Chef d'orchestre et arrangeur, né le 16 Août 1922 à Cleveland (Ohio). Ernie Freeman est décédé le 16 Mai 1981 à Beverly Hills (Californie).

One of so many interesting behind-the-scenes figures of early rock & roll, pianist and arranger Ernie Freeman played on numerous early rock and R&B sessions in the '50s. He worked on dates for the L.A. indies Specialty, Modern, and Aladdin, as well as white artists such as Duane Eddy, Johnny Burnette, the Crickets, Bobby Vee, and Buddy Knox; his most memorable session appearance was probably on the Platters' "The Great Pretender," to which he contributed the stuttering piano riffs. Freeman also put out many instrumental records of his own, mostly for Imperial, and usually in a generic rocked-up jump R&B sort of style. "Jivin' Around" and "Lost Dreams" were R&B hits for him in 1956, but he got his sole crossover pop smash with a cover of Bill Justis' "Raunchy" in 1957, which made number four.
It was a strange situation: Justis' original hit number two, and a pop-oriented cover by Billy Vaughan also made number ten, leading to an incredible happenstance in December 1957 whereby three versions of "Raunchy" were in the Top Ten at the same time. Freeman's cover copied Justis' fairly closely, and wasn't quite as good; it's almost always Justis' original that is played on oldies radio today. Freeman was unable to make the Top 40 again, although he had minor hits with "Indian Love Call," "Theme from 'The Dark at the Top of the Stairs," and a cover of Chubby Checker's "The Twist"; he also recorded in the easy-listening style under the pseudonym Sir Chauncey, sneaking into the bottom of the Top 100 with "Beautiful Obsession." His own career petered out by the mid-'60s, but he worked with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. at Reprise, and as late as 1970 was doing some string arrangements on Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water album.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Freeman

Talents : Arranger, Piano, Strings

Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll, Instrumental Rock, Brown-Eyed Soul

ROCKIN' AROUND (1956)

RAUNCHY (1957)

Rockin' Red Wing (1960)

A FOOL SUCH AS I (1962)

FEVER (1963)

Years in activity :

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20

DISCOGRAPHY

Singles

1955 SP CASH 1017 (US) . Jivin' Around (part 1) / Jivin' Around (part 2)
1955 SP CASH 1019 (US) .

Our Love / The Shuck

1955 EP DOOTONE EPD-209 (US) Ernie FREEMAN & Lorenzo HOLDEN TRIO - JAZZ ORGAN SOUND - Groovy Boogie / Just Blues / Backstage / Earth Angel
02/1956 SP IMPERIAL X5381 (US) . Lost Dreams / Rockin' Around
05/1956 SP IMPERIAL X5391 (US) . Funny Face / Rainy Day
08/1956 SP IMPERIAL X5403 (US) . Spring Fever / Walking The Beat
11/1956 SP IMPERIAL X5419 (US) . A Touch Of The Blues / Return To Me
03/1957 SP IMPERIAL X5430 (US) . Night Life / Without A Love
06/1957 SP IMPERIAL X5444 (US) . River Boat / Swing It
08/1957 SP IMPERIAL X5461 (US) . Dumplin's / Beautiful Weekend
10/1957 SP IMPERIAL X5474 (US) . Puddin' / Raunchy
01/1958 SP IMPERIAL X5486 (US) . Leaps And Bounds / The Tuttle
02/1958 SP IMPERIAL X5499 (US) . Theme From Igor / Shape Up
04/1958 SP IMPERIAL X5518 (US) . Indian Love Call / Summer Serenade
06/1958 SP IMPERIAL X5527 (US) . After Sunset / Rose Marie
09/1958 SP IMPERIAL X5541 (US) . Jamboree / Junior Jive
11/1958 SP IMPERIAL X5551 (US) . Blues After Hours / School Room Rock
1959 SP IMPERIAL X5574 (US) . Honey / Marshmellows, Popcorn & Soda Pop
1959 SP IMPERIAL X5612 (US) . A Summer Love / Always With You
09/1959 SP IMPERIAL X5621 (US) . One More Time Around / Lost Dreams
12/1959 SP IMPERIAL X5633 (US) . Big River / Night Sounds
1960 SP IMPERIAL X5641 (US) . Beautiful Weekend / Dumplin's
03/1960 SP IMPERIAL X5656 (US) . Rockin' Red Wing / Dark Eyes
07/1960 SP IMPERIAL X5677 (US) . Autumn And Eve / Prayers
09/1960 SP IMPERIAL X5693 (US) . Come On Home / Theme From "The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs"
12/1960 SP IMPERIAL X5716 (US) . Hawaiian Eye / Hearbreak Hotel
02/1961 SP IMPERIAL X5732 (US) . Swamp Meeting / That's All
1961 SP IMPERIAL X5752 (US) . Return To Peyton Place / Warsaw Concerto
08/1961 SP IMPERIAL X5769 (US) . The Swingin' Preacher / Conquest
11/1961 SP IMPERIAL X5793 (US) . Shine On Harvest Moon / The Twist
1962 SP IMPERIAL X5815 (US) . Didn't Want To Do It / What Am I Living For
1962 SP IMPERIAL X5841 (US) . I Hear You Knocking / Stripper
11/1962 SP LIBERTY 55515 (US) . Half As Much / I'm Sorry For You My Friend
12/1964 SP AVA C-176 (US) . Raunchy '65 / Jivin' Around
02/1972 SP OAK OR-104 (US) . The Overture / The Overture
1973 SP United Artists Silver Spotlight Series XW084 (US) . Raunchy / Indian Love Call





