Joe Thomas
BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY
A widely acclaimed tenor saxophonist and vital cog to Jimmie Lunceford’s legendary swing band of the 1930’s and 1940’s who was a frequent soloist on his horn as well as taking lead vocals in a gruff voice who later moved into the outskirts of rock ‘n’ roll as a bandleader in an attempt to keep his career going after Lunceford’s death.
Thomas was born in Pennsylvania in 1909 and grew up in a religious household where he was only allowed to play hymns on his horn. Nevertheless his musical skill was such that he joined a succession of name jazz bands, among them Horace Henderson, whose career paled beside his brother Fletcher Henderson, though it was Horace who later worked as an arranger for his sibling on some of his most renown material.
An alto sax player during his time with Henderson he made the switch to tenor when he joined violinist Stuff Smith’s band. But it was upon his move to Lunceford’s acclaimed swing outfit in 1933 that Joe Thomas made his reputation. Though Lunceford’s musical approach was to emphasize the entire ensemble rather than feature elongated solos, Thomas made the most of his limited moments in the spotlights of songs and became known for packing a wallop in those brief spots. He also got occasional chances to sing during an era when vocalists were used for just quick refrains, as if merely another instrument to add variety to an arrangement.
Lunceford’s band were among the originators of the entire swing movement and as such their popularity during Thomas’s dozen years with them was unmatched in black America and even vied with white imitators such as Benny Goodman who enjoyed far broader exposure. But upon the decline of the swing era in the mid-1940’s the band’s fortunes declined and when Lunceford died in the summer of 1947 due to poisoning, the likely victim of a racist act, Thomas, along with fellow saxophonist Eddie Wilcox, led the group as they attempted to carry on over the next year before the group broke up, unable to weather the loss of their popular leader and the shifting musical tastes of the era.
Thomas landed at King Records in 1949, one of many name artists from an earlier period that the label signed with the hopes of branching them into the growing field of rock ‘n’ roll, as they’d done successfully with Ivory Joe Hunter and Wynonie Harris. While Thomas had the musical ability to perform rock credibly and seemed committed to giving it his all, his work largely fell on deaf ears . The one hit he saw during his run on King Records was actually a record by Todd Rhodes which was mistakenly attributed to Thomas on the label, though Thomas DID play sax on it.
By the mid-1950’s Thomas retired from music and ran his family’s mortuary business for years before eventually coming out of retirement in the 1970’s and playing some dates in the style he’d first become known for. (However he was NOT the same musician known then as The Ebony Godfather who had a string of hits in the 1970’s in the jazz-funk realm). Joe Thomas passed away in 1986, having left an indelible mark in swing and a credible, though largely forgotten, showing in rock.
JOE THOMAS DISCOGRAPHY (Records Reviewed To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):
BACKSTAGE AT THE APOLLO
(King 4296; June, 1949)
A strong initial effort for the swing-holdover which shows he was more than capable of standing out in rock as well, becoming more committed to living up to expectations as it goes along until it approaches cacophony by the close. (6)
PAGE BOY SHUFFLE
(King 4299; June 1949)
A modest but effective rolling groove that became a hit but was more notable for being credited to Thomas, who played sax on it, rather than Todd Rhodes whose record it actually was when first released on Sensation. (7)
MY BABY DONE LEFT ME
(King 4318; October, 1949)
A gallant effort perhaps for the ex-jazzman, but while his sax playing is up to snuff he badly misjudges the vocal style needed for rock, trying too hard surprisingly enough, and is further done in by his fellow horns who sound as if they wish they were back playing jazz. (3)
TEARING HAIR
(King 4318; October, 1949)
A play in three acts… Act One is the archaic swing-rooted stuff rock left behind, Act Two finds Thomas trying to wrest control and in Act Three he proves he can rock with the best of ’em. If it had been designed as a recap of recent music history it’d have worked better. (4)
WHAM-A-LAM
(King 4339; February, 1950)
A pretty solid effort that shows Thomas was making a legitimate attempt to fit into the rock landscape, coming up with a strong underlying riff, some grimy solos and most importantly the right attitude to make this a regional hit. (6)
ROLLIN’ THE BLUES
(King 4367; May, 1950)
A song designed to be acceptable rather than transcendent achieves its modest aims with a straightforward arrangement and well executed playing by all involved, but lacking the burning passion these sax instrumentals require means it is hardly memorable in its attempts. (5)
RAW MEAT
(King 4385; August, 1950)
Though very well played with a memorable hook it’s far too docile to live up to its title and though it sticks closely enough to the requirements of rock as a whole to qualify, it’s soft-peddling those connections to its detriment. (3)
SPARE TIME PAPA
(DeLuxe 3305; August, 1950)
As sideman behind… Erline Harris.
BLUES AT FIRST SIGHT
(DeLuxe 3305; August, 1950)
As sideman behind… Erline Harris.
HARLEM HOP
(King 4401; October, 1950)
Decidedly unpretentious, but still rather pleasant, instrumental that despite its title which vaguely conjures up past glories, this is more or less comfortable in the present, although to be really great it’d try peering more into the future. (5)
GOT TO HAVE HER LOVIN’
(King 4421; December, 1950)
A modest record with a modest vocal turn by Thomas singing modest lyrics of insecurity plaguing in him love with some modest backing by the band and two nice, but ultimately too short, solos by Thomas that leave you only modestly impressed with the entire package. (4)
SITTIN’ AROUND
(King 4434; February, 1951)
Solid, workmanlike effort by the band who don’t give you any surprises but rather stick to the basics – a churning groove, good atmosphere and a decent solo by Thomas… hardly hit material but far from a worthless attempt to stay relevant either. (5)
DOG FOOD
(King 4434; February, 1951)
Not quite as unappetizing as its title but still pretty distasteful as this is far too jazzy even with Thomas’s sax trying to inject a little grit and while it’s well played and tightly constructed it doesn’t have the stronger flavors a rock fan craves. (3)
JUMPIN’ JOE
(King 4460; June, 1951)
For the first half this is a jazz band’s interpretation of rock ‘n’ roll and a none too convincing one at that, but late in the game Thomas lets rip for thirty seconds with the other horns answering him in kind and it does just enough to make you almost forget what preceded it. (4)