Joe Liggins

by Bill DahlPianist Joe Liggins and his band, the Honeydrippers, tore up the R&B charts during the late 40s and early 50s with their polished brand of polite R&B. Liggins scored massive hits with The Honeydripper in 1945 and Pink Champagne five years later, posting a great many more solid sellers in between.Born in Oklahoma, Liggins moved to San Diego in 1932. He moved to Los Angeles in 1939 and played with various outfits, including Sammy Franklins California Rhythm Rascals. When Franklin took an unwise pass on recording Ligginss infectious The Honeydripper, the bespectacled pianist assembled his own band and waxed the tune for Leon Renes Exclusive logo. The upshot: an R&B chart-topper. Nine more hits followed on Exclusive over the next three years, including the schmaltzy Got a Right to Cry, the often-covered Tanya (Chicago guitarist Earl Hooker waxed a delicious version) and Roll Em.In 1950, Joe joined his brother Jimmy at Specialty Records. More hits immediately followed: Rag Mop, the number one R&B smash Pink Champagne, Little Joes Boogie, and Frankie Lee. During this period, the Honeydrippers prominently featured saxists Willie Jackson and James Jackson, Jr. Liggins stuck around Specialty into 1954, later turning up with solitary singles on Mercury and Aladdin. But time had passed Liggins by, at least right then; later, his sophisticated approach later came back into fashion, and he led a little big band until his death.