‘Soft Pillow’ completes the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series. True to tradition, this last volume also contains rhythm & blues songs at the highest level. If you own all 10 CDs, you have no less than 280 impressive recordings. Recordings of well-known artists, but also formidable songs by artists who could not penetrate the mainstream. But okay, let us now focus our ears on the very last 28 tracks of this series. ‘Pretty Little Baby’ by Modest ‘Show Stopper’ Clifton is the first to go. Immediately a powerful rhythm & blues. A song that was re-released in 1960 on the obscure Belgian Fast label, which only lasted one year. Clifton is immediately followed by a big name, namely B.B. King with the 1950 recorded ‘Take A Swing With Me’. A swinging track that stands in stark contrast to his later work. In Europe, Jack Hammer managed to attract a large fan base with his ‘The Wiggle’. Here he scores again with the rousing ‘Girl, Girl, Girl’. Another big name is Fats Domino. With ‘Dance With Mr. Domino’ he delivers a beautiful piece of rocking New Orleans rhythm & blues. He wrote the song together with that other legend Dave Bartholomew, who you can also hear on trumpet. Roy Milton was not only a bandleader, but also a drummer and singer. During his career he made a lot of cool recordings. You probably know one of them, ‘Tell It Like It Is’. Jimmie Huff and his orchestra were also a beautiful formation. Enjoy the sublime sax solo in the rocking ‘She’s My Baby’. The title track of this volume comes from Amos Milburn with Johnny Mandell and orchestra. Beautiful song and also pay attention to the brilliant performances of the unknown vocal backing group. We know Little Richard from his enormously energetic hits. On the 1952 recorded ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Happenin’’ he still keeps his energy somewhat in check. Someone who did put all her energy into the song was LaVern Baker in ‘Voodoo, Voodoo’, in which King Curtis shines on the tenor sax. Pleasant piano rhythm & blues is then served up by Harold Burrage and his band in ‘Betty Jean’. More of that, also comes with ‘Slow Down Baby’ by Bob Gaddy and His Keys. One of my great favorites from the heyday of rhythm & blues is Wynonie Harris. His recordings are always of an extremely high standard, as is the ‘That’s Me Right Now’ heard here. Beautiful work on sax and Hammond forms the basis for the instrumental ‘Rock! Rock! Rock!’ by Willis ‘Gator’ Jackson. Fans of heavenly harmonies will certainly enjoy ‘Till The Wee Wee Morning’ by Romaines, as well as The Larks and their ‘Rockin’ In The Rocket Room’ and ‘Teenage Correl’ by Cole and The Grandures. ‘She’s My Baby’ by Flash Terry and his orchestra, with its beautiful guitar work, sounds enormously powerful. This was also the last recording by the Suncoast label. For many artists, their first recording was also their last. That also happened to Prince Jesse. Although his ‘Sarah Lee’ is quite impressive. Without a doubt a gem to be discovered! For a sultry rhythm & blues, you can go to ‘Cookie’ Jackson and her also classifiable as popcorn ‘Try Love (Just One More Time)’. No-nonsense rocking can be found on The Big Rocker’s ‘Rock-N-Roll Romance’. The last two tracks are reserved for The Treniers and tenor saxophonist Big Jay McNeely. Also on ‘Everybody Get Together’ the voices of twins Claude and Cliff Trenier blend superbly and Don Hill delivers a beautiful piece of sax, after which McNeely with his usual class, supported by vocalist Little Sonny Warner with ‘Minnie’ finally brings down the curtain on the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series.
This series may be over, but rest assured, the crew of the KokoMojo label certainly still has very nice, not to be sneezed at releases in the pipeline. To be continued!

The ninth volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series is called ‘Whoa Mule’, a title derived from the dynamic song by Leroy James, an artist about whom little or nothing can be found. Once again, this album contains 28 tracks, all of which contain very high-quality rhythm & blues from the previous century.
