Make her holler, make her holler

“Safronia B” by Calvin Bose is one of the great songs of the pre-rock era. Some humor-impaired critics say that the ‘I surrender, I surrender’ shout ruins the song. It doesn’t. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this record. Bose comes close enough to Louis Jordan’s style that casual listeners have confused the two bands.

Trumpeter Bose grew up in Houston. Illinois & Russell Jacquet and Arnett Cobb were in the same high school band as Bose, the great Charles Brown was in his college band. After a stint in the Army during WWII, Bose settled in LA, released some records and wrote a few songs for Charles Brown. 1949 to 1952 were Bose's peak years. "Looped" did well on the charts but “Safronia B” was his only big hit. Bose was not able to support a family and a band so he retired from music to become a social worker and teacher. He died in 1970.