Caldonia

Jump blues standard

Not to be confused with Caledonia (song), Caledonia, or Caldonia (film).

"Caldonia"

Single by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five
B-side| "Somebody Done Changed the Lock on My Door"
Released| 1945 (1945)
Recorded| January 19, 1945[1]
Genre| Jump blues
Length| 2:40
Label| Decca
Songwriter(s)| Fleecie Moore (credited)
Producer(s)| Milt Gabler

"Caldonia" is a jump blues song, first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. Although credited to Fleecie Moore, his wife at the time, Jordan is the actual songwriter.[2] The song was a hit for Jordan as well as several other musicians.[3]

## Louis Jordan recording

[edit]

"It's rooted in jazz," writes music journalist John Morrison, "The energy is very much rock and roll. And you can even hear the future of what would become rap music and hip-hop along with the beat of rock and roll."[4] The lyrics include Jordan's trademark use of comedy:

> Walkin' with my baby she's got great big feet
>  She's long, lean, and lanky and ain't had nothing to eat
>  She's my baby and I love her just the same
>  Crazy 'bout that woman 'cause Caldonia is her name

The verses conclude with the refrain:

> Caldonia! Caldonia!
>  What makes your big head so hard?
>  I love her, I love her just the same
>  Crazy 'bout that woman 'cause Caldonia is her name

In 1942, Jordan began an unparalleled successful run on the Billboard Harlem Hit Parade (forerunner of the R&B chart).[5] By 1945, Jordan had four number-one hits and eventually became the most successful R&B chart act of the 1940s.[6] "Caldonia" became his fifth number one on "Race Records" chart. It debuted on the chart in May 1945 and reached number one in June, where it stayed for seven weeks; on Billboard's broader chart, the song peaked at number six.[7]

Jordan performed the song in two films: Swing Parade of 1946, probably targeting white viewers and Caldonia (Astor Pictures, 1945) which appeared to be for a black audience.[8]

## Renditions by other artists

[edit]

At the same time as Jordan's success, the song was also recorded both by Erskine Hawkins and Woody Herman. A review in Billboard magazine described Hawkins' version as "right rhythmic rock and roll music", possibly the first use of the term to describe a musical style.[9] Hawkins' version of "Caldonia", featuring piano and vocals by Ace Harris, reached number two on the Billboard R&B chart and number 12 on the pop chart.[10] Herman's version, arranged by the young Neal Hefti,[11] reached number two on the broader chart.[citation needed]

In 1949, a version by Sugar Chile Robinson reached number 14 on the R&B chart.[12] Later, James Brown recorded the song, with an arrangement by Sammy Lowe, as his first release for Smash Records in 1964. It appeared at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (the R&B chart was suspended at the time).[13] In 1974, Van Morrison covered the song with his Caledonia Soul Express band, releasing it as a single backed with his own song "What's Up Crazy Pup". However it failed to chart and its success remained confidential. In 1976, Muddy Waters performed the song with the Band at the group's final billed concert with original guitarist Robbie Robertson, the Last Waltz, along with Bob Margolin and Bobby Charles.

## Influence

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In 1998, Jordan's version (as "Caldonia Boogie") was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[14] In 2013, it was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry's list of songs that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States".[2]

