Born Theodro Elliott on July 9, 1915 in Seminole, Oklahoma, Joe Liggins was an R&B/jump blues pianist and brother to R&B guitarist Jimmy Liggins. Joe Liggins is best known for his 1945 hit “The Honeydripper”. He took the last name of his stepfather as a child, eventually changing dropping the name Theodro, changing it to Joseph Christopher Liggins in the 1930s. Moving to San Diego, California in 1932, he studied music at San Diego State College. Moving to Los Angeles, California in 1939, he joined Sammy Franklin’s California Rhythm Rascals and other local groups. Joe Liggins presented his song “The Honeydripper” to Sammy Franklin, but when Franklin turned it down, he left the California Rhythm Rascals and started his own group. His new group, Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers, was formed in the basement of saxophonist Little Willie Jackson, the group’s co-founder. The rest of the band was comprised of James Jackson, Jr. (saxophone), Frank Pasley (guitar), Eddie Davis (bass), and Preston ‘Peppy’ Prince (drums). Their debut single, “The Honeydripper”, was released in 1945. The song topped the R&B chart for a record 18 weeks and sold close to two million copies. The band became a popular live draw, performing in five Cavalcade of Jazz concerts at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles (1945-1948, 1951). Liggins and his band had more chart hits including “Left a Good Deal in Mobile” (1945), “Got a Right to Cry” and “Tanya” (both in 1946), “Rag Mop” (1950), “Pink Champagne” (1950), and “They Were Doin’ the Mambo” (1954). By the end of the 1950s, the band’s popularity had dwindled and the band split up, although Joe Liggins would continue to perform until his death on July 31, 1987. Little Willie Jackson, the co-founder of the Honeydrippers, died on February 12, 2001. There have been numerous Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers compilations released over the years including Jukebox Hits 1945 – 1951.
