Bob Gaddy
Encyclopedia
Bob Gaddy was an American
East Coast blues
and rhythm and blues
pianist
, singer and songwriter
. He is best remembered for his recordings of "Operator" and "Rip and Run," and musical work he undertook with Larry Dale
, Wild Jimmy Spruill
, Sonny Terry
and Brownie McGhee
.
, a small town based around coal mining
. He learned to play the piano at a young age, both playing and singing in his local church. In 1943 he was conscripted
and served in the Navy
, being stationed in California
. He progressed from learning the blues
and, using his gospel
background, graduated towards the boogie-woogie
playing style.
He played in blues clubs
in Oakland
and San Francisco, but after World War II
finished he relocated to New York
in 1946. Gaddy later commented "I came to New York just to visit, because I was on my way to the West Coast. Somehow or other, I just got hooked on it. New York got into my system and I've been stuck here ever since."
He found work as a blues pianist, and in the late 1940s Gaddy provided accompaniment to both Brownie McGhee
and Sonny Terry
. He later backed Larry Dale
, and befriended Champion Jack Dupree
. Dupree penned "Operator" for Gaddy, one of his best selling numbers. Gaddy recorded firstly for Jackson Records with his debut single
being "Bicycle Boogie" in 1952. Gaddy later spent time with the Jax, Dot
and Harlem record labels, before joining Hy Weiss
' Old Town Records in 1956. It was here that Gaddy had his most commercially successful period, particularly with "I Love My Baby," "Paper Lady," and "Rip and Run." His earlier recordings often had McGhee in the recording studio
with Gaddy, although his Old Town recordings utilised the guitarist
s Jimmy Spruill
and Joe Ruffin, plus saxophonist
Jimmy Wright.
Gaddy ceased his recording
activities around 1960. However, along with his long time friend Larry Dale, Gaddy remained a mainstay of the ongoing New York blues scene.
In April 1988, Gaddy, Dale and Spruill reunited to play at the Tramps nightclub in New York.
Bob Gaddy died of lung cancer
in the Bronx
, New York in July 1997, at the age of 73.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
East Coast blues
East Coast blues
East Coast blues casts a wide net covering all of Piedmont blues - a style that relied on fast, virtuosic fingerpicking and added influences such as ragtime - as well as the urbanized R&B of New York blues and countless smaller regional styles....
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He is best remembered for his recordings of "Operator" and "Rip and Run," and musical work he undertook with Larry Dale
Larry Dale
Larry Dale was an American blues singer and guitarist. He was born in Wharton, Texas, United States.During the early 1950s Ennis Lowery took initial inspiration on guitar playing from B.B...
, Wild Jimmy Spruill
Wild Jimmy Spruill
Jimmy Spruill also known as Wild Jimmy Spruill, was an American New York based session guitarist.-Early life and success:...
, Sonny Terry
Sonny Terry
Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.-Career:Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia...
and Brownie McGhee
Brownie McGhee
Walter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
.
Biography
Gaddy was born in Vivian, West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, a small town based around coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. He learned to play the piano at a young age, both playing and singing in his local church. In 1943 he was conscripted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
and served in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, being stationed in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He progressed from learning the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and, using his gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
background, graduated towards the boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
playing style.
He played in blues clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and San Francisco, but after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
finished he relocated to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1946. Gaddy later commented "I came to New York just to visit, because I was on my way to the West Coast. Somehow or other, I just got hooked on it. New York got into my system and I've been stuck here ever since."
He found work as a blues pianist, and in the late 1940s Gaddy provided accompaniment to both Brownie McGhee
Brownie McGhee
Walter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
and Sonny Terry
Sonny Terry
Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.-Career:Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia...
. He later backed Larry Dale
Larry Dale
Larry Dale was an American blues singer and guitarist. He was born in Wharton, Texas, United States.During the early 1950s Ennis Lowery took initial inspiration on guitar playing from B.B...
, and befriended Champion Jack Dupree
Champion Jack Dupree
William Thomas Dupree, best known as Champion Jack Dupree, was an American blues pianist. His birth date is disputed, given as July 4, July 10, and July 23, in the years 1908, 1909, or 1910. He died on January 21, 1992.-Biography:...
. Dupree penned "Operator" for Gaddy, one of his best selling numbers. Gaddy recorded firstly for Jackson Records with his debut single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
being "Bicycle Boogie" in 1952. Gaddy later spent time with the Jax, Dot
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
and Harlem record labels, before joining Hy Weiss
Hy Weiss
-Biography:Born Hyman Y. Weiss in Romania, he was an immigrant to the United States when young and was brought up in the Bronx, New York. He started in the music industry in 1949, setting up Parody Records with his brother Sam....
' Old Town Records in 1956. It was here that Gaddy had his most commercially successful period, particularly with "I Love My Baby," "Paper Lady," and "Rip and Run." His earlier recordings often had McGhee in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
with Gaddy, although his Old Town recordings utilised the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s Jimmy Spruill
Wild Jimmy Spruill
Jimmy Spruill also known as Wild Jimmy Spruill, was an American New York based session guitarist.-Early life and success:...
and Joe Ruffin, plus saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Jimmy Wright.
Gaddy ceased his recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
activities around 1960. However, along with his long time friend Larry Dale, Gaddy remained a mainstay of the ongoing New York blues scene.
In April 1988, Gaddy, Dale and Spruill reunited to play at the Tramps nightclub in New York.
Bob Gaddy died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York in July 1997, at the age of 73.
Singles
- "I (Believe You Got A Sidekick)" / "Bicycle Boogie" (1952) - Jackson Records - Bob Gaddy & His Alley Cats
- "No Help Wanted" / "Little Girl's Boogie" (1953) - Jax Records - Bob Gaddy & His Alley Cats
- "Evil Man Blues" / "Doctor Gaddy's Blues" (1954) - Dot Records - Doctor Gaddy & His Orchestra
- "Blues Has Walked in My Room" / "Slow Down Baby" (1955) - Harlem Records - Doctor Gaddy & His Keys
- "Operator" / "I Love My Baby" (1956) - Old Town Records - Doctor Gaddy & His Keys
- "Paper Lady" / "Out Of My Name" (1957) - Old Town Records - Doctor Gaddy & His Keys
- "Woe Woe Is Me" / "Rip and Run" (1958) - Old Town Records - Doctor Gaddy & His Keys
- "Take My Advice" / "You Are the One" (1959) - Old Town Records
- "Till The Day I Die"/ "I'll Go My Way" (1959) - Old Town Records
Compilation albums
- Rip and Run (1986) - AceAce Records (US)Ace Records was a record label that was started in August 1955 in Jackson, Mississippi by Johnny Vincent, with Teem Records as its budget subsidiary. Ace also had the Vin label. Its records were distributed independently until 1962 when a distribution arrangement was set up with Vee-Jay Records....
- Bob Gaddy & Friends: Bicycle Boogie 1947 - 1960 (1987) - Moonshine
- Harlem Blues Operator (1995) - Ace