New York's Representative : Sittin In With ©1999JCMarion
The Sittin' In With
label was founded by Morty and Bob Shad in New York City in 1948. The label
specialized in Southern blues and rhythm tunes which was a departure from most
Eastern labels up to that time.
The Big Chief Trio was featured on #523 - Big Chief's Blues" and "She's
Gone". The Big Chief & His Trio returned for #530 - "Mr. Radio
Announcer" and "Poor Man's Blues". Johnny Beck offered "Locked
In Jail Blues" and You Gotta Lay Down Mama" on #531. Blind Boy Williams
with Stick McGhee does "Just Driftin'" and "Yesterday" on
#538. Lil Palmore & Her Caldonia Boys recorded "Lil's Caldonia Boogie"
and "I Believe I'll Go Back Home" on Sittin' In With #540. Peppermint
Harris recorded ""Rain In My Heart" and "My Blues Have Rolled
Away" on #543. Herb Lance recorded the old pop standard "My Buddy"
on #544. Ed Wiley followed with "Cry Baby Cry" and "Blues After
Hours" on #545. Elmore Nix & The Hadacol Boys recorded "Foolish
Love" and "It's A Sad Sad World" on Sittin In With #546 Curley
Weaver recorded "Ticket Agent" / "My Baby's Gone" on #547.
The uniquely named King Tut recorded "Why Did You Leave Me" and "You've
Been Fiddlin' Around" on #550. #551 was by Bill Hayes - "Highway 75"
/ "I Want To Cry" Ann Nichols recorded #552 - "Let Me Know"
and "Lost In A Fog Over You". Peppermint Harris does "Mabel Mabel"
/ "This Is Goodbye" on #554. Goree Carter recorded "Love Crazy"
and "Let's Rock" for #556. #557 was by Nelson Carter (Goree ?) with
"My Baby Left Me" / "Crazy About My Baby" Teddy Reynolds
does "Summer Is On Its Way" and "Why Baby Why" on #558.
In July Joe Fritz recorded "I Love You My Darling" on #559. Bill Hayes
is back with "South Texas Blues" and "I'm Sorry I Was Reckless"
with vocal by Perry Cain for #560. Ed Wiley performs "Cotton Pickin' Blues"
on #562.
Often recorded blues performer Smokey Hogg records for the label on #565 with
"I Love You Baby". Lonnie Lyons is on #566 with "I Need Romance"
and "I'm Waiting Baby". Lonnie Williams records "New Road Blues"
/ "Tears In My Heart" on #567. Peppermint Harris is back with "Texarkana
Blues" and "Fat Girl Boogie" on #568. The historically named
Jesse James records "Forgive Me Blues" and "Corinna's Boogie"
on #569 Willie Johnson is featured on "I Got The Boogie Woogie Blues (parts
one & two)" on #570. Teddy Reynolds offers "Right Will Always
Win" on #571. Goree Carter returns on #572 with "Jumpin' At Jeff's"
and "True Love Is Hard To Find" James Wayne is featured on "Gypsey
Blues" and "Millionaire Blues" on #573.Tenor sax musician Joe
Fritz is featured on "Bad Woman Blues" and "Cool Cool Baby"
on #574. Smokey Hogg returns with "Go Home With Me" and "Back
To The Country" on #575.Ed Wiley performs "Driftin' All Alone"
and "Where Are You?" on #577.Sittin In With #578 features Peppermint
Harris with "Ooh Wee Baby".Elmore Nixon with Henry Hayes & His
Rhythm Kings do "Searching Blues" and "I'm Moving Out" on
#580. Ed Wiley returns with "Molasses" and "Jumpin' With The
Blues" on #582.The Shadows vocal group sings "Jitterbug Special"
and "I'll Never Let You Go" in November on #583.Joe Fritz plays again
on "I'm So Sorry" and "I Do Love You" on #584.Ed Wiley does
"West Indies Blues" and Pack Up and Move Out" for #585.Teddy
Reynolds does "Voodoo Spell" and "My Heart's Full Of Misery"
on #586.#587 features Peppermint Harris with "I'm Telling You People"
and "How Long Must I Suffer" In March of 1951 James Wayne records
"Tend To Your Business" / "Love Me" on #588.Willis Parker
