Babs Gonzales (b. Lee Brown in Newark, NJ, October 27, 1919; d. January 23, 1980) was an American jazz vocalist of the bebop era most notable for penning the famous Dizzy Gillespie song Oop-Pop-A-Da, which was originally recorded and performed by his own band Three Bips and a Bop. Babs was also once the chauffeur for Errol Flynn. Skyline of downtown Newark as seen from the Newark Bay Bridge. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... A chauffeur in Japan A driver in Kerala A chauffeur is one who drives an automobile as a job. ... Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 – October 14, 1959) was an Australian film actor, most famous for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle. ...

Gonzales was known to be an exponent of vocalese, an example of this would be his version of the Charlie Parker bop standard "Ornithology". 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, Benny Green and Johnny Griffin. Sonny Rollins also made his recording debut with Gonzales. Vocalese is a style or genre of jazz singing wherein lyrics are written for melodies that were originally part of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... James Moody (born March 26, 1925) is a jazz saxophone and flute player. ... A young Jimmy Smith, on the 1958 album House Party Jimmy Smith, nicknamed The Incredible Jimmy Smith, (December 8, 1925 – February 8, 2005) was a jazz musician whose Hammond B-3 electric organ performances helped to popularize this instrument. ... Benny Green (1927–1998) born in Leeds, Yorkshire in the UK, was a cockney accented British jazz saxophonist, who was most well known by the public for his radio shows and books. ... John Arnold Griffin III (born in 1928) is an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist. ... An early Rollins picture graces the cover of Volume One Theodore Walter Sonny Rollins (born September 7, 1930 in New York City) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ...