Ernie Andrews

Biography

Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr., known professionally as Ernie Andrews, was a suave, blues-drenched jazz vocalist born on December 25, 1927, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][2][5][6] Raised in a Baptist church environment by parents who both sang, he moved as a youngster to Jeanerette, Louisiana, where he played drums in school under legendary New Orleans trumpeter Bunk Johnson before his family settled in Los Angeles.[1][3] In South L.A. he attended Jefferson High School—alongside future jazz greats like Dexter Gordon and Sonny Criss—while singing in church choirs and absorbing the jump-blues and bebop sounds of Central Avenue’s vibrant club scene.[1][3] Discovered in his teens after winning an amateur contest at the Lincoln Theatre, he was taken into the studio by songwriter Joe Greene and, at just 17, cut “Soothe Me” (backed with “Wrap It Up, Put It Away”) for the G&G label in 1945, a record that sold over 300,000 copies and made him a rising star billed as the “Crown Prince of the Blues.”[1][3][4][5]

Through the late 1940s and 1950s, Andrews became a mainstay on Central Avenue, working in the same bustling ecosystem as Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, and Erroll Garner, and honing a style that blended big-band crooning, jazz phrasing, and raw blues feeling.[1][2] In 1958–59 he joined trumpeter Harry James’s orchestra, touring nationally and internationally for roughly a decade in a more conservative big-band setting that somewhat constrained his instinct for improvisatory, octave-leaping expression.[1][2][6] Although rock ’n’ roll and changing commercial tastes undercut his shot at major-chart success, he continued to record—a mix of solo and collaborative albums for labels like GNP, Dot, and Capitol—while increasingly making his living in clubs and on the road rather than through hit records.[1][3][6] His later career included notable recordings and tours with Gene Harris and the Philip Morris Superband, Ray Brown at the Blue Note, and appearances at festivals and clubs worldwide well into the 1990s, solidifying his reputation among musicians as an exceptionally versatile singer who could move seamlessly from blues shouts to tender standards.[4][5][6]

Although he never landed a canonical, era-defining album, Andrews’s legacy rests on his longevity, craftsmanship, and deep connection to multiple eras of Black American music—from church and early R&B to postwar big bands and modern jazz.[1][5][6] Celebrated guitarist Kenny Burrell called him “one of the most versatile singers that I ever heard,” and fellow musicians revered his poise, humor, and capacity to command a room with a single phrase.[5] He remained a vital presence in Los Angeles jazz, mentoring younger players informally on bandstands and in clubs, and was featured in the 1986 documentary “Blues for Central Avenue,” which helped document the history of the scene he helped define.[1][6] Ernie Andrews died on February 21, 2022, in Conroe, Texas, at age 94, remembered as a consummate entertainer and one of the last great links to the golden age of Central Avenue jazz and blues.[1][5][6]

Fun Facts

• Andrews liked to sum up his life story by saying he was baptized “down in the bayou, in alligator-infested waters,” a colorful memory from his Louisiana childhood.[1]
• His breakthrough hit “Soothe Me” was actually the B-side to a novelty tune, “Wrap It Up, Put It Away (Till Daddy Comes Home From the Army),” yet it sold over 300,000 copies and became his signature calling card.[1][3][5]
• In a late-1940s newspaper advertisement, he was billed as the “Crown Prince of the Blues,” reflecting how strongly audiences associated him with blues feeling even when he sang jazz standards.[1][2]
• Despite releasing at least 19 solo and collaborative albums and working with major bandleaders, Andrews remained relatively underrecognized outside musician circles and once reflected that his career trajectory was largely due to his own choices, saying he “didn’t have the moxie” to push harder for fame.[1][6]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Bunk Johnson - Iconic New Orleans trumpeter who taught Andrews music and led the school band where Andrews played drums in his early teens in Louisiana. (School band training and foundational music studies (no commercial recordings together documented).) [Early 1940s (around ages 13–15).]

Key Collaborators

• Joe Greene - Songwriter and producer who discovered Andrews after an amateur show and launched his recording career, writing and producing his early hits. (“Soothe Me” and “Wrap It Up, Put It Away (Till Daddy Comes Home From the Army)” (G&G, 1945) plus other early sides; also wrote “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” for Andrews.) [Mid-to-late 1940s.[1][3][5]]
• Harry James - Trumpeter and big-band leader; Andrews was the featured vocalist with the Harry James Orchestra, touring widely. (Live and studio work with the Harry James Orchestra (late 1950s–1960s), including national and international tours.) [Circa 1958/1959 through the 1960s.[1][2][6]]
• Gene Harris and the Philip Morris Superband - Andrews recorded a high-profile live album and toured globally with pianist Gene Harris’s all-star band. (“Live at Town Hall NYC” (Concord, 1989) and subsequent Philip Morris Superband tours across five continents.) [Late 1980s (album in 1989) and early 1990s tours.[4]]
• Ray Brown - Legendary bassist with whom Andrews appeared in club engagements. (Engagements at the Blue Note and other venues, including 1991 and 1992 appearances documented by LA Phil notes.) [Early 1990s.[4]]
• Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - Respected Los Angeles–based big band with which Andrews performed, showcasing his big-band vocal style in later years. (Concert and club performances (noted in obituaries and tributes).) [Primarily 1980s–1990s.[6][8]]
• Kenny Burrell - Guitarist and NEA Jazz Master who was a close friend; frequently shared bandstands and sessions. (Live club dates and concert collaborations (specific albums are not consistently documented, but Burrell is a noted advocate in tributes).) [From at least the 1960s through Andrews’s later career.[5][8]]

Artists Influenced

• Barbara Morrison - Los Angeles jazz and blues singer a generation younger; cited in regional coverage as part of the same LA vocal lineage that Andrews helped define, particularly on Central Avenue and in later club culture. (Her club work and recordings in L.A.’s jazz scene reflect a similar blend of jazz phrasing and blues feeling associated with Andrews’s example.) [Morrison’s career from the 1970s onward, with overlap in LA scenes through the 1980s–2000s.[8]]
• Younger LA jazz and session musicians (e.g., Rickey Minor’s generation) - Bandleader and bassist Rickey Minor has described how seeing Andrews in the mid-1980s shaped his understanding of stage presence and vocal artistry; Andrews served as an informal mentor to many younger musicians on the LA scene. (Club performances and informal bandstand mentorship rather than specific credited recordings; his influence is reflected in how these musicians talk about phrasing, showmanship, and professionalism.) [Primarily 1980s–1990s.[1]]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco (And I Don't Drink At All) (Live Session!)
2. Big City (Live Session!)
3. Next Time I See You (Live Session!)
4. Since I Fell For You (Live Session!)
5. Work Song (Live Session!)
6. Ten Years Of Tears (Live Session!)
7. Bill Bailey (Live Session!)
8. Green Door (Live Session!)
9. The Jug and I (L.A. Treasures Project)
10. I'm A Born World Shaker (Live Session!)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia