Red Nichols - "Hot Lips" (1939)

"Hot Lips"
(Henry Busse, Henry Lange, Lou Davis)
Performed by Red Nichols and His Orchestra
Recorded June 21, 1939

Personnel:
Red Nichols - trumpet, director
Don Stevens, J. Douglas Wood - trumpets
Martin Croy, Robert Gebhart - trombones
Harry Yolonsky, Ray Schultz - clarinet, alto sax
Bobby Jones, Billy Shepard - clarinet, tenor sax
Billy Maxted - piano
Tony Colucci - guitar
Jack Fay - string bass
Victor Engle- drums

"Hot Lips" was first published in 1922 and was presented as a "Blues Fox Trot Song." The song is about a trumpet player. The chorus is: He's got hot lips, when he plays jazz, He draws out step, like no one has, You're on your toes, and shake your shoes, Boy, how he goes, when he plays blues. I watch the crowd, until he's through, He can be proud, they're "cuckoo,' too; His music's rare, you must declare, The boy is there, with two hot lips.

The song has been recorded many times. The initial issue was by Paul Whiteman's orchestra of which Henry Busse was a member at the time.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Red Nichols
• Hot Lips
• 1939
• swing
• jazz
• hot
• dance
• Henry Busse
• trumpet solo

[PapaGProductions]

Thank you, thank you....My grandfather played bass on this track "Jack Fay" thanks for keeping the spirit alive. I'm still trying to walk in his footsteps......

[bsgs98]

@PapaGProductions I'm glad you found him on my channel! There's photo of Jack Fay in "Bucky Pizzarelli: A Life in Music" by Terence M. Ripmaster on page 24. There was supposedly a Jack Fay who played tuba with Lombardo. Is this the same person?

[2reeler]

Well my ears have survived the shrill trumpet intro ok to reveal a swingin late 30s band I have never heard before! All my Red Nichols sides are 20s era. Hey theres Clara with her Hot "It" lips, & that fave India Princess you like to use.. then you go backwards to the teens to that early Armstrong girl, OMG she winked and blew a smooch! You grabbed my Hanshaw winks dint ya? LMAO!!! Brilliant fun!

[bsgs98]

@2reeler I know that in the lyrics "Hot Lips" was referring to the trumpet player, but I could not ignore those other hot lips. That 'princess' is the beautiful Lupe Vélez, the "Mexican Spitfire."

[PapaGProductions]

@bsgs98 Yup that's my grandfather in the Bucky Pizzarelli book. Jack also played tuba during the war.If you have any photo's that we be great....Thank you so much, it means the world to me.