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consisting of saxmen King Curtis and Haywood Henry, pianist George Rhodes
(doubling as leader), bassist Leonard Gaskin, and drummer Herb Lovelle. Big Connie
never recorded again, at least under that name.
Usually paired with duet partner Sue Allen,
Oscar Black was one of Groove’s steady
presences. The Richmond, Virginia-based
singer (he also played drums, though Groove
usually had someone else handle his
timekeeping) gained studio experience prior
to joining Groove. He made his self-penned
Atlantic debut
Love, Love, Love
in
November of 1951 as Oscar ‘Big Blues’ Black
and did a single for Colony,
I Don’t Care What
People Say
.
Kessler found Black andAllen in Richmond. They
would enjoy a half-dozen Groove duo releases, beginning
with
Hold Me, Baby
, written by Black and Mamie Mathews and waxed or perhaps
purchased on March 16, 1954 (the logbooks say it was done at RCA’s Studio 2, though
a lack of personnel or A&R listings render that factoid a mite suspect).
I’ll Get By
sat
on the opposite side.
11
PREVIEW