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Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby

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"Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby"
Single by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
A-side"G.I. Jive"
ReleasedJune 1944 (1944-06)
RecordedOctober 4, 1943[1]
GenreRhythm and blues, Jazz
LabelDecca 8659
Songwriter(s)Billy Austin, Louis Jordan

"Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" is a song written by Louis Jordan and Billy Austin. The song's first recording, by Jordan, was made on October 4, 1943.[2] It was released as the B-side of a single with "G.I. Jive" with the title "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)". The song reached No. 1 on the US folk/country charts,[3] number two for three weeks on the pop chart, and number three on the R&B chart.[4]

The standard has been recorded by more than 130 different artists over the years.[5]

Musical style

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Jordan in New York, July 1946

One publication of the Smithsonian Institution provided this summary of Jordan's music.

One important stylistic prototype in the development of R&B was jump blues, pioneered by Louis Jordan, with ... His Tympany Five ... three horns and a rhythm section, while stylistically his music melded elements of swing and blues, incorporating the shuffle rhythm, boogie-woogie bass lines, and short horn patterns or riffs. The songs featured the use of African American vernacular language, humor, and vocal call-and-response sections between Jordan and the band. Jordan's music appealed to both African American and white audiences, and he had broad success with hit songs like "Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby" (1944).[6]

Covers

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In the 1932 American film Harlem Is Heaven, dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, accompanied by jazz pianist Putney Dandridge, sings "Is You Is or Is You Ain't." The song in the film has different lyrics, but, in addition to its title, its melody is at times similar to that later used for "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby."[7]

Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters recorded the song on June 30, 1944 for Decca Records[8][9] and it too reached the No. 2 spot in the Billboard charts during a 12-week stay.[10]

The song was also featured in the Tom and Jerry short "Solid Serenade", in which Tom sings it to his lover. Tom's singing voice is provided by Ira "Buck" Woods.[11]

B. B. King and Dr. John covered it on Let the Good Times Roll, King's Louis Jordan tribute album;[12] the song won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

References

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  1. ^ "Decca matrix L 3205. Is you is or is you ain't my baby / Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five". Discography of American Historical Recordings. University of California, Santa Barbara. 2008. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  2. ^ Abrams, Steve; Settlemier, Tyrone (13 Oct 2016). "DECCA (USA) 8500 series 78rpm numerical listing discography". The Online Discographical Project. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944–2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 184.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 309.
  5. ^ "Cover versions of Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby by Louis Jordan". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Tell It Like It Is: A History of Rhythm and Blues". Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  7. ^ "Harlem is Heaven – Bill Robinson, Eubie Blake, 1932 Film", posted by Alan Eichler, February 14, 2016 YouTube. Retrieved January 29, 2018. Bill Robinson and Putney Dandridge's performance of "Is You Is or Is You Ain't" begins in the noted copy of Harlem Is Heaven at the 40:15 mark in the film's presentation.
  8. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". Bingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  9. ^ Gilliland, John (31 May 1972). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #10". UNT Digital Library. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, US: Record Research Inc. p. 113. ISBN 0898200830.
  11. ^ Baxter, Devon (December 20, 2017). "Tom & Jerry in "Solid Serenade" (1946)". Cartoon Research. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  12. ^ "Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan – B.B. King | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
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