GOT YOU ON MY MIND: REMEMBERING THE NEARLY-FORGOTTEN R&B SAXOPHONE ACE BIG JOHN GREER.

 

Big John Greer blew some ferocious jump saxophone, and in some small way, contributed toward the thumping ruckus that both hurtled toward—and was itself—rock ‘n’ roll. If you believe that Roy Brown cut the first rock record, or Jackie Brenston, or Chuck Berry, very well then; Mr. Greer honked his tenor sax throughout the stretch (roughly 1947-1956) when those gentlemen changed American music forever. Big John backed hit-makers as a sideman and recorded as a leader. He sang, too; above average.

Today, we’re celebrating John Greer’s only hit as a leader: not a bar-walker but a ballad that will compel us to long for someone we dearly miss. The large ensemble—the Rhythm Rockers—demonstrates a tight, occasionally ironic affection for the content. The pain in the song, though, is real, and in fact, a bit bright. And isn’t that truest, sometimes, the brightness of emotional torment?

Officially, “Got You On My Mind” was recorded in 1951 by John Greer and His Rhythm Rockers, and was released in 1952 on RCA Victor, bundled with “Woman Is A Five Letter Word.” As to the B-side, its tongue-in-cheek lyrics accompany a medium cooker with dance floor potential. While the B-side failed to chart, the A-side magnificently did the opposite. It rose to #2 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1952, and charted in various positions for 22 weeks. The song was penned by Howard Biggs and saxophonist Joe Thomas.

The likely personnel for this New York session included: John Greer (tenor saxophone and vocal), Red Solomon (trumpet), George James (alto saxophone), Joe Thomas (tenor saxophone), Stan Webb (baritone saxophone), Bill Doggett (piano), James Cannady (guitar), Sid Block (bass), and Jimmy Crawford (drums).

[For those of you audiophiles out there, you’ll know that “Craw beats on them drums / In the band / In the band!” But I digress.]

Greer’s big professional break came when he joined the Lucky Millinder Orchestra in 1948, replacing Bull Moose Jackson, who’d left the group to pursue his solo career. In replacing Jackson, Greer did so in a tenor-for-tenor, voice-for-voice switch. Thus, he blew whopping jumps on numbers like “Clap Your Hands” and sang with bouncy mischief on steaming tunes like “Let It Roll Again.” He backed Bull Moose Jackson on pieces like “Nosey Joe” as well as the blues shouter Wynonie Harris on “Bloodshot Eyes,” among other hits. He was often teamed with such female vocalist partners as Annisteen Allen and Dolores Brown.

Big John’s career began to wane in the late 1950s, after recording songs like “Come Back Uncle John,” a worthy rocker that appeared on the King label. By all accounts, the dip in his fortunes owed to his struggle with alcoholism. He retreated to Hot Springs, Arkansas, the town of his birth, where he gigged with local musicians, until he eventually faded from sight. And here’s where it gets sorrowful. John Greer passed away in 1972, at 48 years of age, largely forgotten.

I’d like to think that, collectively, Dear Reader, we’ve got Big John Greer on our minds, and certainly, Dear Reader, I’ve got you on my mind. I’m wondering why you had to go. . . .

 

other songs worth a listen

John Greer & His Quintet “Rockin’ With Big John” (1948)
Lucky Millinder Orchestra “Clap Your Hands” (1950) Big John Greer tenor sax
Lucky Millinder Orchestra “Let It Roll Again” (1950) Big John Greer vocal
Wynonie Harris “Mr. Blues Is Coming To Town” (1950) Big John Greer tenor sax
Wynonie Harris “Bloodshot Eyes” (1951) Big John Greer tenor sax
Bull Moose Jackson “Nosey Joe” (1952) Big John Greer tenor sax
Big John Greer “Bottle It Up And Go” (1954)
Big John Greer “Come Back Uncle John” (1956)

 
sources of information

45cat page for “Got You on My Mind” 
All Music Guide to the Blues, entry for Big John Greer
Be Bop Wino page for John Greer R&B in New York City
Black Cat Netherlands entry for John Greer
Discogs page for “Got You on My Mind”
Rate Your Music page for “Got You on My Mind”
Wikipedia page for Big John Greer
 

this post is part of a triple issue. also see:
open the door, richard!
roughshod