Rosco Gordon - No More Doggin'

Side 1:
01. Just A Little Bit
02. That's What You Do To Me
03. No More Doggin'
04. Goin' Home (Tomorrow)
05. A Fool In Love
06. Dapper Dan
07. I'm Locked Up
08. Surely I Love You

Side 2:
01. Every Night In The Week
02. What I Wouldn't Do
03. Let 'Em Try
04. Sit Right Here
05. My Chick
06. Jelly, Jelly, Jelly
07. New Orleans, La

No More Doggin' (Mega)

No More Doggin' (Zippy)

A good collection which contains just about everything Rosco Gordon recorded for Vee-Jay between 1959 and 1961. Only 8 of these sides were released on singles, so this disc includes 7 previously unreleased sides but it's all good stuff. These are much more polished productions than the material contained in the earlier post "The Legendary Sun Performers: Rosco Gordon", with Rosco stepping back from piano playing and being accompanied by rockin' bands (some great sax breaks) and even vocal groups.

The first Vee-Jay single, a re-recording of his 1952 RPM hit "No More Doggin'" didn't sell much, but his second release "Just A Little Bit" was a hit which reached number 2 in the R&B chart and also entered the Hot 100 pop chart. Unfortunately Rosco's remaining two Vee-Jay singles failed to repeat this success and his final session for the label in 1961 remained unreleased.

Rosco, who was now based in New York City, recorded for ABC-Paramount in 1962/63 and for Old Town in 1964. He was accompanied on some records by his second wife Barbara and although they were occupied in the dry cleaning business, they would occasionally record into the 1970s for small NYC labels and their own Bab-Roc label. If you search in YouTube on "Rosco and Barbara" you can find some of their sides which were in the soul style.

In the early 1980s he was "rediscovered" and appeared at the Memphis Blues Festival in '82, toured in Europe and cut a live album for UK label JSP. Following the early death of his wife in 1984 he devoted more time to his musical career. Shortly before his own death in 2002 he was part of a live tribute to Sam Phillips at the WC Handy Awards show in Memphis, appearing in a band featuring fellow Memphis Recording Sevice alumni B.B. King, Ike Turner and Little Milton Campbell.

This concert and other scenes featuring Rosco were prominent in the film "The Road To Memphis" directed by Richard Pearce as part of the "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues" series. I absolutely recommend that you get hold of a copy!

Fax on the Rockin' Trax

Vee-Jay released 4 Rosco Gordon singles as follows:

VJ 316 - No More Doggin' / A Fool In Love - May 1959

VJ 332 - Just A Little Bit / Goin' Home - November 1959. This single reached number 2 in the R&B chart in February 1960 and reached number 64 in the Hot 100.

VJ 348 - Surely I Love You / What You Do To Me - June 1960

VJ 385 - Let 'Em Try / What I Wouldn't Do - May 1961

All tracks on this LP were recorded in Chicago as follows -

No More Doggin', Goin' Home (Tomorrow), A Fool In Love - recorded on April 21st, 1959. Personnel: Rosco Gordon (vocal) with: Earl Washington (piano); Lefty Bates and Classie Ballou (guitars); Quinn Wilson (bass); Al Duncan (drums).

Just A Little Bit, What You Do To Me - recorded on September 16th, 1959. Personnel as above but add Cliff Davis (tenor sax) and McKinley Easton (batione sax), also Classie Ballou (guitar) not present.

Dapper Dan, I'm Locked Up - recorded on March 16th, 1960. Personnel as on April 21st, 1959 session.

Surely I Love You - recorded on April 13th, 1960. Personnel as on March 16th session but add vocal group - The Spaniels.

Two sessions were held on unknown dates in 1961. Rosco was accompanied by an unknown lineup which included trumpet, tenor and baritone saxes, 2 guitars, bass, piano, drums and on the first session a vocal group. It's possible that the musicians included Red Holloway (tenor sax), James Moore (guitar) and Chico Chism (drums).

1st session - What I Wouldn't Do, Every Night In The Week, Let 'Em Try.

2nd session - Sit Right Here, My Chick, Jelly, Jelly, Jelly, New Orleans, La.

Above: crossover action for Rosco Gordon and Dee Clark - Billboard ad in March 1960.

Tommy Dean: Deanie Boy Plays Hot Rhythm And Blues

Side 1:

01. Cool One - Groove Two - Tommy Dean & His Gloom Raiders

02. Lonely Monday - Tommy Dean & His Gloom Raiders

03. Hour Past Midnight - Tommy Dean & Orchestra

04. Scamon Boogie - Tommy Dean & Orchestra

05. Just About Right - Tommy Dean & Orchestra

06. Sweet And Lovely - Tommy Dean & Orchestra

07. Deanie Boy - Tommy Deans Orchestra

Side 2:

