Joan Selects - Volume 12 - Answers and Answers to Answers

And even an answer to an answer to an answer to an answer. Phew! I think I got that right. Check out the sequence from track 15, the beautiful “A Thousand Miles Away”, through to track 19, “Daddy’s Home But Momma’s Gone”.

Yep, the rock’n’roll mp3 compilation series without which our lives would be practically unlivable is back. This time Joan has come up with a monstrous 39 track selection of that 1950s R&B / rock ‘n’ roll phenomenon, the answer record. After all, if a record is a big hit, what better way is there to cash in on the success than to produce a follow-up which sounds kinda like the original, maybe has the same artist who helped make the original disc a success, and maybe even moves the storyline on a bit? Anyway here’s a whole heap of mainly well known originals followed by their usually not so well known answer records.

So once more it’s thanks to Joan, not only for selecting the sounds, ripping them from the original vinyl and researching the issue details, but also for a folder of more than 30(!) label scans. Big applause for Joan please!

Ripped from vinyl at various bitrates.

Download from here:

http://www2.zippyshare.com/v/73644772/file.html

01 - Jimmy Liggins - Drunk - Specialty Sp-470-45
02 - Jimmy Liggins - I Ain't Drunk - Aladdin 45-3250
03 - Wilbert Harrison - Kansas City - Fury 1023
04 - Wilbert Harrison - Goodbye, Kansas City
05 - The Monotones - The Book Of Love - Argo 5290
06 - The Monotones - Reading The Book Of Love - 45-H-735
07 - Roy Brown - Good Rocking Tonight - De Luxe 1093 (1947)
08 - Roy Brown - Ain't No Rocking No More - King 45-5247
09 - Smiley Lewis - I Hear You Knocking - Imperial X5356
10 - Carole Fran - I Quit My Knocking - Excello 45-2133
11 - The Cadillacs - Speedo - Josie 45-785
12 - The Cadillacs - Speedo Is Back - Josie 45-836
13 - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Gee G-1002
14 - Louis Lymon & the Teenchords - I Found Out Why Fools Fall In Love - End E-1007
15 - The Heartbeats - A Thousand Miles Away - Hull 45-H-720
16 - The Heartbeats - Five Hundred Miles To Go - Gee G-1047
17 - Shep and the Limelights - Daddy's Home - Hull 45-H-740
18 - The Harps - Daddy's Going Away Again - Laurie LR-3239
19 - The Monotones - Daddy's Home But Momma's Gone - Hull 45-H-741
20 - The Coasters - Charlie Brown - Atco 45-6132
21 - Joe Tex and His X Classmates - Charlie Brown Got Expelled - Ace 559
22 - Bobby Lewis - Tossin' And Turnin' - Beltone 45-1002
23 - Bobby Lewis - I'm Tossin' and Turnin' Again - Beltone 45-2023
24 - Bo Diddley - I'm A Man - Checker 814
25 - Etta James - W-O-M-A-N - Modern 45x972
26 - Clarence Henry - Ain't Got No Home - Argo 5259
27 - Clarence Henry - I Found A Home - Argo 5273
28 - Laverne Baker - Jim Dandy - Atlantic 45-1116
29 - Laverne Baker - Jim Dandy Got Married - Atlantic 45-1136
30 - The Drifters - Save The Last Dance For Me - Atlantic 2071
31 - Damita Jo - I'll Save The Last Dance For You - Mercury 71690
32 - The Turbans - Sister Sookey - Herald H-469
33 - The Limelighters - Sister Sookey Comes Home - Gilco 213 (1957)
34 - The Blue Jays - Lover's Island - Milestone 2008
35 - The Blue Jays - So Long, Lover's Island - Relic
36 - Bobby Freeman - Do You Wanna Dance - Josie 835
37 - Bobby Freeman - She Said She Wants To Dance - Album cut, only
38 - The Clovers - Little Mama - Atlantic 45-102
39 - Charlie White - Little Mama Don't Leave Me - Winley 219B

Roy Milton - The Later Roy Milton

Although Roy Milton’s chart career ended in 1952, his recording career rolled on. As the sound of rhythm & blues changed and rock ‘n’ roll loomed on the horizon, Roy’s records got tougher and bluesier. His last recordings for Specialty were made in 1953, with some of this material being released through 1954 and 1955. “Baby Don’t Do That To Me” and “Tell It Like It Is” were recorded for Specialty in April 1953 and released in February 1955 and October 1954, respectively.

