Smokey Joe Baugh

"Smokey" Joe Baugh (born July 25, 1932 in Helena , Arkansas , as Joseph E. Baugh , † November 19, 1999 in Monterey , California ) was an American country and rockabilly musician and pianist . Baugh is a rather unknown figure in the music scene, but was best known as a musician in Memphis , Tennessee .

Life

Born in Arkansas, “Smokey” Joe Baugh, who owes his nickname to his smoky voice, started in 1947 as a pianist in Memphis and West Memphis. Around 1952 he became a member of the Shelby Follins Band and for a short time Baugh and his friend Paul Burlison , who later made a career with Johnny Burnette , performed together with Howlin 'Wolf on the radio station KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas. Baugh later played in the band Clyde Leonards, the Snearly Ranch Boys , with whom he appeared on the radio, played at local events and took part in the Sun tours of the southern states .

Baugh even recorded a record with this group, Split Personality on the A-side and Lonely Sweetheart on the B-side. In the first track Baugh sang in a duet with Bill Taylor, on the B-side Baugh can only be heard as a pianist. In the years 1955/1956 he held a total of four sessions for Sun Records , from which a single resulted. Was included among others The Signifying Monkey , Listen To Me Baby (published) and the Hula Bop , She's a Woman or The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere , which remained unpublished. His single (Sun 228) hit the Memphis charts and sold very well regionally.

However, Baugh's smoky voice caused confusion from time to time. He often sounded like a black rhythm and blues singer, which was reinforced by the fact that he was performing with black musicians on the radio and that his song The Signifying Monkey was particularly successful in the R&B charts. This deception culminated when Baugh was invited to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem , New York , believed to be African American. In view of the racial segregation at the time, it would have been a peculiarity for a white musician to appear in front of a black audience in a black neighborhood, although musicians like Johnny Otis did this before.

As a session musician, Baugh has been present on many different recordings by various artists for Sun and Meteor Records . He can be heard on Warren Smith's recording of Rock 'n' Roll Ruby and on pieces by Barbara Pittman , Brad Suggs , Jimmy Pritchett , Eddie Collins and Junior Thompson . On December 4, 1956, when the "Sun Session" of the Million Dollar Quartet was taking place, Baugh was also present; this is evidenced by a photo dated that day, showing him with producer Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley . In the 1960s, Baugh was active in the Bill Black Combo and formed a band called Midnite Cowboys with Buddy Holobaugh in 1970 in Waco , Texas .

"Smokey" Joe Baugh died in 1999 in California.

Discography

year	title	Record company
1955	The Signifying Monkey / Listen To Me Baby	Flip Records
1955	The Signifying Monkey / Listen To Me Baby	Sun Records
195?	Perfect Girl / Start All Over Again	Fonovox Records
1964	The Signifying Monkey / Listen To Me Baby	Sun Records
Unpublished titles
1955	Hula bop She's a woman The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere Only you Tell It Like It Is	Sun Records

Web links

• Biography (Collin Escott: “That'll Flat Git It! Vol.14”) and discography
• Discography with audio samples

Individual evidence

1. ^ The Complete Million Dollar Quartet , Liner Notes 2006