It is hard to determine just how short the career of singer George Fathead Thomas was, since his date of birth never seems to have been established. Nonetheless, he was gone by the end of 1930, victim of a car accident in New Haven. He left behind a legacy as an innovator in scat singing, one of the few jazz singers of his era who did not chant along in unison with the faddish Louis Armstrong imitations of the day. The majestic RB singer Jimmy Rushing -- who almost replaced Thomas in the popular McKinney's Cotton Pickers -- can be relied on for expert testimony on this subject: "George Fathead Thomas...was a good ballad singer and a scat man. A lot of singers tried to copy Louis Armstrong, but not very successfully. George Thomas was one of the notable exceptions. He was the first I heard sing 'I Want a Little Girl.' He did a marvelous job on 'Baby, Won't You Please Come Home' and 'If I Could Be with You,' too."

Thomas also contributed songs of his own to the repertoire of bands and performers he was associated with. Bedroom Blues, either restful or provocative, was recorded by both Albert Ammons and Sippie Wallace. Show Me Missouri Blues, associated with Kansas City jazz singer Julia Lee, fit into a trend of civic-minded '20s hits but could just as well be regarded as a tragic blues by the crowd that refers to Missouri as misery. Also proficient on at least three reed instruments, Thomas hailed from West Virginia and became one of McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1927. He was a member of the group until his death but also freelanced with some of the competition, including Duke Ellington, with whom he recorded in 1926. The Ellington sides are available on early collections such as the brilliant 1924-1926: Birth of a Band, Vol. 1. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi