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King Pleasure March 24, — March 21, was a jazz vocalist and an early master of vocalese , where a singer sings words to a famous instrumental solo. Born as Clarence Beeks in Oakdale, Tennessee , he moved to New York City in the mids working as a bartender and became a fan of bebop music. Pleasure's recording, his first after signing a contract with the Prestige label, is considered a jazz classic; the female vocalist featured is Blossom Dearie. Other notable recordings include a presciently elegiac version of "Parker's Mood", the year before Charlie Parker died in , and Pleasure's take on Ammons's "Hittin' The Jug", retitled as "Swan Blues" in
King Pleasure Sings. King Pleasure. Exclamation Blues.