Chocolate Dandies - Vocalion 1646 (1931)

Here we, arguably, have the first recordings by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band.

Many claim this one was the first but still others say that they were not recorded by the same outfit.

Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson t / Harry White, Henry Hicks tb / Crawford Wethington cl, as, bar / Ted McCord cl, ts / Edgar Hayes p, a / Benny James bj / Hayes Alvis sb / Willie Lynch d / Dick Robertson v.

Recorded in New York on January 30, 1931.

Mills Blue Rhythm Band - Bluebird 5688 (1934)

Lucky Millinder dir / Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson, Eddie Mallory t / George Washington, J.C. Higginbotham tb / Crawford Washington as, bar / Gene Mikell cl, as / Joe Garland cl, ts, bar / Edgar Hayes / Benny James bj, g / Hayes Alvis bb, sb / O'Neil Spencer d.

Recorded in Chicago on February 20, 1934.

Earl Harlan & His Orchestra - Perfect 15789 (1932-33)

Two different bands...one name.

Don Redman as, a, dir / Shirley Clay, Langston Curl, Sidney De Paris t / Claude Jones, Fred Robinson, Benny Morton tb / Edward Inge, Rupert Cole cl, as / Robert Carroll ts / Don Kirkpatrick p / Talcott Reeves bj, g / Bob Ysaguire bb, sb / Manzie Johnson d, vib.

Recorded in New York on April 26, 1933.

(Mills' Blue Rhythm Band) Baron Lee dir / Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson t / George Washington, Henry Hicks tb / Crawford Washington as, bar / Gene Mikell cl, as / Joe Garland cl, ts, bar / Edgar Hayes p / Benny James bj, g / Hayes Alvis bb, sb / O'Neil Spencer d.

Recorded in New York on September 23, 1932.

King Carter & His Royal Orchestra - Columbia 2439 (1931)

Here is my second acquisition of a King Carter & His Royal Orchestra 78. Mills Blue Rhythm Band released three records (all in 1931) under this pseudonym. (Here's the first one I found)

Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson t / Harry White, Henry Hicks tb / Charlie Himes cl, as / Ted McCord, Castor McCord cl, ts / Edgar Hayes p / Benny James bj / Hayes Alvis sb, bb / Willie Lynch d / Dick Robertson (as Dick Rogers) v.

Recorded in New York on March 23, 1931.

King Carter & His Royal Orchestra - Columbia 2638 (1931)

Here we have a couple of sides early on by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band...they used many pseudonyms...here's their first release from five months earlier.

Reading about the lineup for this disc, the vocal on I Can't Get Along Without You is George Morton. Apparently nothing is known about him. Even surviving members of the band couldn't recall him during interviews.

Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson t / Harry White, Henry Hicks tb / Charlie Himes cl, as / Ted McCord, Castor McCord cl, ts / Edgar Hayes p / Benny James bj / Hayes Alvis sb, bb on Low Down / Willie Lynch d / George Morton v.

Recorded in New York on June 25, 1931.