Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone.
Along with Gaillard's date of birth, his lineage and place of birth are disputed. Many sources state that he was born in Detroit, Michigan, though he said himself that he was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, of an Afro-Cuban mother called Maria (Mary Gaillard) and a German-Jewish father called Theophilus (Theophilus Rothschild) who worked as a ship's steward.
During an interview in 1989, Gaillard added: “They all think I was born in Detroit because that was the first place I got into when I got to America.”
When Slim was about 15, he crossed the Atlantic, hoping the ship would take him home to Cuba, but it was bound for the U.S. and he ended up in Detroit. He never saw either of his parents again.
During Prohibition in 1931 or 1932, he drove a hearse with a coffin that was packed with whiskey for the Purple Gang. Slim also attended evening classes in music and taught himself to play guitar and piano.
Duke Ellington
When Duke Ellington came to Detroit, he went backstage and met his hero. Determined to become a musical entertainer, he moved to New York City and entered the world of show business as a "professional amateur".
As Gaillard recalled much later: “The MC would say, 'Here they come, all the hopefuls!' Well, we may have been hopefuls but we weren't amateurs. Of course, you had to be a little bad in spots. If you were too good you'd lose the amateur image. I would be a tap dancer this week, next week I'd play guitar, two weeks later some boogie-woogie piano. They paid us $16 a show. I did one with Frank Sinatra, I got $16 and he got $16.”
Gaillard first rose to prominence in the late 1930s as part of Slim & Slam, a jazz novelty act he formed with bassist Slam Stewart. Their hits included Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy) and Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti).
Gaillard's appeal was similar to Cab Calloway's and Louis Jordan's in that he presented a hip style with broad appeal. Unlike them, he was a master improviser whose stream of consciousness vocals ranged far from the original lyrics.
Slim sang wild interpolations of nonsense syllables, such as MacVoutie O-reeney. One such performance is celebrated in the 1957 novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
Slim Gaillard, along with Dodo Marmarosa on piano, appeared as a guest several times on Command Performance, recorded at KNX radio studios in Hollywood in the 1940s and distributed on transcription discs to American troops in World War II.
In 1943, Gaillard was drafted in the United States Army Air Forces and qualified as a pilot flying B-26 bombers in the Pacific and resumed his music career on his release from the draft in 1944.
Upon his return he released the song Atomic Cocktail, which featured seemingly lighthearted lyrics laced with symbolism about nuclear war.
Gaillard later teamed with bassist Bam Brown, and their successes included the hipster anthem Opera in Vout (Groove Juice Symphony). They can be seen in a 1947 motion picture featurette O'Voutie O'Rooney filmed live at one of their nightclub performances.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Gaillard frequently opened at Birdland for Charlie Parker, Flip Phillips, and Coleman Hawkins. His December 1945 session with Parker and Dizzy Gillespie is notable, both musically and for its relaxed convivial air. Slim's Jam, from that session, is one of the earliest known recordings of Parker's speaking voice. In 1949 he was playing in San Francisco.
Baked Beans & a Bottle of Beer
Gaillard could play several instruments and managed to turn the performance from jazz to comedy. Slim would play the guitar with his left hand fretting with fingers pointing down over the fingerboard (instead of the usual way up from under it), or he would play credible piano solos with his palms facing up.
In the early 1960s, Gaillard lived in San Diego, California. During that time he recorded several singles and performed with local bands
By the early 1980s Gaillard was touring the European jazz festival circuit, playing with such musicians as Arnett Cobb. He also played with George Melly and John Chilton's Feetwarmers, appearing on their BBC television series and also occasionally deputizing for Melly when he was unwell. Gaillard's behavior on stage was often erratic and nerve-wracking for the accompanying musicians.
One of Slim's best moments was when Slim Gaillard made a guest appearance on Show 106 of the 1980s music program Night Music, an NBC late-night music series hosted by David Sanborn.
Other great moments from Slim Gaillard
LONG LIVE THE MAGICAL SOUNDS OF SLIM GAILLARD!
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