Walter “Dootsie” Williams, the owner of DooTone Records and a former trumpeter with Roy’s band The Solid Senders, signed Roy to his label in 1955. There was only one recording session for DooTone, in October 1955 which produced a few classic rockin’ numbers, especially “You Got Me Reelin’ & Rockin’”. “Fools Are Getting Scarcer” and “I Can’t Go On” are also from this session.

In October 1956 Roy recorded a session for King Records in Cincinnati. The hip stomper “One Zippy Zam” which includes terrific electric guitar from Johnny Rogers is from this session. “A Brand New Thrill” and “Jeeps Blues” are from Roy’s final session for King in July 1957. Thereafter there was no more recording by Roy until 1960 when he started making discs for a series of small obscure labels through to 1964. “Driveway Blues” and “I’m Forgetting About You” were recorded in Los Angeles for the Thunderbird label in 1962.

Many thanks to Joan for some obscure vinyl rips and label shots!

Ripped (mostly) from vinyl (except the Specialty sides) at hugely varying bitrates.

Download from here:

http://www52.zippyshare.com/v/S5ZN30Vi/file.html

1. Baby, Don't Do That To Me
2. Tell It Like It Is
3. Fools Are Getting Scarcer
4. I Can't Go On
5. You Got Me Reelin' & Rockin'
6. One Zippy Zam
7. A Brand New Thrill
8. Jeep's Blues
9. Driveway Blues
10. I'm Forgetting About You

The photograph at the top of this post is by San Francisco based photographer David Johnson. It was taken in the Primalon Ballroom. It is one of many evocative photographs included in the excellent book "Harlem of the West: the San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era" by Elizabeth Pepin and Lewis Watts. Oddly enough the accompanying caption in the book merely states that is of "A drummer in the Primalon Ballroom, late 1940s." All bebopwinos immediately recognise Roy Milton, of course, plus in the background Camille Howard and Jackie Kelso are also easily recognised.
STOP PRESS: the authors of "Harlem of the West" have kindly left a comment below explaining how it came about that Roy Milton's name wasn't in the original edition of the book. The current edition has been corrected. Check out "Harlem of the West" at your favourite bookdealer - it's a must-buy for all lovers of 1950s R&B and jazz.
More David Johnson photos (including more taken at the Roy Milton gig) can be viewed here:
https://ucmshare.ucmerced.edu/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-30944
Check out Harlem of the West here:
http://www.blogger.com/www.harlemofthewestsf.com

Roy Milton and his Solid Senders - Big Fat Mama

The second Jukebox Lil compilation of Roy Milton sides was issued in 1985, two years after he passed away. The jumping instrumental “Rhythm Cocktail” was the B side of his huge hit on Jukebox, “R.M. Blues”. “I’ll Always Be In Love With You” was released on Roy’s own label (called Roy Milton) and the rest of the sides on this fine album were released on Specialty.

This compilation takes us up to the end of his Specialty career in 1953. While Roy’s style of jump blues which had brought him so much success in the 1940s and early 1950s was out of fashion by 1953, some of his later recordings for Specialty and also his subsequent waxings for Dootone in 1955 were great examples of thumping rocking rhythm and blues, as can be heard on “A Bird In The Hand.”

Tracks recorded between 1945 and 1953.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www63.zippyshare.com/v/bN7pbaiD/file.html


1. Rhythm Cocktail
2. Big Fat Mama
3. I'll Always Be In Love With You
4. Little Boy Blue
5. So Tired
6. Thelma Lou
7. Someday
8. Roy Rides
9. Blue Turning Grey
10. Believe Me Baby
11. T-Town Twist
12. Am I Wasting My Time?
13. Don't You Remember Baby?
14. Let Me Give You All My Love
15. I Stood By
16. A Bird In The Hand

Roy Milton and his Solid Senders - The Grandfather of R&B

Roy Milton was one of the most important figures in the development of rhythm and blues. He is often thought of as the “West Coast equivalent” of Louis Jordan. Like Jordan his musical roots lay in the big band era, and also like Jordan he formed a small jump combo in the 1930s which went on to great chart success in the 1940s and early 1950s. Milton’s combo, The Solid Senders, developed a tougher, more bluesy sound than the Tympany Five, thanks in part to Milton’s voice being hoarser than Jordans, and also thanks to musicians like pianist Camille Howard, alto sax player Jackie Kelso, tenor sax players Buddy Floyd and Ben Waters (and briefly Red Prysock) and guitarist Johnny Rogers.

