Good God Almighty! Just show us the way, Papa. Nothing I want to do more. …Jack was the first person I signed with, and I have to give him credit. I don't know what he heard, but he must have heard something – because he recorded me in Seattle.”

The Trio’s debut session was likely held at the KOL radio studio in the Northern Life Tower – one of the very few options in town at the time. At session’s end Lauderdale split with the master tape – which contained the first bluesy tunes ever recorded in Seattle: “Confession Blues” and “I Love You, I Love You” – and in early 1949 it was released on his Down Beat label. Though the disc’s commercial success was marginal, Lauderdale had the trio come down to LA for another session. After that he sent again for Charles and McKee, who recorded with a hired rhythm section before returning home once more. Finally, in February 1950 Lauderdale sent just for Charles – and thus the Trio’s days were over. Perhaps feeling a bit homesick, Charles – who would soon launch his fabulous career as the “Genius of Soul” – cut his next record which was a sweet tribute to the ol’ gang back at the club: “Rocking Chair Blues.” Here's some of what Brother Ray sang about his Seattle pals:

“If you're feeling lowdown, don't have a soul to care, (X2)
Just grab your hat and start for the Rocking Chair.

There's Dubonnet Judy, Gin Fizz Flo, Cocktail Shorty, and old Julip Joe.

I'm telling you, it's the gonest place in town,
If you don't have your rubbers, take a taxi down.

If you're a regular guy, you're bound to get a souvenir, (X2)
And when you write back home, you can say you're spooning at the Rocking Chair.”

NORTHWEST PASSAGE: BOOK REVIEW 2011

WHAT AN INSPIRATIONAL FIND I recently stumbled across! Seen here is the cover-art for an 88-page book/CD set titled: Northwest Passage: 50 Years Of Independent Music From The Rose City which is, as noted, “A Book And Audio CD Highlighting The History Of Portland’s Burgeoning Independent Music Scene.” Recently produced by that city’s Dill Pickle Club – a volunteer-powered non-profit corporation that adopted its briny moniker in homage to an old jazz-drenched speakeasy that served as a locus for the creatives who sparked the “Chicago Renaissance” during the Prohibition Era – & which has embarked on a program of presenting unusual educational events. As their website states: “Through tours, public programs and publications, we create nontraditional and interactive learning environments where all forms of knowledge are valued and made readily accessible.”


Northwest Passage is a wonderful example of their visionary efforts. What it contains, in part, is documentation of some of their past events: interesting transcripts from public interviews they completed with various notable musicians from Portland’s remarkable music scene – including: Ural Thomas (a storied R&B and soul singer who first recorded as a member of Portland’s ‘50s doo-wop vocal group, the Monterays), Valerie Brown (of the groovy ‘60s band, Melodius Funk), Fred & Toody Cole (garage/punk icons whose band, Dead Moon, enjoys a global fan-base), and Cool Nutz (local hip-hop pioneer). Those transcripts offer a hint about how interesting the Club’s events can be, with the veteran players sharing recollections about earlier days in Portland music history & reflections on the state of music there today. The CD – which is tucked into the back of the high-quality book – provides an audio supplement to the experience with songs by those artists and others ranging in vintages from 1966 to 2010.  In addition, the book includes a brief discographical listing of important Portland recordings & a bibliography of relevant books [Full Disclosure: my own 2009 tome, Sonic Boom! is included]. All-in-all, a most impressive product from and admirable organization. The Dill Pickle Club has created here a model that the people of any town that can boast a musical past even half as robust as Portland’s would be wise to consider emulating. With their event programs, & this cool book/CD set, the Club has demonstrated a very effective way to explore one’s collective past, heap a little belated public honor on overlooked contributors to that history, bring a focus to the present-day community’s longing for connection to a proud heritage, & help ensure that the future of any particular music scene is better fortified with a solid & well-understood foundation.

THE BEATLES IN SEATTLE: 1964

SURE, THERE HAD been major rock ’n’ roll shows in Seattle before The Beatles arrived here back in the summer of 1964 – Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent at the Orpheum Theatre, and Elvis Presley at Sicks’ Stadium in 1957 come to mind – but the Fab Four’s initial appearance at the Seattle Center Coliseum was undeniably historic. The Coliseum itself had served as the “Washington State Pavilion” during 1962’s Century 21 Exposition – the Seattle World’s Fair – but the bigbeat concerts held during that expo had occurred in other venues (including the Arena where Fats Domino, James Brown, Ray Charles, the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and Ricky Nelson all performed). Then, after The Beatles began scoring international radio-play in late-1963, it became apparent that the sheer size of their emerging fan-base would require a larger venue for their upcoming tour-date. Thus the Coliseum made its debut as a concert hall by hosting a crowd of 14,300 screaming teenagers on August 21, 1964 – the date that marked the building's beginnings as the site of a multi-decade run of concert performances by the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll. Here’s a photo of how it all began...

ROCK 'N' ROLL IS "DISGUSTING"? (1959)

IN THE LATE 1950s there were still plenty of folks – especially established musicians – who were rock 'n' roll haters. The long list of nationally prominent stars who specifically dissed the music (& its fans) included bobbysoxer idol Frank Sinatra, classical cello master Pablo Casals – & the biggest A&R wig at the largest label in the world: Columbia Records' Mitch Miller. Even the greatest singing star to ever emerge from the Northwest – Bing Crosby – figured (as late as 1962) that, not to worry: rock music had already "run its course."

Along the way a number of songs with a clear anti-rock spirit, & containing outright mocking condescension, were produced. Examples include: Stan Freberg tunes like "Try" (a histrionic satire of the Northwest's pop phenom, Johnnie Ray, & his international hit, "Cry"), "Sh-Boom" (a spoof of the Chords' 1954 doo-wop hit), & "Heartbreak Hotel" (a slam on Elvis Presley's breakthrough 1956 hit, in which the King rips his pants and a studio's backslap echo goes berserk) -- & The 3 Haircuts' "You Are So Rare To Me" (Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner & Howie Morris' 1956 sendup of a twitchy & pompadoured teen vocal trio), & Mitchel Torok's March, 1959, dig against Johnny Cash's rockabilly sound, "All Over Again, Again."


Seattle's contribution to this artistically dubious field is highlighted with this single: The Byron Gosh Trio's "Disgusting" / "By Gosh." Issued by New York's Golden Crest label – their archives show that it was mastered on May 15, 1959 – the tunes were cut at Joe Boles' fabled West Seattle home studio. We also know that those songs were published by Bolmin Publishing -- Boles' firm in partnership with Tacoma's music man, Art Mineo. The music itself is nothing much more than a cocktail lounge-worthy parody of real rock 'n' roll – it does feature a quite fluid electric guitar solo & is backed by crazy beatnik bongo-style drum fills – & the tune's structure emphasizes the utterance of exactly one repeated word. But while a few different radio hits of the day -- like the Champs' 1958 smash, "Tequila" -- had periodic breaks where the song's title was invoked in an enthusiastic manner, on this one the term "disgusting" is articulated with a sense of, well, sheer disgust.


So who were the Gosh gang? Well, that's a bit of a mystery. Virginia Boles – widow of the audio engineer – once told me that this disc was created as a slam on rock music by a group of professional local jazz stalwarts who deeply begrudged the new sounds. So, even though it is not firmly established, I'll risk taking my best shot at snitching on the culprits. A review of the contents of Boles' old studio guest log reveals evidence of a session in the spring of 1959 which featured these jazzmen: Chuck Bennett (guitar), Hal Champ (bass), Peter Lederer (piano), & Keith Purvis (drums). Interestingly, what I know about them is that the first two men also performed on another, later, Golden Crest 45: Stan Boreson's send-up of big-beat music: "Swedish Rock And Roll." Beyond that "coincidence," about all I know at this time is that Purvis – who grew up in North Seattle & graduated from Roosevelt High School – became a first-call AFM 76 union drummer & opened his own Burien-based store – the Keith Purvis Drum Shop (218 SW 153rd Street) – in 1955. That store – where, by gosh, I bought a set of new black Ludwig tubs in 1977 – became a mecca for generations of Northwest drum nuts, right up until his death in October 2004. But: if those Seattle players weren't the Byron Gosh Trio I'd certainly love to know who was!

THE BARDS' "BRITISH INVASION" DAYS: 1966

THIS IS THE STRANGE TALE of a Northwest rock 'n' roll 45 whose path to success – including being issued on a surreptitiously labeled disc – was perhaps like no other. It was in 1964 – amidst the exciting British Invasion (as spearheaded by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, et al) – that a Moses Lake, Washington-based combo, the Fabulous Continentals, joined scores of other American groups who enthusiastically adopted the various trappings of the limey groups in an effort to jump aboard the Anglophilic bandwagon.

Examples of new Northwest bands who emerged at that time include: the Ascots, the Blokes, the Mersey Six, the Huntingtons, Sir Raleigh & the Cupons, King George & the Checkmates, Lord Kalvert & the Reserves, Lord Byron & the Poets, and Prince Charles & the Crusaders. Meanwhile, a few established local musicians also tried to cash-in by altering their images to appear British – such as Spokane's Runabouts (who changed their name to the London Taxi), & Seattle's popster, Billy Saint (who cut a 45 as Johnny London). Similarly, the Fabulous Continentals (who had originally formed back in 1961 to play standard fare pop and Northwest dance sounds -- like "Louie Louie") re-surfaced as the Bards. And, like some of their peer combos, the boys were now outfitted with mop-top haircuts, Carnaby Street-style garb (& sometimes even assumed fake Liverpool accents) – all intended to help them attract audiences of Beatle-crazed teenage girls.

Signed by Seattle record mogul, Jerry Dennon, the Bards proceeded to record such forgettable things as a bland cover of the Who’s “My Generation,” & a song called "The Jabberwocky." Of greater interest though, was the Bards' attempt to construct an "original" song based upon vintage writings by the esteemed 19th Century English poet, Edward Lear. And boys-being-boys the Bards took great humor from his classic 1871 piece, “The Owl And The Pussycat” – especially the lyrical zinger: “O lovely pussy! O pussy my love, what a beautiful pussy you are.”

Upon being recorded in mid-’66, Dennon issued the song as a single on his new Piccadilly label (#224). But he had greater things in mind for the band than just that & was soon attempting to license it to bigtime labels in Hollywood. The old pros down there, however, took one listen to the racy thing and instantly applied the "ten-foot-pole" rule, declining the opportunity. In particular, A&M Records wouldn’t touch it, & Liberty/Imperial Records also steered clear. But Dennon – who had already made a fortune via his label's recording of the Kingmen's controversial hit, "Louie Louie" – had good reason to believe that a mildly naughty song just might have some commercial potential. Finally he struck an interesting, & perhaps unprecedented, deal with the Beatles' label, Capitol Records. Though somewhat interested, the company was still just wary enough that they agreed to press a limited amount of the Bards' tune on records with plain white, logo-free, (but, numbered: #2148) labels – & with the understanding that if Dennon could spark some interest at radio stations, they’d reconsider issuing it on Capitol proper. 

Which is exactly what did happen: the song began getting some spins & Capitol came through – issuing it with the same (#2148) release number. In the end, however, "The Owl & The Pussycat" still failed to break out beyond this region & the Bards subsequently settled down and produced a series of soft-rock regional hits though 1969.

WASHINGTON HALL – A HISTORY: (1908–2010)

WASHINGTON STATE'S HISTORY COMMUNITY deserves high praise for successfully rallying to save one of Seattle's most storied entertainment venues from the evil wrecking ball. The Washington Hall (153 14th Avenue) – home to over a century of music-making & dancing – will not be torn down, despite years of rumors to that effect.

Built in the Central District by the Danish Brotherhood Society in 1908 as a settlement house (photo courtesy, Puget Sound Regional Archives) for new immigrants, the hall initially hosted old-country folk dance groups & musicians. To make ends meet, the Brotherhood also welcomed rentals, & the town's growing African-American community held many events there over the years. On June 10, 1918, the local chapter of the NAACP threw a Grand Benefit Ball there which featured Miss Lillian Smith's Jazz Band – a night that made history as the earliest documented jazz gig in Seattle. Other fabled shows followed: Cab Calloway, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Marian Anderson, Billie Holiday, & James Brown's band.

Confusion, however, has arisen in recent media accounts of the hall's travails: mistaken claims that Big Mama Thornton, Chuck Berry, & Little Richard all played the room have polluted its history, just as the dance there on February 20, 1960 (above photo by Odell Lee) by Jimmy Hendrix' teenaged R&B combo, the Rocking Kings, has repeatedly been cited, incorrectly, as the young Seattle guitarist's very first gig.

In 1973 the building was sold to a black organization, the Sons of Haiti Masonic Lodge, which began to rent it out to a variety of event promoters & organizations. As the 1970s rolled into the 1980s & the Northwest punk & New Wave movements gained traction, the Washington Hall was the site of tons of exciting shows including early ones by Chinas Comidas, Henry Boy, the Avengers,  the Cheaters, the Radios, Red Dress, D.O.A., the Look, the Dishrags, Pointed Sticks, & an absolutely legendary one by the Dead Kennedys & Ice-9 on July 7, 1979.

San Francisco's radical lefty punk band, the outrageously named Dead Kennedys, were on tour performing songs like their new single, "California Über Alles," & Ice-9 – a first generation Portland punk crew (see photo below) – likely kicked out a rendition of “Revolting Mess” from their classic, and sole, 45.

Seattle's hip-hop pioneer crew, the Emerald Street Boys, rocked the room in the early '80s, as did many more bands – right up into the Grunge Rock Era: the Void (1982), Ten Minute Warning, the Rejectors, the Accüsed, the Boot Boys (1983), Agent Orange (1985), Poison Idea, Last Gasp, Green River, Christ On A Crutch, Subvert, the Jesters of Chaos, My Eye, Resolution, the Derelicts, 13 Hilacopters, Cat Butt, Seaweed, Gas Huffer, & the Gits. With all that great history – and much more – behind it, the Washington Hall received City of Seattle Landmark status in 2009, and then with a generous grant from the Washington State Historical Society, and another from King County's 4Culture arts-preservation agency, the Historic Seattle organization was finally able to seal the $1.5 million deal. Next month – on May 1, 2010 – the refurbished hall will host a "House Party" to celebrate its revival.

SEATTLE HARMONY KINGS: 1920s

HOW MANY TIMES have record hunters been fooled when they uncovered 78 rpm discs by a Roaring '20s dance-band credited as the Seattle Harmony Kings & quite reasonably assumed that they were an early crew on the 206 scene? Well, I confess to being one in that category – but with a name like this, who could have guessed that the swingin' combo was not from the Pacific Northwest.

It appears that eight decades ago, little ol' Seattle seemed like such an exotic far-west locale that a Chicago-based musical group happily named themselves the Seattle Harmony Kings. The Kings were a subset of the Benson Orchestra, which had been formed by Edgar A. Benson – a cellist who managed bands in the Windy City. Benson eventually got so busy booking his bands that he hired other guys (like Roy Bargy) to lead them. The Kings were directed by clarinet and tenor sax-man, Eddie Neibaur, and fellow band-members included: Bennie Neibaur (trombone & vocals), Earl Baker (trumpet), Marvin Hamby (trumpet), Leon Kaplan (banjo), Swede Knudsen (tuba), Rosy McHargue (clarinet, alto sax), Joe Thomas (piano), & Richie Miller (drums).

One info source posited that the Kings was a name Victor applied to the group in order to differentiate them -- & their electrically recorded songs -- from the Benson Orchestra's acoustically recorded works. Perhaps. But what we know for sure is that on September 2, 1925 two songs -- "Darktown Shuffle" & "If I Had A Girl Like You" -- were captured by Victor in Camden, New Jersey. Then, nearly one year later – on August 2, 1926 – a Victor session in New York City yielded "Breezin' Along (With The Breeze)" & "How Many Times?" These guys are certainly harmonious musicians, maybe even kingly with their skills – but they sure ain't from Sea-Town.