John Lee Hooker passed away June 21, 2001

1. 
   John Lee Hooker

1970
Moanin' And Stompin' (The Blues King)

Married Martella in 1943 (4) children, his sons Robert and John Jr. are musicians and have worked & recorded with him, cousin musician Earl Hooker.

The late "John Lee Hooker" Born August 22, 1917- Clarksdale Mississippi (Coahoma Co.)
John Lee lived here in Cincinnati from 1933 into the 40's where he worked outside of music but sing gospel with groups like "The Big Six" (1938) "The Delta Big Four" (1940)
"The Fairfield Four" (1942). John Lee recorded for Deluxe Label which was one of the labels in the "King Records" building, a subsidiary of King Records.

John Lee Hooker was also known as (Birmingham Sam, John Lee Booker, Boogie Man, John Lee Cooker, Delta John, Johnny Lee, Texas Slim, and Johnny Williams).
John Lee was one of 11 children who's parents where sharecroppers, raised and worked on his stepfather (William More) farm from childhood. Sang spirituals in church in the late 20's Clarksdale, MS, his first instrument was an inner tube on the barn door( different sounds from the tension of the rubber).

Mr. Keith Little

Legendary Cal Collins

(1933-2001)

Cal Collins (1933-2001) began playing the guitar by emulating some of the pianists he heard on the radio as a young man. Nat King Cole and Art Tatum were early influences on his style. He also listened to the guitar stylings of Irving Ashby and John Collins. As a teenager he began playing professionally in and around Cincinnati and by the early 1950's he was finding steady work at the radio studios in the area. He became and remained a staple of the Ohio and Indiana jazz scenes throughout the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, before he was "discovered" by Benny Goodman in 1976. He spent three years with the Goodman band and was invited to join Concord Records as the house guitarist in 1977. At Concord Records he made numerous recordings as a sideman and a series of recordings under his own name starting with Cincinnati To LA, in 1978, and the last being Ohio Style, in 1991. Some of the Concord recordings are still available, but unfortunately two very fine solo guitar albums, By Myself and Cross Country are not. On these two albums, Collins undertook the difficult format of the solo guitar. And, like George Van Eps and Bucky Pizzarelli, used the form to demonstrate his complete mastery of the instrument. Both recordings are infused with the Cal Collins style -- a mix of jazz, country picking and twang, rich full chord melody, and, the steady pulse and drive that are hallmarks of Collins' playing. His rendition of Autumn in New York is a gem, delivered by a complete musician and guitarist. In the 1990's Cal Collins appeared on the Tribute To Wes Montgomery recordings and continued to play in and around Cincinnati.

One of the most widely respected jazz guitarists, and easily the best-known to ever come out of the Cincinnati area, was Cal Collins. Born on May 5, 1933, in Medora, IN,
Collins began his career by playing bluegrass mandolin, eventually relocated to Cincinnati (once he'd completed serving in the Army), and shortly thereafter switched to the six-string after hearing landmark recordings by such jazz guitar greats as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. From the '50s through the '70s, Collins played regularly and was brought on board in 1976 to become Benny Goodman's guitarist. Around this time, Collins issued several acclaimed solo recordings on the Concord label, including such titles as Cincinnati to L.A., In San Francisco, Blues on my Mind, By Myself, Interplay, and Cross Country (and in 1979, was honored by Cincinnati with a Post-Corbett Award). In 1993, he appeared as part of the Masters of the Steel String Guitar tour, playing alongside such notables as Doc Watson, bluegrass Dobro player Jerry Douglas, and the blues duo of Cephas & Wiggins, and five years later, issued what would be his final recording, S'Us Four. On August 27, 2001, Collins passed away at the age of 68 in Dillboro, IN, due to liver failure. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Kenny Poole (1947 - 2006)

Cal Collins & Kenny Poole

Kenny Poole (1947 - 2006)

Inducted into OFGC Hall of Fame January, 2006
Kenny Poole
Almost all jazz lovers in Cincinnati have heard Kenny Poole play and recognize him as a truly top-shelf player. His subtly expressive style feeds the listener's soul with rich harmonies and multiple voices that sound pianistic at times.

