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By Parry Gettleman
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ORLANDO, Fla.-- Jesse Stone was one of the master architects of rock'n'roll, laying the foundation for the genre through his work as a writer and arranger of such early hits as Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle & Roll," the Drifters' "Money Honey," Ray Charles' "It Should Have Been Me," and the Clovers' Your Cash Ain't Nuthin' But Trash."
Stone, who died April 1 in Altamont Springs, Fl., at the age of 97, was a part of Atlantic Records from it's earliest days and helped bring it to prominence.
The Label's first releases in the late '40s were jazz records, but Stone recognized the importance of rhythm to the young pop audience of the day. The lively beats and prominent basslines in his arrangements for R&B artists helped them cross over to a larger audience, and rock'n'roll artisis such as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley seized upon Stone's songs and sound.
Producer Jerry Wexler, who worked with Stone at Atlantic, says that Stone understood that R&B was "good time music" and that danceability was essential. He recalls that Stone used to show the rhythm section just what to play to establish the groove he wanted.
"The rhythm had to be compelling, and Jesse was a master at that," Wexler says.
Wexler believes that Stone, who was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 1992, has not been properly recognized for all the contributions he made to music.
"He has not gotten his propers," Wexler says, noting efforts to also have him recognized by the Song-writers' Hall of Fame, among other industry groups. Stone's vast catalog of tunes includes "Smack Dab In The Middle," the signature song of jazz great Joe Williams, who passed away last month.
Wexler describes Stone as a true innovator who first revealed his brilliance in the Jazz Age. Stone was a contemporary of Jelly Roll Morton, notes Wexler, and while Morton is credited with being the first to arrange for sections in jazz, Stone was doing similar things in that era -- for instance, expanding the brass to include three trumpets and two trombones, rather than just one trumpet and one trombone.
Stone was born Nov. 16, 1901, in Atchison, Kan. He got his start in show business as a 4-year-old, singing and leading a dog act in his family's minstrel show, which traveled as far afield as Canada. In the '20s, he formed a band that included future saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins. Stone's band was one of the first to perform live on the radio.
Stone established himself as a pianist and arranger in Kansas City, Mo., during the heyday of its jazz scene, recording with Julia and George E. Lee and his own band, Jesse Stone & His Blue Serenaders. Stone's early work can be heard on "The Real Kansas City," a compilation released by Columbia/Legacy in 1996.
Stone was working in the Midwest when Duke Ellington discovered him and got him a booking at the Cotton Club in New York's Harlem. That led to a job at the Apollo Theatre, where Stone did everything from composing and arranging to writing jokes. During the '30s, Stone also worked with Louis Jordan, then a saxophonist in Chick Webb's band. Stone encouraged Jordan to strike out on his own.
Stone's "Cole Slaw," originally a minor Atlantic hit for Atlantic artist Frank Culley, became a much bigger hit for Jordan. Stone himself can be heard performing the song on the 1996 Bear Family release "Jesse Stone Alias Charles 'Chuck' Calhoun," A compilation of recordings he made for RCA Victor in the '40s and '50s. For the most part, however, Stone chose to work behind the scenes.
Although Stone was supposedly retired in 1984 when he moved to Winter Springs, Fla., near Orlando, for many years he continued to play keyboards for his second wife, singer Evelyn McGee Stone, who is 20 years his junior. Just weeks before his death, he made special appearances at her concerts, singing "Shake, Rattle & Roll."
He never stopped writing songs; he contributed five new tunes to McGee Stone's 1998 album, "Jump Back," released on her own label.
Los Angeles producer; songwriter; and musical director Michael Anthony Perna, a protege of Stone's, produced "Jump Back," with Stone serving as executive producer.
Stone played an important role in recording the album, coming up with many ideas, Perna says. He recalls that one day in the studio, he woke Stone up from a nap becuase the drummer was having trouble finding the right groove. Stone went over, showed the drummer what he wanted--a beat played with a stick in one hand and a brush in the other--and prompty returned to his nap.
Perna says the slack-jawed drummer exclaimed, "He just woke up, came in here, invented a new drumbeat, and went back to sleep!"
Perna recalls Stone as a great friend, as well as a mentor. When Stone first took him under his wing, he was just 18 and stone was 80, but Perna sys spending time with Stone "was like hanging out with a buddy."
"Jesse was a master and a teacher," says Atlantic Group co-chairman/co-CEO Ahmet Ertegun, who was among those offering eulogies for Stone at a funeral service held April 7 at Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan. "From the beginning, Jesse impressed me with his incredible facility in music. Even more impressive were his very original lyrics."
Yet beyond his musical talent, it was Stone's personal integrity that his friends remembered. "He was above all a gentleman, and a gentle man," says Ertegun. "He was an elegant man of great dignity. He was a great friend."
Sonte is survived by his wife; two daughters, Triletta Blanchard and Nancy Bolin; a son, Dennis F. Neal; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
