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MARV GOLDBERG'SR&B NOTEBOOKSThe RobinsBy Marv Goldberg and Todd Baptista2001 by Marv Goldberg and Todd Baptista
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Despite having only a few national hits, the Robins, nevertheless, were anessential part of West Coast Rhythm and Blues. Whether you feel that theirgreatest contribution lies in Bobby Nunn's repartee with Little Esther in Double
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Crossin' Blues, the spawning of the Coasters, or the vital stepping stone they
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provided in the career of Leiber and Stoller, they most certainly influencedmany of the acts who followed them.The history of the Robins goes back to around 1945 when tenor Terrell Leonard(professionallyknown as Ty Terrell) got together with baritone brothers Billy and Roy Richardat San Francisco's Alameda High School. All three were originally from the deepsouth: Leonard from Jackson, Mississippi and the Richard brothers from Louisiana.Having migrated to California with their families as children, the three met inhigh school and, after a young girl told Leonard she loved his voice, decided tostart a group.Calling themselves the A-Sharp Trio, their influences included the King ColeTrio, Golden Gate Quartet, the Delta Rhythm Boys, and Johnny Moore's ThreeBlazers. By 1947, they'd found their way down to the Watts area of Los Angeleswhere the raucous sounds of early Los Angeles R&B were heard nightly. Enteringthe Thursday night talent show at Johnny Otis' new Barrelhouse Club in Watts,the trio placed second with their rendition of Satchelmouth Baby. First place
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that night went to a guitarist named Pete Lewis, whom Otis hired immediately forhis orchestra. He also put the A-Sharp Trio to work, playing them $5 a night tosing there on weekends.Another singer who appeared at the Barrelhouse was Ulysses "Bobby" Nunn, abaritone/bass from Birmingham, Alabama (by way of Detroit) with a bluesy style.Like many aspiring bass singers, Nunn was heavily influenced by the Ravens'Jimmy Ricks (although, in truth, Nunn sounds much better as a baritone than as abass). More than singing, however, Nunn did odd jobs around the club. In early1949, Otis had the idea of merging the two acts together to form a quartet tocompete with the Ravens.The group's recording debut came with an April 1949 release on Otis Rene'sExcelsior label (for which Otis had been recording for a few years). Theirsingle side, My Baby Done Told Me (credited to the 4 Bluebirds) was the flip
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of Johnny Otis' own Courtroom Blues. With Bobby Nunn in the lead, the group is
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mostly doing unison singing in the background, a technique used in many of theirsongs. This time it's relieved by nice chiming at the end. Although uncredited,the quartet was also part of the court congregation heard in Courtroom Blues.
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Despite Otis' selection of the name 4 Bluebirds, the group didn't like it and itwas never used again.Soon after, the group approached Eddie and Leo Mesner who owned Aladdin Recordson Santa Monica Boulevard. Their first session as the Robins took place on May
27, 1949 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles. They recorded four tunes, all led byNunn: Don't Like The Way You're Doing, Around About Midnight (their version
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of Roy Brown's Long About Midnight), Come Back Baby, and You Sure Look Good
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To Me, which had been a national hit for songwriter Leonard Caston and his Big
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Three Trio (including bassist Willie Dixon) in 1948.Within days, the Mesners issued Around About Midnight and You Sure Look Good
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To Me on Aladdin's Score subsidiary as the first record credited to the Robins.
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Midnight is a nice bluesy sound with more conventional harmony by the group
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while the flip is a mix of both their styles, closely resembling the originalhit version.In June 1949, Don't Like The Way You're Doing and Come Back Baby (a My Baby
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Done Told Me sound-alike), were issued on the parent Aladdin logo. Although the
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discs failed to attract the attention of record buyers on a large scale, theydid not go entirely unnoticed.Ralph Bass, who would go on to make a name for himself at Federal/King as atalent scout, producer and A&R man, was, at this time, working for HermanLubinsky's Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey. Bass came to the Barrelhouse andliked what he heard enough to recommend that Lubinsky sign the entire show: theJohnny Otis Orchestra, his singer Melvin Lightsey (known professionally as MelWalker), 13-year old Esther Mae Jones (another singer who'd been hanging aroundthe club), and the Robins.Lubinsky flew out to California and took in the show for himself. Meeting withOtis, he offered a $20 bill to buy the group drinks. Telling Lubinsky that thequartet didn't drink, Leonard recalled that Otis offered them only $2 in theirdressing room. Upon learning that the original amount was $20, Nunn set outafter Otis to get the rest of the money. Otis, in turn, chased Lubinsky out thedoor. Running down the street, the 53-year old Lubinsky turned to see Otis notfar behind, Nunn in close pursuit, Leonard and the Richard brothers chasingtheir bass, and many of the club patrons following along, hoping to get aglimpse of any ensuing action. I came all the way out here to make you stars
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and this is how you treat me?!, Lubinsky reportedly bellowed, understandably
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utilizing more colorful language at the time.Although the Robins would never meet him again, Lubinsky did sign them to arecording contract, along with the rest of Otis' troupe.Lubinsky soon found out that Bobby Nunn had recently done some recording on hisown for Sammy Lane's Hamptone International label. On October 5th, he had signeda one-year pact and, within days, recorded Why Did You Leave Me Baby?/Alone
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About Midnight, which Hamptone issued around December. This would have some
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interesting ramifications later on.On December 1, 1949, the Robins were part of a Johnny Otis Savoy session (held,like all of their Savoy sessions, at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles). With RalphBass as producer, some half-dozen masters were recorded. The first, I'm Not
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Falling In Love With You, (the Johnny Otis Quintet, with vocal by Devonia Lady
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Dee Williams, Otis' piano player) did not include the Robins. Four Robins tunes
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followed: If It's So Baby, Our Romance Is Gone, If I Didn't Love You So,
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and There's Rain In My Eyes. Bobby Nunn is featured on all the Robins sides
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and Otis' vibraharp can be heard on There's Rain In My Eyes.
