Paul Gayten

Paul Gayten (born January 29, 1920 in Kentwood , Louisiana , † March 26, 1991 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American pianist , producer and songwriter of rhythm and blues and jump blues .

Life

The Louisiana native Gayten was a nephew of the blues pianist Little Brother Montgomery . In his youth he played in local bands and eventually founded his own formation, Paul Gayten's Sizzling Six , in which the later bebop saxophonist Teddy Edwards also played.

During the Second World War he led a military band at the army base in Biloxi, Mississippi . After the end of the war he moved to New Orleans and had a long engagement with a trio at the Robin Hood Club . In 1947 he recorded two of the first R&B hits from New Orleans with the trio: True (You Don't Love Me) and Since I Fell for You , the latter with singer Annie Laurie . Both songs hit the top ten R&B charts . Gayten also accompanied singer Chubby Newsom on her hit Hip Shakin 'Mama . From 1947 on, recordings were made for the DeLuxe record label .

In 1949 he expanded his ensemble to a nine-piece orchestra and switched to the Regal Records label . For the label, Gayten wrote the No. 1 R&B hit, For You My Love , recorded by Larry Darnell ; Gayten himself recorded the song I'll Never Be Free with Annie Laurie. With his orchestra, which at times also included the saxophonist Hank Mobley and the singer Little Jimmy Scott , he often went on tours, where he also appeared together with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker . In late 1951 he got a contract with Okeh Records ; Ray Abrams , Bill Doggett , Cecil Payne and Aaron Bell played in his orchestra when recording for the label .

In 1953 he finished the series of tours, switched to the Chess Records label , for which he worked as a talent scout, producer, songwriter and at times also as a musician. One of his discoveries was Clarence Henry , whose first hit Ain't Got No Home he produced in 1956.

Probably Gayton's greatest success was the 1961 song (I Don't Know Why) But I Do , which he co-composed and produced . Gayten also produced Bobby Charles ' Later Alligator for Chess and played piano on the recording of Chuck Berry's song Carol . In 1956 he had one of his biggest hits with The Music Goes Round and Round on the Chess sub-label Argo Records , followed by Nervous Boogie .

In 1960 he moved to Los Angeles and ran Chess Records from there; In 1968 he founded his own label Pzazz , which included recordings by Lorez Alexandria and Louis Jordan . In the 1970s he retired; he died in Los Angeles in 1991.

Discographic notes

• Paul Gayten's Crescent City Roll (1955–1957)
• Creole Gal (Route 66, ed. 1999)

Web links

• Biography of Billy Vera at doowopcafe.net
• Paul Gayten - Rockin In The Crescent City by JC Marion at earthlink.net
• Biography of Jim O'Neal on Allmusic