Editing Louis Jordan

{{Short description|American musician, songwriter and bandleader (1908–1975)}}{{For-multi|the athlete|Louis Jordan (American football)|the French actor|Louis Jourdan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Louis Jordan
| image             = Louis Jordan, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 (William P. Gottlieb 04721).jpg
| caption           = Jordan in New York City, 1946
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Louis Thomas Jordan
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1908|07|08|mf=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Brinkley, Arkansas|Brinkley]], Arkansas, U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1975|02|04|1908|07|08|mf=y}}
| death_place       = Los Angeles, California
| occupation        = {{Flatlist|
*Musician
*bandleader
*songwriter
*singer
}}
| instrument        = {{Flatlist|
*Saxophones
*vocals
}}
| genre             = {{Flatlist|
* [[Jazz music|Jazz]]
* [[Swing music|swing]]
* [[jump blues]]
* [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
* [[rock and roll]]
}}
| years_active      = 1932–1974
| label             = {{Flatlist|
*[[Decca Records|Decca]]
*[[V-Disc]]
*[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
*[[Aladdin Records|Aladdin]]
}}
| past_member_of    = [[Tympany Five]]
}}
'''Louis Thomas Jordan'''{{efn|Jordan favoured the French pronunciation of [[Louis (given name)|his name]] ({{IPAc-en|'|l|uː|i}}), commonly found in the southern United States}} (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.louisjordan.com/history.aspx |title=Louis Jordan |publisher=LouisJordan.com |access-date=September 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721075859/http://www.louisjordan.com/history.aspx |archive-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|the King of the Jukebox]]", he earned his highest profile towards the end of the swing era.

Specializing in the [[alto saxophone|alto sax]], Jordan played all forms of the saxophone, as well as piano and [[clarinet]]. He also was a talented singer with great comedic flair, and fronted his own band for more than twenty years. He duetted with some of the biggest solo singing stars of his time, including [[Bing Crosby]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Louis Armstrong]]. 

Jordan began his career in [[big-band]] swing jazz in the 1930s coming to the public's attention as part of [[Chick Webb]]'s hard swinging band, though he became better known as an innovative popularizer of [[jump blues]]—a swinging, up-tempo, dance-oriented hybrid of [[jazz]], [[blues]] and [[boogie-woogie]]. Typically performed by smaller bands consisting of five or six players, jump music featured shouted, highly [[syncopated]] vocals and earthy, comedic lyrics on contemporary urban themes. It strongly emphasized the rhythm section of piano, bass and drums; after the mid-1940s, this mix was often augmented by electric guitar. Jordan's band also pioneered the use of the [[electronic organ]].

With his dynamic bands that he called The [[Tympany Five]] no matter how many musicians were in it, Jordan mapped out the main parameters of the classic [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], urban [[blues]] and early [[rock-and-roll]] genres with a series of highly influential [[78-rpm]] discs released by [[Decca Records]]. These recordings presaged many of the styles of black popular music of the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s and exerted a strong influence on many leading performers in these genres. Many of his records were produced by [[Milt Gabler]] who, in his later production work, played Jordan's music for [[Bill Haley (musician)|Bill Haley]] as Haley wanted to transition from country & western to rock 'n' roll resulting in Haley's huge hit, "[[Rock Around the Clock]]".

Jordan was also an actor and a film personality. He appeared in 14 three-minute [[Soundies]] filmed for "movie jukeboxes" of the 1940s.<ref>[[Scott MacGillivray]] and [[Ted Okuda]], ''The Soundies Book'', iUniverse, 2007, pp. 136–137.</ref> He also worked as a specialty act in the Hollywood theatrical features ''[[Follow the Boys (1944 film)|Follow the Boys]]'' and ''[[Swing Parade of 1946]]''. His very successful musical short ''[[Caldonia (film)|Caldonia]]'' (1945) prompted three more feature films, all starring Jordan and his band: ''[[Beware (1946 film)|Beware]]''; ''[[Reet, Petite and Gone]]''; and ''[[Look-Out Sister]]''.

Jordan ranks fifth in the list of the most successful [[African-American]] recording artists according to [[Joel Whitburn]]'s analysis of ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' magazine's [[R&B chart]], and was the most popular rhythm and blues artist with his jump blues recordings<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2008/03/04/87905064/louis-jordan-jukebox-king|title=Louis Jordan: 'Jukebox King'|publisher=NPR|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> of the pre-rock n' roll era. Though comprehensive sales figures are not available, Jordan had at least four million-selling hits during his career and regularly topped the R&B "race" charts, reaching Number 1 a total of 18&nbsp;times, with 113 weeks in that spot over the years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/louis-jordan/ |title=Louis Jordan |date=November 10, 2016 |work=Blues Foundation |access-date=December 26, 2022 |quote=}}</ref> He was also one of the first black recording artists to achieve significant [[Crossover (music)|crossover]]<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Jordan|title=Louis Jordan &#124; Biography, Songs, Assessment, & Facts|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> in popularity with the predominantly white mainstream American audience, having simultaneous [[record chart|top ten]] hits on the pop charts several times.

==Early life==
Jordan was born on July 8, 1908, in [[Brinkley, Arkansas]]. His father, James Aaron Jordan, was a music teacher and bandleader for the Brinkley Brass Band and the [[Rabbit Foot Minstrels]]. His mother, Adell, died when Louis was young and his grandmother, Maggie Jordan and his aunt, Lizzie Reid raised him.<ref name=":0" /> Under the tutelage of his father, Jordan began studying clarinet at age seven, then saxophone.<ref name="Feather">{{cite book |last1=Feather |first1=Leonard |last2=Gitler |first2=Ira |title=The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-507418-5 |pages=373–374}}</ref> In his teens, he joined the Rabbit Foot Minstrels<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net">{{cite web|url=http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1685 |title=Louis Thomas Jordan (1908–1975) |publisher=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref> Louis Jordan studied at Arkansas Baptist College where he majored in music.<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net"/>

==Career==
By the late 1920s Jordan was playing professionally.<ref name="Classic">{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=Classic Jazz |date=2001 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=San Francisco |isbn=0-87930-659-9 |pages=374–377}}</ref> In the early 1930s, he played in Philadelphia and New York City with [[Charlie Gaines]],<ref name="Feather" /><ref name="Classic" /> as well as recording with [[Clarence Williams (musician)|Clarence Williams]] and his Blue Rhythm Boys and was briefly a member of the [[Stuff Smith]] orchestra.<ref name="Feather" /><ref name="Classic" /> With [[Chick Webb]]'s orchestra, he sang and played alto saxophone.<ref name="Feather" /> In 1938, he started a band that recorded a year later as the Tympany Five.<ref name="Classic" /> 

[[File:Louis Jordan's Typany Five, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 (William P. Gottlieb 04751).jpg|thumb|Louis Jordan's Tympany Five (c. 1946–1948)]]
Jordan's first band, drawn mainly from members of the [[Jesse Stone (musician)|Jesse Stone]] band, was a nine-piece group that he reduced to a sextet after being hired for a residency at the Elks Rendezvous club at 464 [[Lenox Avenue]] in [[Harlem]]. The band consisted of Jordan (saxes, vocals), Courtney Williams (trumpet), [[Lem Johnson]] (tenor sax), Clarence Johnson (piano), [[Charlie Drayton]] (bass), and Walter Martin (drums). In his first billing as the Elks Rendez-vous Band, his name was spelled "Louie" so people could avoid pronouncing it "Lewis".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/louisjordan.html |title=Louis Jordan Solid Sender |publisher=BigBandLibrary.com |access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Louis Jordan, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946 (William P. Gottlieb 04731).jpg|thumb|upright|Jordan in New York, July 1946, shortly after getting second billing to [[Glen Gray]]'s [[Casa Loma Orchestra]] at the [[1501 Broadway|Paramount]].]]
In 1942, Jordan and his band moved to Los Angeles where he began making [[soundies]], the precursors of music videos. He appeared on many Jubilee radio shows and a series of programs for the [[Armed Forces Radio]] that were distributed to American troops overseas. Jordan's career was uninterrupted by the draft except for a four-week Army camp tour. Because of a "hernia condition" he was classified "[[Selective Service System classification|4F]]".<ref name="billboard4f">{{cite web|title=Louis Jordan in 4F|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT17|access-date=March 13, 2020 |date=May 1, 1943 |publisher=Billboard/Nielsen |pages=17–}}</ref>

During the 1940s, Jordan and the band became popular with such hits as "[[Choo Choo Ch'Boogie]]", "[[Knock Me a Kiss]]", "[[Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby]]", and "[[Five Guys Named Moe (song)|Five Guys Named Moe]]".<ref name="Feather" /><ref name="Classic" /> He recorded with [[Ella Fitzgerald]] both during and after their time with [[Chick Webb]], also [[Bing Crosby]] and [[Louis Armstrong]] and appeared in films.<ref name="Feather" /><ref name="Classic" /> Within a year of his breakthrough, the Tympany Five's appearance fee rose from $350 to $2,000 per night. But the breadth of Jordan's success and the size of his combo had larger implications for the music industry. The blues singer [[Gatemouth Moore]] said, "He was playing ... with five pieces. That ruined the big bands ... He could play just as good and just as loud with five as 17. And it was cheaper."<ref name="Lauterbach">{{cite book |last1=Lauterbach |first1=Preston |title=The Chitlin' Circuit and the Road to Rock 'n' Roll |date=2011 |publisher=Norton |isbn=978-0-393-34294-9 |page=115}}</ref>

