Late Freight / Sonny's Return - Sonny Thompson Quintet featuring Eddie Chamblee (Miracle 128)

Listen to "Late Freight"

Listen to "Sonny's Return"

"Late Freight" was recorded circa December 7th 1947 in Chicago. The "Sonny Thompson Quintet" consisted of Sonny Thompson, The Sharps and Flats and Eddie Chamblee. In other words the exact same line up which recorded "Long Gone, Part 2." Personnel: Eddie Chamblee (tenor sax), Sonny Thompson (piano), Alvin Garrett (guitar), Leroy Morrison (bass), Thurman "Red" Cooper (drums).

"Sonny's Return" was recorded circa December 24th 1947 with the same personnel as above, minus Eddie Chamblee.

"Late Freight" was released in August 1948 and was the follow up to the huge hit “Long Gone” which had been released in March 1948 and had become the third biggest R&B seller of the year, tucked in behind Lonnie Johnson’s “Tomorrow Night” and Julia Lee’s “King Size Papa.” Among the discs it outsold were “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Wynonie Harris, “I Want a Bowlegged Woman” by Bull Moose Jackson, and Hal Singer’s frantic honker “Cornbread” which featured every rock ‘n’ roll riff ever known to man or womankind.

On “Late Freight,”  the “Long Gone” formula for success was repeated with Eddie Chamblee being recalled to the fray to lay down more great tenor sax work over a moody slow boogie which evoked the sound of a steady moving train going clickety clack over the tracks – yeah, blues in the night! “Late Freight” was another hit for Sonny, being the eleventh top selling disc of 1948 and along with “Long Gone” it helped to make him the third best selling R&B artist of that year with Bull Moose Jackson securing the top spot and Louis Jordan coming in as the second top selling artist.

With many thanks to El Enmascadero for the rips from shellac and label shots of the original 78rpm disc.