Chuck Berry - St. Louis To Liverpool (Chess LP 1488)

Side 1:
01) Little Marie
02) Our Little Rendezvous
03) No Particular Place To Go
04) You Two
05) Promise Land
06) You Never Can Tell

Side 2:
01) Go Bobby Soxer
02) Things I Used To Do
03) Liverpool Drive
04) Night Beat
05) Merry Christmas Baby
06) Brenda Lee

St. Louis To Liverpool (Mega)

St. Louis To Liverpool (Zippy)

1984 European reissue of a Chuck Berry LP which was originally issued in November 1964. After his release from the hoosegow in October 1963, Chuck found that thanks to covers of his hits by The Beatles ("Roll Over Beethoven") and The Rolling Stones ("Come On") and also a near-as-dammit Berry number by The Beach Boys ("Surfin' USA"), he was just as popular as he was before his run in with the law.

Of the tracks on this LP, two were top twenty hits on the Billboard pop chart - "No Particular Place To Go" peaked at number 10 in June 1964 and "You Never Can Tell" made it to number 14 in August 1964. "Promised Land" and "Little Marie" also made the Billboard Hot 100 and there was another top 40 hit for Chuck not included on this LP - "Nadine (Is That You?)" which reached number 23 in April 1964.

Chuck also enjoyed chart success in the UK. "Nadine" entered the UK charts twice in February and April 1964, peaking at number 27, while "No Particular Place To Go" was a big hit, reaching number 3 in May 1964 with its follow-up "You Never Can Tell" reaching number 23 in August 1964 and "Promised Land" peaking at number 26 in January 1965.

This post is the first on the blog to feature mp3s which were ripped by connecting my turntable directly to my laptop via USB, instead of ripping via my amp. I could have picked a better LP to start the new method as "Little Marie" has a weird double tracked vocal and the tracks are a mixture of genuine stereo and electronically rechannelled stereo. However, musically this album is the bees' knees, with "No Particular Place to Go," "You Never Can Tell" and "Promised Land" all deserving their place among Chuck's classic tracks. The rest of this album isn't too shabby either.

Stompin' Volume Three

Side One:
01) Much Later - Jackie Brenston
02) Lookin' For My Baby - Harmon "Hump" Jones
03) I Ain't Guilty - Crawford Brothers
04) Talk To Me Baby - The Table Toppers
05) Bring It On Back - Mister Ruffin
06) Bloody Tears - Johnny Little John
07) A Thing You Gotta Face - Polka Dot Slim
08) I Think You're Lying - Big Daddy
09) Yo Yo Twist - Sherman Evans

Side Two:
01) Twistin' Beat - Phil Flowers
02) Looking For My Baby - Little Papa Joe
03) Beggin' Papa Blues - Freddie Clark
04) Tough Enough - The Bees
05) The Easy Livin' Plan - Rufus Thomas
06) Rock Around The Clock - Wally Mercer
07) Crazy Baby - The Team Mates
08) Trouble Up The Road - Jackie Brenston
09) Calling All Cows - Blues Rockers

Stompin' Volume Three (Mega)

Stompin' Volume Three (Zippy)

Found in a Southside (Glasgow) second hand shop a few months ago. Stompin' is probably the best series of obscure R&B comps out there. Especially recommended are the Stompin' CDs of which there were 34 volumes. They had better sound quality than the vinyl issues and brief but informative notes. All 34 volumes were recently uploaded to Twilightzone so if you search around there you may come up trumps.

Trax Fax

01) Much Later - Jackie Brenston: Much Later / The Mistreater - Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm - Federal 12291 - February 1957

02) Lookin' For My Baby - Harmon "Hump" Jones: Lookin' For My Baby / Pack Your Clothes - Harmon "Hump" Jones - Vision V-200 - April 1957

03) I Ain't Guilty - Crawford Brothers: It Feels Good / I Ain't Guilty - Crawford Brothers - Aladdin 3397 - October 1957

04) Talk To Me Baby - The Table Toppers: Talk To Me Baby / Baby In Blue - The Table Toppers Featuring Little Enis - Klondike 1010 - February 1959. Rockabilly record.

05) Bring It On Back - Mister Ruffin: A Touch Of Heaven / Bring It On Back - Mister Ruffin - Spark 115 - May 1955

06) Bloody Tears - Johnny Little John: Bloody Tears / Just Got In Town - Johnny Little John - T. D. S. 4710, also Weis 3437 - 1968

07) A Thing You Gotta Face - Polka Dot Slim: A Thing You Gotta Face / Ain't Broke, Ain't Hungry - Polka Dot Slim - Instant 3269 - December 1964

08) I Think You're Lying - Big Daddy: Daniel Webster And The Devil / I Think You're Lying - Wynne W-106 - June 1959. "Big Daddy" - real name Frank Brunson