Jordan's raucous recordings were notable for using contemporary narratives. This is perhaps best exemplified on "[[Saturday Night Fish Fry]]", a two-part 1950 hit that was split across both sides of a 78-rpm record. It was one of the first popular songs to use the word "rocking" in the chorus and to feature a distorted electric guitar.<ref name="what">{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Jim |author-link1=Jim Dawson|last2=Propes |first2=Steve|author-link2=Steve Propes |title=What Was the First Rock 'N' Roll Record? |date=1992 |publisher=Faber and Faber |location=Boston & London |isbn=0-571-12939-0}}</ref> Many sources describe this recording, and some others by Jordan, as "jump blues", because "it literally made its listeners jump to its pulsing beat", according to [[NPR]].<ref name="auto1"/> One source states that "Saturday Night Fish Fry" had a "lively jump rhythm, call-and-response chorus and double-string electric guitar riffs that Chuck Berry would later admit to copying".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30288/5-candidates-first-rock-n-roll-song |title=5 Candidates for the First Rock 'n' Roll Song |date=March 23, 2012 |publisher=Mentalfloss |access-date=August 2, 2020}}</ref>

He was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1987 as an "early influence".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-22-adna-jordan22-story.html|title=Straining to hear Louis Jordan's music|date=June 22, 2008|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> He is described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "The Father of Rhythm & Blues" and "The Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll".<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/louis-jordan |title=Louis Jordan: Inducted in 1987|publisher=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Rockhall.com |access-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref> The Hall also states that "Saturday Night Fish Fry" is "an early example of rap and possibly the first rock and roll recording".<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/louis-jordan|title=Louis Jordan &#124; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|website=Rockhall.com|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> Not all critics agree with the importance of his work as a rock and roll influence. For example, [[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]] offers this take on Jordan's recordings from the late 1940s: "... the early idol of both Berry and Bill Haley, came closest, but his jump 'n' jive story songs were aimed as much at adults as teens, and any hillbilly flavor in his records was strictly a comedic device". The article agrees with [[Sam Phillips]] that rock and roll "specifically addressed and was tailored to teenagers".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/the-50s-a-decade-of-music-that-changed-the-world-229924/|title=The 50s: A Decade of Music That Changed the World|first1=Robert|last1=Palmer|website=Rollingstone.com|date=April 19, 1990|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

Another source describes Jordan's jump blues style as combining "good-natured novelty lyrics (some with suggestive double meanings); [pushing] the tempo; [strengthening] the beat and [layering] the sound with his bluesy saxophone and playful melodies."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ampopmusic.com/topic/jump-blues-grandfather-of-rock-n-roll|title=Jump Blues – Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll |website=AmPopMusic.com|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

During this period, Jordan crossed over on the popular music charts placing more than a dozen songs nationally though his greatest success was with the Tympany Five dominating the 1940s R&B charts, or (as they were known at the time) the "race" charts. In this period, Jordan had eighteen Number 1 singles and fifty four in the Top Ten. According to [[Joel Whitburn]]'s analysis of the ''Billboard'' magazine charts, Jordan ranks fifth among the most successful musicians of the period 1942–1995.<ref name="whitburnr&b">{{cite book |last1=Whitburn |first1=Joel |title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995 |date=1996 |publisher=Record Research |pages=621, 235}}</ref> From July 1946 through May 1947, Jordan had five consecutive number one songs, holding the top slot for 44 consecutive weeks.<ref name="whitburnr&b" />

Jordan's popularity was boosted not only by his hit Decca records but also by his prolific recordings for [[Armed Forces Radio]] and the [[V-Disc]] transcription program along with starring in short musical films and making "[[soundies]]" of his hit songs all of which helped make him popular with whites and blacks alike.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-louis-jordan.html |title=Louis Jordan's Soundies |publisher=Weirdwildrealm.com |access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref>

Jordan was certainly a significant figure in the development of rhythm and blues. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he and [[Big Joe Turner]] laid the foundation for R&B in the 1940s, "cutting one swinging rhythm & blues masterpiece after another".<ref name="Funk and R&B">{{cite web |url=https://www.rockhall.com/funk-and-rb#:~:text=Other%20cornerstones%20of%20R%26B%20and,the%20Ravens%20and%20the%20Dominoes |title=Funk and R&B |date=June 15, 2020 |work=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=December 25, 2020 |quote=}}</ref> Stepping away from his rhythm and blues style, Jordan started a big band in the early 1950s that was unsuccessful.<ref name="Feather" /><ref name="Classic" /> Throughout the 1950s, illness kept him near his home in Arizona.<ref name="Feather" />