Kenny PoolePhoto by Bill Magness
Kenny started playing at 14, learning "corny old tunes" and then jazz standards. He dabbled in rock and roll but was never very interested in it because, he said, "I was more interested in musical content than impressing the girlies"
Kenny has played with a wide variety of the biggest names in the business, including James Brown, Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, Johnny Mathis, Eddie Jefferson, Chuck Mangione, Jack McDuff, Jerry Mulligan, and Sonny Stitt.
Main influences on Kenny's career include George Van Eps, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Jimmy Raney, Jim Hall, and Brazilian singer-guitarist Joao Gilberto.
Kenny passed away subsequent to this writing: Friday, May 27th, 2006

H-Bomb was born in Charleston S.C. on the 9th of May during the Depression. Bobby was the second last of 12 children born to Irene and Reverend Alonzo Ferguson. His father was a flamboyant man, a sharp dresser, a lover of the ladies and a harsh disciplinarian…A family secret was the strong Cherokee roots, and it seemed to make Alonzo crazy that his features betrayed him. (H-Bomb's paternal grandfather was a fullblood Cherokee.) At 6 Bobby began playing piano in his father's store front Baptist church. Deciding the boy had talent, they scraped 25cents for piano lessons. This hour was shared with several others under the guidance of Miss Curry. His fiery father overheard him hit a couple blues chords and scowled "That's the devil's music! You keep doing that God's gonna strike you down."

H-Bomb's created his own honkytonk shag blues from then on, interrupted only by a 2 year stint in Europe and on the seas in the Merchant Marines at the tail end of WWII. Cat Anderson discovered Ferguson at age 17 in a nightclub in Charleston and introduced him to Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers.

He worked with Ruth Brown and Clarence Gatemouth Brown (Howard Theatre, Washington D.C.) Willis "Gatortail" Jackson and Bullmoose Jackson, and did comedy with Redd Foxx, one of his all time favorites. On tours, H would do stand-up comedy and bring up the performer, and get a kick out of being presented later to the audience to perform, when he delighted surprised audiences with his own songs and wild antics on the piano, such as getting the notes out with his feet.

After nine years in NYC, he did the Weinberg Tour in the South under the venue "The Battle of the Blues" with B.B.King ,Tiny Bradshaw and H-Bomb each taking turns at the mike with Bradshaw's band. Due to some jams H-Bomb got the young B.B. out of, they became friends. Other tours H made included one with fellow blues shouter Big Joe Turner. He also traveled with Moms Mabley, Jimmy Rix and the Ravens and Billy Ward and The Dominoes.

He first came to Cincinnati circa 1957 with Tab Smith, saxman who wrote "My Mother's Eyes". The Cotton Club (Cincinnati) booked them together. Headliners of that heyday of blues in Cincinnati: Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lena Horn. H-Bomb travelled back and forth from the Big Apple. He jammed with Chuck Berry at The Wine Bar on Gilbert and Melish, as well as The Nineteenth Hole on Reading and Rockdale. Frequent bookings came from The Sportsmen's Club and The Alibi in Newport and The Rendezvous in Dayton. Charles Brown, Jimmy Reed and Amos Wilburn played these regularly, and Wynonie Harris appeared at times. In New York H-Bomb often played the Apollo Theatre. He had liaisons with several glamorous women of the '50's silver screen. Friends like Sammy Davis Jr. liked his warmth and zany wit. One chum H particularly recalls is the legendary dancer, singer-comedian Caldonia, to whom he dedicates one of his audience favorites.

Cited in Paul Oliver's history book, The Story of the Blues, H-Bomb is one of the pioneers of Rhythm & Blues. In the early 60's H traveled widely, working with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Big Maybelle, The Clovers, Freddy King, Big Mama Thornton and Varetta Dillard. H met T-Bone Walker in Texas and relished spending time with him when their paths crossed. H-Bomb's style was influenced by him, as well as by Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Roy Brown. H-Bomb accepted Chuck Berry's invitation to Chuck's 60th birthday party at the Fox Theatre St. Louis. Outside the theatre, fans insisted he was Chuck Berry (some resemblance) and wouldn't let him pass until he signed autographs in Berry's name!

