John Marshall "Big John" Greer (November 21, 1923 – May 12, 1972)
- accessed September 2011 was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

tenor saxophonist and vocalist, best known for his recordings from 1948 to 1956, which included "Got You on My Mind" and "Bottle It Up and Go". Born in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

, United States, Greer was a friend of

Henry Glover Henry Bernard Glover (May 21, 1921 – April 7, 1991) was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the most successful and influential black executives. He gain ...

from childhood, and both attended college at

Alabama A&M Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M or AAMU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. It was one of about 180 " normal s ...

together. Glover was playing in

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing music, swing and rhythm and blues, rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang ...

's band when

Bull Moose Jackson Benjamin Clarence "Bull Moose" Jackson (April 22, 1919 – July 31, 1989) Allmusic biography Accessed January 2008. was an American blues and rhythm-and-blues singer and saxophonist, who was most successful in the late 1940s. He is considered ...

left the group in 1948; Glover suggested that Greer be chosen as Jackson's replacement. Greer played with

Bob Shad Robert "Bob" Shad (born Abraham Shadrinsky; February 12, 1920 – March 13, 1985) was an American record producer and record label owner. He produced the first album by Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin). Among his ...

and appeared on Millinder's

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

recordings until 1950, when Millinder signed to King Records. Greer stayed with RCA and played with

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter best remembered as a singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...

and Jackson among others. He sang lead vocals on his biggest hit, recorded in October 1951 "Got You On My Mind". In 1953, he switched to Groove Records, but did not make much impact on the American

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

s there. In August 1954, he released "We Wanna See Santa Claus Do The Mambo", a Christmas hit to this day. In 1956, he finally signed with King, but only recorded for them for about a year. Greer also worked with

Hal Singer Harold Joseph Singer (October 8, 1919 – August 18, 2020), also known as Hal "Cornbread" Singer, was an American R&B and jazz bandleader and saxophonist. Early life Harold Joseph Singer was born in Greenwood, an African-American district ...

and

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk ...

. By 1957, Greer had developed extended troubles with

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, and he moved back to his home town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he died in 1972 at age 48.

Discography

* "Long Tall Gal" // " Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee, Drinkin' Wine" (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

50-0007, 1949) * "Got You On My Mind" // "Woman is a Five Letter Word' (RCA Victor 47-4348, 1951) * "Bottle It Up and Go" // "You'll Never Be Mine" (

Groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

G-0002, 1954) * "Too Long" // "When the Roses Bloom in Lovers' Lane" (Groove G-0016, 1954) * "Wait Till After Christmas" // "We Wanna See Santa Do the Mambo" (Groove G-0038, 1954) * "Come Back Maybelline" // "Night Crawlin'" (Groove G-0119, 1955)

CD releases

* ''Rockin' with Big John'' (

Bear Family Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label, that specializes in reissues of archival material, ranging primarily in country music but varying in everything from 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks. History T ...

BCD-15554 CD 1992) * ''I'm the Fat Man 1949–1955'' (

Rev-Ola Rev-Ola Records is a British independent record label formed in 1990 that specializes in reissues, as well as select new releases. The label is headed by Joe Foster, a former child actor and musician/producer. He, along with Alan McGee and ...

CRBAND-17, 2007) * ''Blowin' & Rockin' 1949–1955'' (

Jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

JASMCD-3227, 2021)

References

1923 births 1972 deaths American blues saxophonists Singers from Arkansas American blues singers Musicians from Hot Springs, Arkansas Groove Records artists 20th-century American singers Blues musicians from Arkansas 20th-century American male singers {{US-blues-musician-stub