On June 1, 1952, Jordan performed at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] in Los Angeles for the eighth [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concert which [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.]] produced.<ref name="booked">{{cite news |title=Louis Jordan Booked for Eighth Cavalcade of Jazz |work=The California Eagle |date=May 15, 1952}}</ref>  On June 20, 1954, he and his Tympany Five returned for the tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert.<ref name="top">{{cite news |title=Basie, Jordan, Prado Top Jazz Cavalcade |work=Los Angeles Sentinel |date=June 3, 1954}}</ref>

Jordan signed with [[Aladdin Records|Aladdin]] for which he recorded 21 songs in early 1954. They released nine singles from these sessions; three of the songs were not released.<ref name="tivn">{{cite web |url=http://www.thisisvintagenow.com/our_heroes/louis_jordan_discography_54-58.htm |title=Louis Jordan Discography 1954–1958 (Aladdin, X, Vik, and Mercury Sessions) |publisher=Thisisvintagenow.com |access-date=September 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016224517/http://www.thisisvintagenow.com/our_heroes/louis_jordan_discography_54-58.htm |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> In 1955, he recorded with "X" Records, a  subsidiary of RCA, which had changed its name to [[Vik Records]] while Jordan was with them.<ref name="globaldog">{{cite web |title=45 Discography for "X"/Vik Records |url=http://globaldogproductions.info/x/x-vik.html |website=globaldogproductions.info |access-date=March 13, 2020}}</ref> Three singles were by released by "X" and one by Vik; four tracks were not released.<ref name="tivn" /> For these sessions, Jordan changed and simplified his sound, wanting to be part of the rock and roll wave.<ref name="tivn" /> In 1956, [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] signed Jordan and released two albums and a handful of singles.<ref name="tivn" /> His first album for Mercury, ''Somebody Up There Digs Me'' (1956), showcased updated rock-and-roll versions of previous hits such as "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens", "Caldonia", "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie", "Salt Pork, West Virginia", and "Beware!"<ref name="tivn" /> Mercury intended this to be a comeback for Jordan, but it was commercially unsuccessful, and the label let him go in 1958.<ref name="tivn" /> Jordan later expressed disliking rock 'n' roll and commented "A lot of companies have asked me to record, but they insisted that I go into rock 'n' roll, and I didn't want to change my style".<ref name=":1"/> He recorded sporadically in the 1960s for Warwick (1960), [[Black Lion Records|Black Lion]] (1962), Tangerine (1962–1965), and Pzazz (1968) and in the early 1970s for [[Black & Blue Records|Black & Blue]] (1973), Blues Spectrum (1973), and [[JSP Records|JSP]] (1974).<ref>Thomas, Alain. Liner notes for the album ''Rock 'n' Roll'', p. 5.</ref>

In the early 1960s, he toured in England with [[Chris Barber]].<ref name="Feather" /> Speaking in 2012, Barber recalled seeing Jordan at the [[Apollo Theater]] in New York:
{{blockquote|playing with him was just frightening. It's a bit like an amateur guitar player from a back street who has just bought a Spanish guitar working with [[Andrés Segovia|Segovia]]. He didn't make you feel small, but he was just so perfect in what he did.&nbsp;... I still remember watching him singing, but he would accompany himself on the alto, and you were convinced he was playing the alto while he was singing.&nbsp;... the breath hadn't gone from his last word before he was playing his alto and it seemed to be simultaneous.&nbsp;... He got a very raw deal from history&nbsp;... In the Chick Webb band there were two regular singers – Ella and Louis Jordan. And yet really, history has consigned him to just being a comedy vocal thing with a bit of rock and roll, and Webb's first alto&nbsp;... but he was such a consummately good singer that it's sad that he wasn't known more for it.<ref name="Peters">{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Clarke |title=BBC Radio 6 Music – Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, Episode 4 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f4plq |website=BBC |access-date=13 March 2020 |date=16 June 2017}}</ref>}}

Jordan remade some of his top hits for a 1973 LP, ''I Believe in Music'': "Caldonia", "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby", "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town". He also added new material.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-believe-in-music-mw0000202377|title=I Believe in Music – Louis Jordan &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|access-date=March 8, 2021|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

According to a Billboard book cited by the Blues Hall of Fame, Jordan had "18 No. 1 hits on the race and R&B charts spent a total of 113 weeks in the top slot, almost twice as many weeks as any other artist in the history of rhythm & blues".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/louis-jordan/|title=Louis Jordan|website=Blues.org|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

One publication of the [[Smithsonian Institution]] provided this summary of Jordan's music.<blockquote>One important stylistic prototype in the development of R&B was jump blues, pioneered by Louis Jordan, with his group Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. Jordan's group ... consisted of three horns and a rhythm section, while stylistically his music melded elements of swing and blues, incorporating the shuffle rhythm, boogie-woogie bass lines, and short horn patterns or riffs. The songs featured the use of African American vernacular language, humor, and vocal call-and-response sections between Jordan and the band. Jordan's music appealed to both African American and white audiences, and he had broad success with hit songs like "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" (1944).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/freedom-sounds-tell-it-like-it-is-a-history-of-rhythm-and-blues | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025032411/https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/freedom-sounds-tell-it-like-it-is-a-history-of-rhythm-and-blues | archive-date=October 25, 2020 | title=Tell It Like It is: A History of Rhythm and Blues &#124; Smithsonian Folklife }}</ref></blockquote>

=== Films ===
Jordan and the Tympany Five perform "Deacon Jones" in the 1944 film ''[[Meet Miss Bobby Socks]]''.

The release of the 1945 musical short film ''[[Caldonia (film)|Caldonia]]'' boosted Jordan's career due to roadshow screenings in support of his live performance.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=Louis Jordan's 'Caledonia', 'Beware' Pix a 3-Way Payoff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9RkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT34|access-date=March 13, 2020|date=June 8, 1946 |publisher=Billboard/Nielsen |pages=34–}}</ref> In addition to his performances in other mainstream films, such as ''[[Follow the Boys (1944 film)|Follow the Boys]]'' (1944), Jordan's appearance in ''Caldonia'' (1945) and that film's success led to roles for him in other [[race films]], including those made by Astor Pictures: ''[[Beware (film)|Beware!]]'' (1946), ''[[Reet, Petite, and Gone]]'' (1947), and ''[[Look-Out Sister]]'' (1947).<ref name=":2" />

His prolific use of film as a promotional vehicle broke new ground, garnering praise from ''Billboard'' which wrote, "The movies have helped the one-nighters, which have also been helped by recordings, which have also helped the movies, which in turn have become more profitable. It's a delicious circle, and other bands are now exploring the possibilities."<ref name="Westphal">{{cite web |last1=Westphal |first1=Kyle |title=Excavating Beware |url=https://www.chicagofilmsociety.org/2011/04/15/excavating-beware-2/ |website=Chicago Film Society |access-date=March 14, 2020 |date=April 15, 2011}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
=== Marriages ===
Jordan was married five times. His first wife, Julia (also called Julie) was from [[Arkadelphia, Arkansas]]. Soon after their wedding, Julia gave birth to a daughter, Patty, who turned out to be another man's child.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Chilton |first1=John |title=Let the Good Times roll: The Story of Louis Jordan and His Music |date=1997 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=047208478X |edition=1st paperback}}</ref>

In 1932, Jordan met Ida Fields, a Texas-born singer and dancer, in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]]. They married that year. Ida was six years his senior and a member of a traveling dance troupe called the Florida Orange Blossoms. Ida sued Jordan for bigamy in 1943. He claimed she was aware that he was still married. Ida was awarded a $70,000 judgment, later reduced to $30,000.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Koch |first1=Stephen |title=Louis Jordan: Son of Arkansas, Father of R&B |date=2014 |publisher=History Press |isbn=9781626194359}}</ref> She began billing herself as "Mrs. Louis Jordan, Queen of the Blues, and her Orchestra" before Jordan stopped it by stalling payments. In another court case, Ida was awarded a settlement of $50,000.<ref name=":0" />

In 1942, Jordan married his childhood sweetheart, Fleecie Moore. They later divorced. In 1947, Fleecie discovered Jordan was having an affair with dancer Florence "Vicky" Hayes and attacked him with a knife. She was arrested and charged with assault.<ref name=":1" /> Jordan married Vicky on November 14, 1951, in Providence, Rhode Island.<ref name=":0" /> They separated in 1960. 

He married Martha Weaver, a singer and dancer from St. Louis, in 1966.<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net" /> Weaver being a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], Jordan sometimes attended [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] with her on Sundays, though he was raised a [[Baptists|Baptist]].<ref name=":1" />

=== Financial problems ===
Jordan's popularity and success had waned by 1953. By that time, "rock 'n' roll had captured the world's attention, and Jordan's jumping R&B became a thing of the past". While he continued performing, this did not generate the level of income that million-selling recordings had provided.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://biography.yourdictionary.com/louis-jordan|title=Louis Jordan|website=Biography.yourdictionary.com|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

