From:   "Dik de Heer"  
Date:  Sat Dec 28, 2002  7:16 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Young Jessie
 
YOUNG JESSIE (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Obediah Donnell Jessie, 28 December 1936, Lincoln Manor, Texas

Obie Jessie was born in a musical family, his mother played piano and sang
in clubs and his cousin John Lemon, related to legendary blues singer Blind
Lemon, was a tenor saxophonist who had his own band in Los Angeles.
The family had moved to the West Coast just as WW II began, but Obie
returned to Dallas in 1950, where he pursued his studies in High School. He
started his musical tuitions and joined the school band. He then returned to
Los Angeles where he studied piano and sax. The family was living very
close to the famous 5/4 Ballroom and the under-age Obie sneaked into it,
hiding behind tables to catch the acts. There, he witnessed his first major
influence, the mighty Roy Brown who inspired him to become a professional
musician.
While still in high school, Obie met up with four other boys, Richard Berry,
Berverly Thompson, Thomas Pete Fox and Cornelius Gunter, and they modelled
themselves on New York vocal groups like the Clovers and the Dominoes. The
Debonaires were born and they soon came to attention of John Dolphin who
released the Young Jessie-penned "I Had Love" as the Hollywood Blue Jays.
Dissatified with Dolphin, the group auditionned for Modern's Joe Bihari who
promptly recut "I Had Love", and put it out as by The Flairs on his subsidiary
of the same name. Further singles followed until 1953 when Obie and Richard
Berry decided to go their own way.
Obie then switched to the main Modern imprint with his cover Big Mama
Thornton's "I Smell A Rat". Between 1953 and 1956, Obie cut great sides for
Modern, usually backed by the Maxwell Davis band, among them "Mary Lou",
successfuly covered by Ronnie Hawkins in 1959, "Oochie Coochie", "Pretty
Soon" (unissued until 1987) and "Hit Git And Split", written by Lynn Paul,
a pseudo for Buck Ram, who was Obie's manager.
In 1956, through Buck Ram Promotions, Obie Jesse accompanied the Ram
troupe (The Platters, The Penguins, Dolly Cooper) for a summer tour with
appearances at the famous Apollo Theatre in New York City.
After Modern closed down in 1957, Young Jessie worked with The Coasters,
appearing on their hit recordings "Searchin" and "Young Blood". He also had
singles under his own name on Atco (the great "Shuffle In The Gravel") and
Atlantic ("Margie"), Capitol and Mercury in 1961.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, Obie recorded for a string of small labels. He
came to Europe for the first time in 1982, recording jazz while in Germany
and appeared at the 1983 R&B Jamboree on the same bill as Chuck Higgins,
Willie Egan and Big Jay McNeely.

Recommended listening:
- "I'm Gone - The Modern Recordings" ACE CDCCHD 607
- "Shuffle In The Gravel" is on "Let The Booogie Woogie Rock'n'Roll" ACE
CDCHD 718