Oklahoma-born Roy Milton’s professional career started in 1931 with The Ernie Fields Orchestra in which he sang and played drums. In 1935 he left the band and move to Los Angeles where he formed The Solid Senders. This Jukebox Lil compilation kicks off with both sides of “Burma Road Blues” from Roy’s first recording session in September 1945 for Lionel Hampton’s Hamp-Tone label. There was to be no success for any of his Hamp-Tone material and in December 1945 Roy started recording for Juke Box, a Los Angeles label part-owned by Art Rupe. The Milton-Rupe team struck it big with “Milton’s Boogie” and then had even greater success with “R.M. Blues”. In late 1946 Rupe struck out on his own by founding the Specialty label, which Roy joined in March 1947. There followed 5 years of hits on the national R&B chart including “Thrill Me”, “Hop, Skip and Jump”, “The Hucklebuck”, “Information Blues”, “Oh Babe”, “Best Wishes”, and “Night and Day”.

There are few of Roy’s big hits on this 1981 LP, with the exception of “Hop, Skip and Jump” (number 3 in 1948) and “Where There Is No Love” / “Junior Jives” (number 10 in 1950). The selected tracks are a marvellous illustration of the transformation of swing-influenced jump music into rhythm and blues. There is a world of difference between “Burma Road Blues” and the driving guitar-led instrumental “Junior Jives”.

Tracks recorded from 1945 to 1951. Surface noise on most tracks.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www90.zippyshare.com/v/k0uw27GH/file.html


1. Burma Road Blues (part 1)
2. Burma Road Blues (part 2)
3. Red Light
4. It Should Never Have Been This Way
5. Them There Eyes
6. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
7. My Blue Heaven
8. I've Had My Moments
9. Hop, Skip And Jump
10. Everything I Do Is Wrong
11. Sympathetic Blues
12. My Sweetheart
13. Junior Jives
14. Where There Is No Love
15. Playboy Blues
16. Cryin' & Singin' The Blues
17. Short, Sweet And Snappy

Joan Selects - Volume 10 - Joan's Got The Blues!

Great Casaboo, have we got something for you! Or rather Joan has – 40 tracks of mind-blowing blues ripped from 45s and 78s from back in the day. Piano professors, wailing harmonica cats (and Fats), primitive guitar stompers, jumpers ‘n’ jivers, red hot mamas and R&B hipsters – they’re here in all their ragged glory. And there are nearly 30 of Joan’s label shots to keep the sounds company.

Ripped from vinyl and shellac at various bitrates, nothing below 128. Surface noise including hissing and clicking clearly audible throughout. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Joan, I hope you get the blues again!

Password = greaseyspoon

Download from here:

Joan Selects Volume 10 - Joan's Got The Blues (Mega)

01 - John Brim - Gary Stomp - Parrot 799B
02 - Roosevelt Sykes - Security Blues - United 129
03 - Piano Red - Rockin' with Red - RCA Victor 50-0099
04 - Fats Domino - Korea Blues - Imperial 5099
05 - Memphis Slim - Mother Earth - Premium 867
06 - Ray Charles and the Maxim Trio - Rockin' Chair Blues
07 - Ivory Joe Hunter - All States Boogie - King
08 - Doctor Ross - Chicago Breakdown - Sun 193
09 - Slim Harpo - Rainin' In My Heart - Excello 2273
10 - J.T. Brown - Dumb Woman Blues - Meteor 5016
11 - Otis Spann - Five Spot - Checker 807
12 - James Sugarboy Crawford - She's Gotta Wobble (When She Walks) - Imperial 45x5424
13 - Big Boy Groves - I Got A New Car - Spark 114
14 - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - Dragnet Blues - Modern 910
15 - Dr. Ross - Cat Squirrel - Fortune 857
16 - Jerry McCain - My Next Door Neighbor - Excello
17 - Cecil Gant - I Wonder - Gilt Edge 501
18 - John Lee Hooker - 609 Boogie - Chance CH-1122
19 - Wee Willie Wayne - I Remember - Imperial 5355
20 - Buddy Boy Hawkins - Voice Throwin' Blues
21 - J.T. Brown - Sax-ony Boogie - Meteor 5016
22 - Smiley Lewis - Lille Mae - Imperial 5194
23 - BB King - Miss Martha King - Bullet 309
24 - The Blues Rockers - Johnny Mae - Excello 2062
25 - Dr. Ross - Come Back Baby - Sun 193
26 - JB Lenoir - Eisenhower Blues - Parrot 802
27 - Elmore James - Country Boogie - Checker 777
28 - Little Walter - Roller Coaster - Checker 817
29 - Marie Adams - I'm Gonna Play The Honky Tonks - Peacock 1583
30 - Hal Page - Thunderbird - J & S 1601
31 - James Wayne - Tend To Your Business - Sittin In With 588
32 - Memphis Minnie - Me and my chauffeur - Checker 771
33 - Peg 'N' Whistle Red - A To Z Blues
34 - Percy Mayfield - Please Send Me Someone To Love - Specialty 375
35 - Lightning Hopkins - My California - Aladdin 3262
36 - Johnny Ace And Big Mama Thornton - Yes, Baby - Duke 118
37 - Kokomo Arnold - Milk Cow Blues
38 - Blow-Top Lynn - School Boy Blues - RCA 50-0110
39 - Little Walter Jacops - Muskadine Blues - Regal 3296
40 - Harmonica Fats - Tore Up - Darcy 5000