In 1961, the [[Internal Revenue Service]] filed an [[Tax lien|income tax lien]] against Jordan. As a result, he sold property well below its worth to pay off debts.<ref name="Home">{{cite web |title=Louis Jordan to Sell $71,000 Home for $30,000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e7MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59 |access-date=March 13, 2020 |date=June 29, 1961 |publisher=Jet/Johnson Publishing Company |pages=59–}}</ref> Musician [[Ike Turner]] stated in his autobiography, ''[[Takin' Back My Name]]'', that he heard about his tax problems and contacted Jordan's booking agency in Chicago. Turner convinced the president of the company to send Jordan a check for $20,000. Jordan was unaware of this deed.<ref name="takin">{{cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Ike |last2=Cawthorne |first2=Nigel |title=Takin' Back My Name: The Confessions of Ike Turner |date=1999 |publisher=Virgin |location=London |isbn=1852278501}}</ref>

Jordan wrote or co-wrote many of the songs he performed, but he did not benefit financially from them. Many of the hit songs he wrote, including "Caldonia", he credited to Fleecie Moore to avoid an existing publishing arrangement. Their marriage was acrimonious and short-lived. After their divorce, she retained ownership of the songs. However, Jordan may have taken credit for some songs written by others, he is credited as the co-writer of "Saturday Night Fish Fry", but Tympany Five pianist [[Bill Doggett]] claimed he wrote it.<ref>Visser, Joop. Liner notes for the boxed set ''Jivin' with Jordan'', p. 30.</ref>

== Death ==
Jordan died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on February 4, 1975, in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Doc Rock |url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1970.html |title=The 1970s |publisher=TheDeadRockStarsClub.com |access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref> He is buried at Mt. Olive Catholic Cemetery in [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]], the hometown of his wife Martha.<ref name="WelkyKeckhaver2013">{{cite book|author1=Ali Welky|author2=Mike Keckhaver|title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bX2TAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA120 |access-date=March 13, 2020|date=September 2013|publisher=University of Arkansas Press|isbn=978-1-935106-60-9|pages=120–}}</ref>

==Awards and legacy==
On June 23, 2008, the [[United States House of Representatives]] passed a resolution introduced by Arkansas Representative [[Vic Snyder]] honoring Jordan on the centenary of his birth.<ref name="Snyder">{{cite web |last1=Snyder |first1=Vic |title=Text - H.Res.1242 - 110th Congress (2007-2008): Honoring the life, musical accomplishments, and contributions of Louis Jordan on the 100th anniversary of his birth. |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-resolution/1242/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22louis+jordan%5C%22%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=4 |website=Congress.gov |access-date=March 14, 2020 |date=June 23, 2008}}</ref>

The [[United States Postal Service]] featured Jordan and his film for ''Caldonia'' in 2008 as part of its tribute to Vintage Black Cinema. "Vivid reminders of a bygone era will be celebrated in June through Vintage Black Cinema stamps based on five vintage [[movie posters]]. Whether spotlighting the talents of entertainment icons or documenting changing social attitudes and expectations, these posters now serve a greater purpose than publicity and promotion. They are invaluable pieces of history, preserving memories of cultural phenomena that otherwise might have been forgotten. The stamp pane was designed by Carl Herrman of Carlsbad, California."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/sr07_084.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120142648/http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/sr07_084.htm | archive-date=January 20, 2008 | title=USPS Postal News: Postal Service Previews 2008 Stamps }}</ref>

The [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] states that two of the most important originators of rhythm and blues were [[Big Joe Turner|Joe Turner]] and Louis Jordan with his Tympany Five. The two artists helped to lay "the foundation for R&B in the 1940s, cutting one swinging rhythm & blues masterpiece after another".<ref name="Funk and R&B"/> The Hall also describes Jordan as "the Father of Rhythm & Blues", "the Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll" and "King of the Juke Boxes".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cleveland.com/onstage/2015/01/vintage_photos_rock_hall_induc.html|title=Vintage photos: Rock Hall inductee Louis Jordan is the music master behind 'Five Guys Named Moe' |date=January 23, 2015 |work=Cleveland.com |access-date=December 25, 2020 |quote=}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>  Another source states that with ''Caldonia'' (1945), Jordan was "already crafting the classic rock 'n' roll sound".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/news/culture-and-history/king-of-the-jukebox-louis-jordan/|title=King of the Jukebox: Louis Jordan|website=Legacy.com|date=July 8, 2013|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> The Hall of Fame considers "his classic 'Saturday Night Fish Fry' (1949) as an early example of rap and possibly the first rock and roll recording".<ref name="auto2"/>

The [[Blues Foundation]] hints that Jordan was a precursor to R&B: "Louis Jordan was the biggest African-American star of his era" and that his "Caldonia" reached "the top of the Race Records chart, as it was known prior to being called Rhythm & Blues in 1949".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/caldonia-louis-jordan-decca-1945/|title=Caldonia - Louis Jordan (Decca, 1945)|website=Blues.org|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