09) Yo Yo Twist - Sherman Evans: Yo Yo Twist / If I Should Die - Sherman Evans with Cruz Ortiz and the Flames - Manco ML1049 - July 1963

10) Twistin' Beat - Phil Flowers: Twistin' Beat / I Need You Baby - Phil Flowers with The T.N.T. Tribble Combo - Domino 500 - 1962

11) Looking For My Baby - Little Papa Joe: Looking For My Baby / Easy Lovin' - Little Papa Joe - Blue Lake 116 - January 1956. "Little Papa Joe" - real name Jody Williams

12) Beggin' Papa Blues - Freddie Clark: Begging Papa Blues / Got The Blues - Freddie Clark - Nestor N-14 - 1955

13) Tough Enough - The Bees: Oh Yes / Tough Enough - The Bees - Finch 7321 / 7322 - 1962

14) The Easy Livin' Plan - Rufus Thomas: The Easy Livin' Plan / I'm Steady Holdin' On - Rufus "Bearcat" Thomas With The Bearcats - Meteor 5039 - November 1956

15) Rock Around The Clock - Wally Mercer: Rock Around The Clock / Don't Wait Till Tomorrow - Wally Mercer - Dot 1099 - 1952. Side received airplay in Atlanta, May 1952 and charted locally.

16) Crazy Baby - The Team Mates: Sincerely Your Friend / Crazy Baby - Charlie Jester and The Team Mates - Lanar 102 - August 1962

17) Trouble Up The Road - Jackie Brenston: Trouble Up The Road / You Ain't The One - Jackie Brensten (sic) w Ike Turner & Orch. - Sue 736 - January 1961

18) Calling All Cows - Blues Rockers: Calling All Cows / Johnny Mae - Blues Rockers - Excello 2062 - September 1955

Etta Jones Sings (King LP 707)

Side 1:
01) Sweethearts On Parade
02) You Call It Madness But I Call It Love
03) Mountain Greenery
04) Don't Worry About Me
05) Sposin
06) I Thought About You

Side 2:
01) I'm Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw Away The Key
02) Since I Fell For You
03) When I Fall In Love
04) White Cliffs Of Dover
05) People Will Say We're In Love

Etta Jones Sings (Mega)

Etta Jones Sings (Zippy)

Thanks to Marv for this reconstruction of the 1960 King LP "Etta Jones Sings" which was a reissue of the 1957 King LP 544 "The Jones Girl ... Etta Sings Sings Sings."

All tracks on this LP were recorded in New York City on the 18th and 20th April 1957 for what were Etta's only sessions for King.

Session details - 18th April 1957, NYC. Personnel: Etta Jones (vocal) with: Jerome Richardson (tenor sax, flute); Don Abney (piano); Bill Jennings (guitar); Tommy Potter (bass); Bobby Donaldson (drums):

People Will Say We're In Love; When I Fall In Love; Sposin; Mountain Greenery.

20th April 1957, NYC. Personnel as above except Skeeter Best replaced Bill Jennings on guitar:

Don't Worry About Me; White Cliffs Of Dover; Sweethearts On Parade; You Call It Madness; I Thought About You; Since I Fell For You; I'm Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw Away The Key.

The collection was reissued in May or June 1960 as"Etta Jones Sings" (King LP 707). On June 21st of that year Etta recorded the tracks for her first Prestige LP "Don't Go To Strangers" (Prestige 7186) which was released in October and sold well. Even more successful was the single release of the title track "Don't Go To Strangers" / "If I Had You" (Prestige 180) in early September which soon climbed the R&B chart and then crossed into the pop chart, peaking at number 36 in December 1960.

This success for Etta on Prestige is probably what lay behind the rerelease in 1961 of her King LP with a new cover -

The success of  "Don't Go To Strangers" also led to King releasing her LP tracks on a series of singles, beginning with "When I Fall In Love" / "People Will Say We're In Love" (King 5424) in November 1960. The rest of the tracks were released on 45s as follows:

"Sweethearts On Parade" / "You Call It Madness But I Call It Love" - King 5443 - January 1961

"Since I Fell For You" / "Sposin'" - King 5475 - March 1961

"Don't Worry 'Bout Me" / "I Thought About You" - King 5501 - May 1961

"Mountain Greenery" / "White Cliffs Of Dover" - King 5549 - September 1961

"I Thought About You" / "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw away The Key" - King 5660 - July 1962

While King was releasing Etta's 1957 recordings from late 1960 - 1962, her new material was being released on LP and single on Prestige, with whom she recorded until February 1963.

Thanks once again to Marv. This was an education for me as I was unfamiliar with the work of Etta Jones. Her recording career stretched all the way from the mid 1940s Harlem swing scene to her final recordings for Muse in 1995. Her career definitely bears further investigation, but that lies outwith the scope of this post.

Wild, stompin' R&B coming up in the next post on Be Bop Wino!

Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett (King LP 532)

Side 1:
01) Sweet Lorraine
02) Diane
03) Dinah
04) Ramona
05) Cherry
06) Cynthia

Side 2:
01) Jeannie
02) Tangerine
03) Nancy
04) Estrellita
05) Laura
06) Marcheta

Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett (Mega)

Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett (Zippy)

Originally issued in April 1957. All tracks with the exception of "Sweet Lorraine" were recorded over two days in December 1956 for this LP. The 12th track from that '56 session was the uproarious "Ram-Bunk-Shush" which was hardly a good fit for an album which some might call "dreamy" others "romantic" and yet others "kitsch." Even if you do find the accumulation of slow tracks a bit too sickly sweet, there are still good moments featuring Clifford Scott and Billy Butler.

This is a "reconstruction" using artwork from the internet and adapted artwork from the CD issue of this album. Download for your listening and dancing (slow) pleasure!

Fax on The Trax

Sweet Lorraine - recorded in Cincinnati, December 15th, 1953. Personnel - Percy France (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Jerry Lane (guitar); Clarence Mack (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

Single release:

Sweet Lorraine / Tailor Made - King 4720 - June 1954

Laura; Diane; Cynthia; Nancy; Marcheta - recorded in Cincinnati, December 20th, 1956. Personnel - Clifford Scott (alto sax, tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

Ramona; Tangerine; Dinah; Cherry; Estrellita; Jeannine - recorded in Cincinnati, December 21st, 1956. Personnel as above.

The above 11 tracks were first issued on this LP. The 12 tracks on this LP were also released on 3 EPs - Dame Dreaming With Bill Doggett Volumes 1,2, and 3.

Dance Awhile With Doggett (King LP 585)

Side 1:

01) Flying Home

02) Misty Moon

03) Bone Tones

04) Tailor Made

05) Chelsea Bridge

06) The Kid from Franklin Street

Side 2:
01) Pied Piper of Islip

02) Passion Flower

03) The Song Is Ended

04) Autumn Dreams

05) How Could You?

06) Smoochie

Dance Awhile With Doggett (Mega)

Dance Awhile With Doggett (Zippy)

A "reconstruction" of King LP 585 using artwork from the internet and rips from my own collection. This LP was originally released in May 1958.

Once more we're raking through the bargain browser filled with King LPs and here's the "Honky Tonk" man himself, Bill Doggett. Three of the tracks are by the early 1950s combo lineup with Percy France on tenor sax while the rest date from 1957 and 1958 and feature the "classic" lineup with Clifford Scott on tenor sax and Billy Butler on guitar.

This LP feels more like a jazz album than an out and out R&B collection, so I'm not sure how much dancing it inspired. It certainly wouldn' have attracted the rock and roll crowd, that's for sure, but the jazzy vibe would probably have appealed to the adult listener. Clifford Scott swaps his axe for a flute on some tracks and there's space for Billy Butler to showcase his guitar skills. It's a collection that grows on you, as I have found over the years.

Track Info

Tailor Made; The Song Is Ended - recorded Cincinnati, December 15th, 1953. Personnel - Percy France (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Jerry Lane (guitar); Clarence Mack (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single releases:

It's A Dream / The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) - King 4702 - March 1954

Sweet Lorraine / Tailor Made - King 4720 - June 1954

Misty Moon - recorded Cincinnati, August 23rd, 1955. Personnel - Percy France (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwyn Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single release:

Honey Boy / Misty Moon - King 4838 - October 1955

Flying Home; Smoochie - recorded New York, October 7th, 1957. Personnel - Clifford Scott (tenor sax, flute); Thomas "Beans" Bowles (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Carl Pruitt (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single releases:

Flying Home / Hippy Dippy - King 5096 - January 1958

Smoochie / Big Boy - King 5339 - April 1960

How Could You; Pied Piper Of Islip; The Kid From Franklin Street - recorded Cincinnati, February 26th - 28th 1958. Personnel - Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone); Clifford Scott (tenor sax, flute); Thomas "Beans" Bowles (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwin Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

Single releases:

Blues For Handy / How Could You - King 5130 - April 1958

Pied Piper From Islip; The Kid From Franklin Street - both first issued on this LP.

Autumn Leaves; Chelsea Bridge; Passion Flower; Bone Tones - recorded Cincinnati, March 4th 1958. Personnel - Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (trombone); Clifford Scott (tenor sax, flute); Thomas "Beans" Bowles (baritone sax); Bill Doggett (organ); Billy Butler (guitar); Edwin Conley (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums).

These tracks first released on this LP.

Mo' King LPs on the way!
 

