Ernie Andrews

Ernie Andrews
Ernie Andrews, left, and Dexter Gordon at KJAZ, Alameda, California, December 1980
Background information
Birth name	Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr.
Born	December 25, 1927 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Blues, jazz, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Labels	GNP, Capitol, Dot, GNP Crescendo, Discovery, Muse, HighNote
Associated acts	Harry James

Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr.,^[1] known as Ernie Andrews (born December 25, 1927) is an American jazz, blues, and pop singer.

Career

Ernie Andrews was born in Philadelphia but grew up in Los Angeles^[2] and is said to have been discovered by songwriter Joe Greene in 1945. Greene wrote his biggest hit, Soothe Me.^[3]

Andrews was a member of the Harry James orchestra, debuting on November 26, 1958 at the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago. He recorded with Columbia Records and others.^[2] His career declined in the 1960s and 1970s but would rebound in the 1980s. He recorded with the Capp/Pierce Juggernaut Band, Gene Harris, Jay McShann, and the Harper Brothers. Andrews played a leading part in the documentary film, Blues for Central Avenue.^[4]

Discography

• 1957: In the Dark with Ernie Andrews, (GNP)
• 1959: The Importance of Being Ernest, (GNP)
• 1965: Live Session! Cannonball Adderley with Ernie Andrews, (Capitol)
• 1967: This Is Ernie Andrews, (Dot)
• 1968: Soul Proprietor, (Dot)
• 1970: Ernie Andrews Sings with the Fuzzy Kane Trio, (Phil–L.A. of Soul)
• 1975: Travelin' Light, (GNP Crescendo)
• 1979: Hear Me Now!, (LMI)
• 1981: From the Heart, (Discovery)
• 1993: No Regrets, (Muse)
• 1995: The Great City, (Muse)
• 1998: The Many Faces of Ernie Andrews, (HighNote)
• 2001: Girl Talk, (HighNote)
• 2003: Jump for Joy, (HighNote)
• 2006: How About Me, (HighNote)

78s and 45s

• 1945: "Wrap It Up, Put It Away (Till Daddy Comes Home from the Army)" b/w "Soothe Me", (Gem)
• 1945: "Dream Awhile" b/w "Green Gin", (Gem)
• 1946: "You Go to My Head" b/w "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'", (Coronet)
• 1946: "Paradise Lost" b/w "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance", (Coronet)
• 1946: "Baby I'm Gone" b/w "My Pretty", (G & G)
• 1946: "Be Nice" b/w "How Good It Feels to Be Glad", (Aladdin)
• 1946: "You Chased the Goody Goody (Out of My Eyes)" b/w "So Easy to Say Forgive Me", (Aladdin)
• 1947: "Don't Blame Me" b/w "Two Kinds of Women", (Aladdin)
• 1947: "Rest Yourself" b/w "True", (Aladdin)
• 1947: "Trust in Me" b/w "I Can't Get Your Lips", (Aladdin)
• 1947: "Summertime" b/w "S'Wonderful", (Aladdin)
• 1947: "Hurry Home" b/w "Don't Hesitage Too Long", (Aladdin)
• 1947: "Hickory Dickory Dock" b/w "Soothe Me" (re-recording), (Columbia)
• 1948: "Baby I'm Gone" (reissue) b/w "Green Gin" (reissue), (Exclusive)
• 1948: "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'" (reissue) b/w "Too Bad", (Exclusive)
• 1949: "That's the Way My Baby Closes Her Eyes" b/w "Don't Ask Me Why", (Decca)
• 1949: "Bein' in Love's Been Good to Me" b/w "You Better Be Satisfied", (Columbia)
• 1949: "I Don't Want to See You Cry Anymore" b/w "The Dog, the Cat and Me", (London)
• 1950: "Nobody Told Your Lips to Say Hello" b/w "Go 'Way Blues", (London)
• 1951: "Forget About the Whole Affair" b/w "Pork Chops and Mustard Greens", (Imperial)
• 1951: "Travelin' Baby" b/w "J.T.'s Blues", (Imperial)
• 1954: "Don't Lead Me On" b/w "Make Me a Present of You", (Trend)
• 1955: "Soft Winds" b/w "In the Still of the Night", (Spark)
• 195?: "Too Late" b/w ???, (King)
• 1958: "Around the World" b/w "My Mother's Eyes", (Whippet)
• 1959: "Frankie and Johnny" b/w "So Hard to Laugh, So Easy to Cry", (Roulette)
• 1959: "She's Got to Go" b/w ???, (MGM)
• 1960: "If There Were Dreams for Sale" b/w "You're a Memory", (Mercury)
• 1961: "West Coast Blues" b/w "Candy", (Riverside)
• 1964: "River's Invitation, Pt. 1" b/w "River's Invitation, Pt. 2", (Tangerine)
• 1965: "Where Were You (When I Needed You)" b/w "What Do I See in the Girl", (Capitol)
• 1965: "Fine Young Girl" b/w "Then I'll Know", (Capitol)

Collaborations

with Harry James

• Live At The Riverboat (Dot DLP 3728, 1966)^[5]
• Our Leader! (Dot DLP 3801, 1967)^[6]
• Duke Ellington, Harry James, Herb Pomeroy, Jon Hendricks (Europa Jazz EJ 1022, 1981).^[7] Live with Harry James at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1965.

with Kenny Burrell

• Ellington Is Forever (Fantasy, 1975)
• Ellington Is Forever Volume Two (Fantasy, 1977)

with Capp/Pierce Juggernaut Band

• Capp/Pierce Orchestra: Juggernaut (Concord, 1976)
• Juggernaut Strikes Again! (Concord, 1982)

with Gene Harris & the Philip Morris Superband

• Jazz: Live at Town Hall, N.Y.C. (Concord, 1989)

with Jay McShann & the Paris All-Stars

• Paris All-Star Blues: A Tribute to Charlie Parker (Musicmasters, 1991)

with The Harper Brothers Band

• You Can Hide Inside the Music (Verve, 1992)

with Gene Harris & the Philip Morris All-Stars

• Live (Concord, 1998)

with The Legacy Band

• The Legacy Lives On (Mack Avenue, 2000)

with Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

• The L.A. Treasures Project: Live at Alvas Showroom (Capri, 2014)

References

1. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 335. ISBN 978-0313344237.
2. Archived October 25, 2005, at the Wayback Machine.
3. Chadbourne, Eugene. "Joe Greene | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
4. Yanow, Scott. "Ernie Andrews | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
5. "Harry James (2) – Live At The Riverboat". discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
6. "Harry James (2) – Our Leader!". discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
7. "Duke Ellington, Harry James, Herb Pomeroy, Jon Hendricks - Europa Jazz". discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.

External links

• Interview with Ernie Andrews, part of Central Avenue Sounds Oral History Project interview series, Center for Oral History Research, UCLA Library Special Collections, University of California, Los Angeles.