Johnny Moore's Three Blazers
| Johnny Moore's Three Blazers | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1940s–1950s |
| Past members |
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Johnny Moore's Three Blazers was a popular African-American vocal group in the 1940s and 1950s.
The original members were:
Johnny Moore (who was not related to the singer Johnny Moore [John Alfred Moore], of the Drifters) and his younger brother Oscar grew up in Texas and then Phoenix, Arizona, where they both started playing guitar and formed a string band. In the mid-1930s they relocated to Los Angeles, where Oscar Moore, who had been influenced by Charlie Christian and turned to jazz, joined the King Cole Trio.
Johnny Moore remained devoted to rhythm and blues. His guitar style is considered to have been an influence on Chuck Berry. He joined and formed several groups, before forming the Three Blazers with two other Texans, the bassist Eddie Williams and the pianist and singer Charles Brown, who was newly arrived in the city. After the King Cole Trio moved from Atlas Records to Capitol in 1943, Oscar Moore suggested to Atlas boss Robert Scherman that he replace them with his brother's group. Scherman agreed to record the Blazers if Oscar Moore would play with them, and the recordings were released under the name "Oscar Moore with the Three Blazers". This upset Johnny Moore, but it brought the group some exposure, and in 1945 they had their first hit, backing Ivory Joe Hunter on "Blues at Sunrise".
In 1946, they had their greatest success with "Driftin' Blues", sung by Brown. Brown was the group's star attraction, but Moore refused to allow him credit on their records. Moore also refused to sign an exclusive contract with any record company, so that the group's early records appeared on various labels, particularly Philo (which later became Aladdin Records), Exclusive Records, and Modern Records. The group followed up the success of "Driftin' Blues" with several other big R&B hits, including "Sunny Road" (1946), "New Orleans Blues" (1947), and "Merry Christmas Baby" (1947, also a hit in 1948 and 1949).
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