THE JESTERS- CADILLAC MAN + MY BABE

The Jesters were an odd mid-'60s garage band on a couple of counts. First, they recorded for Sun Records, as one of the few rock groups who had material issued by the company in the days when the legendary label had become nearly dormant. Second, they took much of their inspiration from 1950s rock & roll, rockabilly, and blues, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley being prominent influences. Of course, those were prominent influences on British Invasion bands too, but the Jesters sounded as if they might have been bigger fans of the original 1950s performers than they were of the U.K. groups of the period. The Jesters were formed in Memphis in the summer of 1965, the Sun connection being rhythm guitarist Jerry Phillips and producer Knox Phillips, both of whom were sons of Sun Records head Sam Phillips. Though singer Tommy Minga wrote most of their original material and did record some tracks with the band that were unissued at the time, he was gone by the time they recorded their sole Sun 45, "Cadillac Man"/"My Babe," with noted roots rock renaissance man Jim Dickinson on piano and vocals (though Dickinson never officially joined the Jesters). After the record failed to sell, the Jesters broke up by the middle of 1966, and are mostly known as a footnote to the Sun Records story and discography. A CD compilation of their material appeared in 2008, including their single, numerous outtakes, and some tracks by the Escapades, a band featuring Tommy Minga. ~ ALL INFO TAKEN FROM ANSWERS.COM