Although they were only together a few years and their recorded output was limited, Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross were and remain one of the most influential jazz vocal groups of all time. The fact that they recorded together at all involved just a little serendipity.
Dave Lambert, along with Buddy Stewart, recorded what many consider to be the first bebop vocal, "What's This," with Gene Krupa's big band in 1945. Known primarily as a vocal arranger in the intervening years, in 1953 Lambert met Jon Hendricks who was developing a reputation as a lyricist. The two made a few recordings in the early and mid 1950s, but attracted little attention. By 1957 they had conceived of an album of vocalized Basie songs. Some of these already had lyrics, but Hendricks tinkered with them further and wrote lyrics for the instrumentals. The original conception was for the album to be recorded by a choir of twelve voices. Annie Ross was hired as coach for the six male and six female voices. There was only one problem; the singers they had hired couldn't swing. As quoted in Friedwald (1992), Hendricks later complained, "... these people couldn't swing if you hung them." By the time they had figured all this out, Lambert and Hendricks had blown their recording budget and were in a bind. Some one suggested to them that they record with overdubbing. Deciding they liked what they had heard of Annie Ross, they decided to use this technique to turn their three voices into twelve. The result was Sing a Song of Basie and the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross was born. Although not the version from the album, the following video demonstrates their take on "Every Day I Have the Blues." The album was successful enough that the Count and his orchestra soon joined them to record Sing Along with Basie.
Having started out at MGM, the trio recorded the first "pure" L, H, & R album, The Swingers, on World Pacific in March, 1959. Later that year they signed with Columbia and subsequently recorded three lps on that label: The Hottest Group in Jazz; Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross Sing Ellington; and High Flying. These Columbia recordings feature several songs that would become their greatest hits and most enduring work. Arguably one of their songs most recognized today was one that Ross originally recorded solo in 1952, a vocal treatment of a sax solo by Wardell Gray, "Twisted." Although readers/listeners may not be familiar with the L, H, & R version, this song has been covered over and over.
Two from the Ellington set: "In a Mellow Tone", which already had lyrics, and "Cottontail," which didn't. (You might want to close your eyes and just listen to these two.)
Although I featured it in my post "Cats Who Scat," Hendricks' "Everybody's Boppin'" is worth another listen.
Finally, Hendricks' lyrics applied to Bobby Timmons' "Moanin'", an instrumental hit for the Jazz Messengers.
Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, the trio, came to an end in 1962 when Annie Ross wearied of touring and left the group. Lambert and Hendricks then teamed up Yolande Bavan, and later Anne Marie Moss, but these teams didn't last long. Dave Lambert died in 1966, but Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross, who are still living, went on to great success on their own. Hendricks continued to sing and pen lyrics, while Ross opened her own night club and acted in several films.
Depending on how much Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross you want you can still buy their individual albums, or if "greatest hits" collections are more to your taste, The Hottest New Group in Jazz is a two-cd compilation, while Everybody's Boppin contains 15 songs on one cd.
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