Joan Selects Volume 9 - Yet More Girls ...Girls ... Girls

It’s back by popular demand – the series that is rapidly nearing immortality. From piles of well worn vinyl (and the occasional shellac disc), Joan brings us a selection of the finest rhythm and blues / rock and roll vocalising. This is the third Joan Selects compilation to have the theme of girls’ names, but there is certainly no drop in quality. In fact if anything the sounds just keep getting better. Ronnie and the Hi-Lights deserve a special mention for their over-the-top sobbing and wailing on “Valerie”, but really every track is excellent on this selection. And of course there’s a heap of label scans to delight the eye. Thanks Joan!

Mostly ripped at 128 kbps, with a couple of 320s thrown in.

Download from here:

http://www107.zippyshare.com/v/m1rvCVKO/file.html

01 - The El Venos - Geraldine - Groove 0170
02 - Little Sunny Day and the Clouds - Lou Ann - Tandem 7001
03 - The Jesters - Sally Green - Winley 542
04 - The Ebb Tides - Franny, Franny - Acme 720
05 - The Embers - Abagail - Empress 107
06 - The Cadillacs - Lucy - Josie 821
07 - The Spinners - Marvella - Rhythm 125
08 - The Chimes - Zindy Lou - Specialty 555
09 - The Four Blazes - Mary Jo - United 114
10 - The Five Campbells - Morrine - Music City 794
11 - The Hollywood Flames - Peggy - Decca 29248
12- The Reveres - Leonore - Glory 742
13 - The Crowns - Oh-Rooba-Lee - Specialty 573
14 - The Heartbreakers - Wanda - RCA Victor 47-4327
15 - The Coronets - Corbella -
16 - The Dreams - Darlene - Savoy 1130
17 - The Hi-Fives - Dorothy - Decca 30657
18 - The Five Chimes - Rosemary - Betta 2011
19 - Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns - Gloria - Specialty 573
20 - The Desires - Hey Lena - Hull 730
21 - The Wrens - Betty Jean - Rama 175
22 - Ronnie and the Hi-Lights - Valerie - Raven 8000
23 - The Empires - Linda - Whirlin' Disc 104
24 - The Turks - Emily - Money 211
25 - The Versatones - Bila - All Star 501
26 - The Calvanes - Flee Oo Wee - Dootone Unreleased
27 - The Schoolboys - Carol - Okeh 7090
28 - The Marcels - Betty Lou - Jody 123
29 - The Vocaltones - Wanna Lee - Juanita 100
30 - The Passions - Gloria - Audicon 106

And now for an interesting sidelight from Joan on the first and last labelshots:

You'll note the stamp on the label for the Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns Specialty 45 - it says "Big John Records" - A legendary record shop which was located in the Combat Zone on Washington Street in Boston Massachusetts, and was most times staffed by Big John and Little Walter whose combined record knowledge was extraordinary. Little Walter later went on to produce many of the outstanding collectors editions of cds and albums and continues to do so to this very day. Little Walter also hosted a series of late night Doo Wop and R&B oldies shows over the airwaves of Boston Mass, over WTBS, then WMBR, and WBCN. It was Little Walter who gave me my start in collecting Doo Wop and R&B back a lot of years ago. I still have a lot of the 45's I bought at the "Big John Records" store.

