St. Louis and East St. Louis, on the Mississippi river, the Illinois Central railroad line and Highway 61 have been home permanantly or for extended periods of time to many stellar and lesser lights in the world of blues, jazz and gospel. Here are many of them.

Angela Alexander--delightful vocalist with the band "Twilight Jump."

Joe Alexander and the Cubans-- recorded a 45 on a small St. Louis label, that is rumoured to have Chuck Berry's first recorded performance on guitar. I've listened to it and I don't hear it.

Junior Applewhite--bass player with Robert Doll, looks like he could be Muddy's brother.

Tommy Bankhead--a St. Louis blues institution with deep roots, see his page in this section. Tommy Bankhead passed away in 2001.

Barkin' Bill -- (Delmark 672) was raised in St. Louis.

Fontella Bass--of "Rescue Me" fame, now getting back in the limelight singing gospel. Vocalist and piano player, started out in Little Milton's review.

Fred Baugh--talented saxophone player, leader of his own band and supported Screamin' Joe Neal.

Chuck Bernard--two fine versions of "Everytime I Think Of You" one for Gabriel (Joyce 305), one for Bobbin.

Chuck Berry--America's "real" poet laureate, Chuck took blues mixed it with some country, and, as much as anyone, became the father of rock 'n roll.

Big Bad Smitty--"Mean Disposition" and "Cold Blood."

Big Daddy--vocalist in the Howlin' Wolf tradition.

Big George Brock--Mississippi born harmonica player with a self-produced album, owned the Club Caravan and the New Club Caravan, recently demolished!

Shirley Brown--soul legend, originally from nearby Venice, Illinois, "Woman To Woman," sang as Little Shirley in Albert King's band.

Bull and the Matadors--of East St. Louis had the hit "The Judge Is Funky".

Jim Byrnes--early member of the Soulard blues band who's gone on to fame on TV

Barbara Carr--succeeded Fontella Bass as vocalist for the Oliver Sain Revue and went on to record for Chess and for her own Bar-Carr label. With several new releases on Memphis based Ecko Records Barbara's star is rising.

Alvin Cash (and the Crawlers)--"Twine Time" Alvin and his brothers were great dancers in the late fifties, performing as The Step Brothers, who appeared on the local TV show "St. Louis Hop". Alvin went on to make early roots of rap and funk record "Twine Time". Alvin Cash passed away November 21, 1999 at the age of 60. His other hits included "The Funky Washing Machine," "The Ali Shuffle" and "The Philly Freeze."

Andrew Cauthen--harmonica player, with cuts on the Adelphi St. Louis anthology ("Things Have Changed") and Testament's "Blues From The Delta" CD.

Marshall Chapman--bassist, now deceased.

Mary Coleman--"Mississippi Mary" recorded a single for Gabriel's Yvette label. Gabriel says she was bussed here for the session from "somewhere down south," and that she is playing her own guitar on one side. Jim O'Neal located her in Memphis and interviewed her.

Rudy "Silvercloud" Coleman--singer and piano player.

Tim Cooper--harmonica player recorded for the Stevens label in the 50's reissued on Red Lightnin' (now reissued on Sequel) and a new CD on Black Magic.

James Crutchfield-- see his entry on my pre-war page. See his newly released recordings on the Biddle Street Barrelhousein' CD on Delmark with James "Bat The Hummingbird" Robinson on drums on some cuts!

The Davis Brothers Band--in the early days in Mississippi they were known as "The Lard Can Band." Brothers James "Bobo" a drummer, and guitarists Sylvester "Rusty" Davis, who passed away recently, and John. For seventeen years they were the house band at Tubby's Red Room in Centreville, IL on the outskirts of East St. Louis. Now Bobo is touring Europe!

Cecil Davis--Davis' band rivaled Oliver Sain's in popularity in the sixties for high school proms and hops. Davis himself played guitar.

Jimmie Davis--Mississippi born blues fiddle player and guitarist, appears on Testament 5013 with Big Joe Williams and on the Adelphi anthology ("Things Have Changed").

Tommy Dean--originally came from Beaumont, TX and got his early experience as a performer in carnivals and circuses. While playing at an outdoor road show in Saint Louis he came to the attention of bandleader Eddie Randle who hired him as a sideman for his band, the Seven Blue Devils. Around 1937, Dean went out on his own and played throughout the Midwest for the next decade, eventually shifting his base to Chicago.

Under the banner "Tommy Dean and His St. Louisans," he played such clubs as the Hurricane Show Lounge (349 East Garfield) and Blue Heaven Theatre Lounge (742 East 63rd). On May 3, 1947, the Chicago Defender carried a photo of Dean's quartet: "Tommy Dean, and his famed combo headline the attraction at the Hurricane Lounge." The ad in the same issue read, "Tommy Dean & His St. Louisans, direct from the Music Box Lounge," and promised an opening on May 6.

Around this time, Tommy Dean cut his first record for the St. Louis-based label Town and Country. Many thanks to Tom Kelly for bringing this session to our attention; it has never been listed in a discography before. (from the Red Saunders Research Foundation page, definitely a must-see)

James DeShay--singer guitar player, recently passed away. Owned a club on Easton Ave. In the late forties he and Little Walter used to play on St. Louis street corners for money.

Little Dave Dixon--drummer with Robert Doll.

Keith Doder--harmonicist for the Blue City Band.

Robert Doll-- Robert and his son, Theotis were backing Big Bad Smitty at Spraggin's Hacianda when I first encountered him.

Eagle Park Slim --Slim is alive and well out west. Click on his name to visit his webpage, buy his CDs and more.

Willie Ealey -- see under Frank Frost below.

Earthquake--a legendary St. Louis drummer. I believe his real name was Willie Blackmon. He may have recorded earlier in the South. Does anyone know for sure?

The Fernando's--doowop group with a highly sought after single on the Carter label.

Four Vagabonds-- formed in 1933, they were the top vocal group at St. Louis' Vashon High School. They were signed up for their own radio show on WEW. In 1936 they went to Chicago and in 1941 were signed to Bluebird. Their first session was ten days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and they became part of RCA's propaganda machine, usually pairing a fairly inoffensive war-related song on at least one side of each release until the war ended. Their biggest hit was "It Can't Be Wrong" featured in the Warner Borthers 1942 hit "Now, Voyager" starring Bette Davis, right at the birth of doowop. A pair of tracks on Westside's "Jive Is Jumpin'" compilation, and complete recorded work in three volumes (5635, 5636, 5637) on Document. With thanks to Blues & Rhythm's Dave Penny. Eugene Fluker--guitarist vocalist with recordings on Wolf.

Abram "Falstaff" Foster--wonderful keyboard player, now deceased.

Willie Foster--harmonica, vocals, lived in Greenville, MS, has a release on Palindrome. This is not, however the same artist as "Little Willie Foster" who recorded for Cobra. Willie Foster passed away several years ago.

Sam Fowler--harmonica player, only known recordings with Big Joe Williams for Baul in St. Louis.

Frank Frost-- "In 1951, in St. Louis, he met harmonica player Little Willie Foster and joined his band [would this be Willie Foster, above, rather than the Chicago artist?]. Around 1956, still in St. Louis he joined Sam Carr (Robert Nighthawk's son). In 1990 Frank told Blues & Rhythm's Norman Darwen that he met Carr in St. Louis and Carr invited Frost to join his band as a replacement for a harp player called Tree Top Slim (possibly St. Louis artist Willie Ealey). [from Tony Burke's Frost obit in B&R; 144]

Gabriel--in the fifties he had his own band and issued superb 45's on himself (as the Flockrocker) and others, on a number of his own labels, eventually to be reissued by Jim O'Neal, and a 50 year long career in St. Louis blues radio. (as of 2002)

Billy Gayles--vocalist/drummer with the Ike Turner organization. "Tore Up" on Federal was his hit.

Archie Gillham--recorded The Blues Is Just About To Get Me Down backed with St. Louis Boogie of Gilspin Records 1 with vocals by Leon Bryant. The lyric mentions "a St. Louis band". Anyone have any further info?

Boyd Gilmore--played with own group, Fireworks Station, East St. Louis, 1955 (Blues Who's Who), not surprising considering his considerable association with Ike Turner in Clarksdale and Greenville. According to Wardlow, Charlie Booker thought Gilmore lived here. According to Tommy Bankhead he and Gilmore came to St. Louis together in '49 and Gilmore lived here for several years, staying at Ned Love's club in East St. Louis.

Fred Green-- formed Fred Green and the Malleards who recorded for Bobbin and Ballad then went on to greater fame as the El Torros on Duke.

