The Chocolate Dandies was the name of several American jazz combos from 1928 through the 1940s. The name was an outgrowth of a Broadway production, The Chocolate Dandies, that debuted in 1924. That stage show was composed by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle
The first band to record with the name Chocolate Dandies, on the Okeh label in 1928âÂÂ1929, was the one led by Don Redman, effectively the McKinney's Cotton Pickers under another name. In 1931 King Oliver and Lloyd Smith's Gut-Bucketeers recorded under the same name for Vocalion Records .
<ol type="1" start="1"> <li> The Chocolate Dandies
<ol type="i" start="1"> <li> "Paducah," by Redman (music), Okeh 8627, Matrix: 401218-B</li> <li> "Star Dust," by Hoagy Carmichael, Okeh 8668, Matrix: 401219-A</li> <li> "Birmingham Breakdown," by Duke Ellington, Okeh 8668, Matrix: 401220-B <li> "Four or Five Times," by Marco Hellman (words) and Byron Gay (music), Okeh 8627, Matrix: 401221-A</ol></ol>
<ol type="1" start="5"> <li> King Oliver and the Chocolate Dandies (more recently, for most discographers King Oliver was not present on this session)
<ol type="i" start="1"> <li> "Loveless Love" (Madison, Skerritt, Lucas; vocals), Vocalion 1610, Matrix: E-36474-A <li> "One More Time" (Madison, Skerritt, Lucas; vocals), Matrix: E-36625-A</li> <li> "When I Take My Sugar To Tea," by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal, Pierre Norman (Pinkett; vocalist), Vocalion 1617, Matrix: E-36626-A</ol></ol>
Benny Carter had several ensembles in the 1930s named The Chocolate Dandies. <ol type="1" start="2"> <li> The Little Chocolate Dandies;
<ol type="i" start="1"> <li> "That's How I Feel Today," by Don Redman (unissued), Matrix: 402965-A</li> <li> "That's How I Feel Today" (unissued), Matrix: 402965-B</li> <li> "That's How I Feel Today" Okeh 8728, Matrix: 402965-C</li> <li> "Six or Seven Times," by Fats Waller & Irving Mills (unissued), Matrix: 402966-A</li> <li> "Six or Seven Times" (unissued), Matrix: 402966-B</li> <li> "Six or Seven Times" (unissued), Matrix: 402966-C</li> <li> "Six or Seven Times" Okeh 8728, Matrix: 402966-D</ol></ol>
<ol type="1" start="3"> <li> The Chocolate Dandies
<ol type="i" start="1"> <li> "Goodbye Blues," Carter (vocals and arrangement), Columbia 35679, Matrix: 404566-A</ol>
<ol type="i" start="2"> <li> "We're Friends Again" (unissued), Brunswick</li> <li> "What Good Am I Without You?" (unissued), Brunswick</ol>
<ol type="i" start="4"> <li> "Cloudy Skies," by Coleman Hawkins, Columbia 35679, Matrix: 404596-B</li> <li> "Got Another Sweetie Now," by Harrison (Harrison, vocals; arranged by Carter), Columbia 36009, Matrix: 404597-B</li> <li> </li> <li> "Dee Blues," by Carter (Carter plays clarinet; arranged by Carter), Columbia 2543-D, Matrix: 404599-B</ol></ol>
<ol type="1" start="4"> <li> The Chocolate Dandies
<ol type="i" start="1"> <li> "Blue Interlude," by Carter, Parlophone R1792, Matrix: 265156-2</li> <li> "I Never Knew," by Gus Kahn & Ted Fio Rito (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Parlophone (E)R1815, Matrix: 265157-1</li> <li> "I Never Knew" (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Phontastic (Swd)7647, Matrix: 265157-2</li> <li> "Once Upon a Time," by Carter (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Parlophone (E)R1717, Matrix: 265158-1</li> <li> "Krazy Kapers," by Carter (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Parlophone (E)R1743, Matrix: 265159-</ol></ol>
<ol type="1" start="6"> <li> Coleman Hawkins and The Chocolate Dandies
<ol type="i" start="1"> <li> "Smack," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2995-T</li> <li> "Smack," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2995-1</li> <li> "Smack," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2995-2</li> <li> "Smack," Matrix: R2995-3</li> <li> "Smack," Commodore FL20025, Matrix: R2995-2</li> <li> "Smack," Commodore 533, Matrix: R2995</li> <li> "I Surrender Dear," Commodore 1506, Matrix: R2996</li> <li> "I Surrender Dear," (composite) Atlantic SD2-306, Matrix: R2996-2/1</li> <li> "I Surrender Dear," (original) Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2996-2</li> <li> "I Surrender Dear," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2996-3</li> <li> "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me," Commodore 1506, Matrix: R2997 <li> "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me," Commodore XFL14936, Matrix: R2997-1 <li> "Dedication" (Eldridge, Carter: out), Commodore 533, Matrix: R2998</li> <li> "Dedication" (Eldridge, Carter: out), Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2998-1</li> <li> "Dedication" (Eldridge, Carter: out), Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2998-2</ol></ol>
Versions of groups' names "Chocolate Dandies" continued to play into the 1940s and counted among their members Buck Clayton, Floyd O'Brien, and other members of Carter's and Fletcher Henderson's bands.
<ol type="a" start="1"> <li> [ The Chocolate Dandies] at Allmusic</ol>