A be-bop recitation from the 'Fifties

[Wilson Gray]

I have actually found a site devoted to Lee "Babs Gonzales" Brown. So,
the latest new and improved antedating is ca.1953, at probably the
earliest, though it's not impossible that "Fable" might date from as
far back as 1947. As you may already know as a result of access to one
of his two books, of whose existence I was totally unaware before I
started my date-search early this morning, Gonzales oftentimes wrote,
produced, recorded, and sold a lot of his sides all by himself. Since
he didn't go through the usual channels, there are none of the usual
records <har! har!> of much of his work to be found.

-Wilson

On 6/7/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: A be-bop recitation from the 'Fifties
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Thanks, Wilson.  You'll be pleased to know that HDAS now and again cites B.G.'s memoir, _I Paid My Dues_ , read about 35 years ago.
>
>   Of course, I was in kindergarten then....
>
>   ...Hey, wait a minute !  That's still not so great !
>
>   JL
>
> Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: Re: A be-bop recitation from the 'Fifties
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I should have warned you about the hassle with the dating. I, too,
> have been unable to find the date. Even after consulting my usually
> Velcro-like memory, the best that I can come up with, with absolute
> certainty, is that the Fable was recorded no later than 1956-57. I'm
> still working on getting a dating a bit more meaningful than that.
> Wish me luck!
>
> Gonzales recorded at least one other such recitation, which I intend
> to post as soon as I can transcribe it from the oldies CD. What with
> my essential tremor - Parkinson's disease's good twin - the
> transcription is a real pain in the hand, but
> it's a labor of love. Needless to say, the original 78 is long gone.
> However, I do remember the name of the label. Maybe that'll turn out
> to be helpful.
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 6/7/06, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: Jonathan Lighter
> > Subject: Re: A be-bop recitation from the 'Fifties
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Groovy, Gate. Do you know the date ? (I checked today, but the 'Net don't say.)
> >
> > JL
> >
> > Wilson Gray wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: Wilson Gray
> > Subject: A be-bop recitation from the 'Fifties
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > A Manhattan Fable
> > by
> > Babs Gonzales
> >
> > About a deuce of long black-&-whites ago, a stud from the Natural
> > Lowlands made it to The Apple. He copped him a hame as a delivery cat
> > on Lenox Avenue. Everything was fine as wine until he cut into
> > Hollywood eyes. My man Eddie, he dug her all the way. But, after
> > lamping her quit the scene daily in the King of Shorts, he figured
> > that he'd cool until his greens was long enough for him to sound her.
> > One bright, about a deuce of ticks, he laid his story on a Harlem
> > acquaintance named "Congolene Freddie." He pulled Freddy's coat about
> > his big eyes for the chick and how he'd pay any kind of dues to cop
> > some long greens. Freddie, being a post=graduate and a six-year New
> > York man, knew the pig when he saw it. So, he yessed the boob for a
> > few blacks and then laid down his spiel.
> >
> > During the next set of sevens, Eddie was so gone over the three yards
> > that he hadlaying in the bin that he failed to dig Nab stashe behind
> > the scene while he paid his delivery dues.
> >
> > After one semester of double deliveries, one for The Man and a deuce
> > for Congolene Freddie, Eddie lamped his bread and dug that he was now
> > ready to cool by the pad of the crazy chick in style. He thanked
> > Freddie for his pulling his coaat to the long green on the Apple
> > scene. But, he had to quit it now, as he had a inkling in the back of
> > his thinking cap that he'd better put a period tp delivering them
> > small packages for which he was gassed with huge lootie-bonds.
> >
> > Freddie, he was cool. He had no hard feelings. And, to prove it, he
> > sounded Eddie for the serial to his crib, so he could lay a present on
> > him.
> >
> > At exactly the Cinderella of chimes the next black, a
> > three-hundred-pound ofay cat rang Eddie's ding-dong and, after
> > flashing his badge of many numbers, he told Eddie that he was a real
> > lame Jones. But he wouldn't take him to the slams, as long as his
> > greens was long enough.
> >
> > Eddie laid his grand on Nab, who stepped into his waiting cab and
> > split the bread down, a nickel note for him and a nickel note for his
> > buddy, Congolene Freddie.
> >
> > So, Eddie was off the scene, his jeans was clean, and he didn't cop his quean.
> >
> > A Manhattan fable.
> >
> > [Depite the name, Babs, Gonzales was male.]
> >
> > -Wilson Gray
> >
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