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With 20 minutes left on the studio clock, Otis gave Esther Jones (now billed asLittle Esther) the chance to try a song called Double Crossin' Blues, and
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told the Robins to back her up. Although recorded almost as an afterthought,
this song would go on to become one of Savoy's best-selling records.Bass sent the session tapes back to Lubinsky who selected the bluesy If I Didn't
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Love You So, and the upbeat If It's So Baby, as the group's first release
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late in December 1949. Original 78 RPM pressings of this disc credit the groupas The Four Robins with Johnny Otis' Orchestra.
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On January 11, 1950, the whole aggregation was back in the studio again torecord some more tunes. This time there was: Lost In A Dream (Little Esther,
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with the Johnny Otis Orchestra), Turkey Hop, Part 2, Turkey Hop, Part 1 (the
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Robins), Cry Baby (Mel Walker with the Blue Notes, in actuality the Robins),
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Lovers' Lane Boogie (Little Esther with the Blue Notes; once again it's the
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Robins, with Bobby Nunn dueting with Esther), and I Found Out My Troubles (the
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Robins, with Bobby in the lead and Otis' vibraharp). Note that part 2 of Turkey
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Hop (the instrumental side) was actually recorded first, and features Big Jay
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McNeely on tenor sax and his brother, Bobby, on baritone sax.If I Didn't Love You So, was reviewed the week of January 14, 1950, along with
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Wynonie Harris' Sittin' On It All The Time, Paul Williams' Cranberries, Tiny
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Bradshaw's Gravy Train, Tiny Grimes' See See Rider, and Jewel King's 3 x 7
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= 21. Oh yes, one other song reviewed that week was Bobby Nunn's Why Did You
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Leave Me Baby. If It's So Baby eventually became a national R&B hit, peaking
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at #10.Later that month, Savoy issued Double Crossin' Blues. Strangely, considering
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all the Robins material they had, Savoy paired it with an old master by theBeale Street Gang, which had been recorded in the spring of 1949. Double
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Crossin' Blues was destined to become a winner. It features hilarious repartee
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between Little Esther and Bobby Nunn, culminating in:Esther: You belong out in the forest fighting a big old grizzly bear.Bobby: How come you ain't out in the forest?Esther: I'm a lady!Bobby: They got lady bears out there!Of course, to fully understand why the song was as big a hit as it was, you needto know that lady bear was black slang for an ugly woman who was sexually
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aggressive! On March 4, it reached the top of the R&B charts, a position itwould hold for nine of the 22 weeks it spent on the list.The song had originally been submitted to Otis by songwriter Jessie Mae Robinson.Otis fooled around with it, adding the above dialog, which he remembered from ablack comedy act called Apus and Estrelita. (Jessie will return to our story alittle later.) Bass sent the dub of this to Lubinsky, who didn't like it. Itprobably would have remained unreleased except for the lucky coincidence thatBill Cook, host of the Musical Caravan on Newark's WAAT, happened to be in his
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Lubinsky's office when it was playing. Cook took the dub, played it on his showthat evening, and the rest, as they say, is history.Double Crossin' Blues was reviewed the week of January 21, along with Johnny
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Moore's 3 Blazers' recording of Driftin' Blues and the Flames' Please Tell Me
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Now. This review came three days after Herman Lubinsky announced the first 45s
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to be released on the Savoy label.Also in January 1950, Lubinsky announced the Savoy Barrelhouse Caravan, with
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Johnny Otis, Little Esther, the Robins, Mel Walker and Redd Lyte (Floyd Hollis).It was scheduled to begin in Houston on February 10, but the Robins' nextsession took place three days later, in Los Angeles. How could this be?
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