One of the very first acts signed to the newly founded Mercury label in 1945 was a quartet calling itself
the Cats 'N Jammer Three, a name derived from Rudolph Dirks' old-time comic strip, The Katzenjammer Kids. Their pianist and lead vocalist was Mississippi native and Chicago-based entertainer
Bill Samuels.
Adam Lambert played mellifluous amplified guitar, and rhythmic support was provided by bassist
Sylvester Hickman and drummer
Hillard Brown. The first of two versions of "I Cover the Waterfront" was terrifically successful for
the Jammers and for Mercury. Stylistically,
Samuels and his group sounded something like
the King Cole Trio, tempered with the quaintness of
the Charioteers and, at times, the cheerful carnality of the rising R&B movement. Comparisons could also be drawn with
the Mills Brothers,
the Ink Spots,
the Cats & the Fiddle,
Slim Gaillard,
the Delta Rhythm Boys,
the Three Keys,
the Four Blazes, and
the Five Red Caps. "Waterfront" is smoothly romantic with cool background vocals, and the lovely "One Hundred Years from Today" epitomizes the old-fashioned aspect of
Samuels' act. On the raunchier end of the spectrum, "Jockey Blues" and "My Bicycle Tillie" -- with its repeated references to "pumping" -- are distinctly and daringly copulative. This combination of cuteness and relatively overt sexuality was an important ingredient in R&B and early rock & roll. Tapping into a rowdy novelty routine popularized by both
Count Basie and
Louis Jordan, bassist
Sylvester Hickman tried to out-squeal
Jordan during
the Jammers' rendition of "Open the Door, Richard." Three sides from July of 1947 find
Samuels in front of a small band led by
Ram Ramirez, with trumpet solos from
Bill Coleman and guitar passages by
Mundell Lowe. The Cats 'N Jammer Three seem to have disbanded during the 1948 recording ban.
Samuels waxed only a couple of sides in 1949, then moved to Minneapolis where he managed to form a trio, eventually recording an LP and one last single.
Bill Samuels passed away in March of 1964 at the age of 53. This is the heart of his musical legacy.