The Bill Jennings - Leo Parker Quintet - Billy In The Lion's Den (King LP 395-527)

Side 1:
01) Picadilly Circus
02) May I
03) Billy In The Lion's Den
04) Sweet And Lovely
05) There Will Never Be Another You
06) Stuffy

Side 2:
01) Just You, Just Me
02) Down To Earth
03) What'll I Do
04) Fine And Dandy
05) Get Hot
06) Solitude

Billy In The Lion's Den (Mega)

Billy In The Lion's Den (Zippy)

Many thanks to The Magnificent Goldberg for donating this LP. Rips (m4a, variable bit rate, approx 260 - 270 kbps) are from the 1980s vinyl reissue on the European Swingtime label. Cover art is from the web. The King LP "Billy In The Lions Den" was originally issued in March 1957 and was in fact an extended 12" version of a 10" LP issued in 1955 under the title "Jazz Interludes."

There were contrasting fortunes for the two principals on this LP. Both had a heroin habit, but for bebop baritone sax man Leo Parker it was a career stopper while guitarist Bill Jennings kept on recording through the 1950s and on into the 1960s. Parker followed up this July 1954 session with one more alongside his old cohort Illinois Jacquet for Clef in December '54 and that was the end of his recording career until 1961 when he had a tragically brief comeback for Blue Note which was cut short by a fatal heart attack.

There is a more detailed rundown of Leo Parker's career on this post which includes lotsa links into more of his work featured on this blog:

Back To Back Baritones

Bill Jennings was a very busy musician indeed during the 1950s. He was with Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five from 1948 until the end of 1951. In the early 50s he also recorded for Gotham with a few singles issued under his own name plus a session as a sideman with Jimmy Preston. In 1951 he joined fellow ex-Tympany Five member organist Wild Bill Davis along with drummer Chris Columbus to form the kind of organ / guitar / drums trio which would become popular in the later '50s and early '60s. The Wild Bill Davis Trio recorded for Columbia / Okeh through to 1953.

In December 1952 Bill Jennings recorded his first session for King as a sideman with Roy Brown. Bill was on another Roy Brown session in June 1953. Just over a year later came the sides on this LP with Leo Parker, followed by Bill Jennings Quartet sides which were released on single, EP and LP by King. "Big Boy" on which Bill was backed by the Bill Doggett combo was a substantial R&B hit in 1955. In December 1955 Bill recorded an album "Mood Indigo" on which his guitar was accompanied only by vibes.

The Fabulous Guitar of Bill Jennings (King LP 295-106) 10" LP released 1955

Mood Indigo (King LP 395-508) 12" LP released 1956

From the end of 1955 through to 1958 Bill Jennings was occupied with session work for King. Earl (Connelly) King, Nita Lore, Little Willie John (3 sessions, including "Fever"), Etta Jones, Titus Turner (2 sessions) and Bubber Johnson all benefited from Bill's jazzy guitar playing. In 1957/8 Bill played alongside tenor sax man Willis Jackson on Little Willie John and Titus Turner sessions. In September 1957 Willis and Bill recorded a few sides for King accompanied by organ (James Orville Johnson) and drums (Alvin Johnson). The sax / guitar / organ /drums combo was very much the coming sound of soul jazz, a sound which would be popularized not at King, but at Prestige, especially when the Jackson / Jennings pairing was joined by Jack McDuff on organ.

From May 1959 the Jackson / Jennings / McDuff lineup (and variants thereof) began to record a series of LPs which stretched on through the 1960s. The Prestige albums were superior in their presentation when compared to the King LPs. The same could be said of another King sax / organ combo which crossed from King to Prestige, the Lockjaw Davis / Shirley Scott group. Production was superior (often by Rudy Van Gelder), sleeve design and sleeve notes were carefully prepared, and in the wax grooves the musicians were given time to stretch out as track lengths exceeded the normal running time of singles.

Prestige didn't neglect fans of singles or the juke box crowd as cut down versions of LP tracks were issued on 45. Unlike King, Prestige seemed to appreciate the potential of both the LP and the 45 rpm single in jazz, as did Blue Note. It's noticeable that on "Billy In The Lions Den" none of the track running times exceed those of a 45 rpm single, despite the fact that almost all the tracks never saw single release.

Willis, Bill and Jack on Prestige, 1959

Enough Said! (Prestige 7164) recorded with Jack McDuff, released 1959

Also released in 1959

More Fax On The Trax, Jack!

All tracks recorded in Cincinatti on 6th, 7th, 8th July 1954. Personnel: Leo Parker (baritone sax); Andrew Johnson (piano, organ); Bill Jennings (guitar); Joe Williams (bass); George De Hart (drums)

Leo Parker not on "Sweet And Lovely," which was the only track on the LP to be released on a single - They Can't Take That Away From Me / Sweet And Lovely - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 4805 - released in June 1955.

This collection first appeared in the form of a 10 inch, 8 track LP in 1955 - "Jazz Interludes."

The 12 inch, 12 track version, "Billy In The Lions Den" was issued in March 1957:

Billboard 2nd March 1957

Rock'n Roll Dance Party (King LP 536)

Side 1:
01) Fever - Little Willie John
02) Flamingo - Earl Bostic
03) Seventeen - Boyd Bennett & His Rockets
04) Boogie At Midnight - Roy Brown
05) Cherry Wine - Little Esther
06) Have Mercy Baby - Billy Ward & His Dominoes

Side 2:
01) Soft - Tiny Bradshaw
02) Gumdrop - Otis Williams & His Charms
03) You Ain't Treatin' Me Right - Mac Curtis
04) Sexy Ways - The Midnighters
05) Good Rockin' Tonight - Wynonie Harris
06) The Goof - Big Jay McNeely

Rock'n Roll Dance Party (King LP 536) Mega

Rock'n Roll Dance Party (King LP 536) Zippy

Thanks again to Marv for this reconstituted King LP which was originally issued in 1957. This is one of umpteen LPs issued at that time with the title "Rock'n Roll Dance Party" as record labels scrambled to extract a little more profit from the rock and roll craze. Most of the tracks are old R&B hits, so I guess this falls into one of my favourite sub categories of rock and roll - exploitation!

Of course the tracks by Boyd Bennett (band rock and roll) and Mac Curtis (rockabilly) fall outwith the R&B field, so kind of justify the album title. However, let's not get too hung up on categories and dates, because this is another good listen, just like the previous post! Although I already had all of these tracks somewhere in my collection I enjoyed listening to this album, and as I always say, it's interesting to hear familiar tracks in a new context. Download and play at your next rock'n' roll bash. Thanks Marv. And thanks also to the original uploaders of the artwork, several versions of which are included.

Apologies for the delay in posting but sinusitis has kept me from the keyboard. However here we are again going through the virtual King LP bargain browser and the next couple of posts will also be from King, although on the jazz side. Stay tuned, groovers.

Forgotten Million Sellers Taken From The Vaults (King LP 792)

Side 1:
01) Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
02) Ivory Tower - Otis Williams & The Charms
03) Night Train - James Brown
04) Jealous Heart - Ivory Joe Hunter
05) Rock Love - Lula Reed
06) Don't Take It So Hard - Earl "Connelly" King
07) Dedicated To The One I Love - The "5" Royales
08) Good Morning Judge - Wynonie Harris

Side 2:
01) Take My Love (I Want To Give It All To You) - Little Willie John
02) I'm Tore Down - Freddy King
03) Ram-Bunk-Shush - Bill Doggett
04) I Want A Bow Legged Woman - Bull Moose Jackson
05) It Hurts To Be In Love - Annie Laurie
06) Come Home - Bubber Johnson
07) Do Something For Me - Billy Ward & His Dominoes
08) Blues Stay Away From Me - Lonnie Johnson

Forgotten Million Sellers (Mega)

Forgotten Million Sellers (Zippy)

Our regular contributor Marv has sent in this reconstruction of a King Records comp which was issued in 1963. It has all the hallmarks of the budget R&B LP - minimum track info, cheapo cover design, a seemingly random selection of tracks from around 14 years of King / Federal issues and, boy, do I love it!

Many of you probably have most of these tracks scattered around your collections already, but it's always good to hear familiar tracks in new contexts. If you're new to this stuff (and I hope there are some newbies out there) then you're in for a treat.

This collection inevitably reminds me of those distant days when I was buying "Old King Gold" LPs and every track was something new to me. Unknown tracks by artists of whom I had mostly never heard with a few exceptions such as Freddy King and James Brown. A surprising variety of R&B styles and lots of discoveries to be made. Most importantly, some great rockin' and stompin' music.

Even at this stage of the game there are some tracks here with which I wasn't familiar - Little Willie John's "Take My Love" and Lonnie Johnson's "Blues Stay Away From Me" are fresh delights for this jaded old blueser / jazzer / hepcat.

No fax on the trax on this stack o' wax - there's a backlog of stuff building up for the blog so let's just get the music out there. Jump blues from the late '40s and early '50s, tough R&B from the later '50s and early '60s, great instros from James Brown and Bill Doggett, and Nat "King Cole song stylings from Bubber Johnson. All killer, no filler!

We'll be revisiting the bargain LP browser again soon, thanks to Marv.

Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2 (Roots of Rock N' Roll Vol. 12)

Side A:
01) Fine And Mellow - Albinia Jones
02) Silver Dollar Blues - Albinia Jones
03) What's The Matter With Me (Don't You Wear No Black) - Albinia Jones
04) Ee Baba Leba - Helen Humes
05) If I Could Be With You - Helen Humes
06) Take Out Some Time - ‎Little Miss Sharecropper
07) I'll Try (I've Tried) - Little Miss Sharecropper
08) I Want To Rock - ‎Little Miss Sharecropper

Side B:
01) Alley Cat - Dolly Cooper
02) I Need Romance - Dolly Cooper
03) I Wanna Know (What'cha Doin' Down There) - Dolly Cooper
04) Me And My Baby - Dolly Cooper
05) You Promised Love - Annie Laurie
06) I Can't Stop Being A Fool - Annie Laurie
07) Stop, Don't Go - Annie Laurie
08) Rockin' And Rollin' - Annie Laurie

