Liza Jane
Encyclopedia
"Liza Jane" was the first recording to be released as a single by David Bowie
, but under the name Davie Jones with the King Bees. This event took place in 1964 when Bowie was 17 years old. The B-side of the single was the Paul Revere and the Raiders song "Louie, Louie Go Home
". Both songs on the single were recorded in a seven-hour session at Decca Studios
in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead
.
Bowie came in touch with Leslie Conn, who ran Doris Day
's music publishing company and was a talent scout for the Dick James
Organisation. Conn booked The King Bees for a wedding anniversary party, but with loud RnB on the setlist, Conn stopped the gig after only 10 minutes. Conn still became The King Bees' manager and promoter for some months in 1964, and they recorded and released "Liza Jane" as a single for the Decca Records
label Vocalion Pop
. Despite promoting the single on the television shows Juke Box Jury
, Ready Steady Go!
and The Beat Room
, and receiving good radio coverage, the single sold poorly and the band were subsequently dropped from the label.
The song was an arrangement of the old standard "Li'l Liza Jane
", but Conn was credited as the songwriter,and the usual story is that this was done to get more royalties from the single. Conn recalled in 1997 how the King Bees had come up with a six bar blues, which everyone used. Conn came up with some ideas of his own for the song, they improvised and the song came together.
After Conn and Bowie parted in 1964, Conn moved to Majorca for a few years, and was one day on the phone with his mother who wanted to get rid of a few hundred copies of "Liza Jane" that were stored in her garage. They agreed to throw them away.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, but under the name Davie Jones with the King Bees. This event took place in 1964 when Bowie was 17 years old. The B-side of the single was the Paul Revere and the Raiders song "Louie, Louie Go Home
Louie, Louie Go Home
"Louie Go Home" is a song written by Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay. This song is a sequel to "Louie Louie" by Richard Berry, recorded by Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1963....
". Both songs on the single were recorded in a seven-hour session at Decca Studios
Decca Studios
Decca Studios was a recording facility in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England.Famously, The Beatles failed their audition with Decca Records at the location on 1 January 1962, and subsequently signed with Parlophone instead....
in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in northwest London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village called West End...
.
Bowie came in touch with Leslie Conn, who ran Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
's music publishing company and was a talent scout for the Dick James
Dick James
Dick James , born Reginald Leon Isaac Vapnick, was a music publisher and the founder of the DJM record label and recording studios, as well as The Beatles' publisher Northern Songs.-Early life:...
Organisation. Conn booked The King Bees for a wedding anniversary party, but with loud RnB on the setlist, Conn stopped the gig after only 10 minutes. Conn still became The King Bees' manager and promoter for some months in 1964, and they recorded and released "Liza Jane" as a single for the Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
label Vocalion Pop
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
. Despite promoting the single on the television shows Juke Box Jury
Juke Box Jury
Juke Box Jury was a musical panel show which originally ran on BBC Television from 1 June 1959 until December 1967. The programme was based on the American show Jukebox Jury, itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series....
, Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
and The Beat Room
The Beat Room
The Beat Room was a series of British television programmes presenting beat, rhythm and blues and other pop music, which was shown on the BBC2 channel in 1964-65....
, and receiving good radio coverage, the single sold poorly and the band were subsequently dropped from the label.
The song was an arrangement of the old standard "Li'l Liza Jane
Li'l Liza Jane
Li'l Liza Jane, also known as Little Liza Jane and Liza Jane, is a song dating back at least to the 1910s. It has become a perennial standard both as a song and an instrumental in traditional jazz, folk music, and bluegrass, and versions have repeatedly appeared in other genres including rock and...
", but Conn was credited as the songwriter,and the usual story is that this was done to get more royalties from the single. Conn recalled in 1997 how the King Bees had come up with a six bar blues, which everyone used. Conn came up with some ideas of his own for the song, they improvised and the song came together.
After Conn and Bowie parted in 1964, Conn moved to Majorca for a few years, and was one day on the phone with his mother who wanted to get rid of a few hundred copies of "Liza Jane" that were stored in her garage. They agreed to throw them away.
Track listing
- "Liza Jane" (Conn) - 2:32
- "Louie, Louie Go HomeLouie, Louie Go Home"Louie Go Home" is a song written by Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay. This song is a sequel to "Louie Louie" by Richard Berry, recorded by Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1963....
" (Paul ReverePaul ReverePaul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
, Mark LindsayMark LindsayMark Lindsay is an American musician, best known as the singer for the group Paul Revere & the Raiders.-Biography:Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon and was the second of eight children...
) – 2:14
Production credits
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s:- Leslie Conn
- MusicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s:- David Jones: Vocals, SaxSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- George Underwood: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(born in 1947) - Roger Black: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Francis Howard: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Robert Allen: DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s
- David Jones: Vocals, Sax
Live versions
- One day after the 40th anniversary of its release, Bowie played the first verse and chorus of "Liza Jane" live at PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, USA, 6 June 2004.
Other releases
- The single was re-released by DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in the UK in November 1978. - On acetate a version with a slightly longer fade-out has been released.