 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Slim Gaillard" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Slim Gaillard | |
|---|---|
 Gaillard with guitar at theQueen's Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1982 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bulee Gaillard |
| Born | (1911-01-09)January 9, 1911 |
| Died | February 26, 1991(1991-02-26) (aged 80) London, England |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano,vibraphone, tenor saxophone |
| Years active | 1930s–1989 |
| Labels | Savoy,Dial,Verve |
| Formerly of | Slim & Slam |
Bulee "Slim"Gaillard (January 9, 1911[1] – February 26, 1991), also known asMcVouty, was an Americanjazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar,vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. Gaillard was noted for his comedicvocalese singing and word play in his ownconstructed language called "Vout-o-Reenee", for which he wrote a dictionary.
In addition to English, he spoke five languages (Spanish, German, Greek, Arabic, and Armenian) with varying degrees of fluency.[2]: 676
He rose to prominence in the late 1930s with hits such as "Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" and "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti)" after formingSlim and Slam withLeroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart. During World War II, Gaillard served in the US Army Air Forces. In 1944, he resumed his music career and performed with such notable jazz musicians asCharlie Parker,Dizzy Gillespie, andDodo Marmarosa.
In the '60s and '70s, he acted in films—sometimes as himself—and also appeared in bit parts in television series such asRoots: The Next Generations. Gaillard resumed touring the circuit of European jazz festivals during the 1980s.
Along with Gaillard's birthdate, his lineage and place of birth are disputed. Many sources state that he was born inDetroit, Michigan, though Gaillard said himself that he was born inSanta Clara, Cuba,[3] of an Afro-Cuban mother called Maria (Mary Gaillard)[4] and a German-Jewish father called Theophilus (Theophilus Rothschild)[4] who worked as a ship's steward.[2]: 674
During an interview in 1989, Gaillard added: "They all think I was born in Detroit because that was the first place I got into when I got to America." However, the1920 census lists one "Beuler Gillard" [sic] as living inPensacola, Florida, having been born in April 1918 inAlabama. Bulee Gaillard's Draft Registration card dated October 14, 1940, and signed by Gaillard, lists his birth date as "Jan 4 1911" in "Pensacola Florida."[5] His World War II Army Enlistment Record also lists his birth year as 1911.[6] Researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc have concluded that he was probably born in June 1918 inClaiborne, Alabama,[7] where a "Theophilus Rothchild" [sic] had been raised the son of a successful merchant in the small town ofBurnt Corn; other documents give his name as Wilson, Bulee, or Beuler Gillard or Gaillard.[7]
At age 12, he accompanied his father on a world voyage and was accidentally left behind on the island ofCrete.[2]: 674 [8][9] On a television documentary in 1989, he said, "When I was stranded in Crete, I was only 12 years old. I stayed there for four years. I traveled on the boats to Beirut and Syria and I learned to speak the language and the people's way of life."[10] After learning a few words of Greek, he worked on the island "making shoes and hats".[2]: 674 He then joined a ship working the eastern Mediterranean ports, mainlyBeirut, where he picked up some knowledge of Arabic.[2]: 674
When Gaillard was about 15, he re-crossed the Atlantic, hoping the ship would take him home to Cuba, but it was bound for the U.S. and he ended up in Detroit. He never saw either of his parents again.[2]: 674 Alone and unable to speak English, he tried to get a job at Ford Motor Company but was rejected because of his age.[10] Gaillard worked at a general store owned by an Armenian family, with whom he lived for some time, then tried to become a boxer. DuringProhibition in 1931 or 1932, he drove a hearse with a coffin that was packed with whiskey forthe Purple Gang.[2]: 675
He attended evening classes in music and taught himself to play guitar and piano.[2]: 675 WhenDuke Ellington came to Detroit, Gaillard went backstage and met his hero. Determined to become a musical entertainer, he moved to New York City and entered the world of show business as a "professional amateur".[2]: 675 As Gaillard recalled much later: "The MC would say, "Here they come, all the hopefuls!" Well, we may have been hopefuls but we weren't amateurs. Of course, you had to be a little bad in spots. If you were too good you'd lose the amateur image. I would be a tap dancer this week, next week I'd play guitar, two weeks later some boogie-woogie piano. They paid us $16 a show. I did one with Frank Sinatra, I got $16 and he got $16. Every time I see him I say, "Got a raise yet, Frank?"
Gaillard first rose to prominence in the late 1930s as part ofSlim & Slam, a jazz novelty act he formed with bassistSlam Stewart.[11]: 2 [9][8] Their hits included "Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" and "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti)". The duo performs in the 1941 movieHellzapoppin'.
Gaillard's appeal was similar toCab Calloway's andLouis Jordan's in that he presented a hip style with broad appeal (e.g. in his children's song "Down by the Station").[citation needed] Unlike Calloway and Jordan, however, he was a master improviser whosestream of consciousness vocals ranged far from the original lyrics. He sang wild interpolations of nonsense syllables, such as "MacVoutie O-Reeney". One such performance is celebrated in the 1957 novelOn the Road byJack Kerouac.[12] Gaillard, withDodo Marmarosa on piano, appeared as a guest several times onCommand Performance, recorded at KNX radio studios in Hollywood in the 1940s and distributed on transcription discs to American troops during World War II.
