Tiny Grimes, the first “rock and roll” musician – a master of the four-string electric guitar, who moved on the border between swing, bebop and early rock.
Tiny Grimes (1916–1989) began his musical career behind the drums and piano. In 1938, he took up the guitar, choosing the unusual four-string electric guitar as his partner. In 1940, he joined The Cats and a Fiddle as guitarist and soloist, and soon after (1943) he was hired as guitarist for the Art Tatum Trio – recordings with Tatum are still a joy to listen to.
It is little known that Tiny Grimes was, according to many sources, the first “rock and roll” musician in history. The song Tiny’s Boogie was recorded at WOR Studios on August 14, 1946, and is often considered the first rock and roll recording.
After leaving Tatum, Grimes recorded with her own bands in New York, as well as with many leading musicians, including Ike Quebec, Cozy Cole, Leonard Feather, and Buck Clayton. She also made four recordings with Charlie Parker— Tiny’s Tempo, Red Cross, Romance Without Finance, and I’ll Always Love You—fine examples of early bebop.
Tiny Grimes led her own bands until the late 1970s, recording with Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, and Roy Eldridge, among others. There are many albums, but the most important one for us is the collaboration with Roy Eldridge from the late 1970s…
Our first contact with Tiny Grimes was when we bought the album he made with Roy Eldridge in 1977, One Is Never Too Old To Swing. The CD edition (1990) was found in the early 1990s in Anttila's "cheap box" for only 4.90 FIM – we didn't expect much.
But the music turned out to be absolutely fantastic and it became one of our most cherished records. Later, we got other records from the same era through Amazon, with remastered samples from the 1940s.
There is a fun detail in the collection: two almost identical album covers – one reads Old and the other Young. Otherwise, the cover is the same, down to the color (the other of our CD covers has faded over the years, though).
The records remind us that Tiny Grimes was simultaneously at the center of jazz history and at the forefront of something new – swing, bebop and rock go hand in hand.
The album that started it all. A tight and swinging band, where Roy Eldridge's trumpet and Tiny's guitar play together perfectly.
A collection showcasing Tiny's playing in various configurations. A good way to get to know her his career more broadly.
Tiny Grimes and His Rocking Highlanders Vol I & II – early, almost rock and roll swing, where Scottish kilt and jazz meet.
A compilation that includes Tiny Grimes's early days in the band The Cats and a Fiddle.