Previous Vocal Group Record of the Week
#703 (Week of 3/12/11 - 3/18/11)

THE KING LABEL - PART THREE OF THREE

THE ADMIRALS - PART TWO OF TWO

THIS WEEK'S SELECTIONS PROVIDED BY ANDREW BOHAN

"Forget If You Can"
by Bubber Johnson
And The Dreamers
on Mercury 8285
released in 1952

"Ding Dang Doo"
by Bubber Johnson
(And The Admirals)
on King 4793
released in 1955


Above: Robert "Bubber" Johnson was an actor, singer and pianist.



Above: The Sultans/Admirals, here with Lionel Hampton, consisted of Willie Barnes (lead tenor), Wesley Devereaux (1st tenor), Eugene McDaniels (2nd tenor), Richard Beasley (bass), and James Farmer (baritone).


Bubber Johnson (Left) with Jeff Chandler in 1952 movie "Red Ball Express."

JET MAGAZINE, November 6, 1952:
Actor Bubber Johnson Forms Quartet
Newest singing foursome to be formed on the West Coast is the Bubber Johnson Quartet, organized by actor-pianist Bubber Johnson who was last seen in Universal International's film, Red Ball Express. Several of its numbers have been recorded by Mercury.

(NOTE: Per Internet Movie Data Base, this was Bubber's ONLY movie. He also appeared in one episode of the TV series Goodyear Playhouse in 1957.)





Above: Label image of Mercury 8285, released in June 1952. Review is from The Billboard 7/26/52. The flip does not have vocal group backing. Based on master numbers, these Dreamers would be the same Joe Van Loan group, without Warren Suttles, that backed up Wini Brown as "Her Boyfriends" on Mercury 5870. See Marv Goldberg's article about Joe Van Loan's Early Career.






Above: Label image of King 4793, released in March 1955. Review is from The Billboard 4/30/55. The Admirals back Bubber on both sides of this record. He had numerous releases with vocal group backing on the King label from 1955 to 1959, including one other side with The Admirals and two records (four sides) with The Hurricanes. However, it was standard procedure to not show the group name on the labels.

Trade Magazine Clipping, November 1955: There's nothing like having a hit record, according to Bubber Johnson. Now that his "Come Home" is a big one, Johnson and the Gale Agency find themselves swamped with requests for bookings. He opened at the Copa, Pittsburgh, Monday (14) for a week, followed by a week at the New Marinas, Wahington, November 21, four days at the Veterans Club, Sewickley, Pa., December 1, and a week at the Chatterbox, Cleveland, starting December 5....

(NOTE: King liked to hedge their bets with Bubber. His "Drop Me A Line" on King 4793 and "Come Home" on King 4822 were covered by Bonnie Lou on King 1476 and Cathy Ryan on King 4848, respectively.)



Listen to this week's selections by Bubber Johnson: [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]

     A. Stream RealAudio (DO NOT USE...LISTEN USING DOWNLOAD REALAUDIO)...
 
          1. Forget If You Can - Bubber Johnson And The Dreamers - Mercury 8285 - 1952
          2. Ding Dang Doo - Bubber Johnson (And The Admirals) - King 4793 - 1955
 
          BOTH played in sequence

     B. Download RealAudio...
 
          1. Forget If You Can - Bubber Johnson And The Dreamers - Mercury 8285 - 1952
          2. Ding Dang Doo - Bubber Johnson (And The Admirals) - King 4793 - 1955

     C. Stream/Download Media Player...
 
          1. Forget If You Can - Bubber Johnson And The Dreamers - Mercury 8285 - 1952
          2. Ding Dang Doo - Bubber Johnson (And The Admirals) - King 4793 - 1955


     [To download audio files, right-click on link and then select "Save (Link) Target As..."]


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