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Danceland Records
The 50th Anniversary Collection
1948-1951 |
Some songs just are too good to keep locked away. For the 50th Anniversary of
Danceland Records we took moment to reflect on the fine music Danceland Records
helped us enjoy all those years ago. Out of that comes this collection of the best
Danceland has to offer. From John Lee Hooker's distinctive vocal stylings on
"Wayne County Ramblin'" Blues to the hauntingly melodic "What's The Matter
With the World" by the Goldtones these songs will transport you back to a one of
the greatest eras of Detroit's music scene.
Latest local entrant in the independent label field is the Danceland Record
Company, headed by Morry R. Kaplan of the Kaplan Music Sales, record
distributors....First release is a double by the Candy Johnson orchestra,
"Stampin1" and "Ebony Jump," released nationally this week. The company will
specialize in the race field. -
Billboard, November 13, 1948
The paragraph-long news item — discreetly nestled among the inner pages of
Billboard magazine — hardly seemed remarkable at the time. As the press clip
suggests, Detroit's Danceland was one of dozens of small regional labels which
sprouted like wildflowers across the U.S. following the Second World War. The
independent imprints, including Danceland, were almost invariably modest
entrepreneurial operations, focusing on a small niche market not already being
served by the giant powerhouse labels of the era: Decca, Savoy, Columbia and
others. The trade magazine's austere announcement of Danceland's creation hardly
begins to convey the importance of the event. Now, with the release of
Danceland Years — featuring music which has been unavailable for almost half
a century — the legacy of Danceland Records has finally been revealed. The
long dormant, nearly forgotten label founded in 1948 by Morris Kaplan today
provides an aural snapshot of a specific time and place where momentous
events were occurring on the outer fringes of American popular culture.
DETROIT
Following World War II, Mississippi Delta acoustic blues was being electrified,
amplified, and transformed into a new musical medium — presaging the
emergence of modern rock fn' roll. In juke joints, taverns, and on nightclub
stages, a veritable revolution was taking place. In particular, Chicago and
Detroit provided the nexus where musical giants such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy
Waters, and John Lee Hooker were wedding raw blues with electric energy.
Postwar Detroit's vibrant music scene was centered in the city's Paradise Valley
district. There, blues and jazz flourished at a pair of major clubs — The Flame
and The Chesterfield — as well as a host of smaller spots, including the Three
Aces, the Royal Blue, and the Blue Heaven. Among the racially mixed
audiences, on weekends one could often find musicians from the popular
touring bands of the day (including Harry James1 and Tommy Dorsey's band
members) who would hustle over to Paradise Valley after their gigs had ended, and catch
late night sets by the local artists. Danceland's brief existence from 1948 to 1951 coincided with a turning point in
music history, and the label's 78 rpm singles provide a time capsule from the
burgeoning Detroit music scene of the late 1940fs and early 1950fs.
DANCELAND
The Danceland label was a brief but enjoyable chapter of his long career in the
music industry. Born in Chicago in 1910, MorryKaplan moved to the motor
city with his family at six years of age. By age 19, he was driving a cab through
Detroit's rough and tumble streets during prohibition. His experiences as a
cabbie prepared him well for the harrowing music industry he would soon
enter.
Kaplan began working as an independent regional record distributor in 1939,
carrying a variety of labels, including Savoy, Imperial, and Exclusive Records.
Prior to launching Danceland, he owned a small percentage of Ammor Records
(an anagram for Automatic Music Machine Operators Recording, in recognition
of the burgeoning juke-box market) in mid 1940's.
By the end of the decade, Kaplan was ready to make the jump from regional
record distributor to label impresario. He named his nascent label after the
Danceland dance hall, located at the intersection of Forest and Woodward on
Detroit's West side. Lugging around a primitive Wilcox tape recording machine,
a bulky affair with one microphone, he began recording artists on location at
local saloons and nightclubs. Sometimes he would record music in his home, or
— on occasion — Danceland sessions would take place in the relative splendor
of Detroit's United Sound recording studios.
On balance, Kaplan's record label was far from lucrative. After some initial
success, Danceland record sales levels were very limited. Frustrated by the
financial vagaries of the business, and disappointed by the public's lack of
interest in the low down blues he loved, Kaplan folded the label within three
years. Eventually, much of the Danceland masters, acetates, and accompanying
paperwork were either lost or given away. But in its brief existence, Danceland
had captured an important moment in music history.
Over 40 years would pass before anyone realized the importance of the
Danceland legacy.
