The Chestnuts, "Don't Go" c/w "I Wanna Come Home," Mercury 70489x45 (rel. 11/1954)
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The Chestnuts were a one-off group that splintered out of one of Black vocal group r&b's founding combos The Ravens. They're often cited as the creators of the 1950s r&b group sound; they formed in 1946 when bass singer Jimmy Ricks and tenor Warren Suttles began to perform together. By 1948, the group was a hitmaking force in Black music and inspired countless young vocalists to band together, often with just their voices in harmony. Every doo-wop and vocal group owes a debt to The Ravens.
If their records don't sound as exciting as those they inspired, that's a common effect in the performing arts: the first exponents often aren't aware of their own potential. Their mannerisms were so thoroughly mimicked by their followers that The Ravens' recordings hold few surprises. The closest analogy in pop music would be Bill Haley and The Comets. They inspired many youths to take up rock 'n' roll while their recordings often feel stodgy and forced. That's just the way it goes, music-wise.
The Ravens made many excellent recordings; I don't wish to diss them. Take, for example, their final and biggest hit, 1952's "Rock Me All Night Long." It's a hearty jump blues that reflects the jazz influence at the start of post-war rhythm and blues.
Their style, due to repetition and reuse, soon became old-hat. When Raven Louis Heyward quit the group in 1954, he threw together The Chestnuts, and their lone single brings some of The Ravens' vibe to its B-side. The A is a revolutionary marriage of work song, intense bongo fury and raw, sharp-edged vocals.
If their records don't sound as exciting as those they inspired, that's a common effect in the performing arts: the first exponents often aren't aware of their own potential. Their mannerisms were so thoroughly mimicked by their followers that The Ravens' recordings hold few surprises. The closest analogy in pop music would be Bill Haley and The Comets. They inspired many youths to take up rock 'n' roll while their recordings often feel stodgy and forced. That's just the way it goes, music-wise.
The Ravens made many excellent recordings; I don't wish to diss them. Take, for example, their final and biggest hit, 1952's "Rock Me All Night Long." It's a hearty jump blues that reflects the jazz influence at the start of post-war rhythm and blues.
Their style, due to repetition and reuse, soon became old-hat. When Raven Louis Heyward quit the group in 1954, he threw together The Chestnuts, and their lone single brings some of The Ravens' vibe to its B-side. The A is a revolutionary marriage of work song, intense bongo fury and raw, sharp-edged vocals.
"Don't Go" is, perhaps, the best Black vocal group of 1954. Few contain its focus and bite. From the angry trombones and trumpets that bloot and blast throughout to those insistent congas, timbales and other Afro-Cuban percussion instruments to the mesmeric vocal harmonies, capped by a rugged lead vocal...this is perfection.
Sometimes that's all one can say about a recording. In its three minutes, "Don't Go" achieves gritty, sweat-soaked glory. The performance offers much to savor and rewards repeat listens.
Sometimes that's all one can say about a recording. In its three minutes, "Don't Go" achieves gritty, sweat-soaked glory. The performance offers much to savor and rewards repeat listens.
It does reveal that Bob Shad was the possible producer of the group's lone session. His time at Mercury Records brought a wealth of Black musical talent to the label and was an antecedent of the 1960s Chicago soul music scene.
Cash Box chose the wrong side, quality-wise, but otherwise got the picture.
"I Wanna Come Home" is more down-to-earth stuff that's bolstered by this group's top-drawer vocal skill. Their rich harmonies work in ballad mode--an artifact of The Ravens' expertise. Like the A-side, it's recorded with clarity and beauty. This 1954 single is mastered for the microgroove stylus and thus sounds big, bold and rich. I wish more record companies had ceded their stubborn use of 78-rpm groove widths on 45-rpm records. It persists into 1956, when the demise of the 10" record was obvious and it made no sense to cling to the past. (To be fair, 78-rpm had been the industry standard for over 50 years; it was a hard habit to break for veterans of the record scene.)
Why no more recordings were attempted is lost to time--and a tragedy. This single didn't chart, but it has become a deep-cut favorite of r&b enthusiasts and club DJs. That didn't do the group any good 72 years ago, when this single had its brief life.
Tomorrow: joyous, bright, bubbly, rockin'--Bobby Comstock and The Counts will get your week off to a buoyant start on a 1963 Lawn Records single I paid way too much for but am glad to have and to share with you!
Tomorrow: joyous, bright, bubbly, rockin'--Bobby Comstock and The Counts will get your week off to a buoyant start on a 1963 Lawn Records single I paid way too much for but am glad to have and to share with you!
I kept seeing Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan clips in my head when listening to "Don't Go." No idea why. Love the lyrics and emotional vocals on "I Wanna Come Home."
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