Rock'N' Roll Versus Rhythm And Blues (Dooto LP DL 223)

Side 1:
01) Wet Back Hop - Chuck Higgins
02) Tonky Honk - Chuck Higgins
03) Fools Are Getting Scarcer - Roy Milton
04) I Can't Go On - Roy Milton
05) Oh Yeah - Chuck Higgins
06) Don't You Know I Love You - Chuck Higgins (Vocal by Frank Dunn)

Side 2:
01) Reelin' And Rockin' - Roy Milton
02) Nothing Left - Roy Milton
03) The Itch - Chuck Higgins
04) Looking For My Baby - Chuck Higgins
05) Baby I'm Gone - Roy Milton
06) Cry Some Baby - Roy Milton

Rock'N' Roll Versus Rhythm And Blues (Mega)

Rock'N' Roll Versus Rhythm And Blues (Zippy)

12 Hits! Battle of the Bands! Chuck Higgins versus Roy Milton! Released in 1956, this 12 tracker is an irresistible collection for fans of West Coast Honk and West Coast Jump. Brought to you by regular contributor Marv, these waxings encapsulate the two generations of  Los Angeles R&B: the jump blues of the 1940s and the R&B / rock and roll of the 1950s.

Roy Milton, of course had been enjoying hit record success since 1946 when his "Milton's Boogie" and "R.M. Blues" soared towards the top of what was then called the Race Music charts. These discs were released on Art Rupe's Juke Box label which soon became Specialty. Roy had a total of 19 R&B chart hits for the label, his last "biggie" being "Night And Day" in 1952.

Roy's last session for Specialty was in October 1953, although that label still issued his material into 1955. His next recording session was for Dootone when he laid down the tracks on this LP in April or early May 1955. By then Roy's jazz, swing and boogie based form of R&B was decidedly old fashioned but the tracks here are all good, with "(You Got Me) Reelin' And Rockin'" and "Baby I'm Gone" rocking along nicely.

 The Cash Box, 21st May 1955

If Roy's spectacular record sales were long gone by 1955, Chuck Higgins was still hanging in there as regards West Coast teen appeal in the same year when he recorded a session for Dootone. His big success had come early in his recording career in 1952 with "Pachuco Hop" / "Motorhead Baby" on Combo which was a strong seller on The Coast. For the next few years he label hopped around LA diskeries with sessions for John Dolphin, Aladdin and Specialty.

Unlike Roy Milton, Chuck's popularity remained entirely local to the LA area. However, the good will he had built up among LA's Mexican R&B followers with "Pachuco Hop" was thrown away with the release on Dootone of the spectacularly badly named "Wet Back Hop." Ouch.

Setting aside that dreadful faux pas, the Higgins sides here are good strong mid '50s R&B with great guitar work by Jimmy Nolen who manages to sound like T-Bone Walker on "Don't You Know I Love You" and like Chuck Berry on "Looking For My Baby."

The Story Behind The Tracks:

Roy Milton - all sides recorded in Los Angeles circa April 1955. Personnel: Roy Milton (drums, vocals) with - Charles Gillum (trumpet); Jackie Kelso (alto sax); Eddie Taylor (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Camille Howard (piano); Jimmie Davis (guitar); Lawrence Kato (bass).

Fools Are Getting Scarcer / I Can't Go On - Dootone 363 - May 1955

You Got Me Reeling And Rocking / Nothing Left - Dootone 369 - July 1955

Cry Some Baby / Baby I'm Gone - Dootone 398 - July 1956

Chuck Higgins - all sides recorded in Los Angeles on an unknown date in 1955. Personnel: Chuck Higgins (vocal, tenor sax); with - Danny Crisp (trombone); Kenny Battle (tenor sax, baritone sax); Frank Dunn (vocal, piano); Jimmy Nolen (guitar); Roy "Candy" Johnson (bass) James Lee (drums)

Here I'm Is / Tonky Honk - Dootone 361 - April 1955

Wetback Hop / Don't You Know I Love You Baby - Dootone 370 - August 1955

Looking For My Baby / Eye Ballin' - Dootone 376 - November 1955

The Itch / Gambling Woman - Dootone 387 - March 1956

Oh Yeah / I Need Your Love - Dootone 396 - June 1956

Information from 45cat.com, bsnpubs.com, and The Cash Box. Album art adapted from discogs.com. Sound files from Marv.

