Ann Cole & The Cole-Miners, "Easy Easy Baby" c/w "New Love," Baton 224 (rel. 3/1956)
Ann Cole was a soul singer before soul music existed. Her style would have been big in the 1960s; in the ‘50s she managed some semi-big hits but was considered just another member of the flock of Black female vocalists that included Ruth Brown, Lavern Baker, Annisteen Allen, Tiny Topsy, Faye Adams and Dinah Washington. She was in good company but never managed to break out into the big time, as did most of these other performers. Today we'll hear her second single for Baton Records, which she joined in 1955. It was her eighth single; she'd been very busy in 1954.
Born Cynthia Coleman in 1934, Ann’s first performances were in the gospel music scene. Her father led a spiritual group, The Coleman Brothers, and Ann formed The Colemanaires. They recorded for Apollo Records, among others. When Ann decided to go secular, she adopted the stage name Cole, since rhythm and blues were looked down upon by the gospel community.
Cole performed in various New York City niteries. In one club, record label owner Sol Rabinowitz caught her act, was wowed, and signed her to his newly-launched Baton Records. Cole made eight superb singles for Baton. Three became r&b hits but none cracked the pop charts. Her most sought-after recording is a song you’ve heard a million times. Every bar band in creation has done their version of “Got My Mojo Working,” which is credited to Muddy Waters. Though his became the canonical version, Waters did not write the song. It was penned by Preston “Red” Foster, a cleffer who penned material recorded by Bing Crosby and bluesman “Sticks” McGhee—there’s versatility for ya! It is “Mojo” for which he’ll be remembered; hundreds of recorded versions exist.
Rabinowitz heard a smash hit when Foster walked into his offices and played him the song. He got to Ann Cole, who loved it, learned it fast and recorded it with a red-hot band, including ace session guitarist Mickey Baker. Rabinowitz sat on the recording, for reasons unknown, and accompanied Cole as she embarked on a concert tour. Sol begged his artists not to perform unreleased material due to other artists getting an earful, learning the song and rushing out a hit-killing version. Naturally, Ann performed “Mojo” to an excited public. Sol was vexed and again pleaded with her to hold off for a spell. She didn’t.
Muddy Waters, who was part of the package tour, couldn’t help (a) hearing the song and (b) liking it. He dashed back to Chicago and got a version out as Baton released Ann’s original. Muddy canceled out Ann’s version—and, worse, had his given name of McKinley Morganfield attached to it as composer. This was the fault of the producers at Chess, who assumed anything Waters waxed was his own work. Legal actions occurred and Foster’s name was rightfully attached to the song in perpetuity, but the damage had been done: a great performance went unheard in its day.
All this was in the near-future when Ms. C made today's single. One side has backup by The Cole-Miners. Were these members of The Colemanaires gone secular?
My copy of this record is in bad shape, but I coaxed pretty good sound from it. There are a few thumps and crackles that I couldn't remove without jinxing the music part. "Easy Easy Baby" is a primo example of mid-decade rhythm and blues. Penned by Mamie Matthews and Oscar Black, the song had two fake names added by Rabinowitz and his business partner Lou Sprung. (This was a common practice in r&b music and as dreadful then as it feels now.)
This tough, mid-tempo song is an ideal vehicle for Ann's streetwise, forceful vocal approach. The band is hard as nails behind her convincing lead, with guitar and sax a standout. The swaggering melody and rhythm here is irresistible. Ann's voice is a treasure. Had Baton backed it with a better B-side, this could've gotten on the charts. After a strong start with her Baton debut, "Are You Satisfied," the failure of this single was a disappointment.
Cash Box saw the mediocre "New Love" as the potential hit. They were wrong.
Ann sang ballads with equal conviction, but a piece of corny material like "New Love" was a bit beneath her talent. It's a partial re-write of the New Years' Eve standard "Auld Lang Syne," and is thus a bit of laziness on the behalf of writers Dickie Goodman and Mel Schacter.
Ann sells the song to the best of her abilities, and an un-schmaltzy arrangement helps perform a schlock de-tox. It remains a lesser piece, salvaged by Cole's solid performance. It's proof of her ability to make any song, even a piece of pop detritus, sound like something worth one's time to hear.
I need to acquire more Ann Cole singles; she'll be back here again: of that you can be sure!
Tomorrow: Sacramento garage band The New Breed, featuring a founding member of The Eagles and Poco in his first recording. A good Zombies-esque bluesy original and an obscure John Lennon song on the flip. A Diplomacy Records release from 1965!
These are two of the best written songs I've heard here lately—sincere words and emotional delivery on these two songs. "Auld Lang Syne" aside"—"New Love" should have become its own standard.
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