Chuck Berry said that he modeled his musical approach on Jordan's.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/chuck-berrys-music-helped-define-the-modern-teenager/|title=Chuck Berry's influence on rock 'n roll was incalculable|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|first=Hillel|last=Italie|date=March 18, 2017 |access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> Berry changed the lyric content from black life to teenage life, and substituted cars and girls for Jordan's primary motifs of food, drink, money and girls. Berry's iconic opening riff on "[[Johnny B. Goode]]"<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.courttheatre.org/about/blog/louis-jordan-jukebox-king/|title=Louis Jordan, the Jukebox King &#124; Five Guys Named Moe|first=Emily|last=Lovett|website=Courttheatre.org|date=July 25, 2017|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> bears a striking similarity to the intro played by the guitarist Carl Hogan on the 1946 hit "[[Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)|Ain't That Just Like a Woman]]"; Berry has acknowledged the debt in interviews.<ref name="Flanagan">{{cite book |last1=Flanagan |first1=Bill |title=Written in My Soul: Conversations with Rock's Great Songwriters |date=1987 |publisher=RosettaBooks}}</ref><ref name="MillerJ">{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=James |title=Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947–1977 |date=1999 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-684-80873-0 |page=104}}</ref><ref>Decca Personality Series 23669, 78RPM</ref> Other sources also indicate that [[Little Richard]] was influenced by Jordan.  In fact, the artist said ''Caldonia'' was the first non-gospel song he learned; and the shriek (or "whoop")<ref name="auto4"/> on the Jordan record "sounds eerily like the vocal tone Little Richard would adopt", in addition to the "Jordan-style pencil-thin moustache".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Caldonia.pdf|title="Caldonia" Louis Jordan (1945) Library of Congress|website=Loc.gov|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Cleveland"/> [[James Brown]] and [[Ray Charles]] also said that Jordan's style had an influence on their work.<ref name="Cleveland">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/onstage/2015/01/vintage_photos_rock_hall_induc.html|title=Vintage photos: Rock Hall inductee Louis Jordan is the music master behind 'Five Guys Named Moe'|first1=Rea|last1=Simakis|date=January 23, 2015|website=Cleveland.com|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

[[B.B. King]] cites Jordan as an influence and recorded an album of his tunes called ''[[Let the Good Times Roll (album)|Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan]]''. The band included [[Earl Palmer]], drums, [[Dr. John]], piano, [[Hank Crawford]], alto sax, [[David "Fathead" Newman]], tenor sax, and [[Marcus Belgrave]], trumpet.<ref name="let">{{cite AV media |people=B.B. King |date=1999 |title=Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan |type=CD |publisher=MCA Records}}</ref>

Jordan was inducted into both the [[National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame]] and the Blues Hall of Fame;<ref name="auto3"/> and in 2018, he posthumously received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/ledisi-honor-louis-jordan-grammy-salute-music-legends|title=Ledisi To Honor Louis Jordan On "GRAMMY Salute…"|first=Philip|last=Merrill|date=October 3, 2018|website=Grammy.com|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref> The Academy believes that he "led the way for rock and roll in the 50s. His recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame include: 'Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens', 'Caldonia Boogie', 'Choo Choo Ch'Boogie', and 'Let The Good Times Roll'".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://planetradio.co.uk/jazz-fm/news/music-news/the-meters-and-louis-jordan-among-grammy-lifetime-achievement-winners/|title=The Meters and Louis Jordan among GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement winners|first=Chris|last= Gilvear|website=Planetradio.co.uk|date=January 14, 2018|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

According to Cleveland.com, "Louis Jordan had a profound impact on several African-American music genres that evolved during the first half of the 20th century ... He helped make jump blues, jazz and boogie-woogie mainstream forces. Jordan's legendary work would serve as a precursor to modern blues, rock and roll and R&B music".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2020/06/50-most-important-african-american-music-artists-of-all-time.html|title=50 most important African American music artists of all time|first= Troy L. |last=Smith|date=June 25, 2020|website=Cleveland.com|access-date=March 8, 2021}}</ref>

In 1990, ''[[Five Guys Named Moe]],'' a [[Musical theatre|musical]] built around the songs of Louis Jordan, opened in London's [[West End theatre|West End]] and ran for over four years, winning a [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Family Show|Laurence Olivier Award]]. It opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1992 and received two [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]] nominations.  Tours and revivals continued into the 2020s.

