Louis Jordan

"In the Forties, bandleader Louis Jordan pioneered a wild - and wildly popular - amalgam of jazz and blues with salty, jive-talking humor. The music played by singer/saxophonist Jordan and his Tympany Five got called "jump blues" or "jumpin' jive," and it served as a precursor to the rhythm & blues and rock and roll of the Fifties." - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Although Jordan's music has been described as part novelty, his jumping music bridging the gap betwwen the big band style and older school R&B through to the rock and roll of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. In a sense that's why he's represented here. The man and his music influenced so many, from Ray Charles, Etta James through to B.B. King as well as a whole range of rock and rollers. And of course, if you take a listen to the music the man produced, it still swings today, which is why musicals based loosely on his life and songs are so successful - his music has great staying power." (Read the full profile Here.)

"Jordan is one of a number of seminal black performers who is often credited with, if not inventing rock and roll, certainly providing most of the building blocks for the music." From Wikipedia.

"The rhythm of his band was so engaging -- it was unbelievable. And Jordan had a fabulous sense of humor. He found songs that could reach a wide public." - Rolling Stone

The Best of Louis Jordan (MCA) - "Serious collectors will want to explore a more complete series, particularly the one put out by Classics, but for a single acquisition, this is the Louis Jordan set to get." - Scott Yanow,AMG.

Lyrics to Louis Jordan songs.