Biography of Louis Jordan

In his youth, Louis Jordan made a reputation among musicians as a great jazz clarinetist, but it was as a singer and showman that he climbed to the very top of showbusiness, with several million-selling records to his credit when that kind of figure still meant something. In 1938, Jordan left Chick Webb's big band and debuted a sextet, Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five (his drummer featured tympany), at a small Harlem club, the Elk's Rendezvous. This swinging little group mixed jazz and jive in a manner that appealed to both dancers and listeners and communicated well on records (Jordan had a Decca contract from the start and recorded steadily). Its big hits didn't come until the early 40s. Much of the group's success came from Jordan's terrific sense of time and pacing; he could put on a show with the best of them. On records, he could almost make you see him as he preached mock sermons ("Beware"), told funny stories ("Five Guys Named Mo"), or just sang the blues with a message that all could absorb ("Early in the Morning") . Sometimes the story took both sides of a 78 to tell ("Saturday Night Fish Fry"), and sometimes the story was even romantic ("Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'"). Nat Cole, Ray Charles, B. B. King -- they all learned from Louis Jordan. Not forgotten, Jordan has been celebrated on records and on stage, most recently with Five Guys Named Mo, first in London, then on Broadway in 1992. ~ Dan Morgenstern