01. Eventime - Joe Buckner w Tommy Deans Orchestra

02. How Can I Let You Go - Joe Buckner w Tommy Deans Orchestra

03. Why Don't Chu - Tommy Deans Orchestra

04. The Gold Coast - Tommy "Deanie Boy" Dean

05. Straight And Ready - Tommy Deans Orchestra

06. Skid Row - Tommy "Deanie Boy" Dean

07. One More Mile - Joe Buckner with Tommy Deans Orchestra

Deanie Boy Plays Hot Rhythm And Blues (Mega)

Deanie Boy Plays Hot Rhythm And Blues (Zippy)

New link for those who are having problems with WinRAR archive files:

Deanie Boy Plays Hot Rhythm And Blues  (PeaZip archive on Mega)

A nice collection of sides recorded in Chicago by pianist and bandleader Tommy Deans. I picked this one up second hand about five years ago, listened to it once, wasn't too impressed, digitized it nevertheless, and then filed it away in the "ah, forget it" section. However it turns out to be one of those LP's that grow on you the more you listen to it with a slew of jazzy instrumentals for finger snappin' fun plus some vocal tracks which are somewhat mixed in quality. It was a couple of those vocal tracks which put me off the album (it won't be hard to guess which, once you've heard them) but the mid 1950's vocals by Joe Buckner on Vee Jay are very good indeed.

More information on the life of Tommy Dean has come to light since this Dave Penny compiled LP  was released in 1989. The Red Saunders Research Foundation ( a marvelous source of info on Chicago R&B) has an article which is well worth perusing here -

http://campber.people.clemson.edu/deanie.html

Tommy Dean was born in Franklin, Louisiana, in 1909. His early years were spent in Beaumont, Texas and Lake Charles, Louisiana. It seems that until the late 1930's he was based in Beaumont although he traveled around Texas and the Midwest as a musician in carnivals and circuses. He joined the St. Louis based band of Eddie Randle, subsequently began to lead his own band which toured the Mid West, and made St. Louis his home base. In 1945 he appeared in Chicago clubs, then reappeared in the Windy City in 1947. However, his first recording session was back in home in St. Louis where he cut a pair of sides for the small Town & Country label in late 1947.

His band at this time included tenor sax man Gene Easton, alto sax player Chris Woods and drummer / vocalist Nathaniel "Pee Wee" Jernigan, all of whom were still present when Tommy started recording for the Chicago-based Miracle label in July / August 1949. Two of the three singles cut at that session are present on this collection. "Sweet And Lovely" featuring a Pee Wee Jernigan vocal is, shall we say, an acquired taste, but the other three tracks are good late '40's jump somewhat reminiscent of sides by better known label mate Sonny Thompson.

Tommy Dean's next recording session took place in Chicago in June 1952 for the States label. The same band was featured with the addition of singer Jewel Belle on two of the tracks. Only one of the singles is included here - a vocal (which is another acquired taste), Lonely Monday" paired with an excellent instrumental, "Cool One-Groove Two." A second session for States in November produced another single - a re-recording of "Scammon Boogie" and a "Pee Wee" Jernigan vocal on "How Can I Let You Go," which Dean would later re-record for Vee-Jay with Joe Buckner on vocal.

There was a brief stop at Chance records in March 1953 to record a single credited to Barrel House  Blott and the St. Louisians. Tommy's next label (and his last) was Vee-Jay for whom he recorded between December 1954 and May 1958. No material from his last two sessions (October 1956 and May 1958) for the label was issued, so his July 1955 Vee-Jay session (featured on this comp) was the last session  from which tracks were released. The Vee-Jay material is excellent. It features a new band in which Tommy plays both organ and piano and Joe Buckner provides strong vocals, particularly on the heartfelt "One More Mile." Mention should also be made of the tasteful alto sax performance of Oliver Nelson on these sides.

The strong Vee-Jay sides form the whole of Side Two of this LP, plus the last track on Side One, so along with the good instrumentals from Miracle and States, they make for a satisfying compilation overall.

Tommy Dean's band continued to play and tour into the early sixties but eventually he downsized to a solo act which appeared in St. Louis clubs. He died suddenly, probably from a heart attack, in 1965.

Remember, for the full Tommy Deans story go to:

http://campber.people.clemson.edu/deanie.html

These are the fax on the trax :

"Hour Past Midnight," "Scammon Boogie," "Just About Right" and "Sweet And Lovely" recorded in Chicago, July - August 1949.

Personnel: Chris Woods (alto sax); Edgar Hayes (tenor sax); Gene Easton (baritone sax); Tommy Dean (piano); unidentified (bass); Nathaniel "Pee Wee" Jernigan (drums, vocal).

"Just About Right" / "Sweet And Lovely" by Tommy Dean and Orchestra, released on Miracle 144, October 1949. Re-released on Federal 12031 in 1951.

"Hour Past Midnight" / "Scamon Boogie" by Tommy Dean and Orchestra released on Miracle 157, early 1950 (?) Re-released on Federal 12019.

"Lonely Monday" and "Cool One-Groove Two" recorded in Chicago on June 4th, 1952.

