LOUIS JORDAN AND HIS TYMPANY FIVE - Caldonia

Louis Jordan was the most successful R&B artist of the 1940's. In 1945 Jordan had his fifth number one hit of the decade with his jump blues classic Caldonia. The song was number one on the R&B chart for seven weeks, and it peaked at number six on the pop charts under the name Caldonia Boogie. The was written by Jordan, although the writing credits name his wife at the time - Fleecie Moore. Years later the two divorced after she stabbed Jordan with a knife. Caldonia was also recorded by two others in 1945 - Erskine Hawkins and Woody Herman. A 1945 Billboard review of the Hawkins version described the song as "right rhythmic rock & roll music" - this is considered to be the first time the term "rock and roll" was used to describe a style of music. In the following years the song has been covered numerous times by artist including James Brown, Muddy Waters, The Band, and many others.