Johnny Beecher was a pseudonym that tenor saxophonist Plas Johnson used to record two albums for the Charter label in 1963. Johnson was under contract to Capitol at the time.
The title single of the first LP, Sax Fifth Ave., was a minor hit, garnering a fair amount of airplay. It originally came out on the Hollywood-based Omega label before Warner Brothers picked it up for national distribution. I believe Omega and Charter were part of the same company, but for some reason the Charter LPs were distributed in the U.S. by MGM.
The Sax Fifth Ave. single had a "B" side, Jack Sax the City, that didn't appear on either of the albums. Perhaps this stomping piece of crime jazz didn't fit the more laid back vibe of the long-players.
Jack Sax the City
The personnel on the Sax Fifth Ave. LP included organist Bert Kendrix (misspelled as Kendricks on the single but spelled correctly on the LP), Emil Richards on vibes, bassist Jimmy Bond and either Earl Palmer or Wayne Robinson on drums. All were veterans of Los Angeles recording studios.
Both Charter LPs -- the second was On the Scene -- were combined on a 2004 CD from Blue Moon Jazz, an imprint of the Spain-based Fresh Sound Records, and issued under Mr. Beecher's real name. The Warm Sound of Plas Johnson, Tenor Sax, Vol. 1: Midnight Blues can be ordered direct from the company. The single's "B" side, available above, is not on the CD.
Here's the one Johnny Beecher hit. The label shown is the original release before Warner Brothers picked it up.
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