The first band Sugar Foot ever played for was the "Blues Bees" he was the youngest member to play Harmonica and was dubbed Sugarfoot at this time.
Sugar has 8 children here in Cincinnati, his birthday is Feb 25th

With their slinky, horn-powered grooves, impeccable musicianship, and eye-popping album covers, the Ohio Players were among the top funk bands of the mid-'70s. Emerging from
the musical hotbed of Dayton in 1959, the group was originally dubbed the Ohio Untouchables, and initially comprised singer/guitarist Robert Ward, bassist Marshall "Rock" Jones, saxophonist/guitarist Clarence "Satch" Satchell, drummer Cornelius Johnson, and trumpeter/trombonist Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks. In late 1961, a relative of Ward's founded the Detroit-based Lupine Records, and the group traveled north to the Motor City to back the Falcons on their hit "I Found a Love"; the Ohio Untouchables soon made their headlining debut with "Love Is Amazing," but when Ward subsequently exited for a solo career, the group essentially disbanded.
At that point, the nucleus of Middlebrooks, Jones, and newly added guitarist Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner returned to Dayton; there they recruited saxophonist Andrew Noland and drummer Gary Webster, the latter a somewhat elusive figure whose true involvement in the group's convoluted history has never been definitively answered -- some sources credit him as a founding Untouchable, others even as the band's early leader. In any case, by 1967, with the subsequent addition of singers Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson, the newly rechristened Ohio Players were signed as the house band for the New York-based Compass Records, backing singer Helena Ferguson on her lone hit, "Where Is the Party," before issuing their solo debut, "Trespassin'," which hit the R&B charts in early 1968.
Although the Players' trademark bottom-heavy, horn-driven sound was already blossoming, their follow-up, "It's a Cryin' Shame," flopped, and as Compass teetered on the brink of bankruptcy they exited the label. (Their early Compass sides were later packaged as First Impressions.) The Players then landed on Capitol, where 1969's "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" was a minor hit; an LP, Observations in Time, soon followed, with covers of "Summertime" and "Over the Rainbow" offering a strong hint of the stylistic detours to follow. In 1970 the group disbanded, however; Fears and Robinson both mounted solo careers, while the remaining members again decamped to Dayton, eventually re-forming with keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison, trumpeter Bruce Napier, and trombonist Marvin Pierce.
Influenced by the groundbreaking funk of Sly & the Family Stone -- and with the nasal, cartoon-voiced Bonner assuming vocal duties -- the new Ohio Players lineup made their debut with the single "Pain," issued on the small local label Rubber Town Sounds; it was soon picked up for distribution by the Detroit-based Westbound label, reaching the R&B Top 40 in late 1971. An LP, also titled Pain, appeared that same year, and was followed in 1972 by Pleasure, which launched the absurdist smash "Funky Worm." Ecstacy appeared in 1973, and after 1974's Climax, the Players signed to Mercury; the label change also heralded yet more lineup changes, with keyboardist Billy Beck replacing Morrison (who later signed on with Parliament) and drummer Jimmy "Diamond" Williams taking over for Webster.
At Mercury, the Ohio Players enjoyed their greatest success; not only did their sound coalesce, but they became notorious for their sexually provocative LP covers, a tradition begun during their Westbound tenure. Their 1974 Mercury debut, Skin Tight, was their first unequivocal classic, launching the hit title track as well as "Jive Turkey." Its follow-up, Fire, remains the Players' masterpiece, topping the pop charts on the strength of its bone-rattling title cut, itself a number one hit; "I Want to Be Free," one of the band's few attempts at social commentary, was also highly successful. 1975's Honey -- which featured perhaps the Players' most controversial and erotic cover to date -- was another monster, generating the chart-topping masterpiece "Love Rollercoaster" in addition to the hits "Sweet Sticky Thing" and "Fopp."
The insistent "Who'd She Coo?" from 1976's Contradiction, was the Players' last number one R&B hit; "O-H-I-O," from 1977's Angel, was their last major hit on any chart, and as the 1970s drew to a close, the band's fortunes continued to decline. 1979's Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee was their final Mercury effort, and upon signing to Arista, the Players returned with Everybody Up, followed by a pair of dismal releases on Boardwalk, 1981's Tenderness and 1982's Ouch! After 1984's Graduation, four years passed prior to the release of their next effort, Back; no new material was forthcoming, although various lineups continued performing live well into the following decade. Founding member "Satch" Satchell died in late 1995, while "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks passed on in late 1996. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Personnel:
Clarence "Satch" Satchell, flute, sax, vocals (left 1979, died 1/96 of brain aneurysm); Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, guitar, lead vocals; Marshall "Rock" Jones, bass; Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrook, trumpet; Jimmy "Diamond" Williams, drums, vocals (left 1978); Billy Beck, keyboards (joined 1974, left 1978, rejoined 1984); Marvin "Merv" Pierce, horns; Walter "Junie" Morrison, keyboards, vocals, etc., left 1974.

