SENTIMENTAL REASONS, Jesse Belvin, Kent #326 1959

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SENTIMENTAL REASONS, Jesse Belvin, Kent #326 1959
Flipside: SENORITA – Here’s another really great classic from my music collection.
Jesse “Lorenzo” Belvin, singer, songwriter, piano player was born December 15, 1932 in Texarkana, Texas. Jesse’s short lived career influenced many soul singers who would follow in his footsteps. His professional music career began in 1950 with “Big Jay McNeely’s” group Three Dots & A Dash. He would record and have 2 releases in 1951 with them on Imperial Records.

Jesse Belvin would go on to record for many different record labels. In 1952 he joined Specialty records and although his early solo releases were unsuccessful, his recording of “DREAM GIRL” (Specialty #447) credited to “Jesse & Marvin”, featuring Marvin Phillips on saxophone, reached #2 in 1953 on the R&B charts. Other labels include Modern, RCA, Dot, Class and Tender. He sang and recorded with The Shields “YOU CHEATED” (Tender #513) 1958. While Jesse was under contract with Modern Records he recorded for Money, Federal, Empire (George Motola’s label), Aladdin, Cash and Knight records (a Specialty subsidiary) most times not under his own name.

Jesse recorded “THE GIRL IN MY DREAMS” (Modern #987) 1956 with Eugene Church calling themselves “The Cliques.” The song has been covered by many artists including “The Four Lovers” (RCA #6518) 1956.

Jesse wrote the Penguins’ hit song “EARTH ANGEL” (Dootone #348) 1954. It was later released on (Mercury #70943) 1956. Jesse was never given credit on the labels until after a lawsuit, which he won, when he was eventually given credit as co-writer on “EARTH ANGEL.” That’s the short version.

For all of Jesse’s musical accomplishments he only had 2 songs charted nationally on Billboard. His biggest, “GUESS WHO” (RCA #7469) charted in May 1959 for 13 weeks and reached #31. What is really hard to imagine is that his signature song “GOODNIGHT MY LOVE” (Modern #1005) 1956 never charted nationally on Billboard! Go figure! Just amazing!!

Jesse’s life was cut much too short at the age of 27 years old. After finishing a performance with Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke and Marv Johnson in Little Rock, Arkansas on February 6, 1960, Jesse and his beautiful wife Jo Anne were killed in an automobile accident. The fatal car crash came less than four hours after Belvin had performed the first “integrated concert,” that is, to an “integrated audience” in Little Rock. It had been an ugly scene. White supremacists managed to halt the show twice, shouting racial epithets and urging the white teenagers in attendance to leave at once.

There had been at least six death threats to Belvin. So, speeding away from Arkansas was truly a relief, and a cause for celebration. Belvin's wife Jo Anne died from her injuries at the Hope Hospital while his driver, like Jesse, died at the scene.

As word reached the black community in Belvin's hometown of Los Angeles, there were immediately rumors of foul play. One of the first state troopers on the accident scene stated that both of the rear tires on Belvin's black Cadillac had been "obviously tampered with." He gave no more details, causing even more speculation, perhaps the lug nuts had been loosened on the car tires. The fact that Belvin had phoned his mother twice in the last three days, every time telling her about the hostile receptions he received made suspicions stronger: he rarely called home from the road, and never more than once a month.

To all who take the time to read this biography on Jesse Belvin (Mr. Easy) I’ve prepared here for this upload, I want to say, that I wouldn’t be totally honest if I didn’t say, I was teary eyed typing this. It is an absolutely sorrowful way to have lost such a great talent. This tragedy should never have happened!

Enjoy this great classic “SENTIMENTAL REASONS” also know as “I LOVE YOU FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS” by the late great Jesse Belvin. I honor him once again with this upload, with a tear because he left us all too soon and with joy because his music lives on with us forever!!