Stomp Off 1001 - Dickbaker.org

West Jesmond Rhythm Kings 1255All SOS recordings credited Blythe.Rec.Dixieland Thumpers (w/Blythe), 12/27,Paramount 12594 et al. No credit on recordlabel. Record on RHJA--no vocal.Chi. Footwarmers (w/Blythe), 12/15/27, OKeh8548 et al. Credit on Okeh 8548 is alsoBlythe-Robinson, but there’s no vocal on therecord.Blythe’s WB Wzrds, 3/30/28, Vocalion 1180.Credit on label is Blythe-Robinson, and thereis a vocal on this recording.State St. Ramblers (w/Blythe), 4/23/28,Gennett 6692; Champion 15676, 40023 etal. Credit on Champion 15676 & 40023 (asBlythe’s Blue Boys) is Blythe-Robertson. Novocal on record (found at RHJA).But Bill Haesler found this:However, in the absence of the Gennettlabel we have the following (usually) reliablesources for Gennett 6692:•From 'Paramount Piano. A Discography'by Hillman, Middleton with Swinton.(Minor-Blythe)Coleman L. Minor collaborated with Blythe on“Weary WayBlues” in 1927.Copyright isOriental man; melody by James Blythe. © 1c. Dec. 19, 1927; E 679443; Melrose &Montgomery, Chicago.So Blythe copyrighted it in his own name atabout the same time he first recorded it--butno composer credits on that label. By the timehe recorded it again (three times) a fewmonths later, it had picked up a cocomposer.But who?A pretty good guess would be AlexanderRobinson, who collaborated with Blythe onMecca Flat Blues, that is was misspelled onthe Champion label but corrected on thesubsequent two recordings that year.(Robinson and Blythe also cowrote “You’reNot the Kind I Thought You Were” in 1928.)What’s strange is that I have 16 recordings ofthe “Oriental Man” that give composer credits,and 14 of them are also Blythe alone; the twothat say Blythe-Robinson are a BlytheWashboard Wizards reissue and a recordingby Federal Jazz Commission. How can thedouble-credit be on all the recordings and yethave nobody pick it up?Haesler did some extensive research thatprovides info that come in handy here andelsewhere:So far as Alex Robinson was concerned myfirst reaction was to check the excellent Alexvan der Tuuk 2003 book, 'Paramount's Riseand Fall'.Relevant extracts:Aletha Dickerson (1902-1994) was MayoWilliams' secretary at Paramount Recordsand also handled the copyright registrationsthrough Chicago Music PublishingCompany. At this time (about 1924) she alsoplayed piano at the Indiana Theatre andco-owned a record store with her husband,Alexander Robinson (1894-1970), himself acomposer. She tried to get her husband intoWilliams' office but he rejected this, afraid ofthe possibility that together the couplewould gain to great an influence in hisbusiness. Part of her job was to send both"lyrics and music to the Copyright Division ofthe Library of Congress. As secretary,Dickerson put her name or, in later years,her alias, Selma Davis) on 43 titles listed forcopyright—in most cases as a co-writer!"Eventually she was put in charge ofrecording.From an interview with Aletha: "Alex hadmade a a test for Paramount and that'swhere [Thomas] Dorsey heard him sing, andasked him to form a trio with him." And theHokum Boys trio started recording.For five months, from 6 June 1929Paramount hired the Gennett studios forrecording. Including a two-day session on16-17 August 1929 for 25 recordings. (I havenot yet looked for this.)"In some cases Aletha Dickerson was sentdown to supervise recording sessions,sometimes in the company of AlexRobinson. Dickerson in later years said thather husband was known as a songwriter,composing songs for future recordingartists, indicating that the couple were moreand more becoming part of the NYRL[Paramount] nucleus, responsible forsupervising sessions..."Dickerson and Robinson even hid themselvesbehind the pseudonyms "SelmaDavis" and "A. La Moore', respectively. Note112 also mentions that her first use of thealias was on October 1, 1928, so "as it tookabout five weeks from recording a song tothe final registration,we may presume earlySeptember as the date Dickerson started asrecording manager.And "..Thomas A Dorsey recounted thatAlex Robinson typed some of the leadsheets using the "A. Lamoore"/"La Mooore"alias...""Thomas Dorsey confirmed that Robinsonand Dickerson not only ran the Race RecordDepartment, as he put it, but also managedthe Hokum Boys. He also said the Alex Hilland Jimmy Blythe did some playing for thecompany. The Gennett files confirm this, asboth Hill and Blythe recorded in the Gennettstudio as part of the Hokum Boys, with atwo-and-a half month interval between theJune 27 session (with Robinson and DanRoberts) and the September 6 session (withBob Robinson," a psuedonym for AlexRobinson, as stated by his wife Aletha).""Dickerson was also present during twoBlind Blake sessions—one on June 20,during which Alex Robinson accompaniedhim on piano..."There is no doubt in my mind that(Robertson) on the record labels =Alexander Robinson.A couple of later additional notes by Bill:For some reason, the usually reliable'Paramount Piano. A Discography' byHillman, Middleton with Swinton has (JimmyBlythe, Robinson), yet includes a pic of theVocalion label (Blythe-Robinson).Ross Laird's 'Brunswick Records'Discography provides (Blythe & Robinson)for Oriental Man. And, incidentally, for itssession mate: My Baby (Slaughter,Robinson & Blythe) (M&M) = Melrose &Montgomery, Chicago, Ill.Well, it seems clear that early on in the life ofthis tune it acquired lyrics, since a lyricist wascredited on the second December 1927recording (Chicago Footwarmers), eventhough there was no vocal, and on the March1928 recording, which did have a vocal. SinceRobinson was the credit on the first tworecords with a composer credit, and sinceAlexander Robinson was a regularcollaborator with Blythe, we must presume it’she. The Robertson on those Champion labelshas to be an error.Oriental Strut (Johnny St. Cyr)South Frisco JB C/CD 1027Peruna Jazzmen 1105Zenith Hot Stompers 1191Bob Schulz & His Frisco JB 1288Neville Dickie 1341Steve Waddell’s Creole Bells 1348Tom Stuip & Delirium Tremolo 1433