Personnel: Chris Woods (alto sax); Edgar Hayes (tenor sax); Gene Easton (baritone sax); Tommy Dean (piano); Eugene Thomas (bass); Nathaniel "Pee Wee" Jernigan (drums); Jewel Belle (vocals).

"Lonely Monday" / "Cool One-Groove Two" by Tommy Dean and his Gloom Raiders released on States 106 in August 1952.

"Deanie Boy," "Eventime," "How Can I Let You Go?" and "Why Don't Chu?" were recorded in Chicago on December 20th, 1954.

Personnel: Tommy Dean (piano and organ); Oliver Nelson (alto sax); Cornelius "Chuck" Tillman (tenor sax); Archie Burnside (bass); Edgar Plaes (drums); Joe Buckner (vocals).

"Deanie Boy" by Tommy Deans Orchestra / "Eventime" by Joe Buckner w Tommy Deans Orchestra was released on Vee-Jay 125 in January 1955. "Deanie Boy" was renamed "The Horse" on a 1960 release on Vee-Jay 339 (b/w "Skid Row").

"How Can I Let You Go" by Joe Buckner w Tommy Deans Orchestra / "Why Don't Chu" by Tommy Deans Orchestra released on Vee-Jay 141 in July 1955.

"The Gold Coast" was recorded in Chicago on February 17th 1955.

Personnel: Tommy Dean (piano); Oliver Nelson (alto sax); Archie Burnside (bass); Edgar Plaes (drums). Release details see below.

"Straight And Ready," "Skid Row" and "One More Mile" were recorded in Chicago on July 11th, 1955.

Personnel: Tommy Dean (piano and organ); Cornelius "Chuck" Tillman (tenor sax); Joe Whitefield (tenor sax); Archie Burnside (bass); Edgar Plaes (drums); Joe Buckner (vocals).

"One More Mile" by Joe Buckner w Tommy Deans Orchestra / "Straight And Ready" by Tommy Deans Orch. released on Vee-Jay 172 in February 1956.

"Skid Row" / "The Gold Coast" by Tommy "Deanie Boy" Dean released on Vee-Jay 218 in December 1956.

Memphis Slim - Rockin' The Blues

Side One:
01. Gotta Find My Baby
02. The Comeback
03. Messin' Around
04. Sassy Mae
05. Lend Me Your Love
06. Guitar Cha Cha
07. Stroll On Little Girl
08. Rockin' The House

Side Two:
01. Wish Me Well
02. Blue And Lonesome
03. My Gal Keeps Me Crying
04. Slim's Blues
05. Steppin' Out
06. Mother Earth
07. What's The Matter
08. This Time I'm Through

Download from here:

http://www99.zippyshare.com/v/jKh7Q833/file.html

Or here:

Rockin' The Blues (Mega)

A collection of Memphis Slim tracks recorded for Vee-Jay in 1958-59. Twelve of the sixteen tracks were originally released on the 1959 Vee-Jay LP "Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" which despite its title, is not a live album but consists entirely of studio tracks recorded with a hard rocking combo featuring the great Matt Murphy on guitar and a sock-it-to-'em sax section.

The Gate Of Horn was a Chicago folk club and one is inevitably led to the conclusion that Vee-Jay were hoping to sell the album to the growing "folk blues" market rather than the R&B crowd. Yet the music contained therein couldn't have been further from the idea of  "authentic" folk blues, being in fact thoroughly modern rockin' rhythm and blues, just like the two Vee-Jay singles Memphis Slim released in 1958, which are also featured on this Charly LP.

The sixteen sides on this LP probably represent the last R&B recordings of Memphis Slim as he decided to follow the the best road to a long and happy career  for a veteran bluesman - record for labels like "Folkways", play venues and festivals aimed at the student / folkie crowd, move to Europe, tour and record for decades more and finally get seen by Boogie Woody at a blues festival in Dundee in the mid 1980s where he was nothing short of brilliant. What's more he was apparently accompanied by a statuesque blonde lady who became the subject of speculation in the comments on my previous Memphis Slim post.

The story behind the tracks -

"Stroll On Little Girl," "Guitar Cha Cha," "What's The Matter" and "This Time I'm Through" were recorded in Chicago on the 8th January 1958. Personnel on these tracks was: Memphis Slim (piano, vocal); John Calvin (alto sax); Matt Murphy (guitar); Sam Chatman (bass); Billie Stepney (drums)

The sides were released on two Vee-Jay singles as follows:

Stroll On Little Girl / Guitar Cha Cha Cha, by Memphis Slim and His House Rockers on Vee-Jay 271, released probably February (?) 1958. Yes, that's three "Cha's."

What's The Matter / This Time I'm Through by Memphis Slim & His House Rockers on Vee-Jay 294, released probably November (?) 1958.

All other sides on this LP were recorded in Chicago on the 18th August 1959 and released on the Vee-Jay LP "Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" (VJLP 1012) in October 1959.

Personnel on VJLP 1012: Memphis Slim (piano, vocal); Alex Atkins (alto sax); John Calvin, Ernest Cotton (tenor saxes); Matt Murphy (guitar); Sam Chatman (bass); Billie Stepney (drums)

The original track order on "Memphis Slim At The Gate Of Horn" was:

Side 1:
1. The Come Back
2. Steppin' Out
3. Blue And Lonesome
4. Rockin' The Blues
5. Slim's Blues
6. Gotta Find My Baby

Side 2:
1. Messin' Around
2. Wish Me Well
3. My Gal Keeps Me Crying
4. Lend Me Your Love
5. Sassy Mae
6. Mother Earth

Elsewhere on the blog:

Messin' Around With The Blues (Volume 1) - 12 sides recorded for Miracle and Hy-Tone in 1946-47 and subsequently bought in by King Records. Post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/messin-around-with-blues-volume-1.html

download 2LP set from here:

https://www14.zippyshare.com/v/WBAEvyxt/file.html

or here:

https://mega.nz/file/YQ9X1TYT#mqhdGhIV9K-QZFf8eCWqtxmN4-hXB7KNS9TOYgeTHCw

Volume 2 featuring sides by Little Willie Littlefield and Pete "Guitar" Lewis was posted separately here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/messin-around-with-blues-volume-2-pete.html

Look out for this CD in the second hand browser of your local music emporium:

The exact same collection as the "Rockin' The Blues" LP only in much better sound quality compared to the rather dodgy mp3s I ripped from my vinyl. These Charly Blues Masterworks CDs often turn up in "used Blues CDs" bins or in charity shops - this one is well worth purchasing.

Dancin' & Romancin'

Side 1:
01. Up On The Mountain - The Magnificents
02. Down Off The Mountain - The Magnificents
03. You Ain't Ready - The Flamingos
04. Crazy Over You - The Kool Gents
05. Feeling Alright - The Hi Lighters
06. Stop - The Lyrics
07. Get Lost - The Rhythm Aces
08. Tears On My Pillow - The Eldorados
09. Caddy Bo - The Magnificents

Side 2:
01. Blues In The Letter - The Flamingos
02. Secret Love - The Moonglows
03. For All We Know - The Orioles
04. Ozeta - The Magnificents
05. Hurry Home Baby - The Flamingos
06. The Lonely One - Sherrif & The Ravels
07. Now That It's Over - The Falcons
08. I Was Wrong - The Moonglows
09. Hello Dear - The Hi Lighters

Download from here:

http://www96.zippyshare.com/v/CQL7cyTo/file.html

"Dancin' & Romancin'" could have been titled "Jump Children Volume 2" as it is a further set of vocal group tracks from Vee-Jay, including masters originally recorded for Chance. This compilation has a larger selection of groups but as we look at the original release details of these tracks, let's start with the three groups which featured on "Jump Children" - The Flamingos, The Moonglows and The Orioles.

As is usual with vocal group posts, much of the info below is gleaned from Marv Goldberg's site and I have provided links to his pages on some of the groups featured in this comp. This time round I had to dig a little deeper to find info on some of the obscurer groups and tracks on what is an excellent mix of rockers and smoochers. Sources credited at the foot of the post.

The Flamingos -

You Ain't Ready - Chance 1149, October 1953
Blues In A Letter - Chance 1162, October 1954
Hurry Home Baby - Chance 1140, June 1953

The Moonglows -

Secret Love - Chance 1152, February 1954
I Was Wrong - Chance 1156, May 1954

The Orioles -

For All We Know - Vee-Jay 228, November 1956

The Magnificents -

Up On The Mountain - Vee-Jay 183, April 1956
Off The Mountain - Vee-Jay 235, February 1957
Caddy Bo - Vee-Jay 208, September 1956
Ozeta - Vee-Jay 281, May 1958 - this side actually recorded by The 5 Wonders and released as by The Magnificents

The Kool Gents -

Crazy Over You - unreleased Vee-Jay recording, November 1955

The El Dorados -

Tears On My Pillow - Vee-Jay 250, July 1957

The Lyrics / The Falcons were the same group, recording as The Lyrics on Vee-Jay and as The Falcons on Vee-Jay subsidiary label Falcon. The Falcon label had its name changed to Abner following a lawsuit brought by an already existing Falcon label from Texas.

The Lyrics -

Why Don't You Stop - Vee-Jay 285, May / June 1958 (territorial tip in The Cash Box August 1958)

The Falcons -

Now That It's Over - Falcon 1006, October 1957

The Hi-Liters -

Feeling Alright This Morning - unreleased Vee-Jay track, 1956
Hello Dear - Vee Jay 184, May 1956

The Rhythm Aces -

Get Lost - Vee-Jay 124, January 1955

Sherrif & The Ravels -

The Lonely One - Vee-Jay 306, February 1959

Marv Goldberg links:

The Flamingos:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Flamingos/flamingos.html

The Moonglows:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Moonglows/moonglows.html

The Orioles:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Orioles/orioles1.html

The Magnificents:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Magnificents/magnificents.html

The Kool Gents:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/KoolGents/koolgents.html

The El Dorados:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/ElDorados/eldorados.html

Information was also gathered from the following web sources: BSN Publications; Global Dog Productions; YouTube; 45Cat; Discogs; doo-wop.blogg.org; Billboard; The Cash Box.

Jump Children

Side 1:
01. Jump Children (Vooit Vooit) - The Flamingos
02. Real Gone Mama - The Moonglows
03. Live It Up - The Orioles
04. Cross Over The Bridge - The Flamingos
05. Baby Please - The Moonglows
06. Fools Will Be Fools - The Orioles
07. Golden Teardrops - The Flamingos
08. Ooh Rockin' Daddy - The Moonglows

Side 2:
01. I Just Got Lucky - The Orioles
02. My Gal - The Moonglows
03. Someday, Someway - The Flamingos
04. Happy 'Till The Letter - The Orioles
05. 219 Train - The Moonglows
06. Carried Away - The Flamingos
07. Never Leave Me Baby - The Orioles
08. Whistle My Love - The Moonglows

Download from here:

http://www88.zippyshare.com/v/lbgcbkCO/file.html

Charly issued a number of doowop LPs back in the 1980s, utilizing masters owned by the Chicago based Vee-Jay label. This collection gathers together sides recorded by The Flamingos and The Moonglows at an early stage in their respective careers, and adds sides recorded for Vee-Jay by The Orioles who were at that time at a rather late stage in their career.

The Flamingos and Moonglows sides were recorded for the small Chicago independent label Chance Records in 1953 and 1954. Chance was founded in 1950 by pressing plant owner and record distributor Art Sheridan. In 1952 he was joined by accountant Ewart Abner Jr but despite good recording activity in 1953 to early 1954 the label was gradually wound down, ceasing to record new material in February 1954 and closing down before the end of that year. Both Sheridan and Abner became part of the Vee-Jay setup, taking Chance masters with them to the latter company.

Fax on the trax, Jack, with original release details:

The Flamingos -

Jump Children (Vooit, Vooit) - Chance 1162, October 1954
Cross Over The Bridge - Chance 1154, March 1954
Golden Teardrops - Chance 1145, September 1953
Someday, Someway - Chance 1133, March 1953
Carried Away - Chance 1145, September 1953

The Moonglows -

Real Gone Mama - Chance 1152, February 1954
Baby Please - Chance 1147, October 1953
Ooh Rocking Daddy - Chance 1156, May 1954
My Gal - Chance 1161, September 1954
219 Train - Chance 1161, September 1954
Whistle My Love - Chance 1147, October 1953

Note - Instrumental accompaniment on the Chance singles of The Flamingos and The Moonglows was by The Red Holloway Orchestra.

The Flamingos went on to be a successful act on Checker and End, while The Moonglows achieved success on Chess / Checker.

By way of contrast, the third group on this compilation were very much past their peak as a recording act when they cut sides for Vee-Jay. The Orioles were a pioneering R&B vocal group which helped to pave the way for the rise of the early '50's group phenomenon with their massive 1948 hit on Jubilee, "It's Too Soon To Know." By the time the Vee-Jay sides were recorded in 1956 the original Orioles group had broken up and a new line-up had been recruited to back ever present lead singer Sonny Til.

The Orioles -

Live It Up - Vee-Jay, VJLP 1021 "Teen Delights", 1960
Fools Will Be Fools - unreleased Vee-Jay master, October 1956
I Just Got Lucky - Vee-Jay 196, May 1956
Happy Till The Letter - Vee-Jay 196, May 1956
Never Leave Me Baby - Vee-Jay 228, November 1956

Your Marv Goldberg links for the full stories of these groups:

The Flamingos:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Flamingos/flamingos.html

The Moonglows:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Moonglows/moonglows.html

The Orioles story is told over 4 parts on Marv's website. The story of the Orioles' time at Vee-jay is here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Orioles/orioles3.html

Click on the links at the bottom of that page to access the rest of the story of The Orioles.

Elsewhere on this blog:

The Flamingos - The Chess Sessions

The Moonglows - Look! It's The Moonglows

The Orioles - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me

Charly issued a companion volume to "Jump Children" with the title "Dancin' & Romancin'" and that will be coming your way soon!

The Spaniels - Stormy Weather

Side 1:
01. Lovey Dovey Baby
02. Three Little Words
03. People Will Say We're In Love
04. I'll Be Waiting
05. Stormy Weather
06. Why I Love You
07. Baby Come Along With Me
08. I Owe You

Side 2:
01. Bounce
02. Red Sails In The Sunset
03. Please Don't Tease
04. You Painted Pictures
05. Baby Sweets
06. One Hundred Years From Today
07. A Stranger In Love
08. Let's Make Up

Download from here:

http://www23.zippyshare.com/v/xQxivNLi/file.html

The Spaniels out of Gary, Indiana, were one of the classiest of the 1950s R&B vocal groups and their lead tenor Pookie Hudson was one of the greatest of the group vocalists of that era. Their big, BIG hit was "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" which reached number 5 in the national R&B chart in the summer of 1954 although most of the pop sales action was taken by a cover version by The McGuire Sisters which reached number 7 while The Spaniels' original version only made it to number 24 pop.

