(Original) Memphis 5 - Last Night On The Back Porch

The Original Memphis Five was a very famous New Orleans jazz quintet founded in 1917 by trumpeter Phil Napoleon and pianist Frank Signorelli. Jimmy Lytell was a member from 1922 to 1925. The group made many recordings between 1921 and 1931, under different names, including Ladd's Black Aces and Carolina Cotton Pickers. This outstanding record was made in 1923, with a vocal by Billy (né William Reese) Jones (1889-1940) who was a tenor who recorded during the 20s and 30s, finding fame as a radio star on The Happiness Boys radio program. After he met Ernie Hare in 1919, they teamed in 1920 when Brunswick executive Gus Haenschen had them sing an accompaniment on a Brunswick Records recording. They went on to do numerous recordings together for Brunswick, Edison etc. By 1928, they were the highest paid singers in radio, earning $1,250 a week. The partnership ended with Hare's death in 1939. Jones continued to perform, teaming with Hare's 16-year-old daughter, Marilyn Hare, in 1939-40.