The recording is considered to be one of the "excellent and commercially successful" examples of the jump blues genre.[15] As well, the song may have been of some influence on the later rock and roll genre. Little Richard often spoke of being influenced by Louis Jordan; Caldonia was the first non-gospel song he learned. The shriek on the Jordan record "sounds eerily like the vocal tone Little Richard would adopt" in addition to the "Jordan-style pencil-thin moustache".[2][16]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Dexter, Jr., Dave (1975). The Best of Louis Jordan (Album notes). Louis Jordan. Universal City, California: MCA Records. p. 5\. MCAD-4079.
2. ^ a b c Koch, Stephen (2013). "'Caldonia'—Louis Jordan (1945)" (PDF). National Recording Preservation Board. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
3. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 474.
4. ^ Morrison, John (February 5, 2021). "The Black Roots of Rock and Roll: Part 1". Npr.org. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
5. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 586.
6. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 84.
7. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 229.
8. ^ ""Caldonia"—Louis Jordan (1945)" (PDF). Library of Congress. October 20, 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2022. "Added to the National Registry: 2013"
9. ^ "Record Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 57, no. 16\. April 21, 1945. p. 66\. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
10. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 184.
11. ^ Fordham, John (October 20, 2008). "Neal Hefti". The Guardian. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
12. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 353.
13. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 59.
14. ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame: 'Caldonia Boogie' - (Decca 1945 single)". Grammy.com. 1998. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
15. ^ Listen to the Blues! Exploring a Musical Genre, James E. Perone, 2019, page 93
16. ^ Tyler, Don (2008). Music of the Postwar Era. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-313-34191-5.

## External links

[edit]

* "Caldonia" on YouTube

## Sources

[edit]

* Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.

* v
* t
* e

Louis Jordan

* Discography

Singles|

* "Knock Me a Kiss" (1942)
* "What's the Use of Getting Sober" (1942)
* "Five Guys Named Moe" (1943)
* "Ration Blues" (1943)
* "G.I. Jive" (1944)
* "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" (1944)
* "Caldonia" (1945)
* "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" (1946)
* "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (1946)
* "Beware" (1946)
* "Buzz Me" (1946)
* "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" (1946)
* "Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule"
* "Let the Good Times Roll" (1946)
* "Reconversion Blues" (1946)
* "Salt Pork, West Virginia" (1946)
* "Stone Cold Dead in the Market" (1946)
* "That Chick's Too Young to Fry" (1946)
* "Boogie Woogie Blue Plate" (1947)
* "Early in the Mornin'" (1947)
* "Jack, You're Dead" (1947)
* "Open the Door, Richard!" (1947)
* "Texas and Pacific" (1947)
* "Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends" (1948)
* "Run Joe" (1948)
* "Beans and Corn Bread" (1949)
* "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (1949/1950)
* "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1949)
* "Blue Light Boogie" (1950)
* "I'll Never Be Free" (1950)
* "School Days" (1950)
* "Tear Drops from My Eyes" (1951)

Related topics|

* Tympany Five
* Jump blues
* Rhythm and blues
* Origins of Rock and Roll
* Five Guys Named Moe
* Let the Good Times Roll
* Caldonia

* v
* t
* e

James Brown singles

Billboard charting singles (R&B and Pop)

1950s|

| 1956|

* "Please, Please, Please"

|

1958|

* "Try Me"

1959|

* "I Want You So Bad"

1960s|

| 1960|

* "I'll Go Crazy"
* "Think"
* "You've Got the Power"
* "This Old Heart"
* "The Bells"

|

1961|

* "Bewildered"
* "I Don't Mind"
* "Baby, You're Right"
* "Just You and Me, Darling"
* "Lost Someone"

1962|

* "Night Train"
* "Shout and Shimmy"
* "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A."
* "Three Hearts in a Tangle"
* "I've Got Money"

1963|

* "Like a Baby"
* "Every Beat of My Heart"
* "Prisoner of Love"
* "These Foolish Things"
* "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered"

1964|

* "Oh Baby Don't You Weep"
* "Please, Please, Please"
* "Caldonia"
* "The Things That I Used to Do"
* "Out of Sight"
* "Have Mercy Baby"

1965|

* "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"
* "Try Me"
* "I Got You (I Feel Good)"

1966|

* "Lost Someone"
* "I'll Go Crazy"
* "Ain't That a Groove"
* "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
* "Money Won't Change You"
* "Don't Be a Drop-Out"
* "Sweet Little Baby Boy"

1967|

* "Bring It Up"
* "Kansas City"
* "Think"
* "Let Yourself Go"
* "Cold Sweat"
* "Get It Together"
* "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)"
* "There Was a Time"

