Never attaining the same glistening level of fame that fellow New York sax blasters Sam "The Man" Taylor and King Curtis enjoyed, Big John Greer nevertheless blew strong and sang long on a terrific series of waxings for RCA Victor and its Groove subsidiary from 1949 to 1955.
Greer was a childhood pal of future King Records producer Henry Glover. The pair attended high school together in Hot Springs and progressed to Alabama A&M College. Glover moved up quickly, playing trumpet and arranging for popular bandleader Lucky Millinder by 1948; when Millinder saxist Bull Moose Jackson split the aggregation to promote his blossoming solo career, Glover called his pal Big John Greer to fill Moose's chair. Greer's first record date as a leader was for Bob Shad's fledgling Sittin' in With label, but the great majority of his discography lies in Victor's vaults.
Greer was a childhood pal of future King Records producer Henry Glover. The pair attended high school together in Hot Springs and progressed to Alabama A&M College. Glover moved up quickly, playing trumpet and arranging for popular bandleader Lucky Millinder by 1948; when Millinder saxist Bull Moose Jackson split the aggregation to promote his blossoming solo career, Glover called his pal Big John Greer to fill Moose's chair. Greer's first record date as a leader was for Bob Shad's fledgling Sittin' in With label, but the great majority of his discography lies in Victor's vaults.
Single: Come Back Maybelline (1955)
Initially recording as a singer/saxist with Millinder's unit for RCA, Greer stayed put when Millinder defected to King in 1950. That worked out nicely for Greer, who blew scorching tenor sax behind King stars Wynonie Harris (on "Mr. Blues Is Coming to Town" and "Bloodshot Eyes") and Bull Moose Jackson (on the incredibly raunchy "Nosey Joe"). Greer enjoyed his biggest hit as a vocalist in 1952 with the tasty blues ballad "Got You on My Mind" for RCA. The Howard Biggs-Joe Thomas composition attracted covers over the years from a mighty disparate lot, notably the Big Three Trio, Cookie & the Cupcakes, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Greer's RCA and (from 1954 on) Groove platters were of uncommonly high standards, even for the polished New York scene. But no more hits ensued ("Bottle It Up and Go" and "Come Back Maybellene" certainly deserved a wider audience) for the powerful saxist. Glover brought him over to King in 1955, but a year there didn't slow his slide. Booze was apparently taking its toll on Greer's employment prospects; by 1957, he was back in Hot Springs, through as anything but a local attraction. He died at age 48, forgotten by all but the most dedicated R&B fans. (by Bill Dahl)
Big band veteran tenor sax man John Greer issued a series of sides for RCA Victor subsidiaries Vic and Groove which were an odd mixture of rocking R&B and sickly sweet ballads. Despite his prowess as a horn player, on most of these sides Greer confined himself to vocalising while the rocking sax breaks were left to Budd Johnson, Big Al Sears and Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor.
Sides on this comp recorded between 1951 and 1955. The only substantial hit was “Got You On My Mind” which was a blatant Ivory Joe Hunter rip-off. (by BeBopVino)
Personnel:
Big John Greer (saxophone, vocals)
+
many other studio musicians
Big John Greer (saxophone, vocals)
+
many other studio musicians
(today I´m too lazy to write all the musicians down ... pleas read the backcover of this album)
Tracklist:
01. Woman Is A Five Letter Word (Zaret/Singer/Shaw) 2.20
02. Tell Me So (Biggs/Thomas) 2.55
03. Got You On My Mind (Biggs/Thomas) 2.38
04. Let Me Hold You (Biggs/Thomas) 2.47
05. You Played On My Piano (Coben) 2.40
06. Lonesome And Blue (Benjamin/Weiss) 2.40
07. I Need You (Biggs/Thomas) 2.28
08. I'll Never Let You Go (Greer/Barrow) 2.00
09. I'm The Fat Man (Greer) 2.27
10. Beginning To Miss You (Biggs/Thomas) 2.54
11. Rhythm In The Breeze (Carlisle/Brent) 2.37
12. Drinkin' Fool (Stoller/Leiber) 2.47
13. Getting Mighty Lonesome For You (Thomas) 2.25
14. Too Long (Greer) 2.30
15. Come Back Maybelline (Kirkland) 2.18
16. Night Crawlin' (Kirkland/Hayes) 2.32
ARMU 2204 (shareplace)