==Discography==
{{Main|Louis Jordan discography}}

===Charting singles===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Release<br/>date
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
! rowspan="2"|Additional notes
|-
! style="width:60px;"| <small>[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B/Race charts]]</small>
! style="width:60px;"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop chart]]</small>
! style="width:60px;"| <small>[[Hot Country Songs|US Country chart]]</small>
|-
| 1942
|"[[I'm Gonna Leave You on the Outskirts of Town]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1942
|"[[What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1943
|"The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall"
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1943
|"[[Five Guys Named Moe (song)|Five Guys Named Moe]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1943
|"That'll Just 'Bout Knock Me Out"
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1943
|"[[Ration Blues]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|11
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|First "crossover" hit
|-
| 1944
|"Deacon Jones"
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|
|-
| 1944
|"[[G.I. Jive]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1944
|"[[Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby|Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|
|-
| 1945
|"Mop! Mop!"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1945
|"You Can't Get That No More"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|11
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1945
|"[[Caldonia]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|
|Retitled "Caldonia Boogie" for national chart
|-
| 1945
|"Somebody Done Changed the Lock on My Door"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|
|-
| 1945
|"My Baby Said Yes"
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|14
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Duet with [[Bing Crosby]]
|-
| 1946
|"[[Buzz Me]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|9
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Salt Pork, West Virginia]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Reconversion Blues]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Beware (Louis Jordan song)|Beware]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|20
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin']]"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Duet with [[Ella Fitzgerald]]
|-
| 1946
|"Petootie Pie"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Duet with Ella Fitzgerald
|-
| 1946
|"[[Choo Choo Ch'Boogie]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[That Chick's Too Young to Fry]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1946
|"[[Let the Good Times Roll (Louis Jordan song)|Let the Good Times Roll]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"[[Texas and Pacific (song)|Texas and Pacific]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|20
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"I Like 'Em Fat Like That"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"[[Open the Door, Richard]]!"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"[[Jack, You're Dead]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|21
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"I Know What You're Puttin' Down"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"[[Boogie Woogie Blue Plate]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|21
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"[[Early in the Mornin' (Louis Jordan song)|Early in the Mornin']]"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1947
|"Look Out"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"Barnyard Boogie"
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"How Long Must I Wait for You"
| style="text-align:center;"|9
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"[[Reet, Petite, and Gone#Soundtrack|Reet, Petite and Gone]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"[[Run Joe]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|23
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"All for the Love of Lil"
| style="text-align:center;"|13
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"[[Pinetop's Boogie Woogie]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|14
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"[[Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"We Can't Agree"
| style="text-align:center;"|14
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1948
|"Daddy-O"
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Duet with [[Martha Davis (singer)|Martha Davis]]
|-
| 1948
|"Pettin' and Pokin'"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1949
|"Roamin' Blues"
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1949
|"You Broke Your Promise"
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1949
|"Cole Slaw (Sorghum Switch)"
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1949
|"Every Man to His Own Profession"
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1949
|"[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|9
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Duet with Ella Fitzgerald
|-
| 1949
|"[[Beans and Corn Bread]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1949
|"[[Saturday Night Fish Fry]]", Parts 1 & 2
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|21
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1950
|"[[School Days (Will D. Cobb and Gus Edwards song)|School Days]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|
|-
| 1950
|"[[Blue Light Boogie (song)|Blue Light Boogie]]", Parts 1 & 2
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1950
|"[[I'll Never Be Free]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
| Duet with Ella Fitzgerald
|-
| 1950
|"Tamburitza Boogie"
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1951
|"Lemonade"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1951
|"[[Teardrops from My Eyes|Tear Drops from My Eyes]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|-
| 1951
|"Weak Minded Blues"
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|
|}

==Footnotes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0430081|name=Louis Jordan}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010406224617/http://www.louisjordan.com/ LouisJordan.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151016224517/http://www.thisisvintagenow.com/our_heroes/louis_jordan_discography_54-58.htm Louis Jordan 1954–1958 "Rockin' Period" Discography] at [http://www.thisisvintagenow.com This is Vintage Now]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151016224518/http://www.backroadsofamericanmusic.com/archive/2007/09/19/louis-jordan-s-boyhood-home.aspx Louis Jordan's boyhood home]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110613010757/http://www.jeffosretromusic.com/jordan.html Article About Louis Jordan  – by Dr. Frank Hoffmann]
*[http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-louis-jordan.html Jordan's musical shorts and films]
*[https://www.npr.org/2008/03/04/87905064/louis-jordan-jukebox-king Louis Jordan: 'Jukebox King' NPR's Jazz Profiles Documentary]
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109210 Louis Jordan recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].
{{Louis Jordan}}
{{1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Louis}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:American blues saxophonists]]
[[Category:American blues singers]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues musicians]]
[[Category:American jazz saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male saxophonists]]
[[Category:American jazz singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Jump blues musicians]]
[[Category:People from Brinkley, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:East Coast blues musicians]]
[[Category:X Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American saxophonists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Arkansas]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Black & Blue Records artists]]
[[Category:Tangerine Records artists]]
[[Category:Arkansas Baptist College alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]