Phillip Paul

Philip Paul at ages 82 and 80, respectively, this could be a story about a rare still-working octogenarian rhythm section. As remarkable as that is, it is also a story about the legendary session work of the two, who performed on hundreds of seminal recordings at Cincinnati's King Records in the '50s and '60s.
As the 65th anniversary of King is marked this year, only a handful of its living alumni are still performing regularly. Its most famous artist, James Brown, died on Christmas in 2006.

"These guys are the foundation," declared Bootsy Collins last summer, referring to Paul and Conley, who performed in a King tribute band at the Cincy Blues Fest.

Collins wasn't just referring to the two as the rhythm section anchors that night, but was suggesting they laid down the backbeat that would help define R&B and, by extension, rock 'n' roll itself.

"I had one writer once try to call me the 'father of rock 'n' roll,' " Paul says, laughing. That would be hyperbole.

But Paul and Conley were part of that large family of often unsung session players throughout the '50s who were members of the R&B village that almost inadvertently raised the rock 'n' roll child.

Paul, who grew up in Harlem, N.Y., the son of West Indies immigrant parents, began drumming at 13, attending the Manhattan School for Music. He began getting gigs with high-caliber New York jazz musicians such as Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell and Buddy Johnson's Big Band. Bandleader Tiny Bradshaw called needing a drummer and suddenly, in 1951, Paul found himself in Cincinnati with Bradshaw's legendary jump blues/swing outfit.

Paul found a vibrant Cincinnati music scene centered on the West End's Cotton Club and the thriving King Records recording studio, where Paul would land as its session drummer until the '60s.

By the early '50s, King owner Syd Nathan had established one of the most successful independent record labels of the day. He did it by catering to niche audiences. King would record country and bluegrass artists for the "hillbilly" market, and black artists would churn out what were then known as "race records." Sometimes the different artists would record the same song, even as the session players stayed the same. It was that musical stew that Paul came in to.

"One day we'd play jazz, the next rhythm and blues, the next day country," Paul says. "I'm blessed that I can play all types of music.
"

Paul recorded with all the greats that King had signed, performing on some 350 singles. His most notable sessions include Hank Ballard's "The Twist," (covered by Chubby Checker), Little Willie John's "Fever," (popularized by Peggy Lee), Wynonie Harris' "Good Rocking Tonight" (covered by Elvis Presley) and Freddie King's "Hide Away." Paul also played on country sessions including those with stars Bonnie Lou and Cowboy Copas.

Conley, a Covington native, had also landed King session work after becoming a regular Cotton Club player. He worked with the likes of Bill Doggett, Lonnie Johnson, Earl Bostic and Ballard. Conley and Paul both played on John's "Fever.
"

"It was a feeling; we just had that feeling. It was exciting times," Conley said about the session work vibe. "It was tough, too. There was a lot of shouting, truth be told." Conley is referring to Nathan, who is often remembered as an excitable, controlling figure telling artists how and what to play.

It was under that kind of pressure that Paul came up with the backbeat for one of the most important singles in pop music, "The Twist," which Ballard wrote after being inspired by a dance he had seen patrons doing at the West End clubs.

"Syd was bugging me to death. 'We got to have a different beat.' Hank had the song, but that was all," Paul remembers. "I came up with the eighth notes with my right hand and a full sock cymbal, the backbeat with the left hand.
"
After it became a hit on the R&B charts, Nathan would sell the song to Dick Clark in Philadelphia, who gave it to a young singer named Ernest Evans (Chubby Checker) to record.

Paul laments he never earned a penny in royalties from his King work. That was not uncommon for session players. He says he gets reminded of that every Christmas.

"I guess that's when I get angry," Paul says. "That Charles Brown 'Please Come Home For Christmas' always comes on the radio. I played on that and I'm not getting a quarter.
"

Session work would dry up in the '60s as more King artists, such as James Brown, came with their own bands. Paul retuned to his first musical love - jazz - playing regularly in what was then a vibrant downtown Cincinnati club scene where every hotel and lounge seemed to have a jazz combo. "I played every club in Cincinnati in those days," Paul says.
                                                                                    BY RICK BIRD | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR

John Marshall Finch

Cincinnati Record Label Finch Records

WEST END - If you come across an old 45 rpm with a Finch Records label while clearing out the basement or a closet, don't toss it out. That record is a piece of local history. It would have been produced by John Marshall Finch in Cincinnati in the 1950s or 1960s.