Side C:
01) No Kinda Good No How - Varetta Dillard
02) Johnny Has Gone - Varetta Dillard
03) So Many Ways (To Love You) - Varetta Dillard
04) Hurry Up - Varetta Dillard
05) Please Tell Me Why - Varetta Dillard
06) Love That Man - Varetta Dillard
07) I Cried And Cried - Varetta Dillard
08) A Letter In Blues - Varetta Dillard

Side D:
01) All Of Me - Big Maybelle
02) Baby Won't You Please Come Home - Big Maybelle
03) Rockhouse - Big Maybelle
04) Jim - Big Maybelle
05) It's A Sin To Tell a Lie - Big Maybelle
06) I Could Make You Care - Big Maybelle
07) I Don't Want To Cry - Big Maybelle
08) Stay As Sweet As You Are - Big Maybelle

Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2 (Mega)

Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2 (Zippy)

Thank you once more to Steve Barrow as we feature his donation of Volume 2 of "Ladies Sing The Blues" which was also Volume 12 of the great Savoy series "Roots Of Rock 'N' Roll." The tale of how these LPs were transferred from vinyl to CD-R and then once they'd come to me by mail to mp3 is told in the previous post.

Let's get down to a brief resume of what's hot on these discs. The Albinia Jones tracks are from her first session in 1944 for National which remained unreleased in its entirety. Included is an early version of "Don't You Wear No Black" (aka "What's The Matter With Me") which she recorded again for release the following year.

Helen Humes was of course a big name act. Her disc featured here consists of live recordings from a 1950 "Blues Jubilee" concert promoted by Frank Bull and Gene Norman. Included is a short reprise of her big 1945 hit on Philo / Aladdin, "Be Baba Leba." Backing is probably by Roy Milton's Solid Senders.

"Little Miss Sharecropper" (or "Miss Sharecropper" as she is billed on the original single releases on National of these tracks) is Dolores Baker, better known as LaVern Baker, the big, big R&B star of Atlantic Records from 1953 into the early 1960s. The story not only of her time at Atlantic, but also how she found herself being billed as a Little Miss Cornshucks ripoff is told in this post - 

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2018/01/lavern-baker-real-gone-gal.html

-And while you're there pick up an LP of LaVern's Atlantic sides -

Of Dolly Cooper I know but little - but here she is backed by bands led by Hal Singer and Leroy Kirkland. "I Wanna Know" is a cover of the hit disc on RCA by The Du Droppers.

I compared and I'm not convinced

Annie Laurie is in rip roaring blues belting form on her tracks here. She is of course always associated with the New Orleans based outfit led by Paul Gayten with whom she enjoyed considerable chart success in the late 1940s and early 1950s on DeLuxe and Regal. On these 1956 sides for Savoy she is backed by some of New York's finest session players including Hal Singer, Buddy Lucas, Budd Johnson and Mickey Baker. For the Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie story see this post -

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2018/06/paul-gayten-annie-laurie-creole-gal.html

And of course while you're perusing the fascinating info over there, pick up this Paul Gayten / Annie Laurie LP -

Varetta Dillard - a bloozy chantoozy to match the best of 'em. She was with Savoy from 1951 to 1956 when she decamped to the Groove subsidiary of RCA. Her biggest hits on Savoy were "Mercy Mr. Percy," "Easy, Easy Baby" and included here "Johnny Has Gone," the exploitative tribute to the recently deceased Johnny Ace in January 1955.

For more info, more Savoy sides, plus Groove and other platters by Varetta, go to this post -

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2011/12/varetta-dillard-double-crossing-daddy.html

Here's the LP you can pick up there. It is most definitely all killer and no filler -

Side D and it's Big Maybelle time again but with a change of style from the R&B tracks of "Ladies Sing The Blues." The 8 tracks here were all included on a 1957 ten track LP "Big Maybelle Sings" (Savoy MG 14005). This consisted almost entirely of standards recorded in a soft pop-jazz style with backing by Ernie Wilkins. The one exception, which is included here on "Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2,"  is "I Don't Want To Cry" which was recorded in 1956 with an R&B backing which included Warren Lucky, Buddy Lucas and Mickey "Guitar" Baker. Some of the tracks were also released on singles. For details see below.

Billboard 7th October 1957

Original Release Details

Albinia Jones:

Fine And Mellow; Silver Dollar Blues; What's The Matter with Me - unissued National session, December 1944.

Helen Humes:

Ee-Baba-Le-Ba / If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight - Helen Humes with Orchestra - Discovery 530 - released in December 1950.

Little Miss Sharecropper:

I've Tried / How Long - Miss Sharecropper - National 9151 - released in April 1951.

Take Out Some Time / I Want To Rock - Miss Sharecropper - National 9153 - released in June 1951.

