I was digging through my music collection the other evening with more than a bit of frustration, looking for something to satisfy my desire to enjoy a bit of blues or R&B that I normally don’t turn to when the itch rears its head.  Let’s face it, we all have, no matter the size of our collection, certain CDs, LPs, whatever, that we turn to regularly.  I was truly seeking a change of musical pace from the tried-and-true, and as I was working through the “Bs” in my collection, there it was; Jimmy’s House Party (Ace Records CDCHD 872).  It hit me hard as soon as my eyes made contact with it that it was the compilation I had been searching for, a 31-cut 2002 release containing the idyllic blues/R&B (and some would validly argue early rock-n-roll) to scratch my listening desire.  I plucked it from the rack, and for the next 90 minutes or so I was deliciously transported into Jimmy Beasley’s musical frameworks.

It then struck me that I’d never presented a brief artist profile of Beasley before.  To rectify that situation, what follows is a glimpse into Jimmy Beasley, his life, and music.

James Edward Beasley came into the world in late September, 1931 in musically rich Kansas City, Missouri.  The city’s historical musical artist lineup includes such luminaries who would be of interest to readers of this blog including the great American boogie and jazz piano player Pete Johnson, country blues singer Lottie Kimbrough, electric blues musician Lee McBee, blues shouter Big Joe Turner, blues singer Lady Bianca, modern-day blues guitarist Samantha Fish, blues pianist Jay McShann, jazz, and R&B piano player and organist John Patton, along with straight-ahead jazz giants like tenor sax man Harold Ashby, bebop titan Charlie Parker, tenor sax man Lester Young, and singer Walter Brown, among others.  The point is that Kansas City provided Beasley a firm grounding of musical inspirations, and to this day it continues to do so for the musically interested.

Little is known about Beasley’s early formative years, familial or otherwise, though his earliest participation in the music field appears to have come via a singing role (no piano playing at this point) with a group named the Aces Quartet, though extensive digging to unearth any information about this band has led to a dead-end.  Additionally, Beasley also lent his singing attributes to the Sonny Kenner Trio, the band of the Kansas City guitar great.

Research suggests that Beasley learned his rudimentary piano playing skills via a man named Willie Rice of the Willie Rice Orchestra, a 16-man aggregation that was recognized by The Musicians Local 627 in Kansas City.  The group was a jazz outfit, and photos exist of the band performing in full formal regalia at Kansas City venues.  To have such an accomplished person as a bandleader directing his earliest keyboard pursuits surely paid decisive benefits to the young Beasley.

As a side note, it should be recognized that Beasley was a Golden Gloves boxer early in his life, and is said to have been fairly successful in the amateur boxing field.  Attempts to find information on his boxing record have proven unsuccessful, however.

Eventually Beasley’s piano proficiencies caught up with his vocal attributes, and he formed his own band to gain recognition in the business, and no doubt, to also earn a bigger slice of the monetary pie as the bandleader.

The year 1954 proved to be a major one for Beasley.  He made the decision to head west to musically rich Los Angeles, California, where at first he took a spot in the band of jazz saxophonist King Perry.  Perry eventually went on to something of a prolific recording career, with releases on the Melodisc, United Artists, Excelsior, De Luxe, Dot, Lucky, Unique, RPM, Specialty, Hollywood, and Look labels.  Working with Perry and his crew was a great start for Beasley on the west coast, and he recorded with Perry on the Hollywood label sides.

What was becoming clear within his singing style was that Beasley had an affinity for the vocal nuances of the great New Orleans R&B titan Fats Domino.  So intriguing was the combination of his piano and singing styles that he was afforded the opportunity to initially record for the renowned Peacock Records (Houston, Texas-based).  The success found with that label during his brief period with it led to an even greater opportunity to record with Los Angeles-based Modern Records, the mighty label owned by the legendary Bihari Brothers, an imprint whose roster of artists eventually included such big names as jumping sax man Joe Houston, “The Boogie Man” John Lee Hooker, the tremendously talented yet volatile duo of Ike and Tina Turner, and the flamboyant Little Richard, among many others.

