BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY

Saxophonist Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams was born in Kentucky in 1915, moving to Detroit as a teen where he began playing professionally while still in high school. After recording briefly with King Porter’s band he was offered his own contract with Savoy Records in 1947 and proceeded to make history… more than once.

Though the saxophone was a notable part of jazz it was another field that Williams headed into right away, cutting the first rock instrumentals that fall, scoring a regional hit with his debut, then notching the first national hit with its follow-up. That opened up the gates through which a parade of sax players stepped out from the shadows of playing anonymously behind others and enabled them to become stars in their own right in rock ‘n’ roll by featuring often crude raunchy solos highlighted by their guttural honks and ear-piercing squeals, all designed to get listeners on their feet and grinding away without inhibition.

Though usually more restrained than many of his competitors as this style took hold Williams reaped the rewards with a string of hits, capped by the biggest instrumental #1 R&B hit in history, “The Hucklebuck”, which gained him the nickname for which he’d forever be known.

Unlike others who primarily played tenor, Williams used mostly a baritone and occasionally alto sax, giving his records a slightly different feel, though he frequently paired with tenor Wild Bill Moore in his early days while he played on Moore’s featured releases as well.

When the sax instrumental hit-making potential started to recede in the 50’s Williams found steady work by leading the bands enlisted to back multi-artist rock ‘n’ roll package tours. In fact his was the only act that actually got to play at the legendary Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland in March 1952, the show hosted by radio dee-jay Alan Freed which ended in a riot and spread the reputation of rock as a dangerous music across the land.

Williams settled in at the Apollo Theater by mid-decade, leading the house band and could still be found chipping in on various sessions into the 60’s before he retired from playing and opened a booking agency. Williams died in 2002 at 87 years old, one of the few men left into the 21st Century who was both a participant and first-hand witness rock’s evolution from the very beginning.
 
 

PAUL “HUCKLEBUCK” WILLIAMS DISCOGRAPHY (Records Reviewed To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):
 
HASTINGS STREET BOUNCE
(Savoy 659; October, 1947)
The first rock instrumental release adds a much needed variation to rock ‘n’ roll’s emerging formula, notable for the freewheeling sense of adventure Williams and crew bring to the table with their inspired flights of fancy. (5)

WAY LATE
(Savoy 659; October, 1947)
Vocal offering issued under Williams’ name as he merely plays backup on this cracked morality tale of a loose woman with no remorse. (4)

THIRTY-FIVE THIRTY
(Savoy 661; December, 1947)
The first rock instrumental hit opens the floodgates for more of the same. Williams finds a groove and settles comfortably into the pocket. (5)

COME WITH ME BABY
(Savoy 661; December, 1948)
Another B-side featuring Alex Thomas on vocals which relegates Williams to a backing role, but it’s one he’s perfectly suited for and he delivers some of his most relaxed, whimsical playing on a surprisingly effective offering. (6)

SWINGIN’ FOR PAPPY
(Savoy 662; January, 1948)
As sideman… for Wild Bill Moore.

BUBBLES
(Savoy 662; January, 1948)
As sideman… for Wild Bill Moore.

BOUNCING WITH BENSON
(Savoy 664; February, 1948)
Routine riffs, insistent but not frantic, melodic but not memorable, a pleasant groove that doesn’t cut too deep. (3)

BOOGIE RIDE
(Savoy 664; February, 1948)
Still trying to find the precise formula for a rock instrumental here, they get a lot of the basics down but it’s the periodic misfires in the arrangement you’ll remember most. (4)

THE TWISTER
(Savoy 665; April, 1948)
A galvanizing arrangement that’s buzzing with excitement, the musicians cut loose and deliver a shot of adrenaline to the listener over both sides of the record… Williams has never sounded more inspired. (8)

WE’RE GONNA ROCK
(Savoy 666; July, 1948)
As sideman… for Wild Bill Moore.

WAXIE MAXIE
(Savoy 670; August, 1948)
Not too ambitious but an intoxicating riff with a captivating ending, though lacking any sense of tension or anticipation. A good pastiche of the style rather than a leading exponent of it. (6)

SPIDER SENT ME
(Savoy 669; August, 1948)
Williams splits the difference between churning groove and honking workout, as a result it doesn’t fully connect in either way, though the end result is reasonably satisfying.(5)

WALKIN’ AROUND
(Savoy 680; December, 1948)
A vibrant opening but an underwhelming track veering towards pop sensibilities, but audiences of that time felt different and made this his fourth hit of the past year. (3)

THE HUCKLEBUCK
(Savoy 683; January, 1949)
The biggest rock hit of the 1940’s and biggest instrumental hit ever, Williams takes a song with jazz roots and eases it into a sultry rock groove, alluring and mildly suggestive, yet forever overshadowed by its widespread impact. (7)

HOPPIN’ JOHN
(Savoy 683; January, 1949)
Over a year old when dragged out of mothballs for a B-side the backing musicians are long out of date and it’s lacking a more coherent melodic framework, but Williams and Wild Bill Moore are tightly locked in with each other even as they go nowhere. (4)

SOUTH PARKWAY HOP
(Savoy 690; March, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wild Bill Moore.