Dolly Cooper:

Me And My Baby - unissued

I Wanna' Know / I'd Climb The Highest Mountain - Dolly Cooper with Hal Singer's Orch. - Savoy 891 - released in April 1953.

Alley Cat / I Need Romance - Dolly Cooper with Orchestra - Savoy 898 - released in June 1953.

Annie Laurie:

I Can't Stop Being A Fool; Stop, Don't Go - unissued

Rockin' And Rollin' Again / You Promised Love - Annie Laurie - Savoy 1197 - released in August 1956

Varetta Dillard:

Love That Man - unissued

Please Tell Me Why / Hurry Up - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 839 - released in February 1952.

Easy, Easy Baby / A Letter In Blues - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 847, released in May 1952.

I Cried And Cried / Double Crossing Daddy - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 871 - released in November 1952.

Mercy, Mr. Percy / No Kinda Good, No How - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 897 - released in May 1953.

Johnny Has Gone / So Many Ways - Varetta Dillard - Savoy 1153 - released in January 1955.

Big Maybelle:

All of the Big Maybelle tracks on this LP were included on the LP Savoy MG 14005 - "Big Maybelle Sings" - released in October 1957.

Some of the tracks were also released on singles as follows -

All Of Me / I Don't Want To Cry - Big Maybelle with Ernie Wilkins' Orch. - Savoy 1512 - released in April 1957.

Rock House / Jim - Big Maybelle with Ernie Wilkins' Orch. - Savoy 1519 - released in August 1957

Baby Won't You Please Come Home / Say It Isn't So - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1558 - released in January 1959.

It's A Sin To Tell A Lie; I Could Make You Care; Stay As Sweet As You Are - not released on single.

Of the ten tracks on "Big Maybelle Sings," the following are not included on "Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2" - "Say It Isn't So" and "If I Could Be With You."

With many thanks to Steve Barrow who kindly supplied the sounds and cover art for "Ladies Sing The Blues" and "Ladies Sing The Blues Volume 2."

Ladies Sing The Blues (Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 5)

Side One:
01) Blues In My Heart - Miss Rhapsody
02) Sugar - Miss Rhapsody
03) Downhearted Blues - Miss Rhapsody
04) Sweet Man - Miss Rhapsody
05) He May Be Your Man - Miss Rhapsody
06) The Night Before Judgement Day - Miss Rhapsody
07) I Fell For You - Miss Rhapsody

Side Two:
01) Salty Papa - Albinia Jones
02) Evil Gal Blues - Albinia Jones
03) Albinia's Blues - Albinia Jones
04) What's The Matter With Me* - Albinia Jones
05) Walkin' And Talkin' Blues - Linda Hopkins
06) Sad And Lonely - Linda Hopkins
07) Me And Dirty Blues - Linda Hopkins
08) Baby Please Come Home - Linda Hopkins

* - originally released as "Don't You Wear No Black"

Side Three:
01) Longing In My Heart - Little Esther
02) You Can Bet Your Life I Do - Little Esther
03) T'ain't What You Say - Little Esther
04) If It's News To You - Little Esther
05) It's So Good - Little Esther
06) Do You Ever Think Of Me - Little Esther
07) Oo Papa Do - Little Esther

Side Four:
01) Pitiful - Big Maybelle
02) There I Said It Again - Big Maybelle
03) So Long - Big Maybelle
04) Tell Me Who - Big Maybelle
05) Ramblin' Blues - Big Maybelle
06) A Little Bird - Big Maybelle
07) Blues Early Early - Big Maybelle
08) A Good Man Is Hard To Find - Big Maybelle

Ladies Sing The Blues (Mega)

Ladies Sing The Blues (Zippy)

* Note - the first upload links had "Salty Papa" and "Evil Gal Blues" by Albinia Jones wrongly tagged (see Daddy Cool's comment). I have corrected the tagging, and re-upped the whole 2LP set. There are now new links above with which you can download "Ladies Sing The Blues (Version 2)" with the correct tagging. - BW

** Further update - we're now on Version 3 as I have adjusted the filenames of the two tracks slightly! And that's enough of that ... :D

The 15 volume Savoy Roots of Rock'n'Roll series has been collected on several other blogs, specifically on "Don't Ask Me I Don't Know" and on "Blues, Blues, Blues." Quite a few of the volumes were uploaded to Be Bop Wino many years ago but the posts disappeared in various takedowns plus my cover scans were so poor that I didn't repost!

Reassembling the 15 volumes has been a collaborative effort among various bloggers and commenters with the last major "hole" being filled by "Blues, Blues, Blues" - the 2 volumes of "Ladies Sing The Blues" available as Flac downloads.

While that was happening a generous donor sent in both sets to Be Bop Wino in the form of 4 CD-Rs which arrived through the post! And thereby hangs a tale.