You Gotta Buy These:

For Dootone sounds straight from the master recordings, Ace (UK) is your one stop shop. If you liked this album, then these fine platters will get your toes a tappin' -

 Dootone Rock'n' Rhythm and Blues (Ace CDCHD 839)

Well, it's pretty obvious where they got the idea for the cover from! This CD could be regarded as a greatly expanded version of the LP on this blog post. But not quite, as it doesn't have "Oh Yeah" by Chuck Higgins. Every other track on the LP is present on this 28 tracker which features more Roy Milton and Chuck Higgins, Mickey Champion (backed by Roy Milton), Lorenzo Holden, Ernie Freeman, Helen Humes, Claude McLin and Joe Houston. A must buy.

Honk! Honk! Honk! (Ace CDCHD 781)

"Oh Yeah" is on this one. I've sung the praises of this one many times before. 30 sides mainly from Combo but with a smattering of Dootone sides. Features Joe Houston, Chuck Higgins, Roy Milton, Jack McVea, Lorenzo Holden, Louise Beatty and other cool West Coast cats. Be there or be square. Capiche?

Many thanks to Marv for sending in this Dooto LP. I'm gone man, solid gone.

Rhythm And Blues Hit Vocal Groups (Authentic / Dooto LP 501)

Side 1:
01) Speedin' - The Medallions
02) The Telegram - The Medallions
03) My Pretty Baby - The Medallions
04) Did You Have Fun - The Medallions
05) Coupe De Ville Baby - The Medallions
06) Mary Lou - The Medallions

Side 2:
01) Be Mine Or Be A Fool - The Penguins
02) So Tough - The Cufflinx
03) It's Too Late Now - The Cufflinx
04) House Cat - The Romancers
05) Let Me Cry - Willie Headen & The Birds
06) I Love You Bobby Sox - Willie Headen & The Birds

Hit Vocal Groups (Mega)

Hit Vocal Groups (Zippy)

Thanks to Marv for reconstructing this third LP collection of Dootone vocal group sounds. Get the first two back in the blog - The Best Vocal Groups Of Rhythm And Blues and The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll.

This LP was first released in 1958 on Authentic which was a short lived subsidiary label of Dootone / Dooto which released some singles and a few budget priced LPs. This LP was later reissued on parent label Dooto. If you like that real greasy West Coast R&B sound like I do then you'll find this collection to be right up your alley. Doo Wop wailin' plus Willie Headen - great stuff!

Original Single Issues

The Medallions:

The Telegram / Coup De Ville Baby - Dootone 357 - July 1954

Edna / Speedin' - Dootone 364 - May 1955

My Pretty Baby / I'll Never Love Again - Dootone 373 - October 1955

Did You Have Fun / My Mary Lou - Dootone 407 - October 1956 (Vernon Green And The Medallions)

The Penguins:

Be Mine Or Be A Fool / Don't Do It - Mercury 70610 - April 1955. Was a previously unissued Dootone take unearthed for this LP? It sounds like the Mercury release on this reconstructed LP post. Only buyers of the original LP will know for sure!

The Cufflinx:

It's Too Late Now / The Saxaphone (sic) Rag (instr.) - Dooto 422 - August 1957 (The Cuff Links)

So Tough / My Love Is With You - Dooto 433 - January 1958

The Romancers:

I Still Remember  / House Cat - Dootone 381 - January 1956

Willie Headen & The Birds:

I Love You Bobby Sox / Stop Drinking - Dootone 1203 - May 1954 (Willie Headen)

Let Me Cry / The Skinny Woman Story - Authentic AU 410 also Dooto AU 410 - January 1957 (Willie Headen And The Five Birds)

Discographical info mainly from Marv Goldberg's site plus The Cash Box.

Your Marv Goldberg links for the lowdown on some of these groups:

The Medallions:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Medallions/medallions.html

The Penguins:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Penguins/penguins.html

The Cufflinx:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Cufflinks/cufflinks.html

With thanks to Marv (who is not Marv Goldberg!) for sending this collection.

For much more of that West Coast R&B vocal group sound, purchase Ace CD collections of Dootone, Modern, Combo and John Dolphin label sides!

The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll (Dooto DL 224)

Side A:
01) Crazy Over You - The Calvanes
02) Always And Always - The Meadowlarks
03) Let Me Give You Money - The Pipes
04) I Still Remember - The Romancers
05) I Ain't Gonna Cry No More - The Penguins
06) Edna - The Medallions

Side B:
01) Guided Missiles - The Cuff Links
02) Double Dealing Baby - The Souvenirs
03) Don't Take Your Love From Me - The Calvanes
04) Back Home Again - The Birds
05) Boogie Woogie Teenage - The Meadowlarks
06) Untrue - The Meadowlarks

The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll (Mega)

The Best Vocal Groups In Rock'n' Roll (Zippy)

Thanks to our regular contributor Marv for this second instalment of reconstituted Dootone vocal group albums. This LP was originally issued in April 1957 on Dooto (the Dootone name having been altered in early 1957 due to a court case). It was also reissued on the Dooto subsidiary Authentic label.

Remember a couple of posts ago I said I would just get the music up and forego the investigations into the background details? Oops - looks like I got carried away when preparing this post, so you get the usual heap o' arcane info.

There's just something about this 1950's Los Angeles R&B into Rock 'n' Roll sound that goes straight to the gut. Perhaps someone more articulate than I can explain it in the comments. Maybe it's the slightly fly by night feel of the records on these small labels like Dootone, Combo, the John Dolphin stable of labels, and many even more obscure outfits. The vocal groups and the sax instros, I love it all. Now I'm gonna cruise on over to Dolphin's Of Hollywood to grab me some 45s and maybe Huggy Boy is broadcasting from the store window. Or am I too late?

 Release Details:

The Calvanes - Crazy Over You / Don't Take Your Love From Me - Dootone 371 - August 1955

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks - Always And Always / I Got Tore Up - Dootone 367 - June 1955

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks - I Am A Believer / Boogie Woogie Teenage - Dootone 405 - October 1956

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks - Untrue - first released on this LP.

The Pipes - Be Fair / Let Me Give You Money - Dootone 388 - March 1956

The Romancers - I Still Remember / House Cat - Dootone 381 - January 1956

The Penguins - I Ain't Gonna Cry No More on Dootone EP "Rhythm and Blues Vocal Group Series Album #1" - Dootone EP-101 - June 1955

The Medallions - Speedin' / Edna - Dootone 364 - June 1955

The Cuff Links - Guided Missiles / My Heart - Dootone 409 - December 1956

The Souvenirs - Double Dealing Baby - first released on this LP

Willie Headen And The Five Birds - Back Home Again / I Wanna Know - Authentic 703 - July 1956 (also released on Dooto 703) Reviewed in The Cash Box, 7th July, 1956

Info from 45cat.com, The Cash Box, and Marv Goldberg's site.

Marv Goldberg Articles:

The Calvanes

Don Julian And The Meadowlarks

The Pipes

The Penguins

The Medallions 

The Cuff Links

The Souvenirs 

Absolutely Vital Purchases:

Ace CDCHD 579

Ace CDCHD 588

Ace CDCHD 676

Elsewhere On The Blog:

The Best Vocal Groups In Rhythm And Blues

Thanks Marv!

The Best Vocal Groups In Rhythm And Blues (Dooto DL-204)

Side 1:
01) Earth Angel - The Penguins
02) Hey Senorita - The Penguins
03) Kiss A Fool Goodbye - The Penguins
04) Ookey Ook - The Penguins
05) Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild - The Penguins
06) Baby Let's Make Some Love - The Penguins

Side 2:
01) The Letter - The Medallions
02) Buick 59 - The Medallions
03) Heaven And Paradise - The Meadowlarks
04) I Got Tore Up - The Meadowlarks
05) Teller Of Fortune - The Dootones
06) Ay Si Si Mambo - The Dootones

The Best Vocal Groups Of Rhythm And Blues (Mega)

The Best Vocal Groups Of Rhythm And Blues (Zippy)

Again it's thanks to Marv for this reconstruction of an LP originally issued on the LA indie label Dootone in July 1955. Founded in 1951 by Dootsie Williams, Dootone flirted with the big time in 1954 / 1955 when "Earth Angel" by The Penguins became not only a national R&B hit in late 1954 but also entered the pop chart, peaking at number 8 in early 1955.

"Buick 59" / "The Letter" by the Medallions was the first vocal group record released by Dootone, becoming something of a West Coast regional hit in 1954 Another regional vocal group success was "Heaven and Paradise" also released in 1954. This LP (and a concurrent series of EPs) can therefore be seen as an attempt to surf the early success of Dootone's R&B vocal group issues and it must have achieved reasonable sales as it was re-released several times throughout the '50s and into the early '60's latterly as "Dooto" issues when the Dootone label changed its name following a lawsuit by the Duo Tone company.

So thanks to Marv for this great selection of West Coast vocal group sounds, and thanks to the original uploader of the artwork.

Chuck Higgins - Motorhead Baby

Side 1:
01. Pachuko Hop
02. Bug Jump
03. Long Long Time
04. Real Gone Hound Dog
05. Chuck's Fever
06. Cotton Picker
07. Yak A Dak

Side 2:
01. Chuck A Buck
02. Wet Back Hop
03. Don't You Know I Love You Baby
04. Blacksmith Blues
05. Flip Top Box
06. Blues & Mambo
07. Motor Head Baby

Download from here:

http://www23.zippyshare.com/v/1BDcv5oz/file.html

Fired with enthusiasm after listening to "Yak a Dak" I had a look through my vinyl and came up with another Chuck Higgins compilation made up with tracks from various 1980s reissue LPs. Hope you like it. Another LP that never was, complete with front and back covers.

Further info on the tracks:

01. Pachuko Hop - Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones: Combo 12; 1952

02. Bug Jump - John Watson with Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones: Combo 38; 1953

03. Long Long Time - Chuck Higgins: Combo 144; 1958. Vocal: Frank Dunn

04. Real Gone Hound Dog - Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones: Combo 25; 1953. Vocal: Geechie Howard

05. Chuck's Fever - Chuck Higgins: unissued until Ace LP CH81 "Pachuko Hop" (1983).

06. Cotton Picker - Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones: Combo 14; 1952. Vocal: Geechie Howard

07. Yak A Dak - Chuck Higgins & His Orchestra: Aladdin 3215; 1954

08. Chuck A Buck - Chuck Higgins & His Orchestra: Aladdin 3215; 1954

09. Wet Back Hop - Chuck Higgins & His Band: Dootone 370; 1955

10. Don't You Know I Love You Baby - Chuck Higgins & His Band: Dootone 370; 1955. Vocal: Frank Dunn

11. Blacksmith Blues - Chuck Higgins & The Mellotones: Combo 108; 1955. Vocal: Johnny Flamingo

12. Flip Top Box - Chuck Higgins & The Mellotones: Combo 108; 1955

13. Blues & Mambo - Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones: Combo 17; 1952

14. Motorhead Baby - Chuck Higgins & His Mellotones: Combo 12; 1952. Vocal: John Watson

Combo 108 was re-released on Caddy 108 in 1957. "Geechie Howard" was Chuck's brother Fred Higgins who also sang under the name "Daddy Cleanhead." John Watson, the pianist / vocalist on Chuck's early Combo sides had a successful career as Johnny "Guitar" Watson.

Discographical information from:

http://wdd.mbnet.fi/chuckhiggins.htm

http://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursh/higgins_c.htm

Chuck Higgins LPs:

Pachucko Hop (Combo LP 300), 1956.

For some unknown reason this LP was withdrawn and then reissued in a new cover:

Dootone issued a Chuck Higgins / Roy Milton LP with 6 tracks by each artist called "Rock'N' Roll Versus Rhythm And Blues" in 1956. The LP stayed in print under the renamed "Dooto" label:

In 1983 Ace (UK) released the LP "Pachuko Hop." This was not a straight reissue of the Combo "Pachucko Hop" as two of the original tracks were omitted and four other tracks were added.

The Ace LP was the first time I heard Chuck Higgins. For Chuck Higgins CDs see previous post "Yak a Dak." It's possible to reconstruct the Combo and Dootone LPs from 3 of the still available CDs:

 

The original "Pachucko Hop" Combo LP was a killer-diller!

The Later Roy Milton (re-up)

Re-upped by request, this time with a front cover! Original post here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/roy-milton-later-roy-milton_26.html

New download link:

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

From the original post:

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.

1. Baby, Don't Do That To Me (Specialty 545)

2. Tell It Like It Is (Specialty 538)

3. Fools Are Getting Scarcer (Dootone 363)

4. I Can't Go On (Dootone 363)

5. You Got Me Reelin' & Rockin' (Dootone 369)

6. One Zippy Zam (King 4993)

7. A Brand New Thrill (King 5074)

8. Jeep's Blues (King 5074)

9. Driveway Blues (Thunderbird 104)

10. I'm Forgetting About You (Thunderbird 104)

An appeal - there was a request a few weeks ago for a source for Roy Milton's King recording "Skid Row." Does anyone have a copy they could share?

The Cool, Cool Penguins (Dootone DTL-242 - LP)

Thanks to Joan K for the sights and sounds of this Dootone album from 1958.

You gotta love the album art – 4 guys in penguin suits, a block of ice, a stuffed penguin, it just has to be The Cadillacs! No, only kidding! So let us now turn our attention to The Penguins.

Founded in Los Angeles in late 1953 by tenor Cleveland Duncan and bass/baritone Curtis Williams, The Penguins signed for Dootsie Williams’ Dootone Records in early 1954. Curtis Williams had been working on a song with Gaynel Hodge of The Hollywood Flames for some time prior to inking the pact with the Dootone diskery prexie. That song, “Earth Angel”, would soon become one of the top selling R&B records of all time. Released in the autumn of 1954 as the B side to “Hey Senorita”, its progress up the R&B charts was hesitant at first, but by January 1955 it had reached number one.

This was the era of the cover version, when the major record companies would latch on to successful R&B records and produce sweetened versions which would then pick up the pop chart action. Sure enough several cover versions of “Earth Angel” duly appeared, the most successful of which was that by The Crew Cuts on Mercury which reached number 3 in the pop charts. But this time round there was a twist to the tale as The Penguins’ original version also shot up the pop charts, reaching number 8. “Earth Angel” has subsequently come to be regarded as an important record in the rise of rock and roll as it proved that genuine R&B could sell big in the pop market.

However, there were to be no more big hits for The Penguins. They signed a management deal with Buck Ram who took them to Mercury Records. Ram also owned (the name, the royalties, everything) a fairly nondescript group called The Platters who had been recording unsuccessfully on Federal, and he took these apparent second raters with him to Mercury as part of The Penguins deal. It was The Platters who benefited from Ram’s songwriting, producing and promoting talents as they had a huge hit with “Only You” and were soon speeding down the highway to international stardom. The Penguins, who had refused to sign up to the kind of contract that Ram liked, continued to record unsuccessfully for Mercury for a couple of years before winding up back at Dootone, which brings us to this album “The Cool, Cool Penguins” which was released in 1958.

The sides here were recorded in 1957 and 1958 and are good rock and roll / doowop material. Ripped from vinyl by Joan, there is some surface noise present but the sound quality is generally good. Joan has included scans from one of 3 EPs which were released (in 1958) featuring the tracks from the LP.

For the full story of The Penguins and “Earth Angel” go to Marv Goldberg’s site.

Ripped from vinyl at 192 kbps. Password = greaseyspoon

Download from here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/126864207/The_Cool__Cool_Penguins.rar

1. Do Not Pretend
2. If You're Mine
3. Cold Heart
4. Want Me
5. Sweet Love
6. Let Me Make Up Your Mind
7. Money Talks
8. Lover Or Fool
9. Butterball
10. Heart Of A Fool
11. Be My Lovin' Baby
12. That's How Much I Need You