Search - Jesse Belvin :: Golden Classics

Chronicler Wanted

07/28/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When a February 6, 1960 automobile accident snuffed out the life of Jesse Belvin at the age of 27 [he was born in Texarkana, Texas on December 15, 1933] we lost a voice which, I'm certain, would have gone on to rival the likes of Sam Cooke and Nat "King" Cole. He was that good. And he could also write a mean tune [example: Earth Angel which became a monster hit for both The Penguins and The Crew Cuts as well as Gloria Mann in 1955]. In fact, if you sift through all the rumours and legends surrounding Belvin, there are a number of other "golden oldies" still making money for some people which were actually written by him.



He was also a prolific recording artist, and in this CD you get his two hits recorded for the RCA Victor label in 1959 and backed by the Shorty Rogers orchestra: Funny - a # 25 R&B/# 81 Billboard Hot 100 in January and Guess Who - a # 7 R&B/# 31 Hot 100 in May, written by his wife Jo Anne. On both he is backed by the Shorty Rogers Orchestra. Unfortunately, neither flipside - Pledging My Love and My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me - is included.



In other Belvin CDs you can find his 1956 Modern label solo hit Goodnight My Love [Pleasant Dreams] - # 7 R&B in December b/w Let Me Love You Tonight - and Girl In My Dreams which he did as a member of The Cliques that same year, taking it to # 45 Billboard Top 100. All are in the CD Goodnight My Love.



A few years earlier in 1953, as one half of the duo of Jesse and Marvin (Phillips), he had Dream Girl reach # 2 R&B b/w Daddy Loves Baby. Both are on the CD The Blues Balladeer.



In between his stints with Modern and RCA he also teamed up with Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Frankie Ervin, Buster Williams, and Mel Williams to form The Shields and, on the small Tender label, recorded You Cheated b/w That's The Way It's Gonna Be. Once Dot acquired the rights, the A-side made it to # 11 R&B/# 12 Hot 100 in October 1958.



In his early days Jesse also formed a part of Doo-Wop groups like The Sharptones, who recorded for Aladdin, The Sheiks [who recorded So Fine for the Federal label several years before The Fiestas had a smash hit with it in 1959], and Three Dots And A Dash on Imperial. As a solo artist he also cut discs for Kent, Candlelight, Cash, Class, and Jamie.



If - unlike me - you are not searching out only charted singles, you will find that this or any other Jesse Belvin CD offers great entertainment. Me? I'm hoping that some devoted chronicler of the music of that era can gather together both sides of ALL his hits - groups included - in one Anthology compilation."

A 10 STAR CD

Joseph Reitano | saylorsburg, Pennsylvania USA | 12/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THERE ARE ALOT OF PERFORMERS RECORDING ALBUMS OF STANDARDS TODAY BUT THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE BEST OF THEM ALL. THE ARRANGEMENTS ARE VERY SPECIAL---AND THIS MAN CAN SING A BEAUTIFUL SONG--------I'M SORRY HE PAST AWAY SO EARLY IN HIS CAREER----YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE WHOLE ALBUM."

This is Good, This is Enough

Eclectic Revisited | Arizona | 11/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Occasionally you'll see a review that tells you the tiniest detail about a singer. Suffice it to say that if "Guess Who" and "Goodnight My Love" are on the same compilation, I don't care who he sang in the shower with. This is the Jesse Belvin compilation you want; after the two named songs, everything else is gravy."