Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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McNEELY, Big Jay

(b Cecil McNeely, 29 April 1927, Los Angeles CA; d 16 September 2018) Tenor sax, bandleader and legendary showman in R&B, playing a coarse, exciting horn while rocking on the floor on his back, etc; he was one of the original bar-walkers, influential for his live performances, despite not having many chart hits. He sometimes dueled with rival saxophonists. He had legit training and played alongside beboppers in his early years, but decided there was more money in showmanship. One critic has written that some of McNeely's recordings, such as 'Real Crazy Cool', made for Aladdin in 1950 but not released for four years, 'achieve an ecstatic frenzy that anticipates not so much rock'n'roll as the ululant free jazz of the 1960s.'

He recorded for Exclusive '46 and Savoy '49: 'The Deacon's Hop' was a no. 1 R&B hit that year, adapted from Count Basie's 'Broadway', and 'Wild Wig' was no. 12. His small band usually included his brothers, Bob and Dillard McNeely. He went on to record for Aladdin, Federal and other labels; his third and last chart hit was a decade later, with his own oft-revived ballad 'There Is Something On Your Mind', a no. 5 R&B, top 50 pop '59 on the Swingin' label, with vocal by Sonny Warner, but his own recording of his own song was beaten to no. 1 by that of Bobby Marchan. Meanwhile he had painted his horn so that it glowed in the dark under ultraviolet light, and used a strobe light in his act; he toured with the Penguins, and with a big show in 1956 with Little Richard and other R&B stars. He was banned from performing anywhere in Los Angeles county because he was drawing huge racially mixed crowds, which made the authorities nervous.

In any case the saxophone was losing out to the guitar in American popular music. There was a live album from WB in 1963. He worked for the post office in the late 1960s, and became a Jehovah's Witness, saying that it helped him stay away from drink and drugs. When he found out that he had a following in Europe he made a comeback in the '80s, touring and recording all over the world untl he was 90: he had to be helped up after doing his acrobatics, but he was still blowing. His album Party Time was made in Holland in 2009.