Jesse Stone

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Cover of compilation album of early recordings
Cover of compilation album of early recordings

Jesse Stone (born Atchison, Kansas, 16 November 1901 - died Altamonte Springs, Florida, 1 April 1999) was an American rhythm and blues musician whose influence spanned a wide range of genres. He also used the pseudonym Charles Calhoun.

Ahmet Ertegun stated that "Jesse Stone did more to develop the basic rock 'n' roll sound than anybody else."

Stone grew up in Kansas where he was influenced by a wide array of styles. He came from a musical family who put on minstrel shows, and performed with a trained dog act at the age of 4. Some years later, he formed a group, the Blue Serenaders, and cut his first record, "Starvation Blues", for Okeh Records in 1927. For the next few years he worked as a pianist and arranger in Kansas City, and then organised a larger orchestra.

Duke Ellington got Stone's orchestra booked at the Cotton Club in 1936, and Ellington put Stone up free of charge in his apartment for four months. Over the next few years Stone worked widely in Harlem as a songwriter and arranger, with Chick Webb's band (which included Louis Jordan) and many others.

Stone's early writings show a deep blues influence. An early success was "Idaho", recorded by several artists, with the Benny Goodman version peaking at # 4 (pop) in 1942. The recording by Guy Lombardo sold three million copies.

In 1947 he joined the staff at Atlantic Records as a producer, songwriter, and arranger. During a trip to the South in 1949 with Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, Stone discovered that Atlantic's records were not selling in the southern states because they lacked a certain danceable quality. They needed a bass line, so Stone designed one and it had a revolutionary effect on rhythm sections.

Stone's best known composition was "Shake, Rattle and Roll". On Ertegun's advice, Stone used the pseudonym of Charles Calhoun, a name appropriated from an unknowing local builder, on his BMI tunes to avoid conflict with his membership in the other music licensing society, ASCAP. The song was first recorded by Big Joe Turner in 1954 for Atlantic and was a major hit for the rhythm and blues artist, often cited as one of the first rock and roll records. An even bigger success was a cover version of the song recorded later in 1954 for Decca Records by Bill Haley & His Comets. This version became one of the first rock and roll recordings to sell a million copies and be an international success (predating Haley's better-known "Rock Around the Clock" by nearly a year).

Stone also co-wrote "Flip, Flop and Fly" with Turner, which was another hit (Haley was also fond of the song and recorded it no less than three times during his career). Stone also had additional Haley connections: another Haley hit, 1955's "Razzle-Dazzle", was written by Stone under the Calhoun pseudonym. Stone is also credited as co-writer (along with James E. Myers a.k.a. Jimmy DeKnight, co-writer of "Rock Around the Clock") of "Rattle My Bones", a song recorded in 1956 by the Comets spin-off group, The Jodimars.

The Jerry Garcia Band performed his Don't Let Go live in concert at least 154 times, between March 30, 1976 and April 21, 1995. It was frequently used as a springboard for extended improvisations by Garcia and his fellow musicians, and was, thus, a favorite among many fans.

In 1961, after a brief and temporary retirement, Stone was recruited to run Randy Records in Chicago, a company with alleged underworld connections. However, he left after a few years, moving first to New York and then Florida.

Stone was honored by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1992 with a Pioneer Award.

Stone died at age 97 in Florida.

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