Hen Gates And His Gaters - Rock And Roll (Plymouth P-12-144)

Thanks once more to our Stateside sax benefactor for supplying this rare Hen Gates LP issued on the Plymouth label.

It’s a great follow up to the previous post “Let’s All Dance To Rock And Roll”, and we are still in the land of cheapo Don Gabor LPs, for Plymouth was another of his labels. So once again we are dealing with a poorly packaged record. The back cover has no track list but the front cover helpfully lists 4 titles followed by “etc.” Naturally none of these titles is used on the record labels …

But enough of the negative vibes. The good news is that as we saw in the previous post, “Hen Gates” was a pseudonym used to disguise the fact that this album is made up of retitled Freddie Mitchell sides recorded for Derby between 1949 and 1952. Be Bop Wino fans can rest assured that this collection contains plenty of bootin’ sax to tickle our audio palates. The sides used on this collection are even further removed from rock and roll than the “Let’s All Dance” LP. At least that album used hard rockin’ R&B which could just about pass for rock and roll. Many of the tracks on the “Rock and Roll” collection are jazzier with that rather annoying (to me) plinky plonk piano to the fore. It’s mostly good Be Bop Wino type stuff, though, and well worth a listen.

I’ve managed to identify the origins of five of the tracks as follows:

Track 1, “Stop” is “Pony Express”, recorded 1950/51, originally released on Derby 725

Track 4 “Hold It” is “Hot Ice” (minus intro), recorded December 1951, originally released on Derby 777

Track 5 “The Creep” is “Doby’s Boogie”, recorded in 1949, originally released on Derby 713

Track 8 “Rockin’ and Rollin’ Hop” is “Madera Hop”, recorded in December 1951, originally released on Derby 807

Track 11 “Bunny Rock” is “Cold Heat” (minus intro), recorded in 1952, originally released on Derby 793

“Cold Heat” and “Doby’s Boogie” also turned up on the “Let’s All Dance” LP under the titles “Great Gates Rock” and “Lose”, respectively.

Could I repeat my plea for information as to the origins of the other Hen Gates tracks on both albums? I actually have a nagging doubt about the origin of some of the “Let’s All Dance the Rock and Roll” tracks, mainly because they seem to be in a different style from the tracks used here. Of course the difference may be explained by the need for Plymouth to use earlier tracks than the ones used by Masterseal in order to keep duplication to a minimum.

Ripped from hissing vinyl at 320 kbps. Password = greaseyspoon

Download from here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/369200528/Hen_Gates_-_Rock_And_Roll.rar

Or from here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YIM0NDRM

1. Stop
2. Hand Clappin'
3. Look Out
4. Hold It
5. The Creep
6. T. N. T.
7. Jumpin' And Shoutin'
8. Rockin' And Rollin' Hop
9. Back Bone
10. Look And Listen
11. Bunny Rock
12. Bear Walk

Further listening –

Baikinange has “That Boogie Beat”, an Allegro Royale cheapo LP of Freddie Mitchell tracks, here:

http://baikinange.blogspot.com/2008/11/that-boogie-beat.html

It’s a pretty trashed copy of a budget priced collection released after Derby had gone belly up and sold off its masters. But at least it’s not masquerading as a "Hen Gates" rock and roll LP, and the link still works!


Classics has an excellent CD, “The Chronological Freddie Mitchell 1949-1950," available. You can also purchase this collection as an mp3 download from Amazon.


Amazon also has a 45 track mp3 only collection available – “Rockin’ Wailin’ Saxophone.” Some of the titles on the collection are those used on the Hen Gates LPs.

Lastly, another big thank you to our anonymous donor. Lang may yer lum reek.

Hen Gates And His Gaters - Let's All Dance To Rock And Roll (Masterseal LP)

1. Rock Me Sugar
2. Rock Around My Baby
3. Love To Rock With You
4. Choo Choo Rock
5. Rock Clock Rock
6. Rockin' And Walkin'
7. Great Gates Rock
8. Shoe Shine Rock
9. Juke Box Rock
10. Rock Around Rosie
11. Fish Beat Rock
12. Rock'n Time
13. The New Rock
14. Lose

My thanks to an anonymous Stateside honk fan who very kindly sends occasional donations of LPs of a tenor saxual nature. You’ve come up trumps with this one!

Scene: a suburban home somewhere in the US of A. Mid afternoon in the long summer vac of 1957.

Mom: “Hi Junior, I’m home! I’ve picked up the groceries and I've got a little surprise for you, honey. A rock and roll record!”

Junior: “Gee whillickers, Mom! That’s so nice of you. What did you get? Buddy? Elvis? Chuck Berry?”

Mom: “You know I don’t know anything about those kind of people, dear. It’s by a new young singer called Hen Gates. It says here that he’s a top exponent of rock and roll, so he must be good. Look at the nice picture on the cover, Junior. Lots of happy young people going to a rock and roll party!”

Junior (crestfallen): “Holy friggin’ shit mom! Who the friggin’ frig is Hen friggin’ Gates? I want a Chuck Berry record, and I friggin’ want it now!”

Mom (angry): Junior! Go straight up to your room! When your dad gets back from the advertising agency he’s going to give you the waterboarding you deserve!”

Junior (in despair): “Holy Mackerel! It’s like living in Nazi friggin’ Germany!”

Mom (shaking head): “Kids these days!”

Voiceover: “And now a word from our sponsor, the Be Bop Wino Blog …”


Many such scenes of domestic dischord may well have been provoked by the impulse purchase of this LP on the ultra cheapo Masterseal label whose discs could be found on strategically placed racks in grocery stores everywhere. An article in the 16th February 1957 edition of Billboard announced the forthcoming launch of Masterseal LPs under the headline “Remington Records Bows Low-Price LP” followed by the sub-heading “New line, Masterseal, to go for $1.49; ambitious rack-jobbing used in Chicago.”

The article gives fascinating details of the huge promotion effort that was put into the label launch – ads, deejay spots, store displays, exclusive distribution deals signed with grocery chains in Chicago and Detroit, grocers wined and dined, and “incentives” for store managers. Thousands of dollars went into the promotion budget. Not much was spent on the actual music though. The label repertoire consisted largely of mediocre pop, a lot of classical music and a smattering of jazz. Buried deep in the article is a reference to the fact that some of the Masterseal material had been originally released on Don Gabor’s Continental Records. This is the only mention of the man who was behind Remington and Masterseal – Donald H. Gabor. His story and that of his labels can be found on the wonderfully researched Remington Records site.

Gabor’s first label, Continental, started up around 1942, issuing jazz and classical recordings on 78 rpm discs. As the 1940s became the 1950s, he was quick to realise the potential of the new LP format and in 1950 started up the cut price LP Remington label on which he reissued many of his Continental jazz recordings (including Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughn, Slam Stewart, Leonard Feather and Hot Lips Page) as well as a vast repertoire of classical and pop music. Although technically and musically savvy, Gabor viewed music not as art but as product to be shifted as quickly and in as great a quantity as possible. He was not averse to cutting corners in order to turn a profit, including constantly recycling material under new titles and covers or even on new labels (Masterseal, Palace, Buckingham and Plymouth among others). He even saved money by pressing his records using a low grade vinyl substitute called vinylite which gave his discs a distinct hissing sound and a limited lifespan.

Such business methods may have resulted in healthy sales (“Music for the Millions!”) but they were beyond the pale as far as the major record labels were concerned and there were rumours that record stores were “warned off” stocking Gabor product, which may account for the use of locations such as department stores, grocery stores, supermarkets and gas stations as sales points for his labels. Remington did not see the end of the 1950s, folding when stereo LPs started making inroads into the music market. Gabor continued to release product on a variety of short lived labels into the 1960s but he never broke out of the low budget, low quality end of the market.

But what of Hen Gates and this foray by Don Gabor into the world of rock and roll? This is a magnificently tawdry piece of musical exploitation. First off, nobody knows what the LP is actually called. On the front of the cover the title is “Let’s Go Dancing To Rock and Roll” while on the reverse side the title is “Let’s All Dance To Rock And Roll." According to the cover there are 12 tracks on the LP, but in fact there are 14.