1968|

* "You've Got to Change Your Mind"
* "I Got the Feelin'"
* "Licking Stick – Licking Stick"
* "America Is My Home"
* "I Guess I'll Have to Cry, Cry, Cry"
* "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud"
* "Goodbye My Love"
* "Tit for Tat (Ain't No Taking Back)"

1969|

* "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose"
* "Soul Pride"
* "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself)"
* "The Popcorn"
* "Mother Popcorn (You Got to Have a Mother for Me)"
* "Lowdown Popcorn"
* "World"
* "Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn"
* "Ain't It Funky Now"

1970s|

| 1970|

* "It's a New Day"
* "Funky Drummer"
* "Brother Rapp"
* "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine"
* "Super Bad"
* "Santa Claus Is Definitely Here to Stay"
* "Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved"

|

1971|

* "Spinning Wheel"
* "Soul Power"
* "I Cried"
* "Escape-ism"
* "Hot Pants"
* "Make It Funky"
* "I'm a Greedy Man"

1972|

* "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing"
* "King Heroin"
* "There It Is"
* "Honky Tonk"
* "Get on the Good Foot"
* "I Got a Bag of My Own"
* "What My Baby Needs Now Is a Little More Lovin'"

1973|

* "I Got Ants In My Pants (And I Want to Dance)"
* "Down and Out in New York City"
* "Think"
* "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy"
* "Stoned to the Bone"

1974|

* "The Payback"
* "My Thang"
* "Papa Don't Take No Mess"
* "Funky President (People It's Bad)"
* "Coldblooded"

1975|

* "Reality"
* "Sex Machine"
* "Hustle!!! (Dead on It)"
* "Superbad, Superslick"
* "Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)"

1976|

* "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons"
* "Get Up Offa That Thing"
* "I Refuse to Lose"
* "Bodyheat"

1977|

* "Kiss in 77"
* "Give Me Some Skin"
* "If You Don't Give a Doggone About It"

1978|

* "Eyesight"
* "The Spank"
* "For Goodness Sakes, Look at Those Cakes"

1979|

* "It's Too Funky in Here"
* "Star Generation"

1980s|

| 1980|

* "Regrets"
* "Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses)"

|

1981|

* "Stay with Me"

1983|

* "The Night Time Is the Right Time (To Be with the One That You Love)"

1984|

* "Unity"

1985|

* "Living in America"

1986|

* "Gravity"

1987|

* "How Do You Stop"

1988|

* "I'm Real"
* "Static"

1989|

* "Gimme Your Love"

1990s|

| 1991|

* "(So Tired of Standing Still We Got to) Move On"

|

1993|

* "Can't Get Any Harder"

UK-only
charting
singles|

* "Hey America" (1970)
* "Bring It On...Bring It On" (1983)
* "Froggy Mix" (1985)
* "She's the One" (1988)
* "The Payback Mix" (1988)
* "I Got You (I Feel Good) [James Brown v. Dakeyne]" (1992)
* "Funk on Ah Roll" (1999)

Notable
productions|

* "The Grunt" (1970)
* "Gimme Some More" (1971)
* "I Know You Got Soul" (1971)
* "Pass the Peas" (1972)
* "Think (About It)" (1972)
* "Doing It to Death" (1973)
* "Soul Power 74" (1973)

Other
songs|

* "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" (1960)
* "Maybe the Last Time" (1964)
* "Old Landmark" (1980)
* "Killing Is Out, School Is In" (2001)
* "Gut Bucket" (2006)

* v
* t
* e

Woody Herman

Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.

Studio albums|

* How Hi the Fi (with Buck Clayton, 1954)
* Woody Herman–1963 (1962)
* My Buddy (with Rosemary Clooney, 1983)

Live albums|

* Encore Woody Herman–1963 (1963)

Singles|

* "Woodchopper's Ball" (1939)
* "Frenesi" (1941)
* "The Golden Wedding" (1941)
* "Blues in the Night" (1942)
* "Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" (1944)
* "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" (1945)
* "Laura" (1945)
* "Caldonia" (1945)
* "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (1946)
* "Surrender" (1946)
* "Sabre Dance" (1948)
* "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (1955)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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