Vernon Guy--vocalist with the Sharpees, recently deceased.

Ronnie Guyton--bass player, Dan Lee Taylor's son with a single on Pulsar "Honey Take Me Home".

Erline Harris -- Blues At First Sight, Deluxe 3305, states Ms. Harris made her first professional appearance in 1939 at the Club Plantation in St. Louis.

Willie "Lee" Harris--harmonica, on Testament 5013 with Big Joe Williams.

Darling Harrison--singer/guitarist, played with Robert Johnson and Willie Brown in the thirties in the delta.

Rayburn Hayes--superlative drummer, played on Big Bad Smitty's "Mean Dispostion" and in various bands here for several decades.

Otis Hicks--(Lightnin' Slim) was born here.

Raymond Hill--recently deceased sax player with Ike Turner, his own releases on Highwater and Sun, father of Tina Turner's oldest son.

Tommy Hodges--vocalist with Ike Turner.

Carl Hogan--guitar player for Louis Jordan and a major influence on Chuck Berry

Melvin Hughes-- drummer. Mr. Hughes sent us this wonderful email:

This is a real great and comprehensive page and I really enjoyed all the artist presented here. But I didn't see my name and some of the guys that I played with.

My name is Melvin Hughes I was born and raised in Kinloch and was raised with and played many of the names mentioned here. I guess I was not as famous as some, never made records (though I tried many times) but I did record for Stax in Memphis with Buddy Hughes.(my brother)

I received an award from the History Museum as a part of the Ragtime to Rock and Roll exhibit in 1991.

Buddy took over the band from Johnny "The Twist" Williams. We were playing the Peppermint Club in about 1960-65. We alternated between The Peppermint Club and Twist City which use to be at Delmar near Belt.

Member of that band were Lee Smith (bass player, vocalist) Andre Macklin Drummer (now plays at Gene Lynn's) Stanford Bell (Bass player, pianist, baritone sax) Melvin Hughes (Tenor, alto sax and vocalist) Buddy Hughes (tenor, alto, soprano sax) Nat Riggins (Guitar, vocalist) and Nona Walker and Beverly Boyd Vocalist.

Let me mention too that Buddy Hughes had the only band in the city at that time that played, Jass, Blues, Rock and Roll, Country and Western, and Light Classics. Buddy Hughes was originally a Jass musician whose idol was John Coltrane.

The groups that I worked with consisted of: Rudy "Silver Cloud" Coleman (my first professional job} Johnny "The Twist" Williams, Roosevelt Marks, Buddy Hughes, Tim Copper, Johnny Johnson, Little Walter Westbrook, Pops Porter, Raymond Gay.

In 1955 I traveled to Chicago with Ike Turner for a recording date with Chess Records. There was trouble between Ike and Chess so my group (vocal group at the time) had to return without recording. Ask Ike about the trip to Chi town with two cars and ten people in each car. Man what a trip. !!

I have played with, from time to time Bennie Smith, Cecil Travis (Guitarist for Rudy Coleman for a long time) David Hines was in that group along with Kenny Rice, Pop Sims, Ralph (guitarist can't think of his last name).

I grew up with Tommy Hodge, Carlson Oliver, Ann Peebles. I have played behind Major Lance, Barbara Mason and others. I had the pleasure one of having B.B. King play behind me at the old Harlem Club on the East side.

The list goes on and on.

Surely many of the guys that you have written about are still around, What are they doing now?

Some pre- and post-war St. Louis jazz musicians.

Familiar to the U.S. and international audiences through his masterful work with such artists as folk legend Joan Baez, Guitarists James "Blood" Ulmer, Jean-Paul Bourielly, Anthony Michael Peterson, Grammy Award Winning vocalist Cassandra Wilson, Oscar Nominee Imelda Stonson and French singer Maxime LeForrestier, this talented young bassist/composer has been taking the New York music scene by storm.

His major television, theatrical and recording credits include: MTV, HBO, BET, The Johnny Carson Show, The Learning Channel, Sesame Street, The Jay Leno Show, The View, New York At Night...he has recorded and toured with the following: James "Blood" Ulmer, Francesca Beghe (U.S. Tour with Michael Bolton), Joan Baez, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Mary Black, Maxi Priest, Special EFX, Cassandra Wilson ...And recently, Mark shared the stage with Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith and David Bromberg as part of the Newport Folk Festival On Tour. "