Joe Liggins

Joe Liggins was a popular R&B and Jump Blues musician who enjoyed substantial chart success in the late 1940s and early 1950s, with hits such as the inebriated waltz of "Pink Champagne" and the swooning melody of "The Honeydripper" (which provided the inspiration for the moniker of Robert Plant's side project in the 1980s). His music incorporates steady, streamlined performances even when he's approximating a musical drunken swagger. Liggins' soulful singing matched perfectly with the organic boogie of his piano playing. His brassy voice blended equally well with the horn sections of his songs, resulting in soaring song melodies and vocal sustains that would melt into brass solos.