Morris Jennings was hired by Chess Records to play drums in the rhythm section of the studio band that was led by Gene Barge, a staff arranger, musician and producer at Chess Records.
Jennings was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and moved to the City of Chicago with his family when he was a child. He received his first drum set as a gift from an aunt and spent a good part of his childhood practising and developing his craft as a drummer, working with a tutor from the age of ten. In the later years of his career, he conducted free lessons to inspire youngsters who were interested in drumming.
Jennings played on wide range of studio albums while at Chess as a full-time staff session musician, the first being “Groovin’ With The Soulful Strings” in 1967. He went on to work with Muddy Waters, Ramsey Lewis, Marlena Shaw, the Dells, Little Milton and other Chess R&B and Jazz artists. Like most session musicians, he was happy to play in a variety of styles. In 1969, he recorded two albums as a member of the Electric Concept Orchestra, before joining Woody Herman’s Orchestra. In 1970 he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio, replacing Maurice White.
I believe the landmark album by Marlena Shaw “The Spice of Life” (1969), which features the combined creative efforts of Richard Evans and Charles Stepney in the roles of co-arranger and co-producer, is one of the best studio albums to come out of Chess on the Cadet label. The moods and musical styles range from Blues to Jazz, Soul and R&B, with sweet emotional Gospel vocal backing in some places. The studio album features a brilliant interpretation of the classic track “California Soul” with Jennings performing a remarkable drum pattern accompanied by other members of the rhythm section, which was led by Gene Barge (sax) and included Cash McCall (background vocals and rhythm guitar) and Louis Satterfield (bass and trombone). On the album’s opening song “Woman of The Ghetto”, Jennings sets a steady mid-tempo beat combining beautifully with Louis Satterfield’s groove bassline throughout the track.
Another landmark recording featuring Jennings on drums is the song “Stay In My Corner”, performed by The Dells and released in 1968, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles Chart week-ending 10th August 1968 (3 weeks). Jennings plays the drums softly with brilliant timing and great care. This song, which was extracted from the studio album “There Is”, runs over a full six minutes with a heavenly smooth groove. The lush strings arranged by the late Charles Stepney and performed by a string section drawn from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are the icing on the cake.
The Dells’ follow-up single was just as outstanding. “Oh What A Night” spent one week at number one on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles Chart week-ending 27th September 1969. Jennings’ drumbeat is heavier this time, with a strong bottom end to the sound, executed in balance with Louis Satterfield’s dynamic bass line. Jennings’ drumbeats underpin a full, rich rhythm sound that is perfectly augmented by the outstanding arrangements provided by Charles Stepney’s creative and extraordinary signature touch on the strings. What a sonic masterpiece indeed.
During the final years of the 1960s, Morris Jennings’ main contributions came in the fields of Blues, Jazz and instrumental recordings. In the 1970s he continued to make an outstanding contribution as a session musician to several other Chicago record companies.
Header Image: Plaque outside Chess Records (Chris Rycroft from Cambridge, Massachusetts, Wikimedia Commons)
