Babs Gonzales was an American jazz vocalist of the bebop era notable for writing the song “Oop-Pop-A-Da”, which was recorded and performed by his band, Three Bips and a Bop, and was later made famous by Dizzy Gillespie.
From 1950 to 1953, Gonzales was road manager and vocalist for the James Moody band and later gigged and recorded with musicians such as Jimmy Smith, Bennie Green, Lenny Hambro, Johnny Griffin, and Bennie Green on the 1958 Blue Note album Soul Stirrin’ (which took its name from and included Gonzales’ eponymous composition). Spending time in Europe, he knew no limits when it comes to performing live, including shows at Ronnie Scott’s in London in 1962, where he picked 22-year-old Brian Auger to be his piano accompanist.
Here’s some pretty rare footage of him performing in Paris in 1979, just a year before his death.