Mr. Finch was passionate about music. He was a machinist by day at General Electric - for 34 years. At night and on the weekends, he made records at his small studio - Finch Record Publishing Co.
The studio was originally at Forest and Harvey avenues in Avondale. He later moved it to the West End.
Mr. Finch ran one of several small studios in Cincinnati that recorded the works of now highly regarded artists such as H-Bomb Ferguson - who recorded "She Don't Want Me" at Finch Records in 1957. Groups Mr. Finch recorded included the Al Franklin Combo.
Today, these records made by Mr. Finch are rare - and collectible. They are Mr. Finch's legacy to Cincinnati's music culture.
Mr. Finch died Nov. 10 at Jewish Hospital. He was 83.
He didn't make much money off his records. He charged the artists what it cost to produce them. He marketed them by stocking jukeboxes around Cincinnati. He didn't sell many.
"I just did it for the love of it," he said in an interview last year.
Mr. Finch made the first Albert Washington recording in 1962. Washington went on to become a renowned blues guitarist and singer. Mr. Finch also recorded songs by the Impossibles, the Cruisers and Five Chances.
He was born to Penbroke and Lucille Finch on Dec. 19, 1921, in Washington, Ga. After founding the Finch Music Publishing Co. in 1955, he continued to produce sound and video recordings until the mid-1990s.
Mr. Finch was a member of Union Baptist Church.
His son, Howard Steven Bell Finch, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife of 39 years, Mattie B. Allen Finch; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Services have been held. Burial was at Spring Grove Cemetery.

DENNIS YOST - CLASSICS IV

During a five-year period beginning in 1966, Dennis Yost, the voice of THE CLASSICS IV, had 13 consecutive chart singles to his credit. His gold records include "Spooky," "Stormy," "Traces" and "Everyday With You Girl." The remaining were regional hits such as "Rosanna," "What Am I Crying For," "The Funniest Thing," and "Pollyanna."

In 1993, Dennis Yost & The Classics IV were honored for their musical achievements by the state of Georgia and were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

He began his musical career in Jacksonville, Florida playing drums with high school friends, calling themselves "The Echoes."

Dennis Yost

In the early 1960s, he joined a group that would become known as "The Classics." Members included the founder, Wally Eaton, plus James Cobb and Joe Wilson. The group achieved certain notoriety with a small hit titled "Pollyanna" written by Joe South, not to mention Dennis was one of few drummers standing up and drumming while also singing lead. When the band learned of another group from New York City that had a small amount of success with a song titled "Til Then," using the same name, they quickly changed their name to "The Four Classics," and eventually "The Classics IV."

Signed with The Lowery Music Group out of Atlanta, Georgia and Capitol records, The Classics IV re-recorded "Spooky." The song was originally an instrumental regional hit by Mike Sharpe, a talented saxophone player. J.R. Cobb and producer Buddy Buie added lyrics to it and the rest is history. "Stormy" followed shortly before "Traces of Love" hit #2 on the Billboard charts, earning the group a permanent stay on oldies and soft rock stations to this day.

Dennis has never stopped singing and touring. After moving to Nashville in 1993, he added writing and record production to his list of accomplishments. He currently has twenty-seven published works to his credit and produced Barbara Lewis ("Hello Stranger," "Baby, I'm Yours," and "Make Me Your Baby") on a song called "Donor" to help the cause of organ donation awareness.

Over the years, Dennis has performed with other artists (and friends) such as Gary Lewis and The Playboys, Chuck Berry, The Drifters, The Coasters, The Turtles, Paul Revere and The Raiders and Eric Clapton.

Just recently, Dennis acquired exclusive rights to the trademark "THE CLASSICS IV" for both performing and recording. He also underwent "miracle" throat surgery and can once again sing his songs in their original keys!

Now, more than ever, Dennis' songs and unique style still sound as smooth and classy as they did thirty years ago. When you hear him sing, you will know why he has been dubbed "THE CLASSIC ONE."

Dennis resides in Cincinnati at an Assisted Living Home