Albums

1956 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9022 (US) ERNIE FREEMAN PLAYS IRVING BERLIN - Alexander's Ragtime Band / How Deep Is The Ocean / Heat Wave / Say It Isn't So / Always / Blue Skies / Reaching For The Moon / I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm / All Alone / Song Is Ended / Now It Can Told
02/1957 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9030 (US) JIVIN' 'O' 'ROUND - Jivin' Around/Return To Me / Rockin' Around / Lost Dreams / Spring Fever / Walking The Beat / Rainy Beat / Rainy Day / Funny Face / Touch Of The Blues / Flyin' High / Bluesy Me
09/1958 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9057 (US) ERNIE FREEMAN PLAYS - DREAMING WITH FREEMAN - Indian Love Call / Summer Serenade / After Sunset / Celebration / Estrellita / I'll See You In My Dreams / Bells Of St. Mary's / Sleepy Lagoon / Glory Of Love / Street Of Dreams / Poinciana / September Song
1960 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9133 (US) THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS - Come On Home / The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs / The Twist / My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own / Night Theme / Volare / O Sole Mio (It's Now Or Never) / Only The Lonely / Walking To New Orleans / Save The Last Dance For Me / Devil Or Angel / Itsy Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
1961 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9148 (US) RAUNCHY - The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise / Swamp Meeting / That's All / Love And Devotion / Down Town / Come On Home / C.C. Rider, Parts 1 & 2 / Raunchy / Up Town / My Foolish Heart / Play Mr. Freeman
1961 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9157 (US) TWISTIN' TIME - The Twist / Save The Last Dance For Me / Dumplins / Conquest / Volare / Live It Up / Beautiful Weekend / River Boat / Night Sounds / Diane / Marshmallows Popcorn And Soda Pop / Honey Dripper
1962 LP 12" IMPERIAL LP-9193 (US) THE STRIPPER - The Stripper / Shine On Harvest Moon / I've Got A Woman / Jambalaya / What Am I Living For / I Didn't Want To Do It / For Strippers Only / Night Train / My Babe / Travelin' Mood / Down By The Old Mill Stream / I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
1962 LP 12" LIBERTY LRP-3264 (mono) / LST-7264 (stereo) (US) SOULFUL SOUNDS OF COUNTRY CLASSICS - I'm Movin' On / I Walk The Line / Just A Little Lovin' Fool Such As I / Half As Much / Any Time / I Don't Hurt Anymore / My Special Angel / It Makes No Difference Now / I Fall To Pieces / I'm Sorry For You My Friend / Window Up Above
1963 LP 12" LIBERTY LRP-3283 (mono) / LST-7283 (stereo) (US) LIMBO DANCE PARTY - Limbo Rock / Raunchy Limbo / Out On A Limbo / Tweedlee Dee / Limbo For Lovers / Now Low Can You Limbo / Memories Are Made Of This / Marianne / Matilda
1963 LP 12" LIBERTY LRP-3331 (mono) / LST-7331 (stereo) (US) COMIN' HOME BABY - Ernie FREEMAN COMBO - Comin' Home Baby / Stone Rocker / Drown In My Own Tears / 'Gater Bite / Fever / Rockhouse / Mountain Greenery / Jivin' Around / The Walk / Gravy Waltz / Cool Play
10/1967 LP 12" DUNHILL D 50026 (mono) / DS 50026 (stereo) (US) HITMAKER - Strangers In The Night / This Is My Song / Everybody Loves Somebody / Send Me The Pillow You Dream On / The World We Knew / 100 Pounds Of Clay / With This Ring / Softly As I Leave You/More / Red Roses For A Blue Lady / A Beautiful Obsession / That's Life
09/1997 CD ACE 659 (UK) RAUNCHY - Ernie FREEMAN COMBO - Raunchy / Puddin' / Dumplin's / Lost Dreams / Walking The Beat / Riverboat / Swing It / The Tuttle / Leaps And Bounds / Shape Up / Theme From Igor / Indian Love Call / After Sunset / Jamboree / Junior Jive / School Room Rock / Blues After Hours / Live It Up / Marshmellows, Popcorn & Soda Pop / Night Sounds / Swamp Meeting / The Twist / A Touch Of The Blues / Jivin' Around, Pt. 1 / Jivin' Around, Pt. 2

© Rocky Productions 25/11/2013