Ain’t That Just Like A Woman

Louis Jordan, the man known as ‘The King of the Jukeboxes’ scored his first R&B hit, I’m Gonna Leave You On The Outskirts of Town, back in 1942. His hits continued throughout the war years, with songs like Five Guys Named Moe, Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?, G.I. Jive and Caldonia.  Born in 1908, Louis hailed from Arkansas and followed his father into the famed Rabbit Foot Minstrels, playing saxophone. He later worked with bandleader Chick Webb and also with Louis Armstrong’s Orchestra, before forming his Tympany Five (although there were usually eight or nine members in the band!), and signing to Decca in 1939.

No Blues, or for that matter black, artist who came after Louis Jordan could escape his influence. Even if they did not care for his music or directly borrow elements of his style, they witnessed his success and his stardom, and they most definitely wanted some of it for themselves. Perhaps more than anything else, then, Louis Jordan was an inspiration.

B.B. King has publically acknowledged his debt to Jordan and Chuck Berry has demonstrated Jordan’s musical influence. Berry ‘borrowed’ from Louis’s guitarist, Carl Hogan, but Louis was far from being Chuck’s only influence. When you hear the introduction to Jordan’s 1946 No.1 hit, Ain’t That Just Like A Woman, you will think, where have I heard that before. Fast forward ten years to Chuck Berry’s, Roll Over Beethoven.

Louis’s career tailed off during the 50s, and although he continued to perform with many different combinations of musicians, his glory days were over. By the early 70s Louis had cut back on much of his activity and he died of a heart attack in 1975.