Thornton James "Pookie" Hudson, ( 11 June 1934 - 16 January 2007) was
the lead singer of one of the finest doo-wop groups of the 1950s, the Spaniels.
The warm singing on his own composition "Goodnight,
Sweetheart, Goodnight" (1954) is truly romantic and, although the Spaniels
lost sales to a bland cover by the McGuire Sisters, their original version has
become the best known and is heard in such films as Three Men and a Baby
(1987), Diner (1982) and American Graffiti (1973). Hudson's singing has been
praised by James Brown and Jerry Butler, while Aaron Neville has commented,
"Pookie had the hippest style of all the doo-wop singers. He was so smooth
and tender. Gerald Gregory would be leaning over Pookie's shoulder with that
deep voice. He'd shake the room."
Thornton James Hudson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in
1934 but the family moved to a housing project in Gary, Indiana, when he was
two. He acquired the nickname of Pookie because he would regularly soil his
trousers, a name that unfortunately stayed with him. His relations included
Fats Waller and Josephine Baker and he became immersed in music at a young age,
loving the vocal harmonies of the Ink Spots. He sang in church and in his late
teens he was singing in clubs as part of the Three B's, their repertoire being
bop, ballads and blues.
A teacher at Roosevelt High School asked him to form a
group for a Christmas show and he was so pleased with the results that he
formed a close harmony group with himself as lead vocalist, Ernest Warren
(first tenor), Opal Courtney Jnr (baritone), Willis C. Jackson (baritone) and
Gerald Gregory (bass). When Gregory's wife joked that they sounded like a bunch
of dogs, they became the Spaniels.
Vivian Carter and Jimmy Bracken, the owners of a local
store, Vivian's Record Shop, borrowed $500 to convert a garage into a recording
studio. They could spot talent and the first two releases on their Vee Jay
label, in July 1953, were "Roll and Rhumba" by Jimmy Reed and
"Baby It's You" by the Spaniels. "Baby It's You", written
by Hudson and Gregory, was taken up by Chance Records, who released it
nationally and it made the R&B Top Ten. Carter became the group's manager
and soon they were touring the United States.
When Hudson was walking home from a girlfriend's house, the idea for "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" came to him. The Spaniels recorded the song in 1954 and it might have been a million-seller had it not been covered by a white group, the McGuire Sisters. The song crossed over to the country market with a version by Johnnie and Jack.
The DJ Alan Freed closed his rock'n'roll show every night
with the Spaniels' version and, when they played the Apollo Theatre in New
York, they stole the show from Big Joe Turner. They appeared in Las Vegas but
had to be housed with black residents as none of the hotels would allow them to
stay there.
"Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" may be an
innocent song, but Hudson was to have a complex love life. He married a
15-year-old girl when he was 20 and, over the years, he was to marry five times
and father seven children. He had to beat off the advances of LaVern Baker, who
was "too pushy" for his tastes. He talks frankly about himself in the
1994 biography of the Spaniels, Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight, by Richard G.
Carter. The book explains how he was cheated out of his songwriting royalties
and describes his fondness for illegal substances.
The Spaniels had further successes with "Let's Make
Up" and "You Painted Pictures" (both 1956), but the group's
personnel changed because of conscription. Hudson was usually around and they
recorded a gospel ballad, "(You Gave Me) Peace of Mind" (1956), and
had another hit with "Everyone's Laughing" (1957).
Among their more unusual records are an up-tempo version
of the standard "Stormy Weather" and a reworking of Rodgers and
Hammerstein's "People Will Say We're in Love" with a different
melody. They strayed into the Coasters' territory with "The Posse".
Hudson went solo in 1961. After working odd jobs for many
years and struggling with alcoholism also being homeless for a time, he
succeeded in recovering most of his song writing credits and by the end of the
decade was a fronting a Spaniels line-up which embraced soul music and had some
success with "Fairy Tales" (1970).
In 1991 the Spaniels received a Smithsonian Institution
award for their contribution to American music, and they performed with Hudson
at various festivals. In 2005, Hudson came to the UK for a vibrant solo
performance at a rock'n'roll festival at Hemsby.
Hudson died on January 16, 2007, after a lengthy battle
with cancer. Courtney, Jr. died on September 18, 2008, after suffering a heart
attack. Ernest Warren died in May 2012 in Gary, Indiana, at the age of 78.
(Info mainly edited from The Independent obit)
Here's the original group performing on "Spaniels
night" - 3-1-97
8 comments:
For “The Spaniels - Goodnight, Sweetheart 1953-1961”
Their Two Original Albums Plus Both Sides of Their Singles and More, go here:
https://www32.zippyshare.com/v/qornetB1/file.html
Disc 1
GOODNITE IT'S TIME TO GO (VEE JAY LP 1002) 1957
1. GOODNIGHT, SWEETHEART, GOODNIGHT
2. BOUNCE
3. THE BELLS RING OUT
4. PLEASE DON'T TEASE
5. THIS IS A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING
6. DO YOU REALLY
7. YOU GAVE ME PEACE OF MIND
8. BABY IT'S YOU
9. I NEED YOUR KISSES
10. LETS MAKE UP
11. PLAY IT COOL
12. YOU PAINTED PICTURES
13. HOUSE CLEANING
14. DOO WAH
THE SPANIELS (VEE JAY LP 1024) 1960
15. I KNOW
16. BUS FARE HOME
17. ONE-HUNDRED YEARS FROM TODAY
18. CRAZEE BABY
19. HEART AND SOUL
20. STORMY WEATHER
21. EVERYONE'S LAUGHING
22. LITTLE JOE
23. THE POSSE
24. SO DEEP WITHIN
25. BABY SWEETS
26. I LOST YOU
Disc 2
THE SPANIELS
1. (GET AWAY CHILD) YOU DON'T MOVE ME
2. DON'CHA GO
3. HEY SISTER LIZZIE
4. FALSE LOVE
5. DEAR HEART
6. WHY WON'T YOU DANCE
7. SINCE I FELL FOR YOU
8. BABY COME ALONG WITH ME
9. JESSE MAE
10. I O U
11. YOURE GONNA CRY
12. LUCINDA
13. GREAT GOOGLY MOO
14. TINA
15. HERE IS WHY I LOVE YOU
16. LOVEY DOVEY BABY
17. I'M GONNA THANK HIM
18. A ROCKIN' GOOD WAY
19. BABY IT'S YOU
20. TREES
21. I LIKE IT LIKE THAT
22. THESE THREE WORDS
23. AUTOMOBILES
24. RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET
25. PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE
26. MEEK MAN
27. (I LOVE YOU) FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS
This is the most complete Spaniels package yet! For the first time their complete A and B sides of all their Vee-Jay Singles plus both of their original album releases are all featured on this great 2CD set.
Includes the classics: 'Baby It's You' and 'Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight' as featured on numerous TV commercials and in movies. This is yet another superb R&B release for Jasmine that adds to the ever growing collection of early R&B groups and artists!
A big thankyou to Mijas @ ACM2 blog for original post.
Wonderful group, great selection. Thanks!
Slim
WOW What A Great Post
Cheers
Tel
Any chance of a re-up on this?
Please, BB, a re-up. Been looking for a good comp of The Spaniels.
Somehow I knew I would find it here.
Best,
- D
Hello bluesup and Denis, Here's the new link
https://www.imagenetz.de/b4fGv
Thank You so much!!!
thanks again for the re-ups
have a great weekend ahead
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