Right Hand Man - Chuck Norris - Vol 01

Chuck Norris Vol.1 1946-1955 Norris originates from the Midwest, born in Kansas City, Missouri on August 11, 1921, and raised in Chicago, where he studied under the fabled music instructor Captain Walter Dyett at Chicago's DuSable High School. Here, he learned to read music, and his versatility and keeping up with the trends kept him in constant demand, resulting in a career that spanned four decades. In the mid-40s, Norris relocated to Los Angeles where his performances in local clubs caught the attention of independent labels and producers, particularly saxophonist, songwriter, and producer Maxwell Davis, whose connections across labels like Aladdin, Modern, and Specialty provided Norris with plenty of opportunities for session work. In the 40s and early 50s, the West Coast served as the cradle of R&B, blending diverse musical genres. It amalgamated small, almost pop-styled combos with the blues of Texas and the big band influences of the Midwest. Throughout his career, he released just 16 solo tracks. These releases primarily served to fill gaps in the company's catalog rather than being seen as long-term investments, and as so they had limited distribution and were pressed in small quantities, making many of them nearly impossible to find today. Not many realize that they have heard Chuck’s guitar or bass on countless recording sessions by everybody from Charles Brown and Dinah Washington to Percy Mayfield and Jesse Belvin and on bestselling records by Bobby Day, The Robins, The Platters, and The Rivingtons. His resume also includes a session for an X-rated movie, and a soundtrack for the movie "The Great White Hope". He even did a month-long stint playing the banjo behind Louis Armstrong and Barbara Streisand on "Hello Dolly”. Other than a great interview on the back of Swedish LP "Los Angeles Flash" recorded in 1982, there is limited documentation of his career, and no official collection of his work exists. Until now. Norris’ earliest recordings lean more towards jazz and later the refined urban blues stylings of Floyd Dixon and Charles Brown whose styles owed a lot to the smooth velvety pop of Nat King Cole. When Charles Brown departed from the Three Blazers in 1948, he established his own trio The Smarties with Eddie Williams on bass and Norris on guitar. As a guitarist Norris (and his close friend T-Bone Walker) was heavily influenced by Charlie Christian, but he had to adjust to keep working. More and more he had to abandon jazz and his idol. Jules Bihari of Modern Records started using Norris on sessions behind Floyd Dixon, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Little Willie Littlefield and he wanted nothing but Blues, and soon Norris was playing nothing but The Blues. Norris’ first solo outing was with the Charles Norris Trio-No Better For Me b/w Moneys Getting Cheaper (Personnel unknown). The latter became a Jimmy Witherspoon standard as "Time's Getting Tougher Than Tough". Notice the very cool tremolo guitar! "Hey Everybody" and "Kinda Sick, Mostly Worried" were both recorded on December 28, 1950, and feature Tom Reeves (trumpet), Early Brow (alto sax), Maxwell Davis (tenor sax), Jim Wynn (baritone sax), Jesse Belvin (piano), Warren Owens (bass), and Peppy Prince (drums). To be continued on Vol. 2 where we will feature more Chuck Norris solo sides, and outstanding tracks recorded between 1946 and 1962 with artists such as Pearl Traylor, Percy Mayfield, Johnny Guitar Watson, Linda Hopkins, and Larry Williams!