Babs Gonzales
A limited but enthusiastic singer, Babs Gonzales did what he could to popularize bop. He had brief stints with Charlie Barnet and Lionel Hampton, and then led his own group (Three Bips & a Bop) during 1946-1949. They recorded 24 numbers during 1947-1949, including the earliest version of "Oop-Pop-A-Da" and such songs as "Weird Lullaby," "A Lesson in Bopology," "Professor Bop," and "Prelude to a Nightmare"; among his sidemen on these dates were Tadd Dameron, Tony Scott, Roy Haynes, James Moody, J.J. Johnson, Julius Watkins, Sonny Rollins (making his recording debut), Art Pepper, Wynton Kelly, and even Don Redman. However, once the bop "fad" ended, Gonzales became more of a cult figure. He worked with James Moody (1951-1953), recorded with Jimmy Smith and Johnny Griffin, ran his own label (Expubidence), and wrote two autobiographies that were more colorful than accurate.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Discography
10 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Weird Lullaby
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on Jan 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Live at Small's Paradise (Live)
Jazz - Released by Dauntless Records on Jul 28, 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Legendary Bop, Rhythm & Blues Classics: Babs Gonzales (Digitally Remastered)
Bebop - Released by Essential Media Group on Jan 19, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tales Of Manhattan
Vocal Jazz - Released by Brownbeats Records on Jan 1, 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Bebop Story
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Radiophone Archives on Jan 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Be Bop Santa Claus (Digital 45) - Single
Jazz - Released by Essential Media Group on May 4, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Be-Bop Santa Claus
Christmas Music - Released by Essential Media Group on Sep 25, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Teenage Santa Claus (Digital 45)
Bebop - Released by Essential Media Group on Jan 19, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Teenage Santa Claus
Christmas Music - Released by Essential Media Group on Sep 25, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo