"Caldonia" is a

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

song, first recorded in 1945 by

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

and his Tympany Five. Although credited to Fleecie Moore, his wife at the time, Jordan is the actual songwriter. The song was a hit for Jordan as well as several other musicians.

Louis Jordan recording

"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." The lyrics include Jordan's trademark use of comedy: The verses conclude with the refrain: In 1942, Jordan began an unparalleled successful run on the ''Billboard'' Harlem Hit Parade (forerunner of the R&B chart). By 1945, Jordan had four number-one hits and eventually became the most successful R&B chart act of the 1940s. "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. 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.

Renditions by other artists

At the same time as Jordan's success, the song was also recorded both by Erskine Hawkins and

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

. 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. 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. Herman's version, arranged by the young Neal Hefti, reached number two on the broader chart. In 1949, a version by Sugar Chile Robinson reached number 14 on the R&B chart. Later,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

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). In 1974,

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

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 McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

performed the song with

the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

at the group's final billed concert with original guitarist

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

the Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group the Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as the Band's "farewell concert a ...

, along with Bob Margolin and Bobby Charles.

Influence

In 1998, Jordan's version (as "Caldonia Boogie") was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2013, it was added to the U.S.

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...

's list of songs that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States". The recording is considered to be one of the "excellent and commercially successful" examples of the

genre. As well, the song may have been of some influence on the later

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

genre.

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

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".

References

External links

Sources

* {{authority control 1945 songs 1945 singles 1964 singles 1974 singles Louis Jordan songs James Brown songs Blues songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients United States National Recording Registry recordings Decca Records singles Songs written by Louis Jordan