Born July 8: Louis Jordan

By Michael Baadke

American musician and film actor Louis Jordan is depicted on a 42¢ stamp (Scott 4339) issued July 16, 2008, in the Vintage Black Cinema commemorative set.

The set was issued just days after Jordan’s birth centenary: He was born July 8, 1908, in Brinkley, Ark.

The stamp reproduces a poster that was used to promote the 1945 short film Caldonia, which includes saxophonist and singer Jordan and his band performing the song Caldonia Boogie. Jordan and his Tympany Five had recorded the lively tune — billed on the record label as a fox trot with vocal chorus — for Decca Records earlier in the year.

The original recording was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2013. Jordan rerecorded the hit in the 1950s with producer Quincy Jones.

Jordan was a leading swing and jump blues musician whose career took off in the 1930s. Known as “The Father of Rhythm & Blues,” in 1987 he was inducted as an early influence into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.