Our kind donor is Steve Barrow who transferred both LP sets to digital format using an audio CD burner and then sent the resulting CD-Rs, plus a CD of sleeve photos through the post to myself. The cover photos aren't scans but digital photographs. Covers include front, back and gatefold insides. I've ripped mp3s @ 320 kbps from the CD-Rs and the results are posted here after a few weeks' work (and delay).

As for the music, both albums are excellent listening and how I wish I'd bought them back when they were much easier to find. And so to "Ladies Sing The Blues (Roots of Rock 'n' Roll Vol.5) -

I'm not going into an in-depth examination of each of the featured artists as their careers are covered in the sleevenotes by Sheldon Harris as are the recording details. However I've done my usual digging around to add the original release details of the tracks on this album. The music ranges from the "classic blues" influenced Miss Rhapsody (Viola Wells) and the similar Albinia Jones to the mid-to-late-1950s rockin' R&B of Little Esther and Big Maybelle.

The second disc with the sides by the latter two artists is outstanding. This is the first time I've heard the later Savoy sides by Little Esther and I'm pretty much blown away. Of course we've already featured Little Esther on Be Bop Wino, from her recording debut with Johnny Otis for Modern Records, through her big hits around 1950-51 on Savoy, again as part of the Johnny Otis Show, and on to her fine recordings for Federal from 1951 to 1953.

Many of the Federal recordings were also with the Johnny Otis band going under other names (e.g. Earle Warren, Preston Love) as they were contracted to Mercury then Peacock. On Esther's return to Savoy in 1956 she was backed by such notable musicians as Hal Singer, Warren Lucky and Mickey "Guitar" Baker. Her second and final session for Savoy came in 1959 and backing probably included Sam "The Man" Taylor and Mickey Baker.

It seems pretty certain that the gap between recording sessions was due to Esther's drug problem. Marvin Goldberg has written an article on the "Little Esther" phase of her career before she re-emerged as Esther Phillips. You can find it here (and it is well worth the read) -

http://www.uncamarvy.com/LittleEsther/littleesther.html

As for the other artists - Big Maybelle was already an established hitmaker with OKeh / Columbia when she arrived at Savoy. Her biggest hit for her new label was "Candy" which isn't on either volume of "Ladies Sing The Blues" but can be found on the first album of the series - "The Roots of Rock'N Roll." On this collection Big Maybelle (who had her own drug issues) is in fine bawlin' and squallin' form. "Ramblin' Blues" and "Blues, Early Early" (originally a two parter but here presented as one continuous track) are knock 'em dead blues performances.

As for the earlier wartime tracks of Miss Rhapsody and Albinia Jones (for National), it's all good! And the Linda Hopkins tracks from the early 50s fill in the chronological gap. There's more Albinia Jones and Big Maybelle in Volume 2 which will be coming up real soon. Hang on in there, blues fans!

Original Issues:

Miss Rhapsody: 

 

Sweet Man / Downhearted Blues - Miss Rhapsody with Reuben Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 534 - released in April 1945.

Blues In My Heart / Sugar - Miss Rhapsody with Reuben Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 536 - released in April 1945.

Night Before Judgement Day / We're Sisters Under The Skin - Miss Rhapsody and Orchestra (tenor sax solo Eddie Davis) - Savoy 565 - released 1945?

He May Be Your Man / I Fell For You - Viola Wells - Savoy 5532 - released in January 1947.

 Billboard 5th April 1947

Albinia Jones:

Evil Gal Blues / Don't You Wear No Black - Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven - National 9012 - released in May 1945.

Salty Papa Blues / Albinia's Blues - Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven - National 9013 - released in May 1945.

 Billboard 19th May 1945

Linda Hopkins:

Walkin' And Talkin' Blues / Sad And Lonely - Linda Hopkins - Savoy 834 - released in February 1952.

Me And Dirty Blues / Baby Please Come Home - first released on this LP, Savoy SJL 2233.

Little Esther:

T'Ain't Watcha Say It's Watcha Do / You Can Bet Your Life - Little Esther - Savoy 1193 - released in May 1956.

Longing In My Heart / If It's News To You - Little Esther - Savoy 1516 - released in July 1957.

It's So Good / Do You Ever Think Of Me - Little Esther - Savoy 1563 - released in March 1959.

Oo Papa Do - first released on this LP.

 Billboard 16th June 1956

Big Maybelle:

Mean To Me / Tell Me Who - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1500 - released in September 1956.

So Long / Ring Dang Dilly - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1527 - released in December 1957.

Blues, Early Early (Part 1) / Blues, Early Early (Part 2) - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1536 - released in May 1958.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find / Pitiful - Big Maybelle - Savoy 1572 - released in July 1959.

Ramblin' Blues; There I've Said It Again - first released on Savoy LP MG 14011: Blues, Candy And Big Maybelle, in 1958.

A Little Bird Told Me - first released on this LP.

 Billboard 10th November, 1956

With many thanks to Steve Barrow.