HOUSE ROCKER
(Savoy 702; June, 1949)
With his momentum and name recognition at an all-time high, a great title and the stage at Savoy to himself thanks to multiple artist defections, Williams is featured too little and the song itself is too pedestrian to fully connect. (4)

HE KNOWS HOW TO HUCKLEBUCK
(Savoy 702; June, 1949)
A welcome surprise from Williams who not only heads back to the alley on this but brings along vocalist Joan Shaw to deliver the salacious details of a different kind of dance than the title refers to on a grimy record fit for the roadhouse. (7)

POP-CORN
(Savoy 711; August, 1949)
The breezy nonchalance that was Williams’ stock-in-trade is put to good effect here, giving him his final national hit with a wistful sounding record that was a typically classy offering from the father of the entire rock saxophone movement. (7)

FREE DICE
(Savoy 711; August, 1949)
A decent idea that is done in by the other horns dragging Williams down with them in a somewhat outdated approach, though he himself contributes solid work on both baritone and alto in his solos. (4)

ROCKIN’ WITH LEROY
(Savoy 717; November, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wild Bill Moore.

TOP AND BOTTOM
(Savoy 717; November, 1949)
As sideman… behind Wild Bill Moore.

CRANBERRIES
(Savoy 721; December, 1949)
A new backing band provides Williams with new energy which he takes full advantage of as his baritone lays a solid foundation in the first half of the record before 20 year old Freddy Jackson comes in on tenor and blows the roof off in the second half. (7)

JUICE BUG BOOGIE
(Savoy 721; December, 1949)
The first session with his new band doesn’t produce great results, but that’s more a case of a slightly outdated arrangement which features Williams switching back to alto and while he plays it well the song itself doesn’t give any of them much chance to shine. (4)

WHAT’S HAPPENING
(Savoy 734; March, 1950)
Though the backing track is sort of lackluster with Williams delivering a decent baritone solo but a much weaker one on alto, the vocals of Connie Allen are terrific and worth the price of admission on their own. (6)

CAMP MEETING BOUNCE
(Savoy 734; March, 1950)
An outdated arrangement is rescued only by Williams’ baritone solo which provides a fair amount of bawdiness and some emphatic drumming throughout by Benny Benjamin… but overall this a compromised song that doesn’t satisfy either old or new listeners. (3)

RYE BOOGIE
(Savoy 751; June, 1950)
A rather aimless jam session that is lacking a good hook, groove or showy parts and although everything is played with reasonable skill there’s not really a point to any of it other than to fill out the release schedule. (3)

WEASEL SWING
(Savoy 751; June, 1950)
Though the frequent refrain from Pop Goes The Weasel is a little excessive and disorienting to hear in a rock instrumental, the rest of the track, especially Williams’ somewhat raunchy baritone lead on sax, is quite good, if somewhat aimless. (5)

PAUL’S BOOGIE
(Savoy 758; August, 1950)
Despite a good effort to create some noise here himself, Williams’ cohorts are not up to the task, playing a mishmash of styles behind him none of which are very compelling, while Paul’s own cruder parts lack suitable direction. (3)

TURTLE ROCK
(Savoy 773; December, 1950)
Because this track was almost three years old it’s hardly surprising it isn’t current enough for today’s market and because rock was only just getting its feet under it in early 1948 it’s stylistically adrift even if it’s fairly well conceived and played. (3)

ROCKIN’ CHAIR BLUES
(Savoy 814; August, 1951)
A vocal record with energetic delivery by Danny Cobb spouting off simple platitudes about rocking up a storm is a good idea, but he’s a little too exuberant at times forcing Williams to dial things back in the instrumental break to keep him in check. (6)

SINNER’S HOP
(Savoy 814; August, 1951)
A purposefully mild instrumental that tries to balance melody and rhythm within Williams’s lines without emphasizing either one, much to its detriment, for while it’s reasonably well played it’s hardly memorable or exciting. (3)

BLOWIN’ THE BOOGIE
(Savoy 831; January, 1952)
Suitably fast paced but underwhelming thanks to a jazz mentality to incorporates too many horns rather than letting one dominate with rougher textures, though it does improve in the second half with boogie piano and Williams’s decent solo. (4)

IT’S ALL OVER BABY
(Savoy 831; January, 1952)
While Williams’s horn is hardly drawing attention here by design, the record succeeds because the focal point is Danny Cobb whose impassioned vocals make you sit up and take notice even if the story he’s telling is more confusing than compelling. (6)

I’M SO HAPPY
(Savoy 841; April, 1952)
Williams slides into the background, literally, as he’s second billed to Danny Cobb who can’t harness the enthusiasm and deliver it with enough power to off-set the weak and aimless backing provided by the band. (3)

I NEED YOUR LOVE
(Savoy 841; April, 1952)
A more fitting showcase for Danny Cobb whose measured vocals on a fairly generic track are matched by a decent arrangement that improves as it goes on with Williams’ baritone making key contributions along the way. (4)