A Tribute to the Late Tiny Bradshaw, the Great Composer (King LP 653)

Let us start the New Year of 2009 by paying tribute to a true giant of rhythm and blues: Myron “Tiny” Bradshaw, bandleader, drummer, blues shouter and tunesmith. If ever one musician encapsulated what Bebopwino is about then that musician is Tiny Bradshaw, a man whose musical career started in a college swing band in the 1920s, progressed through various big bands in the 1930s and 1940s, and then switched to small group jump and R&B in the late 1940s and thereafter had an influence on rock and roll in the 1950s via his song “The Train Kept A’Rollin’” which was covered by Johnny Burnette and the Rock’n’Roll Trio. Of course during the 1960s the Burnette version was covered in turn by The Yardbirds who then covered themselves by regurgitating the number as “Stroll On” in the Antonioni film “Blowup.” But I am getting somewhat ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the 1920s …

… back to Wilberforce University where we find young Tiny drumming and singing in Horace Henderson’s Collegians. Henderson (brother of Fletcher) broke up the band in 1928 and Bradshaw moved to New York where he played in a succession of big bands including Marion Hardy’s Alabamians, Duncan Mayer’s Savoy Bearcats and The Mills Blue Rhythm Band. When Bradshaw formed his own band in 1934, he took on the role of singing, dancing frontman inspired partly by Mills Blue Rhythm Band frontman Baron Lee, and partly by Cab Calloway. The band quickly secured a recording contract with Decca and although they had some success with “Shout Sister Shout” and “Darktown Strutters’ Ball”, the contract was not renewed and the Bradshaw band remained unrecorded for more than a decade.

Despite the lack of records being issued, the Bradshaw outfit remained a popular live attraction throughout the rest of the 1930s and into the wartime era. Tiny’s next recordings were Jubilee recordings for the Armed Forces in early 1944. Later that year his band was recording for the Regis and Manor labels in a jump-blues style. When Bradshaw signed with the Savoy label in 1947, he had slimmed the band down to a small group and was now recording tracks like “Take The Hands Off The Clock” in a rhythm and blues style.

In late 1949 Tiny Bradshaw signed for the King label and his powerful swing influenced R&B was soon hitting the charts. “Well Oh Well”, “Walking The Chalk Line”, “Soft” and “Heavy Juice” (the latter two tracks being instrumentals featuring Red Prysock on tenor sax) all charted between 1950 and 1953. Although there were no more chart hits for Tiny, his extremely danceable sax driven music was a big live attraction. When Red Prysock left the group in 1953, he was replaced by Sil Austin, who was replaced in turn by Noble Watts in mid-1954.

It was at this time that Tiny’s ever growing health problems forced him to cut back drastically on touring and recording. A stroke or heart attack left Tiny paralysed in both legs and although the band continued to record under his name until January 1958, he was actually present on only a handful of the recordings. In November 1958 it all came to an end when Tiny suffered a fatal heart attack.

This LP is a 1980s reissue on Sing of King LP 653 “A Tribute to the Late Tiny Bradshaw, the Great Composer” which was released in 1959. The 1959 tribute was in fact a reissue, with four additional tracks, of the 1958 King LP 395-501 “Tiny Bradshaw.” There are only two vocal tracks on the album, “Well Oh Well”, and “The Train Kept A’Rollin’”, with the bulk of the tracks made up of instrumentals recorded in 1953 and 1954. The three big hitting tenor sax men, Red Prysock, Sil Austin and Noble Watts are all well represented but we should also sing the praises of tenor sax man Rufus Gore who is present on most of these tracks.

Most of the above information on the career of Tiny Bradshaw was taken from Joop Visser’s sleevenotes to the “Tiny Bradshaw The EP Collection” CD. Label shots supplied by Joan K. If you are interested in investigating the early career of Tiny Bradshaw then CD1 of the Proper 2CD set “Breaking Up The House” has his pre-King recordings. CD2 of the set has a selection of his early King material. 43 tracks for a budget price – it has to be a bargain!

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

Tiny Bradshaw The Great Composer (Mega)


1. Soft
2. Off And On
3. Heavy Juice
4. Well Oh Well
5. Free For All
6. Choice
7. Bushes
8. Stack Of Dollars
9. Later
10.Powder Puff
11. South Of The Orient
12. The Train Kept A’Rollin’
13. Light
14. Ping Pong
15. Come on
16. Cat Fruit