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Premier/Atlas was a short-lived and generally
obscure West-Coast label.
In 1942 songwriter Robert Scherman (e.g., All For You, a 1943
hit by Nat "King" Cole and A Fellow On A Furlough, a
1944 hit for both Phil Hanna and Al Sack's Orchestra) launched
the Premier Record Company whose main claim to fame is that it
was briefly the home of the legendary King Cole Trio. Two singles
were cut by the Trio at Premier, and here you get two sides,
F.S.T. (Fine, Sweet, and Tasty) composed by Scherman, and Got A
Penny Benny.
In 1944 Premier evolved into Atlas Records in partnership with
Art Rupe, who would later launch Juke Box/Specialty Records, and
although in existence to 1948 it would never boast a national hit
single. But that in no way detracts from the fine music recorded
there, which basically focused on three styles - the cocktail-bar
soft jazz sound, the blues/boogie woogie/shuffle preference of
the many "jump" bands in existence then, and the
Texas-Oklahoma-born Western Swing. It was the inability to
promote beyond the confines of their home-base that precluded
registering a national hit, and not the music.
When The King Cole Trio bolted for the greener pastures of Johnny
Mercer's Capitol Records, their guitarist, Oscar Moore, suggested
to Scherman and Rupe that they might consider the similar-style
trio fronted by his older brother John, also a jazz guitarist,
along with Eddie Williams and Charles Brown who to together
functioned as Johnny Moore's Three Blazers. Scherman agreed, but
on the condition that Oscar be involved as well, and that's why
some of the releases were billed as Oscar Moore's Three Blazers.
That soon changed however as Johnny was notoriously independent
and, in fact would go on to record 19 hit singles from 1945 to
1955 - none for Atlas.
The jump artists are headed by the band of
saxophonist/clarinetist Luke Jones, who once played with Lionel
Hampton and Roy Milton, and which includes boogie pianist Betty
Hall Jones, trumpeter/vocalist Red Mack, bass player Chuck
Barksdale and blues shouter deluxe George Vann. Alternately
billed as Luke Jones & His Five Joes, Luke Jones & His
Orchestra, or Luke Jones with Joe Alexander's Highlanders, a
couple of releases were also credited to Red Mack & His
Orchestra. The vocal group, The Four Vagabonds (lead John Jordan,
bass Ray Grant - who also plays guitar - first tenor Robert
O'Neal and baritone Norval Taborn), date back to 1933 and, in
1943, they had three hit singles for Bluebird. Here you get the
only sides they recorded during their brief stay with Atlas in
1946. Another brief stay was that of Frankie Laine who sings
Maureen with the backing of Johnny Moore's Three Blazers.
As for Western Swing, here you get both Red Murrell & His
Ozark Playboys and Merle Travis who, ironically, would also head
to Capitol after a short time with Atlas.
