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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZANDREWS, Ernie(b 25 December 1927, Philadelphia PA; d 21 Fbruary 2022, Los Angeles) Singer. His parents sang in church; the family moved to New Orleans, where he said he studied music with Bunk Johnson; then to L.A. '45. He was discovered in a church choir. His high school classmates included Dexter Gordon and Sonny Criss; he grew up in the legendary Los Angeles jazz scene along Central Avenue. His first single was 'Soothe Me' '45 on on a small L.A. label; it was a local hit and became his signature song. The other side was a bawdy song by singer and songwriter Joe Greene called 'Wrap It Up, Put It Away (Till Daddy Comes Home From The Army)'. One day he told Greene (b 19 April 1915, Spokane; d 16 June 1986, Pasadena) that he needed a song for a recording session; Greene sat down and wrote 'Don't Let Sun Catch You Cryin',' a hit for Louis Jordan '46 (not the same song as the British pop hit of 20 years later). (Greene's other songs included 'And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine' and 'Across The Alley From The Alamo'.) Andrews made more singles on Gem, Aladdin, Columbia, Imperial etc '45-54, albums on GNP '57-8, always with good backing, but they didn't really go anywhere. He sang with Harry James for a decade after '59 (James's then-wife, Betty Grable, had been a fan). The James gig didn't stretch him much; described in one old reference book as a 'competent pop singer', he had long since matured into rather more than that, with swing and soul as well as a good voice. Albums included Soul Proprieter c'65 on Dot with a Shorty Rogers orchestra; Hear Me Now '79 on LMI with Teddy Edwards, From The Heart '80 on Discovery (ten-piece band arranged and conducted by Llew Matthews, with Harry Edison, Buddy Collette, Kenny Burrell). He sang with the Al Capp/Nat Pierce band on Concord, then The Great City '95 on Muse with a quartet including Frank Wess and Richard Wyands, everything from blues to James Taylor's 'Fire And Rain'. He made at least 19 solo and collaborative albums, but the record business never promoted him. He made his living singing in clubs, where he often worked with guitarist Burrell, who said that he had never worked with a more versatile singer; Andrews could do anything, but he remained overlooked. Burrell said that if Andrews had just been a jazz singer or a blues singer, it would have been simpler for the critics. Andrews was featured in a documentary, Blues For Central Avenue, in 1986. |