December 4, 1959 : First of two New York City sessions for LaVERN BAKER.
On this day she records "Eternally" (first released on the LP "Saved", Atlantic 
8050, in 1961), "Must I Cry Again" (Atlantic 2137) and "Half of Your Love" (Atlantic
2186, 1963). On December 11, a further three tracks are laid down : "Shake A Hand"/
"Manana" (which becomes the next single, Atlantic 2048) and "Shadow of Love"
(Atlantic 2059). Personnel differs on the two Fridays, but Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar),
Abie Baker (bass) and Sticks Evans (drums) are present on both occasions.
Production by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler.
 
December 7-8, 1959 : AL TOUSAN (as Allen Toussaint called himself then) is in
New Orleans to record instrumentals for the Seville label from NYC. Four singles 
were released, 1960-63: Chico / Sweetie Pie (Seville 103), Naomi / Indiana (Seville
110, also released in the UK on London HLU 9291 in early 1961), Moo Moo / A Blue
Mood (113) and Real Churchy / Twenty Years Later (124). The remaining six tracks 
first appeared in 1992 on the Bear Family CD "The Complete Tousan Sessions" 
(BCD 15641), after a three-year search for the Seville master tapes. 
Personnel: Allen Toussaint, piano,organ ; Red Tyler, baritone sax ; Nat Perrilliat,
tenor sax ; Melvin Lastie, cornet ; Justin Adams, guitar ; Frank Fields, bass ; Charles
"Hungry" Williams, drums. Producer: Danny Kessler.  
 
Wednesday, December 9, 1959 : MARVIN RAINWATER is in Nashville, recording 
at his usual studio (Bradley Film & Recording Studio, to give its full name) with his 
usual producer (Jim Vienneau) and the usual backing musicians from the Nashville 
A-team. The two tracks recorded, "The Pale Faced Indian (Lament of the Cherokee
Nation)" and "Wayward Angel" will become his next single (MGM 12865) in the last
week of January 1960.
 
December 11-12, 1959 : Less than a month after finishing his third LP (which hasn't
even been released yet), DUANE EDDY starts to record material (old folk songs) for
his fourth LP, "Songs From Our Heritage" (Jamie LP 3009). On the 11th, he records
"In the Pines", "John Henry", "Old Joe Clark" and "The Prisoner's Song", followed by
"Riddle Song", "Cripple Creek" and "Mule Train" on the 12th. Personnel: Duane Eddy,
Spanish guitar, banjo ; Corki Casey, guitar ; Donnie Owens, guitar ; Al Casey, bass ;
Jimmy Troxel, drums ; Larry Knechtel, vibes ; Jim Horn, flute. Production by Lee 
Hazlewood and Lester Sill at Audio Recorders in Phoenix, Arizona. The LP will be
completed in January 1960 ; watch this space next month.
 
December 12, 1959 : The Collins Kids split up for six months or so, after Lorrie
eloped with Johnny Cash's road manager, Stew Carnall. LARRY COLLINS, still 
only 15 years old, now records on his own, in Nashville. The vocal single "What 
About Tomorrow"/"Get Along Home Cindy" is released on Columbia 41953 in 
March 1961. The other two tracks are instrumentals. "T-Bone" gets a 45 rpm 
release in April 1962, on Columbia 42394, and "Fireball Mail" is first released on 
the Bear Family 2-CD "Hop, Skip and Jump" (BCD 15537) in 1990.
Personnel : Larry Collins, vocals, guitar ; Grady Martin, Hank Garland and Harold
Bradley, guitars ; Joe Zinkan, bass ; Floyd Cramer, piano ; Buddy Harman, drums.
Produced by Don Law.
 
Deember 14, 1959 : Another Nashville session for JOHNNY CASH. "Second
Honeymoon" is released in July 1960 (Columbia 41707), "Going to Memphis"
in October 1960 (Columbia 41804) and the "Johnny Yuma Theme" (from the TV
series "The Rebel") in May 1961 (Columbia 41995, previously issued as an LP
track). The fourth song from this session, the recitation "The Ballad of the 
Harpweaver", was never issued in this version, though Johnny would return to it
later on in the sixties. 
Personnel: Johnny Cash, vocals, guitar ; Luther Perkins, electric guitar ; Marshall
Grant, bass ; Floyd Cramer, piano ; Buddy Harman, drums. Producer : Don Law.
 
December 15, 1959 : First session for THE EVERLY BROTHERS outside of
Nashville. At Bell Sound Studio in New York City they record their next single,
"Let It Be Me"/"Since You Broke My Heart" (Cadence 1376, released in the first
week of January 1960). According to one source, work on "Since You Broke My
Heart" was started in Nashville on December 13 and finished in NYC two days
later. Production by Archie Bleyer.
 
