JOE THOMAS "The Complete Recordings 1945-1950"

Originally from Pennsylvania, Joe started out playing with Horace Henderson, then Stuff Smith, Jimmy Lunceford and Jay McShann. He was on many recording dates, including Billie Holiday. After the demise of the big bands in the 50s he continued play R & B, until he more or less retired from music to become an undertaker. (Sax Digest)

Joe Thomas will always be best known as the tenor soloist with Jimmy Lunceford's Orchestra. He was originally an altoist playing with Horace Henderson but switched to tenor when he joined Stuff Smith's group. As a star with Lunceford from 1933 until the leader's death in 1947, Thomas had many short but often-memorable solos and took several vocals. After Lunceford's unexpected death, Thomas and pianist Ed Wilcox ran the ghost band for a year. Later, Thomas on his own recorded a variety of R&B-oriented sides, he left music in the mid-'50s to run his father's undertaking business, and from the 1960s on he returned to performing on a part-time basis. (Allmusic)

trax:
01 Don't Blame Me 02 You're Buggin' Me 03 For Boobs Only 04 Sequence 05 Page Boy Shuffle 06 Teardrops 07 Lavender Coffin 08 Backstage At The Apollo 09 My Baby Done Left Me 10 Tearing Hair 11 Wham-a-Lam 12 Artistry In Mood 13 Harlem Hop 14 Star Mist 15 Dog Food 16 Blue Shadows 17 Rollin' The Blues 18 Big Foot 19 Raw Meat 20 Sittin' Around 21 Sooey, Sooey, Baby 22 Got To Have Her Lovin'
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