In December 1942,[13][14]: 4 Gaillard was drafted into theUnited States Army Air Forces. There, Corporal Gaillard was an assistant crew chief working on B-26 “Marauder bombers” at Laughlin Field, Del Rio, Texas.[15] He was discharged before the end of the war after a year and seven months of service, six months after being diagnosed with chronic frontal sinusitis.[16]He resumed his music career on his release from the draft in 1944.[17] Upon his return he released the song"Atomic Cocktail", which featured seemingly lighthearted lyrics laced with symbolism about nuclear war.[18]
Gaillard later teamed with bassist Bam Brown, and their successes included thehipster anthem "Opera in Vout (Groove Juice Symphony)".[19] They can be seen inO'Voutie O'Rooney, a 1947 motion picture featurette filmed live at one of their nightclub performances.[20][21] Slim and Bam were featured at the first Cavalcade of Jazz concert atWrigley Field in Los Angeles produced byLeon Hefflin Sr. on September 23, 1945, along withCount Basie. Gaillard also played for the 2nd Cavalcade of Jazz atWrigley Field on October 12, 1946,[22] and for the 3rd Cavalcade of Jazz, also atWrigley Field on September 7, 1947.[23]
_Press_Photo_of_the_Slim_Gaillard_Trio.jpg)
_Press_Photo_of_Slim_Gaillard.jpg)
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Gaillard frequently opened atBirdland forCharlie Parker,Flip Phillips, andColeman Hawkins. His December 1945 session with Parker andDizzy Gillespie is notable, both musically and for its relaxed convivial air. "Slim's Jam", from that session, is one of the earliest known recordings of Parker's speaking voice.[24] In 1949, Gaillard was playing in San Francisco. An account of meeting Gaillard at a performance there can be found near the end of Part Two ofJack Kerouac'sOn the Road.
Gaillard could play several instruments and manage to turn the performance from jazz to comedy. He would play guitar with his left hand fretting with fingers pointing down over the fingerboard (instead of the usual way up from under it), or would play credible piano solos with palms facing up.
Gaillard wrote the theme for the Peter Potter radio show. In 1950, he wrote and recorded the "Don Pitts On the Air" theme for San Francisco DJ Don Pitts. On March 27, 2008, the Pitts theme entered the archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inCleveland, Ohio.[citation needed]
In the early 1960s, Gaillard lived inSan Diego,California. During that time, he recorded several singles and performed with local bands. Under the name Slim Delgado, he recorded "Frank Rhoads Round",[25] a rock-and-roll single for the Xavier label. On the B-side is a song called "Dr. Free".
Gaillard appeared on several TV shows during the '60s and '70s, includingMarcus Welby, M.D.,Charlie's Angels,Mission: Impossible,Medical Center,The Flip Wilson Show, andThen Came Bronson. He also appeared in the '70s TV seriesRoots: The Next Generations and reprised some of his old hits on the NBC prime-time variety programThe Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show.[citation needed]
By the early 1980s, Gaillard was touring the European jazz festival circuit, playing with such musicians asArnett Cobb. He also performed withGeorge Melly andJohn Chilton's Feetwarmers, appearing on their BBC television series and occasionally deputising for Melly when he was unwell. Gaillard's onstage behavior was often erratic and nerve-wracking for the accompanying musicians. He made a guest appearance on Show 106 of the 1980s programNight Music, an NBC late-night music series hosted byDavid Sanborn.
Gaillard followed Dizzy Gillespie's advice to move to Europe and settled inLondon in 1983. Around Christmas 1985, Gaillard recorded the albumSiboney at Gateway Studios inBattersea, London, produced byJoe Massot.[26] As Massot recalled later:
I was introduced as Cuban. "Rooney! I am Cuban too." [...] Slim said how much he wanted to make a Latin record and talked about his friend the great Cuban leader Machito. This was 1985. I had been flying between Angola, where Cuban troops were fighting and Miami where one million exiled Cubans live. We talked of all those Cubans who wanted to go back to Cuba but couldn't. [...] In his inimitable, enthusiastic way Slim was trying to sell me, a movie maker, the idea of recording an album.
In 1986, Gaillard appeared in the musical filmAbsolute Beginners, singing "Selling Out". In the autumn of 1989, the BBC aired directorAnthony Wall's four-part documentary on Gaillard entitledSlim Gaillard's Civilisation.
Gaillard died of cancer in London on February 26, 1991. His unique and varied career spanned nearly six decades.[2]: 679 [27] Gaillard was survived by a number of children including Janis Hunter Gaye (1956-2022), former wife of singer-songwriterMarvin Gaye.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Gaillard also appeared, usually as himself, in numerous films includingToo Late Blues (1961), directed by John Cassavetes,Planet of the Apes (1968), andAbsolute Beginners (1986).
Slim Gaillard appeared in one segment.
Slim Gaillard appeared in one segment.
