Joe and Eddie
Encyclopedia
Joe and Eddie was an American
gospel
folk
group, whose vocal career peaked in 1964. Composed of two African American
s, Joe Gilbert and Eddie Brown, in their career, they toured the United States
and Canada
, appeared on over 20 major television shows and recorded eight album
s.
with Joe Gilbert singing tenor
and Eddie Brown singing baritone
. Their style incorporated gospel, folk tunes, with blues
with a little jazz
flavor. Songs contained little background instrumental
s, since the "main objective was to focus on Joe & Eddie's singing..." This duo was known for their rapid-fire delivery and vocal improvisations, as can be heard in the songs "Green Grass" and "Children Go".
while Brown grew up in Norfolk, Virginia
. Around the same time, the two boys migrated to Berkeley, California
with their respective families, and met in the mid 1950s at Willard High School in the a capella choir. Their first performance together was in the Berkeley High School Talent Show, where they sang a duet
and won first place.
With the help of their high school choir professor, Earl Blakeslee, the two boys formed a partnership and strived to go professional. Their first gigs were held at college fraternity and sorority parties, where they performed a variety of numbers. Blakeslee advised them to audition for the Don Sherwood
Show, which originated in San Francisco. They earned their spot, and were asked back to the show several times afterwards.
Through their television appearance, Joe and Eddie were introduced to Gene Norman, president of GNP Crescendo Record Co., and then co-owner of Crescendo and Interlude nightclubs, who assisted in launching their career. It was through Norman that the two recorded their first single
and, by 1962, recorded their first album
, Exciting Folk Duo: Joe & Eddie (re-released after Gilbert's death as Down to Earth).
After the release of their first album, Joe and Eddie appeared on more television shows, including The Tonight Show, The Lively Ones, Hootenanny
, and The Jackie Gleason Show
. During this time, they recorded their second album, There is a Meeting Here Tonight, and adapted that song as their signature tune. They performed this song in the film
, Hootenanny Hoot.
They began touring and for four years continued to record more albums with GNP/Crescendo Records. Along with recording their harmonies, the two took turns in recording solos ("The Work Song," and "The Things I've Saved"). Bill Munday accompanied them on his guitar, while in other songs, the Les Baxter Chorus
sang back up
.
and music arranger, most recently with the musical group, Gravity.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group, whose vocal career peaked in 1964. Composed of two African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, Joe Gilbert and Eddie Brown, in their career, they toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, appeared on over 20 major television shows and recorded eight album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s.
Style
The two's focus was creating harmonyHarmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
with Joe Gilbert singing tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and Eddie Brown singing baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
. Their style incorporated gospel, folk tunes, with blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
with a little 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...
flavor. Songs contained little background instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s, since the "main objective was to focus on Joe & Eddie's singing..." This duo was known for their rapid-fire delivery and vocal improvisations, as can be heard in the songs "Green Grass" and "Children Go".
Career
Both from being raised in the South and being born in 1941, Joe Gilbert and Eddie Brown had a lot in common before even meeting. Gilbert was raised in New Orleans, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
while Brown grew up in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. Around the same time, the two boys migrated to Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
with their respective families, and met in the mid 1950s at Willard High School in the a capella choir. Their first performance together was in the Berkeley High School Talent Show, where they sang a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
and won first place.
With the help of their high school choir professor, Earl Blakeslee, the two boys formed a partnership and strived to go professional. Their first gigs were held at college fraternity and sorority parties, where they performed a variety of numbers. Blakeslee advised them to audition for the Don Sherwood
Don Sherwood (disc jockey)
Don Sherwood was an American radio personality. He was a San Francisco, California disc jockey during the 1950s and 1960s. Billed as "The World's Greatest Disc Jockey," Sherwood spent most of his career hosting a 6 to 9 a.m...
Show, which originated in San Francisco. They earned their spot, and were asked back to the show several times afterwards.
Through their television appearance, Joe and Eddie were introduced to Gene Norman, president of GNP Crescendo Record Co., and then co-owner of Crescendo and Interlude nightclubs, who assisted in launching their career. It was through Norman that the two recorded their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and, by 1962, recorded their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Exciting Folk Duo: Joe & Eddie (re-released after Gilbert's death as Down to Earth).
After the release of their first album, Joe and Eddie appeared on more television shows, including The Tonight Show, The Lively Ones, Hootenanny
Hootenanny (US TV Show)
Hootenanny was a musical variety television show broadcast in the United States on ABC from April 1963 to September 1964. The program was hosted by Jack Linkletter...
, and The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
. During this time, they recorded their second album, There is a Meeting Here Tonight, and adapted that song as their signature tune. They performed this song in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Hootenanny Hoot.
They began touring and for four years continued to record more albums with GNP/Crescendo Records. Along with recording their harmonies, the two took turns in recording solos ("The Work Song," and "The Things I've Saved"). Bill Munday accompanied them on his guitar, while in other songs, the Les Baxter Chorus
Les Baxter
Les Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer...
sang back up
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
.
End of the duo
On August 6, 1966, Gilbert was killed in an automobile accident, while driving home after a performance in the Cosmos Club in Seal Beach, California. Gilbert's death marked the sudden end of the Joe and Eddie partnership (he was survived by a wife, Judy, and two sons). Brown continued to record as a solo act. As of 2007, Brown was continuing to work as a record producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and music arranger, most recently with the musical group, Gravity.
Discography
- Exciting Folk Duo: Joe & Eddie (1962) (reissued after Gilbert's death on Sunset RecordsSunset RecordsSunset Records was a record label started in 1966 as the budget album subsidiary of Liberty Records to reissue the Liberty, Imperial, and Minit material.The label stopped operating around 1974....
as Down to Earth) - There's A Meetin' Here Tonight (1963)
- Coast to Coast (Joe and Eddie) (1964)
- Volume 4 (1964)
- Tear Down The Walls! (1965)
- Live In Hollywood
- Walkin' Down The Line
- The Magic of Their Singing
- The Best of Joe & Eddie (1967); re-released in 1993 on CD with additional tracks
- The Gospel Truth, (compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
) - Joe & Eddie Crescendo