King Pleasure was a jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 vocalist and an early master of vocalese

Vocalese

Vocalese is a style or genre of jazz singing wherein lyrics are written for melodies that were originally part of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation. Whereas scat singing uses improvised nonsense syllables, such as "bap ba dee dot bwee dee" in solos, vocalese uses lyrics, either...

, where a singer sings words to a famous instrumental solo.

Born as Clarence Beeks in Oakdale, Tennessee

Oakdale, Tennessee

Oakdale is a town located along the Emory River in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 244 at the 2000 census.-History:For much of the 19th century, Oakdale was known as "Honeycutt," after a pioneer family who settled in the area...

, he moved to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in the mid-1940s and became a fan of bebop

Bebop

Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...

 music. King Pleasure first achieved popularity by singing the Eddie Jefferson

Eddie Jefferson

Eddie Jefferson was a celebrated jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Perhaps his best-known song is "Moody's Mood for Love", though it was first recorded by King Pleasure, who cited...

 vocalese classic "Moody's Mood for Love

Moody's Mood for Love

"Moody's Mood for Love" is jazz saxophonist James Moody's 1949 instrumental solo based on Jimmy McHugh's 1935 song "I'm in the Mood for Love" with lyrics later added by Eddie Jefferson.-History:...

," based on a James Moody

James Moody (saxophonist)

James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...

 saxophone solo to "I'm in the Mood for Love

I'm in the Mood for Love

"I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...

" in 1949. Pleasure's recording in 1952 is considered a jazz classic. He cites Jefferson as an influence and predecessor. He and Betty Carter

Betty Carter

Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...

 also recorded a famous vocalese version of "Red Top," a jazz classic penned by Kansas Citian Ben Kynard and recorded by Gene Ammons

Gene Ammons

Eugene "Jug" Ammons also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons.-Biography:...

 and others. Pleasure was cited as a significant influence by Van Morrison

Van Morrison

Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...

, especially on his album Astral Weeks

Astral Weeks

Astral Weeks is the second solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in November 1968 on Warner Bros. Records. It was Morrison's first album after Warner Bros. had been able to free him from his contract with Bang Records...

. Genya Ravan's big inspiration for her singing ability was King Pleasure. She recorded Moodys Mood For Love with James Moody on her CBS Recording ' Genya Ravan'

Discography

• King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings
• Moody's Mood for Love [Blue Note]
• Golden Days
• Swan Song

External links

• [ Allmusic]
• Image of Van Morrison holding a King Pleasure album