[Dixielandjazz] Who was "Mad Joe" the Smith Street drummer?

[Harry Callaghan]

So glad you asked.

"Mad Joe" was Joe Madding, who in addition to performing "Knock on Wood"
would often perform "Cold Sweat" (a James Brown number). Joe was bald but
when he was featured on a rock number with Smith Streeet, ,he would wear a
black Beatles-type wig and at the conclusion of the number, remove it with
one of
his drumsticks.  He was a delight to behold.

Last I had asked Bruce about him (in around 2001) they had lost touch but he
guessed that if Joe was still alive he would have to be in his 90s as he was
quite
a bit older than the rest of the band when he played with them.

Not wishing to make any comparison between the two, but it is regrettable
that the
band never made any recordings when Bob Haggart Jr. was their drummer.asBruce
has referred to Bob as being the best drummer they ever had.

When Bob was featured with the band, they would usually wrap up with "Sweet
Georgia Brown" with a rousing Haggart drum solo.

I believe that "Ain't No Sin" was recorded in 1981.  They cut "Take Me to
the Land of Jazz" in 1988 for George Buck's label and I don't think there
was anything else until the formation of the OKOM label, maybe 2000 or 2001.

Another sideman that the band had who regrettably never recorded with them
was trumpeter "Big Benny" Ventura.  I recently obtained a Pennslvania Jazz
Society 30th Anniversary commemorative CD on which Benny was featured.  In
listening to it, I realized that I had truly forgotten what a great player
he was.

Then of course, there was Dick Rath, trombonist who preceded "Happy Herb"
Gardner.  Dick had played with Eddie Condon, the Village Stompers. & others.

But, don't get me started.

HC

On 4/8/10, Dick Baker <djml at dickbaker.org> wrote:
>
>
> I just set about remastering the first two Smith Street Society Jazz Band
>> LPs to CD.  Personnel on #1 ("But first...," later evidently reissued on CD
>> by OKOM titled "The Bear Missed the Train") are listed only by nicknames:
>>  Brother Bruce, Deacon Jim, Chicken Joe, Happy Herb and Mad Joe.  I know
>> McNichols, Lawyer, Hanchrow & Gardner, but can't remember the last name of
>> Mad Joe the drummer.
>>
>
> Can anybody help?
>
> And while you're at it:  LP above, MPI 0809, was dated 1973, but their
> second LP, "Ain't No Sin," MPI 3144, had no publication date.  I wonder if a
> recording or initial publication date was included on the CD on the OKOM
> reissue (OKOM 1421).
>
>
> --
> ---------------------
>     Dick Baker
>  djml at dickbaker.org
>
>
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