Jesse (Belvin) And Marvin (Phillips), "Dream Girl" c/w "Daddy Loves Baby," Specialty SP-447 (rel. 12/1952)

Today's record is a charming example of the dawn of rhythm and blues and of the ease in which a casual backroom recording might become a national hit with little effort. Though a hit in rhythm and blues only, "Dream Girl" by Jesse Belvin and Marvin Phillips got a lot of action without much effort on the behalf of Specialty Records. They didn't advertise it nor solicit reviews from the music magazines. Word of mouth got this single onto enough jukeboxes and DJ playlists to make an underground hit of a pair of casual demos done in the backroom of a Los Angeles music store in 1952.
    Jesse and Marvin became the first r&b male duet to get a major hit. All male duos in r&b and soul stem from this record, which some sources say was recorded in a garage. It's more likely that the two singer went into John Dolphin's Central Avenue record store--a mainstay of LA Black culture--and used its backroom studio. With a percussionist and bassist, sang to Phillips' piano on a rather out-of-tune upright keyboard. The simplicity and laid-back vibe do wonders for "Dream Girl," the hit side. The two vocalists exemplify the post-war cool of early r&b. At this time, screamers and shouters were considered corny; to exude a reserve was the hipster ideal. A nasal vocal style prevailed with a touch of jazz.
    This style would vanish by 1956, with the onset of rock 'n' roll and gospel-inspired ravers like Little Richard, James Brown and Young Jessie. There's an almost painful air of sweetness to "Dream Girl," as the two vocalists, both destined for stardom, trade lines on a song that could've been recorded in 1933 with no changes. 
    Belvin's is the deeper voice; two additional voices appear in the first 15 seconds. Who were these backup singers--and why do they stop so early in the record? It turns out to be an asset. It's a delight to hear these two voices trade lines, harmonize and maintain their cool in this intimate setting. That almost-outta tune piano adds to the endearing vibe. That such a spare, simple recording could become a big hit (in the cultural underground of Black music) was a happy outcome for what the two singer-songwriters intended as a demo to interest Specialty Records, who signed both singers but never had them duet again. 

   The label realized they might sell more records with Belvin and Phillips as discrete artists. (Phillips began his male harmony franchise Marvin and Johnny within a few months, but made some solo sides.)

    Jesse Belvin became a more mainstream vocalist. Signed to RCA-Victor, he had hits with "Funny" and "Guess Who." The label sought to make him their equivalent of a Nat "King" Cole; he died in 1960 before the blanderization could commence.

    Whomever signed off on the release of these two sides in 1952 started a new trend in Black music that would be a vital part for the rest of the 20th century and continues, in some manner, today.

 

No official review of Specialty 447 appeared; this Billboard assessment attests to the single's growing success in 1953, when it got up to #5 on the national r&b charts.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/g7flx7jdvn4l0q9zrv4lv/2179a.mp3?rlkey=y33pbee3t6h52qfk9qx484pbt&st=l1lekc0g&dl=0

"Daddy Loves Baby" continues this low-key vibe, with sterling harmony vocals interspersed with solo passages. Again, the charm is in the intimacy of the recording, which lets Belvin and Phillips shine as they carry the song in their handsome voices. Bonus surprise: an electric guitar pops up to provide a musical coda!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l4uul7up88bo4ni4ir0cu/2179b.mp3?rlkey=gxoec7pxusgz5t9f0byt50rv2&st=k6gexrgh&dl=0

This is a one-of-a-kind recording that couldn't be replicated under normal studio conditions. It became a favorite of the Chicano lowrider culture and was kept in print by Specialty into the late 1970s. The first pressings are scarce; I managed to find a 1952 edition in unplayed clean shape. It's near-impossible to find early r&b singles in this state. I did little to clean these two sides up. There's a bit of tape hiss, but that's par for the course in early '50s rhythm and blues.

Tomorrow: Little Willie John delivers one of his self-penned masterpieces, coupled with a jazz-tinged B-side penned by Rudy Toombs on a classic 1955 King Records platter that matters.