On the front cover the artist’s name is in tiny, barely visible lettering while the words “Rock and Roll” scream out luridly against a backdrop of happy teens crowding into an open top automobile in what appears to be somewhere vaguely in California. Gabor’s operation was based in New York and his Masterseal LPs weren’t particularly aimed at the normal record buying teen crowd, but rather his target market was the parents of the said teenagers, who would be happy to shell out a dollar and forty nine cents for a rock and roll record for the kids. To these parents the identity of the performer was irrelevant. The record had rock and roll on it, kids liked rock and roll, and it was much cheaper than the Elvis or Buddy discs in the window of the local record store. Who could resist such a bargain?

Of course the kids could resist “bargains” like this, and one wonders what Junior thought of Hen Friggin’ Gates if he ever got round to listening to the slab of vinylite. I like to picture in my mind’s eye Junior’s hip older brother (the one who’s due in court on a charge of possessing marijuana) casually putting the disc on the turntable and being rather pleased at the sounds which issued forth from the speaker (Mom and Dad being out at the church social or the PTA or some such). For despite the album’s unpromising background and appearance, this is one hot selection of glorious blasting rockin’ rhythm ‘n’ blues tenor sax.

Which begs the question – who is or was Hen Gates? For years the rumour was that Hen Gates and His Gaters were in fact the Dizzy Gillespie band. This seems to have been based on the supposition that Gillespie had used the pseudonym while playing incognito on some Charlie Parker discs in the 1940s. Bop pianist James Forman then “inherited” the pseudonym and used it when recording with James Moody for Blue Note in 1948 and with Dinah Washington for Mercury in 1949. A track called “Cravin’” on Masterseal MSLP 5013 “Hi-Fi Jazz Session” is credited to Hen Gates, but this may be James Forman. Dizzy Gillespie also appears on that LP, a fact which may have helped to perpetuate the “Dizzy Gillespie recorded a rock and roll LP” rumour.

In fact Hen Gates is Freddie Mitchell and the tracks on “Lets All Dance To Rock And Roll” are simply old Derby masters given new titles. When Derby filed for bankruptcy in 1954, Freddie Mitchell masters had been sold cheaply and had already been reissued on several labels before they turned up on Masterseal who thought they could pull a fast one and pass them off as tracks recorded by Hen Gates and His Gaters who, according to the LP sleevenotes, were “a group of talented young Rock ‘N Roll musicians …”

Unfortunately I don’t have an exhaustive collection of Freddie Mitchell recordings so I can’t list the original titles of the tracks on this album. Track 7 “Great Gates Rock” is a renamed “Cold Heat” (minus the original intro) which was recorded in 1952 and was the B side of “Moondog Boogie” released as Derby 793. Track 14 “Lose” is really Freddie Mitchell’s biggest hit “Doby’s Boogie” which was recorded in 1949 and released as Derby 713. Can anyone out there identify any more of the tracks?

It is ironic that this example of naked exploitation has stood the test of time and is now one of the best Freddie Mitchell compilations available. The LP lives on in the form of a bootleg CD with 15 additional tracks, all of them Freddie Mitchell Derby sides. The extra tracks have been given new names which barely disguise their original titles. At least Freddie gets some credit this time round as his name appears on the front cover of the CD (shown below).

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps. Hissing audible. Password = greaseyspoon

Download from here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/367295345/Hen_Gates_-_Let_s_All_Dance_To_Rock_And_Roll.rar

Or here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IO193B0B

1. Rock Me Sugar
2. Rock Around My Baby
3. Love To Rock With You
4. Choo Choo Rock
5. Rock Clock Rock
6. Rockin' And Walkin'
7. Great Gates Rock
8. Shoe Shine Rock
9. Juke Box Rock
10. Rock Around Rosie
11. Fish Beat Rock
12. Rock'n Time
13. The New Rock
14. Lose

Thank you my anonymous good buddy!

Freddie Mitchell - Rock'N Roll

During the early 1940s tenor saxman Freddie Mitchell played in the bands of Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong and Hot Lips Page. In 1949 he formed his own septet and joined the newly formed New York based Derby Records where he became its biggest selling recording artist as well as musical director and house-band leader. “Slider” (track 4) was the first release on Derby Records where Mitchell stayed until 1952 when he left to join Mercury Records.

Mitchell’s Derby output consisted of original compositions and revivals of swing standards. Many of his early Derby recordings feature prominent piano by either Joe Black or Art Sims, but Freddie’s full toned tenor sax sound became more dominant in his recordings during the early 1950s. “Doby’s Boogie,” a tribute to black baseball player Larry Doby, was his biggest chart hit but unfortunately it isn’t on this collection. In addition to records released under his own name, Freddie’s band was present on many other Derby recordings, particularly on sides by chantoozies Bette McLaurin and Sarah Dean. The band also featured on a series of instrumentals credited to piano player Joe Black and his Boogie Woogie Boys. Freddie’s stay at Mercury was short lived and his subsequent releases on a variety of labels (Gem, Brunswick / Coral, Rock’n Roll and finally ABC Paramount) were somewhat intermittent.

After Freddie’s departure, Derby changed direction from a label which specialized in take-no-prisoners howlin’ R&B to a would-be pop diskery. The result was that the label filed for bankruptcy in 1954. Mitchell’s Derby masters were sold off and appeared on albums released by RCA subsidiary “X” and the budget Halo and Allegro labels. Freddie’s recordings also reappeared under a pseudonym, but that is something we shall be looking at in the next couple of posts.

In the meantime Freddie became a successful session musician on the New York recording scene, especially for the Atlantic label. He hooked up with Alan Freed and joined the sax section of his Big Rock and Roll band where he played alongside fellow R&B honkers such as Sam “The Man” Taylor and Big Al Sears. Mitchell appeared in the 1956 cheapo Freed exploitation movie “Rock Rock Rock” blowing hot tenor sax on his “Moondog Boogie” which was retitled “Rock and Roll Boogie for the film. Freddie gave up on his musical career in the 1960s, took up taxi driving and passed away in 1995.





This 1988 vinyl album from the Official label features a selection of Mitchell’s Derby sides (tracks 1 – 10) plus a couple of Mercury sides, a couple of sides from the Rock’n Roll label and a track from ABC Paramount. In my opinion some of the earlier Derby sides aren’t nearly as good as his output from late 1951 onwards. The last 8 tracks (the original side 2 of the LP) are great rousing R&B / rock ‘n’ roll. By the way, Freddie’s surname is lacking an “L” on the front and back of the record sleeve. It’s not a scanning mistake on my part!

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www11.zippyshare.com/v/4962321/file.html

1. Jersey Bounce
2. Fish Market Boogie
3. Till Tom Boogie
4. Slider
5. I Got Your Boogie
6. The Derby
7. Wedding March
8. String Of Pearls
9. Hot Ice
10. Moon Dog Boogie
11. Delicado
12. Later Gator
13. I'm Goin' Home
14. Preachin'
15. 3 Strikes You're Out
16. Freddie's New Calypso

The Best Of The Spiders Volume 1

Here’s yet another LP which has gathered dust on the shelves of my vinyl vault for the last few decades. And now it’s resurrected in all its scratched glory thanks to the inspiration of the Spiders’ Imperial LP which Joan sent in for posting. This is the perfect follow up to that post – there isn’t any duplication of tracks, although there is an uncanny similarity between certain numbers as The Spiders weren’t slow to rework their own songs.

Recorded for Imperial between April 1954 and November 1956, these sides are another prime slab of New Orleans R&B. My favourite track in this collection is “Lost And Bewildered”, a magnificent bluesy number recorded in January 1954 with Chuck Carbo on lead vocal accompanied by great smoky tenor sax. “You Played The Part”, “A1 In My Heart” and “Bells In My Heart” are other standouts, but there aren’t any weak tracks here at all.

