KANSAS
CITY
-- Kansas
City
is where it all started for the Scamps, a veteran Rhythm and Blues band that launched
their jazz careers more than six decades ago. Now,
the group is home again and part of a key lineup of entertainers scheduled to perform at
the Labor Day 2005 Kansas City Music Blues and Jazz Festival at the Woodlands Horse Track.
This
historic vocal group came together during their days in the Civilian Conservation Camp
(CCC) workforce of the late 1930s. Two of the
group’s members, Earl
Robinson and James Whitcomb, regularly passed the days singing and harmonizing with their
colleagues and earned the nickname “The Scamps of CC Camp.” Later, siblings Wyatt and Torrence Griffin joined
the group and gave the foursome a foothold in the jazz arena until World War II came along
and put a halt to their prosperity.
By 1946,
the Griffin brothers had
returned to their hometown of Kansas City, rejoined
Robinson and Whitcomb and added pianist Rudy Massingale to the ensemble. After making their professional debut at Kansas City's Sherman
Bar, the Scamps traveled to California at the behest
of manager Johnny Tumino, and there they signed with the Modern Music label to cut their
debut single, January 1947's “Don't Cry Baby.” Two months later, they recorded
“That's My Desire," followed in May by “Sweet Slumber." After two more
Modern releases, “Solitude" and 1948's “I'll Never Smile Again," the
Scamps' recording career came to an abrupt halt when the American Federation of Musicians
went on strike. During the layoff, Torrance
Griffin was killed in a hunting accident, forcing the addition of tenor Edward Stafford.
After the
musicians' strike ended in late 1948, the group became the Five Scamps and signed on to
Columbia Records, releasing “Chicken Shack Boogie" and “Red Hot." Subsequent hits, “How Nice, "
“The Fishing Song," and “I Love the Way You Walk" soon followed. By 1951 the Five Scamps began a Midwestern tour. At that time, they added guitarist Harold Slaughter
and his vocalist wife Theresa as his temporary replacement when Griffin went on a
brief hiatus. Griffin never did
rejoin the group, but later started his own band, Wyatt Griffin and the Five Scamps, with
lead Earl Garnett, tenor Arthur Jackson, bass Edwin Fountaine and pianist Louis Wright.
This lineup recorded 1951's Columbia release
“Gonna Buy Myself a Mule," prompting the original group to rechristen itself the
Red Hot Scamps.
Several
more member changes occurred before Griffin rejoined
Robinson and Whitcomb in the Red Hot Scamps. In
1955, the group cut its final sides for the Peacock label, with “Waterproof." Even more changes took place between mid 1950
through 1970. Today, however, the Scamps
remain a Kansas City favorite
and include Lucky Wesley on bass fiddle, Rudy Massingale on piano, Eddie Saunders and
Dwight Foster, both on saxophone, and Rusty Tucker on drums.
In May
2002, Kansas City leaders
renamed the section of H Street spanning from
Broadway to Central as “Scamps Alley" in their honor. Both Robinson and Massingale were present at the
ceremony. That same year, British reissue label Ace released Red Hot, a 22-track
collection of the group's vintage recordings.
Throughout
the years, one thing has never changed: the
Scamps’ appeal to jazz enthusiasts all over. They
were considered one of the hippest groups around, singing in four-part harmony and
performing skits alongside their energizing music selections. Amazingly, in
the last 55 years, there's been very little time when there wasn't a Scamps group playing
around.
And with
this year’s Kansas City Music Blues and Jazz Festival scheduled for Labor Day
weekend, an entirely new generation will be able to enjoy their timeless style.
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Visit: www.kansascitymusic.com.
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