From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Tue Jul 9, 2002  1:13 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Joe Liggins
 
JOE LIGGINS

Born 9 July 1915, Guthrie, Oklahoma
Died 31 July 1987, Los Angeles, California

Vocalist / pianist / composer / R&B bandleader.
Unlike his younger brother Jimmy Liggins, Joe was a schooled
musician, who began his musical training on the valve brass
instruments and later switched to piano to study harmony, theory
and arranging. After moving to San Diego in 1932, Liggins began
writing for and playing with local bands. He formed his own group,
The Honeydrippers, in 1945. They had eight hits on Leon Rene's
Exclusive label between 1945 and 1949, including two million sellers :
"The Honeydripper" (#1 R&B for 18 weeks in 1945) and "I've Got A
Right To Cry", both of which also crossed over to the pop charts.
After the demise of Exclusive in 1949, Joe followed brother Jimmy
to Specialty Records, where the hits continued with "Rag Mop"
and the hugely successful "Pink Champagne" (Billboard's # 1 R&B
record of 1950). Leaving Specialty in 1954, Liggins went briefly to
Mercury and Alladin, before returning to Mercury in 1962. Later
singles appeared on tiny independents and he was enjoying
something of a renaissance at the time of his death in 1987.

His Exclusive material is available on the CD "The Honeydripper"
(Night Train International NTI 7031). The complete Specialty recordings
have been reissued on two CD's : "Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers"
(USA Specialty SPCD 7006, UK Ace 307) and "Joe Liggins, Vol. 2:
Dripper's Boogie" (Specialty SPCD 7025-2, UK Ace 436).
More info: http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/JoeLig.html