This LP was originally released on the K.C. label in 1985. Some surface noise audible.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www103.zippyshare.com/v/jgrUOGlJ/file.html


1. Don't Pity Me
2. How I Feel
3. Bells In My Heart
4. For A Thrill
5. Lost And Bewildered
6. The Real Thing
7. Honey Bee
8. That's The Way To Win My Heart
9. Goodbye
10. I'll Stop Crying
11. Tears Began To Flow
12. Dear Mary
13. A1 In My Heart
14. You Played The Part

The Spiders - I Didn't Want To Do It (Imperial LP 9140)

Thanks to Joan for this post which appeared on the old Be Bop Wino blog back in April 2009. This Imperial LP was released in 1961, although the tracks date from 1954 – 1955. Big R&B hits such as “Witchcraft” (recorded by Elvis), “I Didn’t Want To Do It”, “You’re The One” and “I’m Slippin’ In” are included as well as several unreleased tracks.

The Spiders were the top New Orleans vocal group in the 1950’s. Originally a gospel group called The Zion City Harmonizers and then The Delta Southernaires, they became R&B group The Spiders at the instigation of recording studio owner Cosimo Matassa. They signed for Imperial in late 1953 and cut their first recording session at Matassa’s, with Dave Bartholomew producing, on December 11th. Their first release in January 1954, “I Didn’t Want To Do It” / “You’re The One” was a double-sided hit with both tunes reaching the R&B top ten.

The personnel included brothers Hayward “Chuck” Carbo on second tenor and lead, and Leonard “Chick” Carbo on bass and alternate lead. The group started to fall apart in 1956 when Chick Carbo went solo on Atlantic Records and the end came in 1957 when Chuck started a solo career on Imperial.

Reconstituted from various vinyl sources and ripped at 128 kbps

Thanks Joan, for furthering my R&B vocal group education with these fine sides.

Download from here:

http://www8.zippyshare.com/v/oVHoDWSq/file.html


1. I Didn't Want To Do It
2. You're The One
3. I'm Slippin' In
4. Mmm Mmm Baby
5. Walkin' Around In Circles
6. I'm Searching
7. That's Enough
8. Sukey, Sukey, Sukey
9. Am I The One
10. Don't Knock
11. (True) You Don't Love Me
12. Witchcraft

Charlie Gillett

News in that Charlie Gillett, deejay, record label owner, and of course writer, has died. While still a schoolboy I borrowed the first edition of Charlie's history of rock and roll "The Sound of the City" from the local public library. The book was probably the first to properly examine the deep roots of rock and roll and give due place to the pioneers of rhythm and blues. It was thanks to Charlie that I first came across names like Wynonie Harris, Roy Milton and Joe Liggins. Without "The Sound of the City" I may never have been moved to start digging around for recordings of these R&B performers.

Charlie's record company Oval issued one of the great compilation LPs - "Another Saturday Night" - back in 1974. It was a collection of cajun, swamp pop and zydeco sides from Jin and Swallow, and decades after buying it, I still find myself humming some of its brilliant tracks like Belton Richard's "Un Autre Soir d'Ennui" and "Cajun Fugitive", Vin Bruce's "Jole Blon" and of course Johnnie Allen's classic version of "The Promised Land."

I'm gonna put the disc on the turntable, play the first track, (Tommy McLain's version of "Before I Grow Too Old") and raise a glass to the memory of Charlie.

Sil Austin & Red Prysock - Battle Royal! (MG 20434)

Man oh man! This is the holy grail of honk. Sil Austin and Red Prysock, two of the all time great R&B tenor sax men, square off for a “battle royal” on this 1959 Mercury LP.

Thanks to sax fan Jeff who sent in these rips from vinyl, plus label and cover scans. One of the best things about music blogging is that fellow enthusiasts get in touch and send in contributions. This is an LP I’ve wanted to hear for some time now and it’s all due to Jeff that not only do I finally have the chance to hear these tracks, but so do you oh fellow boppers de wino.

Here’s some of Jeff’s thoughts on hearing this album -

“It is one of the most incredible sax records I have ever heard. A real joy, and I am so happy I saw it. The two of them were at the top of their form, and go at it like there is no tomorrow. It's actually just an unbelievable experience.