JOHN LEE HOOKER, A.K.A. LITTLE PORK CHOPS
The five tracks by John Lee Hooker represent the most stunning of Danceland
Years' long-hidden gems. As the earliest known recordings of Hooker's music,
they provide a vivid document of his developing style (a style which of course
eventually inspired generations of musicians, including The Rolling Stones,
Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin, to name a very few).
Kaplan had known Hooker for several years before approaching him in early
1949 to record a few sides. Hooker — whose numerous recording pseudonyms
are almost as legendary as his music — chose "Little Pork Chops" for the
Danceland recording sessions, which took place on location at either the Royal
Blue or Blue Heaven, over a period of approximately one week in February or
March of 1949.
In the years following his Danceland recordings, Hooker would help reshape
the landscape of popular music. But in 1949, at the beginning of his legendary
career, Hooker's genius went largely unrecognized. To most people, he was just
another guitarist playing low down blues. His stark, boogie woogie blues sides
for Danceland notched very modest sales success — less than 10,000 copies —
only a fraction of the sales levels attained by Danceland's Candy Johnson.
CANDY JOHNSON
As the first songs released on Danceland Records, Candy Johnson's "Stampin"'
and "Ebony Jump" not only heralded the label's creation in November, 1948; the
double-sided 78 rpm single marked the label's first regional hit, crossing-over
and attracting large numbers of both white and black record buyers in the
midwest.
Johnson was in his early 30's and had been living in Detroit for years by the
time he met Kaplan in the late 1940's. The good-natured saxophonist's three
piece band had established a strong reputation in the Paradise Valley scene.
Joined by pianist Stubby Jackson, Johnson & Co. cut tracks for Danceland
during two recording sessions in September/October 1948. The sessions took
place in the living room of Kaplan's home Candy Johnson's four tracks on
Danceland Years capture the rollicking sax-based instrumental sound that made
him Danceland's best selling artist.
The "Stampin"' success story epitomizes the freewheeling nature of the record
industry in the late 1940's, when a single could be pressed and on store shelves
within a mere three weeks after the original recording session! "In those days
things were a lot different," Kaplan admits. "You could walk in on a jockey in
the studio and he'd play the record." Apparently, the strategy worked:
achieving hit status in Detroit and Chicago, "Stampin"1 eventually sold 60,000
copies t-an impressive showing for a small, local independent label, but one
which Danceland was unable to match during its next three years of existence.
TONY BLUES LEWIS
Candy Johnson introduced Morris Kaplan to Tony Blues Lewis soon after
Danceland had released the John Lee Hooker singles in early 1949. Following
Johnson's introduction, Kaplan was tremendously impressed with Lewis'
vocals and harmonica playing — so much so that he released four sides with
Lewis, recording him in the family's basement recreation room of their home at
15794 Steele Street. The recording dates took place in spring 1949, with the
singles released shortly thereafter.
Like Hooker's guitar blues, Lewis' stripped-down style attracted little attention
when his two singles hit the street. Nevertheless, Lewis' four tracks on
Danceland Years provide an intriguing example of the evolving blues sound in
postwar Detroit.
"WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THE WORLD"
Rounding out Danceland Years is an enigma: "What's The Matter With The
World." Recorded at the tail end of Danceland's 1948-1951 life, the song's
haunting allure differs greatly from the other Danceland releases. Surrounded
by tremelo guitar and doo-wop background vocals, the male lead vocalist's
smooth, soothing delivery provides a dramatic contrast to the grittier sound of
John Lee Hooker and Tony Blues Lewis.
The song itself was obtained from an unlabeled acetate master found in
Kaplan's home. Thus far, no copies of the labeled 78 rpm single have been found.
THE RESURRECTION OF DANCELAND
Danceland's reemergence began in 1991, when a British label tried to include
three Little Pork Chop& tracks on a bootleg John Lee Hooker compilation.
Until then, the Danceland sides had not seen the light of day in over 40 years,
the label had remained dormant since 1951, and Morris Kaplan had long since
retired from the music industry — moving from Detroit to Los Angeles, where
he currently lives.
Morris' son, Sammy Kaplan, was notified of the renewed interest in his father's
long idle record label. A lifelong music fan, Sammy shares his father's love of
blues and jazz, and began a lengthy (and still ongoing!) search for acetates and
masters of Danceland releases. Eventually, he compiled the music on Danceland
Years by sifting through family heirlooms, as well as through the gracious
assistance of other blues collectors.
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©2004 Lovelane Music Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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