THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

980-Cleveland Eaton-Bama Boogie Woogie.

1978-Number 35 single.

Best Bit-At 2.39. It’s amazing how the passing of the years doesn’t change the way you feel about certain songs. Even after all this time, I still get the same vibe off of this song, as I did as a teenager.

Cleveland Josephus Eaton 11 was born on August 31st, 1939, in Fairfield, Alabama, United States, he died on July 5th, 2020, at the age of 80, after being hospitalised for the last four months of his life. Cleveland Eaton was a composer, arranger, producer, and a band leader, but it is probably for playing the double bass that he will be best remembered.

Cleveland Eaton’s career in music began when playing Jazz with the ‘Ike Cole Trio’ in 1960, Ike Cole (1927-2001) was the brother of Nat ‘King Cole. Eaton made his first recordings with the ‘Donald Byrd (1932-2013) & Pepper Adams (1930-1986) Quintet,’ which included Herbie Hancock (see also best songs 713) soon after. Eaton has spoken about that time,’I knew Herbie Hancock, who was with Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams, he got me a job with them for a year and a half. I played the first ‘Watermelon Man,’ in fact; it was scribbled on a piece of paper at a club in East St. Louis, called Joseph’s Coffee House. Cleveland Eaton would next accept an offer to join the ‘Ramsey Lewis Trio’ (see also best songs 525) in 1964, some of the songs he played bass on include ‘Wade in the Water,’ (1966) and ‘Sun Goddess’ (1968.)

Between 1973-1980 Cleveland Eaton recorded five studio Albums, and also toured, and then in 1979 the legendary Count Basie (1904-1984) (see also best songs 73) called and asked him if he could fill in for a bass player who was ill. He was told that his services with the ‘Count Basie Orchestra’ would be needed for about two weeks, Eaton recalled,’After the two weeks he took me aside and said he was cutting the other guy loose, and did I want the job?’ The job would last for the next 17 years, where Eaton would play on nine Count Basie Albums, including his last recordings. Count Basie would refer to Cleveland Eaton during his tenure with the ‘Count Basie Orchestra’ as ‘The Counts Bassist.’

The discography of Cleveland Eaton includes five studio Albums released between 1973-1980, and the single ‘Bama Boogie Woogie,’ issued in 1978. He also recorded 17 studio Albums with Ramsey Lewis, and nine with the Count Basie Orchestra. In total Cleveland Eaton appeared on over 100 Albums, providing backing for some of the biggest names of the 20th Century, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Temptations, he was also the composer of around 300 songs.

During his career Cleveland Eaton dabbled in various musical genres, including ‘Swing,’ Jazz,’ Jazz Funk,’ ‘R&B,’ and ‘Funk,’ his second solo studio Album ‘Plenty Good Eaton’ from 1975 is considered a classic in the ‘Funk’ music genre. ‘Bama Boogie Woogie’ was written by Cleveland Eaton, and first appeared on his third studio Album ‘Instant Hip,’ from 1976, which was predominately a ‘Funk,’ and ‘Soul’ collection.

‘Bama boogie, got my boogie woogie, boogie bama, I’ve got my boogie woogie. Get yourself together, yeah.’