Incidentally, the record is heavily jazz with an R&B cornerstone. Both of them seemed like they were still into the 50s R&B but had recognized the death of the genre and were shifting into real jazz.

But then, of course, Sil went over to the ballad syndrome, and took a complete about face with his career. He was great in either genre, but what an absolute difference. I do feel we lost something in the transition. I'd love to know if he consciously went where the money was, or decided himself that R&B was dead, or lost his enthusiasm for uptempo honking.

And lastly incidentally, in case you aren't up on modern sax people, Sax Gordon has made a couple of CDs and truly is a throwback to the days of both Austin and Prysock. If you haven't heard him you should.

I sure hope you enjoy this one as much as I do. It just builds and builds and builds.

It is truly a shame that these two didn't get more popular acclaim. They are certainly way up there with the R&B afficionados, but they stand out so far from many of the other R&B sax men that more fame would have been warranted and well-deserved. This record is a gem.”

Recorded in New York, 1959. A stereo version, SR 60106, was also released on Mercury. A two part version of “Kenny’s Blues” was issued on a 45 rpm disc, Mercury 71683x45.

“No 1 Sil” and “Take The A Train” are extended frantic tenor sax duels. The shorter and slower “Kenny’s Blues” showcases the guitar of Kenny Burrell as well as the saxes of Austin and Prysock.

Personnel: Red Prysock, Sil Austin (ts) Dave Martin (p) Kenny Burrell, Everett Barksdale (g) Milt Hinton (b) Panama Francis (d)

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www8.zippyshare.com/v/iAsYLY6f/file.html

1. No.1 Sil
2. Kenny's Blues
3. Take The 'A' Train

Thanks for this post, Jeff.

Ruth Brown - Rockin' With Ruth

Here’s a great 1984 Charly LP of 16 of Ruth Brown’s best 1950’s tracks recorded for Atlantic. Nicknamed “Miss Rhythm”, Ruth Brown was the top selling female singer in 1950’s R&B, just beating Dinah Washington in volume of record sales, although over the entire golden age of R&B from the mid ‘40’s to the early ‘60’s, it’s Dinah who shifted more platters.

In fact most of Ruth’s R&B sales were in the years 1951 – 1954 when along with The Clovers and Big Joe Turner she helped transform Atlantic Records from a not very successful indie label into the biggest selling R&B diskery in the business. Such was the importance of Ruth’s role in the label's success, Atlantic was frequently referred to as “The House That Ruth Built.” In the late 1950’s she had two big pop hits – “Lucky Lips” (number 25 in 1957) and “This Little Girl’s Gone Rockin’” (number 24 in 1958).

Miss Brown’s Atlantic recording career kicked off in 1949 with “So Long” which reached number 6 in the R&B charts. This was only the second hit record for Atlantic – their only previous hit being Stick McGhee’s “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee O-Dee” earlier in the same year. This LP picks up on Ruth’s career in late 1950 with “Teardrops From My Eyes” which was her first number one hit. “5-10-15 Hours” and “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean” (also number 23 in the pop chart) were two huge R&B hits in 1952 and 1953 respectively.

These sides and others like “Daddy Daddy”, “Wild Wild Young Men”, “Love Contest” and the impossibly frantic “Hello Little Boy” are superb examples of the Big Beat with backing provided by blasting bands led by Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson (Ruth’s husband) and Jesse Stone. It’s rock and roll before it got invented by Bill Haley or Elvis or Pat Boone or whoever. Ruth left Atlantic in 1961 and had a brief spell at Phillips in 1962 followed by 10 years of very intermittent musical activity. The 1970’s and 80’s brought a revival in Ruth’s career as deejay, film actress (Hairspray!), stage actress (culminating in a Tony award for “Black and Blue”) and prime mover behind the establishment of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She died in November 2006.

You can also download Joan’s contribution of the 1957 Atlantic LP “Rock & Roll”. There is quite a bit of duplication with “Rockin’ With Ruth” but tracks such as “So Long” and “Lucky Lips” are included in the vintage album. Also included in Joan's post is a folder of label shots, so if you haven't got that one already - what are ya waitin' for? Go git it!

