Joe Liggins

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Joe Liggins (born July 9, 1915 in Guthrie , Oklahoma , † July 26, 1987 in Lynwood , California ) was an American jazz and blues pianist who played with his band Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers in the 1940s and 1950s was successful. Their biggest hit was The Honeydripper ( 1945 ), which sold over two million copies and was on the R&B charts for 26 weeks . .

Born in Oklahoma, Liggins lived in San Diego , California from 1932 . In 1939 he moved to Los Angeles , where he played in various bands, most recently with " Sammy Franklin 's California Rhythm Rascals". When Franklin did not want to record the song The Honeydripper composed by Liggins , Liggins formed his own band with Little Willie Jackson . The track became a hit and was followed by others, including Got a Right to Cry , Tanya (later known as Earl Hooker's version ) and Roll 'Em .

In 1950, after the bankruptcy of Leon Rene's record company Exclusive Records , Liggins followed his brother Jimmy to Specialty Records , where he still had a number of hits, such as Rag Mop , Boom-Chick-A-Boogie , Pink Champagne and Little Joe's Boogie . At the end of the 1950s, the success subsided, but Joe Liggins remained active as a band leader until his death in 1987.

In 1992, Liggins was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame .

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