"If I Could Be With You" For Penny From the stage of Detroit's world-famous Graystone Ballroom on Woodward Avenue just south of Canfield Ladies & gentlemen, the fabulous Victor recording artists: please join me in welcoming our very special guests tonight— the legendary McKinney's Cotton Pickers! oh if i could be with you one hour tonight, if i were free to do the things i might, i'm tellin' you true. i'd be anything but blue, if i could be with you They came to Detroit in 1926, up from Springfield, Ohio, led by the circus drummer, William McKinney, & boasting on banjo & occasional vocals, Mr. Dave Wilborn On tenor, alto, soprano & bass saxophones, oboe & violin, Mr. Wesley Stuart On piano & arrangements, the great Todd Rhodes Playing the alto & soprano saxophones & bass clarinet, George "Fathead" Thomas On trumpet & arrangements, John Nesbitt On trombone & baritone horn, Mr. Claud Jones The orchestra's dance team, sousaphonist June Co345345le & drummer Cuba Austin & in the saxophone section, the band's musical director, on alto, soprano & bass saxophones, oboe & violin, Mr. Milton Senior— They called themselves McKinney's Syncos in Springfield, but when they came to Detroit to replace the Jean Goldkette Orchestra at the Graystone Ballroom in September 1927 their Caucasian employers, wise in the ways of Detroit, insisted that they change their name to the Cotton Pickers & without much choice in the matter so they became— First at the Arcadia down the street from the Graystone for five months in 1926 the Syncos stormed Detroit & were engaged by the Goldkette organization as its first "allcolored orchestra" for two weeks at the Graystone & then in the summer of 1927 Jean Goldkette signed Don Redman as musical director of McKinney's Cotton Pickers— direct from the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in New York City, the father of the jazz arrangement & a giant of jazz at just under five feet tall, Don Redman beat the ba346346nd into shape with his mighty arrangements & for the princely sum of $300.00 per week Don Redman led the band to international stardom, a Victor recording contract, a radio wire out of the Graystone onto WJR with its 50,000 watts of clear channel power, "the Great Voice of the Great Lakes," McKinney's Cotton Pickers rose up out of Detroit to light up the world with the music of Don Redman— if i could be with you one hour tonight if 1927 if the Graystone were still standing Don Redman stayed with the Cotton Pickers till 1931 & went out on his own then with several of the remaining members but George Thomas was already dead in an auto accident on the road, November 1930, & the driver, one of the brightest trumpet stars of the ’20s, Joe Smith, was quickly drinking himself crazy & Milton Senior had left & would kill himself before the ’30s were over & another trumpet man, John Nesbitt, who was Fathead's closest friend in the band also lost his wife & Nesbitt was 348348lost to the bottle & on a west coast trip where the Cotton Pickers headlined over the Fletcher Henderson & Duke Ellington Orchestras, when people in Hollywood heard their first orchestral arrangements in jazz in 1931 the band fell apart & never recovered its former glory— if i could be with you one hour tonight if i could be with you McKinney's Cotton Pickers, 'the Mississippi Muddies of Syncopation,' the 'Sensation of the Automobile City,' their entire recorded output of 56 sides for Victor in now available only on five out-of-print French 'Black & White' RCA LPs & the only man still alive from the original Pickers is my man, Dave Wilborn, who brought this back to life for me & who still sings his own song as sweet as ever & says from the stage today, "Thank you ladies & gentlemen and back in 1928 up at the Graystone Ballroom Woodward & Canfield while with McKinney's Cotton Pickers We were the first black350350 band to broadcast out of Detroit over WJR Our theme was a beautiful love song of the ’20s written by Don Redman— I was there to sing that song over the airways & by the grace of the good Lord I'm here to sing it for you tonight," January 7, 1979, at the Paradise Theatre in Detroit: i'm so blue i don't know what to do all day long i sit & dream of you i did wrong when i let you go away now i dream about you night & day i'd be happy if i had you by my side i'd be happy if i knew you were my bride if i could be with you one hour tonight & i was free to do the things i might i want you to know that you couldn't go until i showed you honey how i loved you so if i could be with you i'd love you strong if i could be with you i'd love you all night long i'm tellin' you true, you'd be anything but blue, if i could be with you— for just one hour— if i could be with you —Detroit March 25> June 1, 1982/ New Orleans January 1994

#84 "rhythm-a-ning" for paul lichter & the great ernie harwell it's the top of the 5th, two men on & monk on the mound to face the meat of the defending champion new york tenors batting order--it's the rhythm inning, time now to get something going--& at the plate for the tenors, digging in deep now, center fielder sonny rollins (also known as 'newk' for his remarkable resemblance to the great don newcombe) is taking his cuts. rollins checks the sign from arnett cobb at 3rd & takes a called first strike right down the middle. on the basepaths, the leadoff batter, johnny griffin, dances off 2nd & james moody takes a short lead off of 1st. on deck, the clean-up hitter, fellow native of north carolina, veteran of many hard seasons in the minor leagues, john coltrane picks up his bat, weights it, & pounds the air without mercy. monk checks the runners, shakes off the sign from art blakey behind the plate, nods, stretches & delivers a most wicked curve & newk strikes air. the fans know if monk can get past rollins there'll be one down, coltrane up & coleman hawkins waiting on deck. so monk looks in, puts that rocky mount grip on the ball, & sends newk back to the bench with a deadly screwball. trane fans, & bean dribbles one down to john birks gillespie at 1st. diz steps on the bag & monk puts another inning away toward an eventual shut-out of the defending champs. in the bottom of the 8th, miles davis is hit by a pitch, steals 2nd, bud powell draws an in- tentional pass, & bird puts the game away with a 3-run homer. the series goes to the challengers, the bebop all-stars, 4 games to 3 & monk is voted most valuable player over dizzy gillespie in the closest of votes. the year is 1954, the legendary "subway series" is now history, & baseball, dear friends, will never be the same —detroit may 1, 1985 special thanks to peter klaver & martin gross