Rockin’ With Ruth was ripped at 320 kbps from vinyl.

Download links:

Rockin' With Ruth (Mega)

Rockin' With Ruth (Zippy)

1. Teardrops From My Eyes
2. 5-10-15 Hours
3. Daddy Daddy
4. Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean
5. Wild Wild Young Men
6. Love Contest
7. Hello Little Boy
8. Oh, What A Dream
9. Somebody Touched Me
10. Bye Bye Young Men
11. I Can See Everybody's Baby
12. As Long As I'm Moving
13. This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'
14. I Can't Hear A Word You Say
15. Papa Daddy
16. Don't Deceive Me

Recommended purchase from the Snapper label "Complete Rock 'n' Roll" series - "Wild Wild Young Men" is a 24 track collection of the cream of Ruth's Atlantic sides. Available at an amazing bargain price.

Be Bop Wino Wails!

It’s about time we had another Be Bop Wino comp and so here’s a nifty little eighteen track collection of late 1940s’ and early 50’s R&B. There may be a modest number of tracks but I like to think that this collection displays a certain robustness which demands attention. All tracks are sourced from vinyl, mainly from LPs which were on the original Be Bop Wino blog but which have not yet reappeared on the new blog. Some might never reappear so this could be your only chance to grab some of these tracks if you missed them the first time around.

As for the music, as you would expect there’s jump, boogie, honkin’ saxes and blues bawlin’ aplenty, but there’s also a dash of jazz and an outstanding tenor sax ballad performance. This being Be Bop Wino, the tenor sax predominates. Hal Singer, Gene Ammons, Big Jay McNeely and James Von Streeter are the credited saxmen, but let us also pause and give a thought to the tenor players on some of the other tracks: Maxwell Davis appears on the Pete Johnson and Amos Milburn tracks, Red Prysock squares off against the guitar of Tiny Grimes, the Lucky Millinder line-up includes Ike Quebec and Paul Quinichette in the horn section which blows mightily on a familiar riff, the late great Johnny Griffin is on the stomping Joe Morris instrumental “The Applejack”, Johnny Fontenette is the sax blaster in Roy Brown’s Mighty, Mighty Men and Ben Webster turns in a marvellous interpretation of “Stardust” in the Johnny Otis Orchestra’s Mercury recording.

All tracks ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www68.zippyshare.com/v/FdWmlDjc/file.html

Tracks:

1. Midnight Jump - Hal Singer – Savoy (unreleased), February 1949

2. Rockin' - Bobby Nunn & The Robins – Modern 807, 1951

3. Rocket Boogie "88" Part 1 - Pete Johnson & His Orchestra – Downbeat / SwingTime 169, April 1949

4. Skid Row Boogie - Pete Johnson & His Orchestra – Downbeat / SwingTime 168, April 1949

5. Bye Bye Boogie - Amos Milburn – Aladdin 206, October 1947

6. Blue Roller - Gene Ammons – Prestige 911, February 1955

7. Cadillac Baby - Roy Brown – DeLuxe 3308, April 1950

8. What's Mine Is Mine - The Ray-O-Vacs – Decca 48234, January 1950

9. Stardust - Johnny Otis & His Orchestra – Mercury 8263, December 1951

10. Hot In Harlem - Tiny Grimes – Atlantic 869, May 1948

11. Careless Love - Big Joe Turner –National (unreleased), November 1947

12. The Applejack - Joe Morris – Atlantic 866, September 1948

13. Mumblin' Blues - Jack McVea & His All Stars – Exclusive 270, December 1947

14. Slow Blues - James Von Streeter – Savoy (unreleased), July 1949

15. D'Natural Blues - Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra – Victor 20-3351, January 1949

16. Deceivin' Blues - Johnny Otis & His Orchestra (vocal - Little Esther & Mel Walker) – Savoy 759, June 1950

17. Two Guitar Boogie - Rene Hall – Victor 20/47-5407, March 1953

18. Wild Wig - Big Jay McNeely – Savoy 682, November 1948