Jackie Lee

LA R&B legend Jackie Lee's career was intrinsically connected to two other LA vocalists in particular, Bobby Byrd (aka Bobby Day) and Bob Relf, but his biggest solo success was recorded without help from either one. During the early to mid '60s, Jackie Lee - real name Earl Nelson - recorded solo R&B tracks under various names, including Jay Dee, Earl Cosby, Chip Nelson and finally, as Jackie Lee. It was under this name that he scored his biggest solo hit with the popular R&B dance number 'The Duck', recorded in 1965 for Mirwood Records.

Lee started out as a member of numerous West Coast doo-wop and R&B groups, appearing under name Earl Nelson, beginning with Bobby Byrd's Hollywood Flames (Nelson singing lead on 'Buzz, Buzz, Buzz' - the group's number 18 pop hit for Ebb Records in 1958). After Bobby Byrd left (he was replaced by Bob Relf) to continue to record solo hits on Class Records, including 'That's All I Want' and 'The Bluebird, the Buzzard and the Oriole' in 1959, Nelson's Flames/Satellites continued recording for both Class and Ebb Records until 1959.

By 1960, however, Nelson and the Hollywood Flames weren't quite ready to be extinguished, eventually signing with Atlantic's Atco subsidiary before ending up on Edsel Records. At this point, Nelson and Bobby Day both ventured off to form a duo called Bob & Earl. Day left the duo before they produced any hits, however, and Nelson soon re-configured the act with a second Bob, former Flame Bobby Relf. Relf had been quite busy recording under a whole roster of identities, recording singles as a solo artist under the names Bobby Garrett and as Bobby Valentino. Relf & Earl Nelson's lone Bob & Earl hit, 'Harlem Shuffle', was a minor-key rumbler featuring a young Barry White on piano.

The duo's vocal interplay presaged the talented Stax Records duo Sam & Dave, while the lyrics provided the listener with instructional R&B dance moves for a dance which was also called the Harlem Shuffle. Reportedly produced by Fred Smith - a talented R&B producer and songwriter, who had previously written hits with partner Cliff Goldsmith and produced both Little Caesar & the Romans; 'Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me of You)' and the Olympics' 'Hully Gully, Western Movies', among others - and arranged by Barry White, 'Harlem Shuffle' was originally released in the US on the Marc label (Marc 144), one of the several LA-based labels for which Bob & Earl recorded in 1964. The song climbed into the lower rungs of the US Top 40 (number 36, Cashbox/number 44 Billboard) before slipping off the charts.

In 1965, Nelson teamed up with White and Fred Smith for a single called 'The Duck', which was issued by Nelson under the name Jackie Lee (Jackie was the name of Earl's wife and Lee his own middle name). 'The Duck' single, spinning off on an orbit of its own due to the success of then-popular dance hits, was such a huge hit that Jackie Lee and company quickly recorded a full-length, cash-in album for Mirwood which featured a whole slew of related duck ditties and covers of popular dance-related titles, plus a new version of 'Harlem Shuffle' and a remake of 'Hully Gully'.

Meanwhile, Bob & Earl's 'Harlem Shuffle' had gone on to achieve its biggest success when it was re-released as a single in 1969, where it became a Top Ten UK hit. Since its 1963 debut on the Marc logo, 'Harlem Shuffle' has attracted high-profile cover versions by everyone from the Righteous Brothers, Edgar Winter, platinum-coiffed Georgia rocker Wayne Cochran, to the Rolling Stones who revived it in 1986 for their Dirty Work LP.

Nelson continued to have a thriving career in music but failed to have any hits after 'The Duck'. He died on July 12, 2008.

About Fred Smith

Songwriter and producer Fred Sledge Smith helmed a series of classic R&B crossover hits during the golden age of rock & roll, later moving into Motown-inspired soul. Born in Los Angeles in 1933, Smith was the son of singer/comedienne Effie Smith, who with husband John L Criner, founded the G&G and Gem labels in addition to managing the LA R&B group the Olympics. Smith began his career as one half of a songwriting duo with friend Cliff Goldsmith, and when the success of television shows like Gunsmoke and Davy Crockett inspired them to write the novelty tune 'Western Movies', a phone call to Criner quickly placed the song with the Olympics. 'Western Movies' proved a Top 20 smash on both sides of the Atlantic and the group subsequently scored with such Smith/Goldsmith-penned follow-ups as '(I Wanna) Dance with the Teacher', '(Baby) Hully Gully' and 'Private Eye'. With the Olympics' 'I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate', Smith even earned his first production credit.

In 1963, he joined the staff of Randy Wood's fledgling Mirwood label, writing, producing and arranging records for Jackie Lee, Jimmy Thomas and the Mirettes. Most notably, Smith co-produced Bob & Earl's 1965 soul classic 'Harlem Shuffle'. Few of Mirwood's releases earned more than regional airplay, but the label is now regarded as a trademark of quality among collectors of rare soul. Smith also wrote and produced material for rival LA indies, Arvee and Tri-Disc and helped oversee the early career of the Soul Runners, which later evolved into funk icons Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band.

In 1968, he also founded his own short-lived Keymen and Mo Soul labels. Alongside his mother, Smith later worked briefly at Stax Records in its waning months, but his growing disillusionment with the machinations of the music industry eventually forced him out of show business altogether.

Fred Smith died in Los Angeles on July 29, 2005.