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regularly with him in the studios for around the next four years, until the end of his
    JOB contract.

    J. B. continued to record for JOB, but the sessions were few and far between, resulting

    in one single in 1951, one in 1952, and two in 1953. A further single was released
    in 1957, although it had been recorded in 1951. All of the recordings were released
    on the JOB label - some as Lenoir, but most as Lenore.


                                                                            His last JOB session, in January
                                                                            1953, produced just one J. B.

                                                                            recording,  but  he  apparently
                                                                            spent  most  of  the  rest  of  the
                                                                            day  in  the  studio  backing
                                                                            Sunnyland  Slim  and  Johnny

                                                                            Shines,        although          these
                                                                            recordings stayed ‘in the can’
                                                                            until  1967.  Incidentally,  that

                                                                            last session also featured the
                                                                            sax  playing  of  J.  T.  Brown,  a
          J.T. Brown (left) with Elmore James (1956)
                                                                            regular member of the Elmore
                                                                            James band.


    In 1954 J. B. moved to Parrot Records, who were attracted by his popularity on the
    jukeboxes in the city. Continuing his interest in current affairs, at his first Parrot

    session J. B. recorded the highly controversial Eisenhower Blues, which was issued
    as Parrot 802, and then hastily withdrawn. The song bemoaned the economic hard
    times under the Eisenhower presidency, and the words upset quite a few people.

    J. B. was told at the time that the White House had made an official complaint about
    the song, but this seems unlikely, and it was probably more the case that radio air
    time for the song could have been compromised if those in control were offended.


    As a result, Parrot boss Al Benson substituted the song for ‘Tax Payin’ Blues’, which
    was either recorded at the same session, or a later one - that much is not known.
    However,  the  two  songs  are  remarkably  similar,  although  neither  sound  that
    controversial these days!


    Another politically themed song recorded at the Eisenhower Blues session was ‘I’m
    In Korea’, which appeared on the B-side of both the original recording and the

    replacement recording - in fact, both were released as Parrot 802.

    His next single was his only R&B chart hit - ‘Mama, Talk To Your Daughter’, which
    reached number 11 in 1955, and has been re-recorded many times, by such artistes

    as John Mayall and Robben Ford.

    The ‘family’ theme was evident in a number of his recordings, with titles such as

    ‘Man, Watch Your Woman’, ‘Mama, Your Daughter’s Going To Miss Me’, and ‘Mama,
    What About Daughter’ - and there were others!
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