Their first release "Baby It's You" / "Bounce" (May 1953) reached number 10 in the R&B chart and was only the second single released by the new Vee-Jay label. The first disc on Vee-Jay was Jimmy Reed's "High And Lonesome." The success of "Baby It's You" necessitated a re-release on the Chance label which was better able to cope with the unexpected demand.

The Spaniels' next national hit was the monster "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" in the summer of 1954. "You Painted Pictures" reached number 13 R&B in October 1955. The Spaniels' fourth national R&B hit was with "Everyone's Laughing" / "I. O. U" which reached number 13 in July 1957.

This collection, "Stormy Weather," was the second Spaniels comp released by Charly back in the 1980s. It has one hit track, "You Painted Pictures," and some unissued material. It may not be the creme de la creme of The Spaniels' Vee-Jay output, but almost all of the material is very strong. Personal favourites are the rocking "Baby Sweets," the romantic "One Hundred Years From Today" and, of course, "Red Sails In The Sunset" which was unreleased but, heck, it's one of my favourite songs ever, and any rendition by any artist of this classic just gets me - right there.

Unfortunately I never did buy Charly's first Spaniels comp, "Great Googley Moo!", a failure which I now deeply regret. Oh for a time machine.

As ever when it comes to vocal group history, you can find the full story of The Spaniels on Marv Goldberg's site, complete with the tale of how they missed out on "The Twist."

Your link to Marv Goldberg's article on The Spaniels:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Spaniels/spaniels.html

Fax on the trax, with titles as per original release:

01. Lovey Dovey Baby - unreleased Vee-Jay recording, June 1958
02. These Three Words - Vee-Jay 328, September 1959
03. People Will Say We're In Love - Vee-Jay 342, December 1959
04. I'll Be Waiting - unreleased Vee-Jay recording, August 1959
05. Stormy Weather - Vee-Jay 290, July 1958
06. Here Is Why I Love You - Vee-Jay 290, July 1958
07. Baby Come Along With Me - Vee-Jay 202, July 1956
08. I. O. U. - Vee-Jay 246, March 1957
09. Bounce - Vee-Jay 101, May 1953 and Chance 1141, June 1953
10. Red Sails In The Sunset - unreleased Vee-Jay recording, August 1959
11. Please Don't Tease - Vee-Jay 229, December 1956
12. You Painted Pictures - Vee-Jay 154, August 1955
13. Baby Sweets - Vee-Jay LP 1024 "The Spaniels". June 1960.
14. One Hundred Years From Today - Vee-Jay 328, September 1959
15. A Stranger In Love - unreleased Vee-Jay recording, October 1958
16. Let's Make Up - Vee-Jay 116, September 1954

The El Dorados - Low Mileage - High Octane

Side 1:
01. A Fallen Tear
02. My Loving Baby
03. At My Front Door
04. There In The Night
05. Love Of My Own
06. Bim Bam Boom
07. Now That You've Gone
08. I Began To Realize

Side 2:
01. A Rose For My Darling
02. I'll Be Forever Loving You
03. It's No Wonder
04. One More Chance
05. Rock 'N Roll's For Me
06. Lord Knows I Tried
07. 3 Reasons Why

Download from here:

http://www74.zippyshare.com/v/5Uf57N1P/file.html

This LP was originally posted in the early days of the blog (March 2008) but for this post I have re-digitized the record and ripped new mp3s. I've also added new cover and label scans, so this download falls outwith the normal definition of "re-up."

Lately "Be Bop Wino" has been concentrating on the jazz / jump side of R&B but today we kick off a series of vocal group posts starting with Chicago group The El Dorados. They are of course best known for their big hit "At My Front Door" which reached number 17 in the pop charts in October 1955, but the rest of their work is first rate, from the bluesy "One More Chance" to the tender "A Rose For My Darling." No matter what the material, whether sentimental or rockin' and rollin', The El Dorados remain classy. Beware, there are quite a few ear worms in this collection.

As always when it comes to vocal group information the go-to place is Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks site. His article on The El Dorados is here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/ElDorados/eldorados.html

Original release details of the tracks on "Low Mileage - High Octane":

01. A Fallen Tear - Vee-Jay 197, July 1956
02. My Loving Baby -  Vee-Jay 115, September 1954
03. At My Front Door - Vee-Jay 147, June 1955
04. There In The Night - Vee-Jay 211, August 1956
05. Love Of My Own - unreleased
06. Bim Bam Boom - Vee-Jay 211, August 1956
07. Now That You've Gone - Vee-Jay 180, March 1956
08. I Began To Realize - Vee-Jay 165, November 1955
09. A Rose For My Darling - Vee-Jay 250, July 1957
10. I'll Be Forever Loving You - Vee-Jay 165, November 1955
11. It's No Wonder - unreleased
12. One More Chance - Vee-Jay 127, February 1955
13. Rock 'N Roll's For Me - Vee-Jay 180, March 1956
14. Lord Knows I Tried - unreleased
15. 3 Reasons Why - Vee-Jay 263, January 1958

Mo' vocal group action coming your way soon!

The Dells - Rockin' On Bandstand

Side 1:
01. Jo-Jo
02. Zing, Zing, Zing
03. I Can't Help Myself **
04. Dance, Dance, Dance
05. Baby Do *
06. Time Makes You Change
07. Wedding Day
08. Oh What A Nite

Side 2:
01. Come On Baby *
02. At The Bandstand *
03. Cherry Bee *
04. Swinging Teens
05. Baby Open Up Your Heart
06. Restless Days, Sleepless Nights *
07. I Can't Dream *
08. I Wanna Go Home

* = previously unissued tracks
** = unissued in the 1950s

Download from here:

http://www28.zippyshare.com/v/OVIxS5bB/file.html

In response to a request for more doo-wop, here, for the first time on this blog, is a fine as wine 1983 Charly compilation of mostly uptempo Vee-Jay sides from The Dells. They were a long-lived group, recording and performing until 2012. As ever when it comes to vocal group history the go-to place is Marv Goldberg's website. His article on The Dells is here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Dells/dells.html

This collection includes their biggest 1950s R&B hit "Oh What A Night" and 7 tracks which were unreleased back in the 1950s. It's rhythm and blues meets rock 'n' roll and is well worth a listen especially for the great instrumental backing.

Release details of the nine tracks on this LP which were given a single release in the 1950s / early 1960s:

Zing, Zing, Zing: B-Side of Dreams of Contentment, Vee-Jay 166, December 1955

Oh What A Nite / Jo-Jo: Vee-Jay 204, July 1956

I Wanna Go Home: B-Side of Movin' On, Vee-Jay 230, December 1956

Dance, Dance, Dance: B-Side of Why Do You Have To Go, Vee-Jay 236, February 1957

Time Makes You Change: B-Side of Pain In My Heart, Vee-Jay 258, October 1957

Wedding Day: b/w My Best Girl, Vee-Jay 300, November 1958

Baby, Open Up Your Heart: B-Side of Dry Your Eyes, Vee-Jay 324, September 1959

Swinging Teens: b/w Hold On To What You've Got, Vee-Jay 376, March 1961

Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall

LP1 Side 1:
01. Bright Lights, Big City
02. I'm Mr Luck
03. Baby What's Wrong
04. Found Joy
05. Kind Of Lonesome

LP1 Side 2:
01. Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth
02. Tell Me You Love Me
03. Blue Carnegie
04. I'm A Love You
05. Hold Me Close
06. Blue, Blue Water

Download LP1 from here:

http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/4EFIeH9w/file.html

LP2 Side 3:
01. Baby What You Want Me To Do
02. You Don't Have To Go
03. Hush Hush
04. Found Love
05. Honest I Do
06. You Got Me Dizzy

LP2 Side 4:
01. Big Boss Man
02. Take Out Some Insurance
03. Boogie In The Dark
04. GoingTo New York
05. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
06. The Sun Is Shining

Download LP2 from here:

http://www39.zippyshare.com/v/vCfV7pwE/file.html

I can remember exactly where and when I bought this double album. It was in 1976 (or was it 1977 - oh dear) and it was on sale in a small local electronics shop in the area of Glasgow's South Side where  I grew up. I had just returned from a year working in France and I was surprised to find that during my absence my parents' house had mysteriously filled up with imported US Country and Western cut out LPs. The place was choc a bloc with platters by the likes of Boxcar Willie, Porter Waggoner, Charlie Pride and Buck Owens.

One of the local shops had been taken over by an electronics retailer and music fan and he had installed some record browsers from where he dispensed the said cut outs (plus a load of cassettes) which were mostly of the Hicksville persuasion. My dad was already a bit of a C&W fan, and like a junkie living next to a newly opened pharmacy, he had started feeding his habit on an all too regular basis. Don't get me wrong, there was some good stuff in his collection once you got past the Bobby Bare albums. I'm thinking of Tompall Glaser, Waylon Jennings, early Doctor Hook & The Medicine Show ("I Got Stoned And I Missed It") and even a double album of The Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons.

Anyway in among the racks of Yee-Hah discs in the shop was this BluesWay double album in a thick cardboard sleeve (non gatefold) with a hole punched through one corner. A genuine blues album with not a stetson or rhinestone in sight. After the usual pre-purchase agonising I paid up, carried Jimmy Reed off in triumph, and was delighted by the sounds contained on these discs. It was the only Jimmy Reed vinyl I ever bought, so I missed out on those Charly LPs which appeared in the 1980s.

This 1973 BluesWay double album is a reissue of the 1961 Vee-Jay 2LP set "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" which, despite its title, is a studio album. The 2LP set was originally released as Vee-Jay LP 2-LP 1035 in August 1961. The second disc in the set was re-released as "The Best Of Jimmy Reed" (Vee-Jay LP 1039) in February 1962.

Nine of the eleven tracks on LP1 were recorded especially for the LP: "Bright Lights, Big City", "I'm Mr Luck", "Baby What's Wrong", "Found Joy", "Kind Of Lonesome", "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth", "Tell Me You Love Me", "Blue Carnegie", and "I'm A Love You." These were recorded in Chicago in 1961 (exact date unknown) by the following personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed 2nd vocal on "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Baby What's Wrong."

The remaining two tracks on LP1 are earlier unissued tracks. "Blue, Blue Water" was recorded in Chicago on August 25th, 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Phil Upchurch (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

"Hold Me Close" was recorded in Chicago on March 14th, 1960. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates, Lee Baker (guitars); Curtis Mayfield (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed (2nd vocal).

  

Above: Vee-Jay promo offer for record dealers, February 1962. The "Best Of Jimmy Reed" was a reissue of the 2nd LP in the "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" set. Contrary to the wording in this ad, the LP did not consist of re-recordings. The recordings on the album were in fact from original single releases.

The tracks used on LP2 were originally released as follows:

You Don't Have To Go / Boogie In The Dark were released on Vee-Jay 119 in December 1954. Recorded in Chicago, mid-1953. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor, John Littlejohn (guitars); Albert King (drums).

Ain't That Lovin' You Baby was released on Vee-Jay 168 in February 1956. Recorded in Chicago on 5th December 1955. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Vernell Fournier (drums).

You've Got Me Dizzy was released on Vee-Jay 226 in November 1956. Recorded in Chicago on 3rd October 1956. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

The Sun Is Shining was released on Vee-Jay 248 in June 1957. Recorded in Chicago on 3rd April 1957. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Honest I Do was released on Vee-Jay 253 in August 1957. Recorded in Chicago on 3rd April 1957. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar) Remo Biondi (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Take Out Some Insurance was released on Vee-Jay 314 in April 1959. Recorded in Chicago on 26th March 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, guitar); William "Lefty" Bates (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Going To New York was released on Vee-Jay 326 in September 1959. Recorded in Chicago on 11th September 1958. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Eddie Taylor (guitar) Remo Biondi (guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Baby What You Want Me To Do was released on Vee-Jay 333 in November 1959. Recorded in Chicago on 7th August 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates, Eddie Taylor (guitars); Marcus Johnson (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed (2nd vocal).

Found Love was released on Vee-Jay 347 in May 1960. Recorded in Chicago on 15th December 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, guitar); William "Lefty" Bates (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Hush Hush was released on Vee-Jay 357 in August 1960. Recorded in Chicago on 25th August 1959. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Phil Upchurch (guitar); Eddie Taylor (bass guitar); Earl Phillips (drums).

Big Boss Man was released on Vee-Jay 380 in March 1961. Recorded in Chicago on 29th March 1960. Personnel: Jimmy Reed (vocal, harmonica, guitar); Lefty Bates, Eddie Taylor (guitars); Willie Dixon (bass); Earl Phillips (drums); Mary Lee "Mama" Reed (2nd vocal).

"The Best Of Jimmy Reed" (Vee-Jay LP 1039) can be downloaded from the excellent Blues Years blog here:

http://thebluesyears.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/jimmy-reed-best-of-jimmy-reed-vee-jay.html

Remember if you download - tell 'em Boogie Woody sent ya! Or just say "Hi" even if you don't download.

Finally, although I missed out on those Charly LPs (some of which you can find on "The Blues Years" blog), here are the covers of some CDs I bought back in the '90s.

Above: from 1992, "Bright Lights, Big City" was subtitled "His Greatest Hits." Reed recorded for Vee-Jay from 1953 to 1965 during which time he had 18 R&B Top 20 hits (10 of them in 1955-57), and 13 singles in the Hot Hundred chart. "Honest I Do" and "Baby What You Want Me To Do" made it to the Top 40 in 1957 and 1960 respectively. "Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall" spent 31 weeks on the US Album charts, peaking at number 46. In 1964 "Shame, Shame, Shame" reached number 46 in the UK charts.

Reed had considerable commercial success while with Vee-Jay. Although he built up sales to the mainly white, middle class "Folk Blues" crowd, he also maintained healthy R&B sales. In 1957 he was the 9th top selling R&B artist with hits like "Honest I Do" and "You've Got Me Dizzy." This collection has 20 of his top sellers.

Above: from 1994, "Take Out Some Insurance" was a 20-track collection of Reed's lesser known sides for Vee-Jay. A good companion set to "Bright Lights, Big City."

Above: from 1993, "Bad Boy" was a rousing 15 track collection of sides by Jimmy Reed's long-time collaborator, guitarist Eddie Taylor. Reed himself, along with drummer Earl Phillips, is present on those tracks which were recorded at Reed sessions. Stalwarts on other tracks include Johnny Jones (piano) and Hubert Sumlin (guitar).