From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Apr 17, 2002  1:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Chuck Higgins
 
CHUCK HIGGINS

Born Charles William Higgins, 17 April 1924, Gary, Indiana
Died 14 September 1999, Los Angeles, California

Saxophonist / band leader
Higgins moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and would live there for
the rest of his life. From 1950 onwards he led R&B bands around L.A.
for nearly 20 years. Though trained on the trumpet, Chuck discovered
early that saxophone players were more in demand, so he made a
quick transition. His first record, the self-penned instrumental "Pachuko
Hop", for Jake Porter's Combo label, was also his biggest (local) hit.
In his band was a young pianist who later went on to a degree of renown
when he switched instruments and became Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
In fact, the B-side of "Pachuko Hop" was a Watson vocal, "Motor Head
Baby". Never staying at one label long enough to sign an exclusive
contract, Chuck spent the Fifties bouncing from one local label to
another. After Combo came Specialty, and then Aladdin, R&B, Money,
Kicks, Dootone, Caddy and Loma. Some of the Specialty recordings
feature his older brother Fred "Daddy Cleanhead" Higgins on vocals.
(Fred was murdered in Palm Springs in 1967.)
In the late '70s, Chuck recorded two albums for Ronny Weiser's Rollin'
Rock label. His single of "Too Smart" became a big hit on the UK rock
'n' roll circuit. In 1983 he travelled to London with Big Jay McNeely,
Willie Egan and Young Jessie, to play at the Electric Ballroom, and
was featured with them on a live album for Ace Records.
Chuck Higgins died of lung cancer at the age of 75.

Recommended listening: Chuck Higgins, Pachuko Hop (recordings
for Specialty, 1954, and Money, 1956), Specialty SPCD 2175-2.
Website: http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/CHiggins.html