Beasley’s initial Modern output of “My Happiness” b/w “Jambalaya” were good-time-feeling decidedly New Orleans- and Fats Domino-esque pieces, with Beasley presenting an easy-going laidback rocking air.  So taken with Beasley and his appeal to his buying public was Modern that the label released seven additional double-sided 45rpms.

While it can be rightfully reasoned that Beasley didn’t attain any chart-climbing hits on Moder, his “Ella Jane,” a recording that included guitar great Rene Hall and the twin saxophones of the formidable duo of Plas Johnson (hard bop and soul jazz stylist) and Maxwell Davis (arranger, producer, and bandleader), did enjoy a fairly solid selling experience. 

Also, Beasley enjoyed a unique show of respect when none other than Fats Domino released an adaptation of Beasley’ 1956 single entitled “Don’t Feel Sorry For Me.”  Ironically, Domino’s version outpaced Beasley’s tune in sales.  However, this wasn’t the only Beasley song Domino covered, with his version of Beasley’s “Little Coquette” likewise being released; such was the admiration Domino had for Beasley, and also such was Beasley’s sound in lockstep with that of Domino’s.            

The New Orleans/Fats Domino slant with certain of Beasley’s tunes comes into even clearer focus when realized that Beasley recorded some songs in the famed New Orleans Cosimo Recording Studio using the band of the great Dave Bartolomew, the noted producer, arranger, musician, and bandleader who was instrumental in the great success of Fats Domino, among so many other New Orleans musical giants. 

After the modest success of a tune entitled “My Happiness,” Beasley moved far eastward to New York City where he aligned himself with rock-n-roll promoter supreme Alan Freed, with his band packaged on shows that included such colossus stars as soul great Ray Charles, blues chanteuse Ruth Brown, and all-around musical phenom Elvis Presley.  During this period on the east coast, Beasley was also composing songs for other musicians including Fats Domino, and was also was seen on various television presentations.  These were truly Beasley’s golden days.

In 1957, Beasley had a 12-cut LP entitled The Fabulous Jimmy Beasley released on the Crown Records label, an imprint related to Modern via the Bihari brothers’ common ownership.

By the early 1960s, Beasley had moved on from the Modern Records label, but as it eventually played out, he found his way back to the family of imprints in the mid-1960s, recording one released single on the Crown Records label, in addition to other sides that at the time went unreleased.  Also released by Crown Records in 1962 was Twist With Jimmy, a repackaging of the earlier The Fabulous Jimmy Beasley LP, including certain differing tracks.

As time marched forward, Beasley found himself in Nevada, primarily in Reno, Las Vegas, and Laughlin playing the casino showrooms.  In time, Beasley again relocated, into southwest Los Angeles County, California in Torrance where he established a music club while still periodically putting on shows.  In the 1990s, Beasley’s body of work found him in-demand and appearing at blues festivals, primarily overseas in Europe.  Unfortunately, the ravages of a late-1990s stroke forced Beasley to retire.

Beasley’s shared style with, and respect of, Fats Domino (and vice versa) was a boon and a course to success, it seems, for Beasley.  Though his voice is thinner than Domino’s, it still has that slow dragging, easy-going style that vaulted Domino to great heights, while Beasley enjoyed a more modest level of overall success.  But there’s no doubting the incredible music Beasley brought forth, and the strong level of fandom he enjoyed.  He is no mere copier of Domino; no, he is his own voice, one that’s unique and greatly satisfying.

One fact confounds me: Is Jimmy Beasley still alive?  A large amount of research has left me unable to determine if he is still with us.  By this point, Beasley would be 92 years of age.  Nonetheless, Beasley’s blues/R&B artistry is one you should explore.  Seek it out soon.