Jazz Articles about Joe Carroll

Joe Carroll: Man With a Happy Sound

by Joel Roberts
May 1, 1998

Singer Joe Carroll is best known for his contributions to Dizzy Gillespie's bands of the late '40s and early '50s. His bebop vocals and scatting can be heard on many of Dizzy's classic nonsense (not meant at all in a derogatory way) numbers like “Oo-shoo-be-doo-be" and “The Land of Oo-bla-dee," and on well-known versions of “School Days" and “Lady Be Good."

Not blessed with much range or a particularly powerful voice, Carroll got by with humor, exuberance and great bebop ...