Danny Cedrone and the Esquire Boys

Danny Cedrone

The short-lived guitarist Danny Cedrone (1920-54) was highly influential in the rise of rock-'n'-roll. He contributed a famous solo to Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" just a few months before he died.

Cedrone was a friend of Haley's who played with him for recording sessions but was never a member of his group. Danny had his own combo, the Esquire Boys, who are the focus of today's post - although Haley and Arthur (Guitar Boogie) Smith make appearances as well.

The genesis of this article was my recent post of recordings by Ralph Marterie's band, among them his version of Juan Tizol's "Caravan."

My friend Dave from Ardmore pointed out that the Marterie record was actually a cover of a single by the Esquire Boys, and suggested I post the original. It leads off this collection.

Sadly for the Esquire Boys, Marterie's Mercury record was more popular - although Cedrone and company did nicely.

The Esquire Boys were not rockers by background. Their output varies between middle-of-the-road fare and up-tempo numbers. The second song in the set is an example of the former - the country-ish ballad "We Drifted Apart" with guest vocalist Kay Karol and a spoken chorus. It demonstrates the group's biggest weakness - they did not sing well.

The early photo of the group below shows them with accordion and steel guitar, suggesting they had roots in country music, similar to their friend Haley, who was calling his group "The Saddlemen" at the time.

The Esquire Boys

Haley had given his friend Cedrone the song "Rock-a-Beatin Boogie," which the boys recorded twice, first for Rainbow in late 1952, then for Guyden the following year, before Haley got around to doing so. Both are in this set.

Meanwhile, Cedrone was making the first recording of the famous solo that would eventually appear on "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954. It first appeared in Haley's "Rock the Joint" (which is usually called "Rock this Joint" - that's what Bill sings). The number came out on Essex in 1952, attributed to Bill Haley with the Saddlemen. When Haley and Cedrone recorded "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954, they figured the "Rock the Joint" solo merited a repeat.

Also in the set from the Esquire Boys are the "St. Louis Blues" on Guyden and the "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" on Nickelodeon. The latter shows one of Cedrone's influences - the guitarist Arthur Smith, who first recorded "Guitar Boogie" for Super Disc in 1945 as "the Rambler Trio featuring Arthur Smith." It was re-released on M-G-M in 1948 as by "Arthur (Guitar Boogie) Smith and His Cracker-Jacks." This later pressing is heard in this set.

Finally, we have the Esquire Boys with their circa 1953 version of "Taboo," the Marguerita Lecuona tune dating from the 1930s. I don't believe the song had yet become an exotica classic. That would come in a few years with versions by Les Baxter and especially Arthur Lyman with its bird calls and sound effects. None of that here - but just as Arthur Smith was an influence on Cedrone, Danny's playing likely had an influence on Dick Dale and other guitarists to come.

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