Cat. No. 2720: MIKE PEDICIN QUINTET ~ HOTTER THAN A PISTOL. JASMINE JASCD1110.

MIKE PEDICIN WAS BORN 24TH OCTOBER 1917. HE TOOK UP THE SAXAPHONE AT THE AGE OF TEN. IN 1940 HE FORMED HIS FIRST SERIOUS GROUP, THE FOUR SHARPS. AFTER A FEW LINE UP CHANGES AND GROUP NAME CHANGES, THE MIKE PEDICIN QUINTET WAS BORN. FROM 1952 TO 1954 THE GROUP RECORDED PROLIFICALLY FOR 20TH CENTURY, A SATELLITE LABEL OF GOTHAM RECORD COMPANY. BY THE TURN OF 1955 BILL HALEY WAS HAPPENING AND ROCK’N’ROLL WAS BREAKING BIG TIME. RCA VICTOR WAS DESPERATE TO MUSCLE IN AND SIGN A SIMILAR R&R COMBO AND IN FEBRUARY, MIKE SIGNED A TWO YEAR DEAL. AT THE FIRST SESSION THE GROUP CUT TWO GREAT SINGLES, “I WANNA HUG YOU, KISS YOU, SQUEEZE YOU” B/W “I’M HIP” AND “MAMBO ROCK” B/W “D-E-V-I-L”. BILL HALEY HAD ALREADY RECORDED “MAMBO ROCK” A FEW WEEKS EARLIER AND WHILST HIS VERSION WAS NOT INTENDED FOR RELEASE AS A SINGLE, IT WAS SUDDENLY ISSUED IN FEBRUARY, TWO WEEKS AHEAD OF MIKE’S VERSION WHICH, OF COURSE, KILLED MIKE'S VERSION.

THE GROUP CONTINUED TO RECORD FOR SEVERAL DIFFERENT LABELS IN THE ENSUING YEARS UP UNTIL THEIR LAST SESSION IN 1961 AND MANAGED TO PLACE SEVERAL RECORDS ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS BUT NEVER ACHIEVED THE STATUS OF BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS. MIKE PEDICIN PASSED AWAY IN 2016 AT THE AGE OF 98 YEARS. VERY GOOD BILL HALEY STYLE RECORDINGS ****

TRACK LISTING: I’ll Always Love You Some / MMM Boy / One Potato-Two Potato / It’s My Heart To Give /  Disc Jockey’s Boogie / Sweet Georgia Brown / I Wanna Hug You, Kiss You, Squeeze You! / I’m Hip / Mambo Rock / D-E-V-I-L / Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum / The Hot Barcarolle / You Gotta Go / The Banjo Rock / Jackpot / The Large, Large House / Hotter Than A Pistol / The Beat / Save Us Preacher Davis / Teen Age Fairy Tales / Close All The Doors / The Hucklebuck / Calypso Rock / Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone / Shake A Hand / The Dickie Doo / Hey Pop Give Me The Keys / St James’ Infirmary / Saxi Boogie / Hi Yo Silver / Closin’ Out / Burnt Toast And Black Coffee / Gotta Twist.

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