HISTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY

 


New York based independent label begun by brothers Morty and Bobby Shad in 1948 had fleeting success with their record line which featured some jazz stalwarts like Stan Getz, Wardell Gray and Julian Dash, blues acts Lightnin’ Hopkins, Brownie McGhee and Smokey Hogg, as well as players on the outskirts of rock ‘n’ roll such as Big John Greer and Peppermint Harris. Their most authentic full-time rockers were James Wayne and Goree Carter, though Carter’s most important sides were for other labels.

One notable footnote to the label was their release of a Ray Charles record before Ray’s breakthrough which marks one of the few vintage sides not found among Downbeat, Atlantic or ABC catalogs, the three labels Charles had his longest associations with.

Bobby Shad’s start in music came with the Savoy label as a producer for Charlie Parker. He then moved to National Records, one of the many big names who worked briefly for that label, before starting his own company the next year. Despite their New York origins the company focused mainly on musicians from the Gulf Coast, the Texas/Louisiana area, giving them a distinct sound, but somehow they missed out on the wealth of talent from New Orleans outside of James Wayne.

Over the years Shad would work with countless notable acts as producer, often with no official credit for just money under the table, but after signing as a full-time producer with Mercury Records in the 1950’s his name recognition grew as he oversaw Dinah Washington among other big names. He started other small labels in the late 1950’s and had a handful of hits with them before discovering 1960’s rocker Janis Joplin, producing her first album with Big Brother & The Holding Company for which he probably remains most well known among rock aficionados.

The Sittin’ In With label however had only a few big sellers and closed its doors in 1953.
 

SITTIN’ IN WITH RECORDS REVIEWED TO DATE ON SPONTANEOUS LUNACY:


 
BIG JOHN GREER: Rockin’ With Big John (3) (Sittin’ In With 510; November, 1948)
BIG JOHN GREER: Hey Bruz (3) (Sittin’ In With 518; August, 1949)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: My Blues Have Rolled Away (3) (Sittin’ In With 543; February, 1950)
ED WILEY: Cry, Cry Baby (5) (Sittin’ In With 545; February, 1950)
ED WILEY: Blues After Blues (4) (Sittin’ In With 545; February, 1950)
CARL CAMPBELL (as KING TUT): You’ve Been Fiddlin’ Around (3) (Sittin’ In With 550; April, 1950)
THE DIXIAIRES: Don’t Let That Worry You (7) (Sittin’ In With 553; April, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: This Is Goodbye, Baby (2) (Sittin’ In With 554; April, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Mabel, Mabel (3) (Sittin’ In With 554; April, 1950)
GOREE CARTER: Let’s Rock (6) (Sittin’ In With 556; June, 1950)
GOREE CARTER: Everybody’s Love Crazy (6) (Sittin’ In With 556; June, 1950)
ED WILEY (ft. KING TUT): My Heart Is Going Down Slow (6) (Sittin’ In With 562; June, 1950)
LONNIE LYONS: I Need Romance (3) (Sittin’ In With 566; June, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Fat Girl Boogie (8) (Sittin’ In With 568; June, 1950)
GOREE CARTER: True Love Is Hard To Find (5) (Sittin’ In With 572; August, 1950)
JAMES WAYNES: Gypsy Blues (7) (Sittin’ In With 573; August, 1950)
JAMES WAYNES: Millionaire Blues (8) (Sittin’ In With 573; August, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie (6) (Sittin’ In With 576; August, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Hey Sweet Thing (3) (Sittin’ In With 576; August, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Oo-Wee Baby (7) (Sittin’ In With 578; September, 1950)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Reckless Lover (3) (Sittin’ In With 578; September, 1950)
THE SHADOWS: Jitterbug Special (3) (Sittin’ In With 583; November, 1950)
THE SHADOWS: I’ll Never, Never Let You Go (4) (Sittin’ In With 583; November, 1950)
ED WILEY: Pack Up, Move Out (4) (Sittin’ In With 585; November, 1950)
JAMES WAYNES: Tend To Your Business (8) (Sittin’ In With 588; February, 1951)
JAMES WAYNES: Love Me Blues (5) (Sittin’ In With 588; February, 1951)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: Let’s Ride (7) (Sittin’ In With 597; May, 1951)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: The Blues Pick On Me (4) (Sittin’ In With 588; May, 1951)
JAMES WAYNES: Junco Partner (9) (Sittin’ In With 607; July, 1951)
JAMES WAYNES: Tryin’ To Find A Girl (7) (Sittin’ In With 607; July, 1951)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: I Always End Up Blue (2) (Sittin’ In With 612; August, 1951)
JAMES WAYNE: I’m Goin’ To Tell Your Mother (4) (Sittin’ In With 622; November, 1951)
JAMES WAYNE: Please Baby, Please (5) (Sittin’ In With 622; November, 1951)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: I Wake Up Screaming (3) (Sittin’ In 623; January, 1952)
PEPPERMINT HARRIS: She’s My Baby (5) (Sittin’ In 623; January, 1952)