R. A. “Bumps” Blackwell

R. A. “BUMPS” BLACKWELL

R. A. “Bumps” Blackwell (May 23, 1918 – March 9, 1985) was an American bandleader, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, best known for his work overseeing the early hits of Little Richard, as well as grooming Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson, Lloyd Price, Sam Cooke, Herb Alpert, Larry Williams, and Sly and the Family Stone at the start of their music careers. (More from Wikipedia)

Not long ago, I picked up the LP, Second Coming that reunited Little Richard with many of the original musicians on the 1950’s classics as well as the man who masterminded those recordings, R. A. “Bumps” Blackwell. I’m not sure how sales were this time, but the recordings are thrilling without being as over-the-top as his original songs. A second LP came out later, along with a 2-CD collection. These records are a reminder of what we lost when Little Richard abandoned rock and roll for a higher calling, and what we gained when he made the return.

(June 2013/1)

* * *

For the Bob Dylan album Shot of Love, other players include ex-Beatle Ringo Starr on drums, current Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood on guitar, bass guitarist Donald “Duck” Dunn – formerly of Booker T and the MG’s and also the Blues Brothers Band – and veteran sessionman Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar on guitar and electric guitar. Bumps Blackwell, who produced most of Little Richard’s most indelible songs, produced the title song “Shot of Love”.

(August 2014)

* * *

When a young band or musician is just starting out, they would often come to the recording studio with a handful of finished songs and others that were only partially written. The more experienced record producer or arranger would then help the band flesh out the other songs and, as a result, frequently receive partial credit for having written the songs.

This was also used as a device to compensate the producer. On many of Buddy Holly’s records, their producer Norman Petty is listed as one of the songwriters; and the same is true of Robert “Bumps” Blackwell on those by Little Richard.

Sometimes Buddy Holly himself isn’t credited as a songwriter; that happened with one of his best known recordings, “Peggy Sue”, but at Jerry Allison’s insistence, his name was added to the credits after his death.

(April 2015/1)