December 15, 1959 : A busy day for BILL DOGGETT and his combo, at the King
studio in Cincinnati. Not only does he cover the Bill Black's Combo hit "Smokie,
Parts 1 & 2" (King 5310) and record another two-part single "Night Train" (for much
later release on King 5878), Doggett also manages to record an entire LP on this day :
"For Reminiscent Lovers : Romantic Songs" (King LP 706, released in mid-1960).
Doggett's band includes Clifford Scott on tenor sax, Billy Butler on guitar and Calvin 
Shields on drums.
 
December 16 (or 21), 1959 : Second Top Rank session for JACK SCOTT at Bell 
Sound Studio in New York City. Like the first one in November, the session is 
produced by Sonny Lester and arranged by Bill Sanford. Recorded are "Burning 
Bridges", which will be released on Top Rank 2041 in March 1960, and "My Heart 
Would Know", the first track to be laid down for the LP "I Remember Hank Williams"
(Top Rank International 319, released in May 1960).
 
December 17, 1959: During a split session with Roy Hamilton and Bobby Vinton, 
ERSEL HICKEY covers the UK Adam Faith hit "What Do You Want" for his next 
single, Epic 9357 (b/w "Love In Bloom" from a September 29 session). Personnel:
Everett Barksdale and William Suyker (guitars), Dolores Dickens (bass), Bobby
Donaldson (drums), Hank Jones (piano), Maurice Bialkin and Sidney Edwards 
(cellos) and a team of violins. Location: Columbia Studio, New York City. Producer:
Chuck Sagle.
 
December 23, 1959 : THE DRIFTERS record "This Magic Moment" (their next
single, Atlantic 2050) and "Lonely Winds" (Atlantic 2062, May 1960) in New York
City. A third track from this session, "Temptation", remains unissued.
The Drifters are: Ben E. King (lead baritone), Charles Thomas (tenor), Doc Green
(baritone) and Ellsbury Hobbs (bass). Production by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
 
December 23, 1959 : In Cincinnati, LITTLE WILLIE JOHN records material for
two singles: "My Love Is Everything"/"Loving Care" (King 5318) and "I'm Shaking"/
"A Cottage For Sale"/ (King 5342). ("I'm Shaking" was later recorded by the 
Blasters.) Accompaniment includes Sonny Thompson on piano and Philip Paul 
on drums. Production by Henry Glover.
 
December 29, 1959: Copenhagen, Denmark. For a change we switch to Europe, 
where blues singer / pianist CHAMPION JACK DUPREE spends the day to record
12 tracks for his forthcoming album "Champion of the Blues" (Atlantic LP 8056), to
be released in 1961. All tracks (including two hitherto unissued) have Jack on vocals
and piano only.   
 
Probably December 1959, unknown date : JERRY LEE LEWIS is in the Sun studio
(706 Union) with Martin Willis (sax), Roland Janes (guitar), Leo Lodner (bass) and 
Jimmy Van Eaton (drums). All three tracks were originally unissued. The first legal 
release of "The Wild Side of Life" was on Jerry's LP Boxset (UK Sun 102) in 1982,
"Billy Boy" got its first release on the album "Rural Route No. 1" (Hilltop JS 6120)
in 1972, and the instrumental "Lewis Workout" (title given by Martin Hawkins, 
originally untitled) saw the light in 1980 on the LP "Tough Stuff : Sun's Instrumental
Gold" (Charly 30186).
 
During the Christmas holidays of 1959, LITTLE RICHARD reunites with his former
backing musicians, The Upsetters, and makes his first secular recordings since 
October 1957. At the Royal Theatre in Baltimore they record three instrumentals, 
and three Fats Domino numbers. As Little Richard is now deeply involved in religion,
he doesn't want to see his name connected with these recordings. Hence the name 
THE UPSETTERS will be used on the following singles: '"Let's Get A Thing Going"/
"'Tator Machine (Little Star 118, released 1962), "I'm In Love Again"/"Every Night 
About This Time" (Little Star 123, released 1962) and "Valley Of Tears"/"Freedom
Ride" (Little Star 128, released 1963). Personnel: Richard Penniman (vocal, piano), 
Milton Hopkins (guitar), Olsie Robinson (bass), Emile Russell (drums), Grady Gaines
and Clifford Burke (tenor saxophones) and Rayfield Davers (baritone saxophone).
Producer is H.B. Barnum. 
 
(With thanks to Henk Gorter and Steve Walker.)
 
Additions and corrections welcome.
 
Dik

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