Ernie Fields’s one release on Jamie Records, “Annie’s Rock” b/w “Strollin’ After School” (Jamie 1102), helped relaunch the label with its 1100 series in 1958, but also led to Ernie Fields’s road to stardom with his next release on Rendezvous Records, “In the Mood.” It became a million seller in 1959 when the production crew chose him to front a record that had actually been put together by a group of studio musicians. Those musicians, led by Rene Hall, who had also produced “Annie’s Rock” and “Strollin’ After School,” included Earl Palmer and Plas Johnson. The producers had to find another artist for their “In the Mood” single because each was signed to another label. Rene Hall was an artist on Specialty and Plas Johnson, who also played the sax on Duane Eddy’s Jamie releases, was on Capitol Records.
Ernie Fields got to Jamie Records after being on the Philadelphia-based Gotham Records in the early 1950s. Harry Finfer, who had worked for Ivan Ballin at Gotham Records, moved on to Jamie, where Ernie Fields found him with his Rene Hall-produced single. The songs were written by George Matola and his wife Rickie Paige, who also produced a number of artists on Jamie and Guyden. The West Coast producers who did “In the Mood,” which was originally the B side to a novelty arrangement of “Christopher Columbus,” were glad to capitalize on Ernie Fields’s entry into the pop market with Jammie and have him front the new release on the recently established Rendezvous. Ernie Fields continued his distinguished career for decades, working with jazz greats Ahmad Jamal and Freddie Hubbard. Ernie Fields died at the age of 91 in May, 1997.
