King Pleasure

King Pleasure (born Clarence Beeks; March 24, 1922 – March 21, 1981) was an American jazz vocalist and an early master of vocalese, a style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo.

Biography Born Clarence Beeks, in Oakdale, Tennessee, he moved to New York City in the mid-1940s, working as a bartender, where he became a fan of bebop. King Pleasure first gained attention by singing the Eddie Jefferson vocalese classic "Moody's Mood for Love", based on a 1949 James Moody saxophone solo to "I'm in the Mood for Love". He and Betty Carter also recorded a famous vocalese version of "Red Top", a jazz classic penned by Kansas Citian Ben Kynard and recorded by Gene Ammons and others. Other notable recordings include a presciently elegiac version of "Parker's Mood", the year before Charlie Parker died in 1955, and Pleasure's take on Ammons's "Hittin' the Jug", retitled as "Swan Blues" in 1962.

Pleasure has been cited as a significant influence by Van Morrison, especially on his album Astral Weeks. Genya Ravan, drawing inspiration for her singing from King Pleasure, recorded "Moody's Mood for Love" with James Moody on her 1972 CBS album Genya Ravan.

Pleasure died on March 21, 1981, aged 58.

Discography

10-inch shellac (78 rpm) and 7-inch vinyl (45 rpm) releases

7-inch EPs

10-inch LPs

12-inch LPs