[78-L] SWEET GEORGIA BROWN was Mr Goon-Bones

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Wed Feb 11 08:10:27 PST 2009


Crosby with Isham Jones, natch!

dl


>From: "RAY KILCOYNE" <kil at roadrunner.com>
>Reply-To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>Subject: Re: [78-L] SWEET GEORGIA BROWN was  Mr Goon-Bones
>Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:08:12 -0500
>
>This thread reminded me of what a great song SGB is.  Anyone have a
>recommendation of their favorite vocal version?
>RayK
>
> > Brother Bones and Mr. Goon-Bones were contemporaries in the late 40s and
> > early 50s.  Brother Bones' (Freeman Davis) big hit was 'Sweet Georgia
> > Brown' (SGB) later picked up by the Harlem Globe Trotters as their theme
> > song and probably one of the most played records because of that though
> > most people don't realize he is playing rhythm bones.  He was also a 
>great
> > whistler.  His songs are now on a CD titled 'Brother Bones and his
> > Shadows.'
> >
> > Mr. Goon-Bones' (Ted Goon) big hit was Ain't She Sweet, the B-side to
> > Sheik of Araby (Crystalette S-1803).  Critics hated it (it used
> > syncopation and the new electronic echo chamber-maybe one of the first
> > recordings to use it), and later it was played by a St. Louis disc 
>Jockey
> > only to take off in popularity. It sold over a million copies when 
>200,000
> > was a hit, and rose to 7th on the Billboard jukebox chart.  Ted was a
> > great rhythm bones player.  He sold 20,000 sets of Goon-bones made of
> > northern maple and painted black.
> >
> > As for the confusion about who played on Sweet Georgia Brown, Ted was in
> > the process of getting a trademark for his Goon-Bones when Tempo
> > approached him to record SGB.  He told them it would be 3 months before 
>he
> > could do the recording, and during that time, they found Freeman
> > whistling, playing bones and shining shoes in LA.  Ted learned of this
> > while driving one day and hearing it played on his radio.
> >
> > Mike mentioned that I wrote an article on Ted.  I am a member of the
> > Rhythm Bones Society (rhythmbones.com), and its newsletter editor.  I
> > wrote the 2002 article he mentioned, but only now in retrospect realize 
>by
> > looking at his catalog of recordings how important he is to rhythm bones
> > history.  I will write a follow on article when I complete my research 
>on
> > his catalog.  Steve
>
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