- Priscilla Bowman
Priscilla Bowman (10 May 1928 - 24 July 1988) was an American
jazz andrhythm and blues singer, who had a #1 hit on theBillboard R&B charts in 1955 as lead singer withJay McShann 's band on the song "Hands Off".She was born in
Kansas City , and has been called the city's "original rock 'n' roll mama." [http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~campber/veejay.html Vee-Jay: The Early Years] ] She joined the Jay McShann band in the early 1950s. In 1955 the band signed toVee-Jay Records , and Bowman recorded two sessions with them. One of the songs, "Hands Off", became a hit, staying at number 1 on the rhythm and blues chart for three weeks in December 1955.She recorded three sessions for Vee-Jay and its subsidiary label Falcon as a solo singer between 1957 and 1959, but could not repeat her success. However, in 1958 she was the first to record the song "A Rockin' Good Way", with uncredited vocal backing by
The Spaniels . [ [http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/pbowman.html JammUp #40] ] The song was co-written byBrook Benton , and became a major hit when Benton recorded it himself as a duo withDinah Washington in 1960. [Rob Finnis and Tony Rounce, "Booklet with CD "You Heard It Here First", Ace Records CDCHD1204, 2008]Bowman recorded again for Abner Records in 1959, and continued to record and make personal appearances, some with Jay McShann, through the mid 1970s. A compilation album of her recordings, "An Original Rock & Roll Mama", was released in 1986.
References
External links
* [http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/priscillabowman.htm Priscilla Bowman discography]
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