performs "733 Blues" and "Five Will Get You Ten" on #589.#593
features Lonnie Williams on "Wavy Sea Blues" and "Tired Of Running
Around".Teddy Reynolds on #594 with "Strange Mysterious Woman"
and "Too Late To Change"Blues performer Arbee Stidham records "Nothing
Seems Right" on #596.Don Gardner with the Julian Dash Sextet are featured
on #598 with "Why Was I Born" and "Seems Like We Met Before"#601
features Elmore Nixon with Henry Hayes & His Rhythm Kings - "I Want
To See A Gypsey" and "Shout And Rock"James Wayne records "Which
Woman Do I Love" and "Junco Partner" on #607.Peppermint Harris
records "I Always End Up Blue" and "I Screamed And Cried"
for Sittin In With #612.Teddy Reynolds returns with "Suicide Blues"
and "Waiting At The Station" on #613.Smokey Hogg returns with "She's
The Girl I Need" and Lovin' Money Blues" on #615 In January of 1952
blues legend Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins records "Give Me Central
209" on #621.James Wayne returns with "Please Baby Please" and
"I'm Going To Tell Your Mother" on #622.
At this time, in February of 1952, label president Bob Shad denies published
reports that Sittin In With will fold. In fact he says, the label is issuing
recordings on the Sittin In With label from masters purchased from Gold Star
Records in Houston, Texas. The artists are L.C. Williams, Little Son Jackson,
and Lightning Hopkins. C.B. Baker does "Skin To Skin" and "Going
Back Home" on #625.James Wayne does "Money Blues" / "Bullcorn"
on #639.L.C. Williams does "So Sorry" / "Baby Child" on
#640.Lightnin Hopkins records "You Caused My Heart To Weep" on #642.Lil
Son Jackson does "Gambling Blues" and "Homeless Blues" on
#643.Lightnin Hopkins performs "Bald Headed Woman" and "Dirty
House" on #647.L.C.Williams returns with "The Lazy J" and "Fanny
Mae" on #648. Lightnin' Hopkins does "One Kind Of Favor" on #649.Peppermint
Harris records "Got A Big Fine Baby" and "I Will Always Think
Of You" on #650. Release #651 is an interesting mix - Ray Charles sings
""Can't Do No More" and the flip side is by Rufus Beachem ""Roly
Poly". Lightnin' Hopkins records "Everything Happens To Me" and
"Papa Bones Boogie" on #652. In September of 1952 the Jimmy James
Orchestra records "Slow Motion Boogie" and "Fulton Street Hop"
on Sittin In With #654. Bill Heyman records "I Cried Last Night" for
#655. Lightnin' Hopkins sings "Broken Hearted Blues" on #658. Lightnin
Hopkins returns with "Why" and "Mad Blues" on #660. "Down
To The River" by Lightnin Hopkins is on #661.
With these final three releases from the Gold Star masters, Sittin In With Records
does indeed fold. Morty Shad will go with an independent label Jax, while Bob
Shad will go to a major Mercury Records , and in the spring of 1953 join the
grand daddy of all labels Decca as they seek to make their mark in the R &
B field. The R & B indie with the strange name from jazz terminology, Sittin'
In With, gave it a good run. In four years based in New York, they offered a
large selection of true R & B performers resulting in the sound of the late
forties as the nation began to discover this great music right under their noses.
Although they had no big national hits, the Sittin' In With label kept up the
beat for others to follow. Let us not forget their contribution to the legacy
of post war Rhythm & Blues.
(ed. note : Tamara
Shad informs me that the Sittin In With catalog remains in ownership by the
Shad family and has not been sold to any outside company.)