Bob Kornegay is allowed to give the starting signal with ‘Humdinger’. Bob is also known for his work with The Du Droppers, Dave and Bob and as Pork Chops. Bob is followed by the swinging ‘Rockin’ Mary’ by Wes Griffith with The Treys. The leader of the quintet The Treys was Freddie Johnson. His wife was singer Pearl Woods and you can hear her immediately on the next track, the danceable rhythm & blues ‘Sippin’ Sorrow’. One of the biggest big bands in rhythm & blues was certainly that of Lucky Millinder. Not only did the orchestra have 15 musicians, there were also 2 vocalists and the backing vocal group The Admirals. Quality was always a top priority for Millinder. You can experience that again in ‘Good Good Lovin’. Jump blues was the genre in which Oscar McLollie was very skilled, as can be heard in ‘Pretty Gril’ that he recorded with the Honeyjumpers in 1955 for Modern. More in that genre is also served by Hot Lips Page in ‘The Cadillac Song’ and certainly Jimmy Witherspoon with ‘Don’t Ever Move A Woman Into Your House’. One of the great guitarists in rhythm & blues and blues was Lowell Fulson. You can hear his talent in the instrumental ‘Cash Box Boogie’. In the history of rhythm & blues, Big Maybelle does not get the credit she deserved. That she did deserve it is proven by ‘Ring Dang Dilly’, where you can also hear Mickey Baker as a guitarist. ‘Justine’ is one of those songs that is often covered. The original belongs to Don and Dewey, who also wrote the song. You get beautiful harmonies from The Jackson Brothers in ‘Baby Baby’. You can expect rocking rhythm & blues from the Bobby Peterson Quintet with ‘Mama, Get Your Hammer’. Esquerita was the source of inspiration for Little Richard. No wonder when you listen to the catchy piano rocker ‘Believe Me When I Say Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay’. Jimmy Nolen was influenced by Fats Domino, as can be heard in ‘Don’t Leave Me No More’. You don’t get that song here, but you do get the b-side of that single, namely ‘Wipe Your Tears’, which also bears traces of Domino. Jimmy Breedlove was also part of the vocal group The Cues. Here he delivers a cracker of a rhythm & blues with ‘That’s My Baby’. Hank Ballard and his Midnighters provided the twist dance craze. In The Royals, discovered by Johnny Otis, who are present here with ‘I Feel That-A-Way’, you can also hear Hank as lead singer. He also composed the song. More famous people come with ‘Mr. Personality’ Lloyd Price and ‘Baby Please Come Home’. We close with the solid rocking rhythm & blues ‘Back Stage At The Blackouts’ by Ken Murray’ Blackouts Of 1959.
We can’t help but we warmly recommend ‘Whoa Mule’, the ninth volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series. We bet you’ll make some fantastic discoveries again!

That there were quite a few great instrumental numbers released in the rhythm & blues and blues genres, we were able to convince ourselves of that in volumes 1 and 2 of the ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’ series. These volumes were titled ‘Rinky Dink’ and ‘Zeen Beat’ respectively and you can certainly reread the reviews of these on this site. However, there is still quite a lot of beautiful instrumental work up for grabs, of which volume 3 ‘Shaggy Dog’ convinces us again with 26 tracks. Clifford King is the first to claim our attention with ‘Chicken Shack Boogie’, with the harmonica in the spotlight. King is followed by another mouth-shoveler, namely Buster Brown. He was influenced by the playing of Sonny Terry and you can also hear that in ‘The Madison Shuffle’. By the way, if you listen carefully, you will certainly hear snippets of well-known numbers in it. Another great player on the harmonica was Sonny Boy Williamson II. Here you get his hit ‘The Goat’. By the way, the harmonica is also the main instrument on ‘Candled Yams’ by B. Brown and His Rockin McVouts. Bill Doggett provides a portion of swinging rhythm & blues in ‘Hully Gully Twist’. Doggett returns later on ‘Buttered Popcorn’. A wonderful big band instrumental is provided by Curley Hamner and ‘Air Raid’. Curley was a drummer in Lionel Hampton’s band for a number of years, with whom he wrote the much-covered song ‘Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop’. For many guitarists, T-Bone Walker was, and still is, an inspiring guitarist. Walker undoubtedly ensured a real evolution of the guitar in rhythm & blues and blues. He recorded both vocal and instrumental numbers. The groundbreaking ‘Two Bones And A Pick’ also belongs to the latter genre. New Orleans saxophonist Robert Parker is best known for his hit ‘Barefootin’ and for his collaboration with Professor Longhair. On the two-part ‘All Nite Long’, which is part of New Orleans rhythm & blues, he presents a fine example of his talent on the sax. He shows this again later on ‘Walkin’. The blues ‘The Blue Eagle’ by James Rivers Combo also consists of two parts. A number that contains brilliant performances on piano, guitar and sax. Jerry McCain is one of the very best on the blues harp and has made many impressive recordings. ‘Steady’ is one of them and you can hear that number here. Googie Rene shows fantastic Hammond work on ‘Ez-zee’. Pianist Lloyd Glenn was a pioneer of the West Coast blues style and also played on T-Bone Walker’s ‘Call It Stormy Monday’. You can enjoy his beautiful piano playing during ‘The Shakedown’.
Elmore James was the master of the slide guitar. He also puts the slide on his finger in ‘Bobbys Rock’. Earl Hooker was also a regular user of the slide. However, he leaves it in the guitar case on the distorted ‘Dynamite’. Guitarist Roy Montrell recorded for Specialty, among others, as a studio musician. In that capacity, he can also be heard on various Little Richard recordings. Roy presents the shuffle ‘Mudd’ here. Excello Records delivered quite a few impressive artists and recordings. Skippy Brooks recorded ‘Doin’ The Horse’ there at the time. Here you get the B-side ‘Dim Lights’. Brooks was also part of Kid King’s Combo. You get them with the title track ‘Shaggy Dog’. Lloyd Price’s younger brother, Leo Price, was previously active as a songwriter. He recorded ‘Quick Draw’ under his own name. The well-known rhythm & blues duo Don & Dewey may close the ranks with ‘Jump Awhile’.
Just like its predecessors, the third volume in the ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’ series is also one to savor. A collection of instrumental gems that cleverly put harmonica, piano, sax and guitar in the spotlight. Great album!

Money may not be everything, but it does prevent you from ‘headin’ for the poorhouse’. The German Bear Family Records bundles no less than 30 tracks on this compilation, all of which have ‘money’ or ‘poverty’ as their subject.
The kick-off is given by the vocal group The Silhouettes, who immediately create a stunning doo-wop rhythm & blues with the title track of this album. More doo-wop follows later with The Penguins and ‘Money Talks’. Clyde McPhatter continues with The Drifters with the classic ‘Money Honey’. Later you will also get this song in Elvis’ version.
For a wonderful piano blues you can go to Johnny Ace and ‘No Money’. A song that also contains a lot of soul. Excello has many wonderful songs in its catalogue. One of them is ‘I Need Money (Keep Your Alibis)’, an rousing rhythm & blues by Slim Harpo. Howard Crockett was a talented songwriter who wrote hits for Johnny Horton, among others. You can hear Howard here in a harmonica-driven ‘Just A Poor Man’. Lovers of ‘old school’ country will certainly find something to their liking in ‘I’m Broke’ by Glen Paul and The Sunset Wranglers. More country comes with Faron Young and the self-written ‘I’m A Poor Boy’, including a wonderful fiddle solo, as well as with ‘No Money’ by the lesser-known Carl Runner.
‘Money That’s What I Want’ comes twice. The first time by Barrett Strong. Berry Gordy, owner of the Tamla Motown label was co-writer and this song was also the first big hit for his label. Also from Tamla Motown come the vocal group The Miracles with their version of the same song.
‘Ain’t Got No Money’ by The Rebel Guys is mainly a beautiful, sax-driven instrumental number. A magnificent rock-‘n-roll song comes with Cecil Moore in ‘My Money’s Gone’. On a boogie rhythm, Arkie Shibley presents his ‘talking blues’ in ‘I’m A Poor Oakie’.
At the time that Jessie Knight joined Ike Turner’s band, the electric bass made its introduction in rhythm & blues bands. Ike made sure that his cousin Jessie got his hands on the instrument. Here you get Jessie Knight with the formidable rhythm & blues ‘Nothing But Money’.
Well-known names that grace this compilation include Carl Perkins, blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon, The Louvin Brothers and blues harmonica player Billy ‘Boy’ Arnold. Blues pianist Sunnyland Slim is also well-known. Here he brings a pearl of a piano blues as Dr. Clayton’s Buddy with ‘Broke And Hungry’. In the middle of the previous century, Frankie Avalon was one of the many teen idols. Here he is present with the wonderfully rocking ‘I’m Broke’.
Country-wise, Al Terry and Rusty & Doug close with the emotional ‘Money’.
In the 38-page booklet you traditionally get all the information about the artists and the tracks.
Thematic albums show how certain situations or feelings inspired artists to make great songs about them. One of those compilations that certainly meets all expectations here is ‘Headin’ For The Poorhouse’.

With ‘Oh Yeah’ we have already reached the eighth volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series. What is striking again is that a large number of artists who recorded excellent rhythm & blues during the fifties and sixties of the last century nevertheless did not make it into the spotlight. In addition, this edition also contains a number of resounding names. The album kicks off with Beverly Wright and the swinging ‘Shake Till I’m Shook’, which is followed by the cheerful and playful ‘Whoa-Ho (Let’s Get Together)’ by Kitty & Clay. Then Little Richard announces the first big name. His ‘Taxi Blues’ is still firmly anchored in rhythm & blues, in contrast to his later recorded rock-‘n-roll. When Little Richard decided to become a dominee, Larry Williams was seen as his successor. Although pianist Williams had the same raw voice, he did not quite live up to it. What Williams can put behind his name is that many of his songs, such as ‘Bony Moronie’ and ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ were covered during the ‘British Invasion’. Here he is present with ‘Oh Baby’, which partly proves that he missed out on a few things as a successor to Little Richard.
Ear King spent his entire life in New Orleans and that typical sound is clearly heard in ‘Funny Face’. That sound also sounds in small doses in ‘I Got A Rock And Roll Gal’ by Billy Lamont, as well as in ‘You’re So Good Looking’ by Otis Smith. The odd one out comes in the form of Willie Joe. Backed by René Hall’s orchestra, he conjures up ‘Twitchy’ from his one-string electric guitar. For Bill Haley, ‘Shake, Rattle And Roll’ was a mega hit. Here you get the unedited and, to me, better version by grandmaster Joe Turner. Exciting rock-‘n-roll is also presented by Steve Gibson’s Red Caps with vocals by Dave Patillo in ‘Rock And Roll Stomp’. It would be Patillo’s only recording. Guitarist Guitar Slim is no stranger to blues fans. Here he provides the title track of this release, a serious rocking rhythm & blues that ends in a somewhat gospel-like manner. Annie Laurie continues on the path taken by Slim with the equally great ‘Rockin’ And Rollin’ Again’. Ike Turner’s Kings Of Rhythm always guarantee quality. Here they are the backing band of Billy Gayles, who unleashes a gem of a song with ‘Sad As A Man Can Be’. When you talk about the pioneers of rock-‘n-roll, you can’t ignore Chuck Berry. Not only was he an example for many artists, but his songs were and still are eagerly covered. This also applies to ‘Come On’, which can be found on this album and was once entrusted to vinyl by The Stones. Little Milton made great recordings in both rhythm & blues and soul. He shows that he could combine both genres in a very special way in ‘Long Distance Operator’. Del Thorne then presents a beautiful piano blues in ‘I Let Him Move Me’. Two greats who often shared the stage together were guitarist Earl Hooker and harmonica virtuoso Junior Wells. Here they make the most of the instrumental ‘Universal Rock’.
Doo-wop comes with Don Julian and The Meadowlarks in ‘Oop Boopy Oop’, as well as with Bill Pinky and The Turks in ‘After The Hop’ and by The El Dorados singing wonderfully together in ‘At My Front Door’. As we are used to from them, ‘Bark, Battle And Ball’ by The Platters also contains excellent harmonies. We would like to close with the instrumental ‘Quarter To One’ by Roy Hawkins…..but don’t stop your player, because with ‘Fun Fun’ by Lloyd Nolen you can expect a bonus track.
Series like ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ bundle quite a few songs that would otherwise not reach lovers of rocking rhythm & blues. Another plus is that the KokoMojo label always does full justice to their philosophy ‘killers and no fillers’.

With ‘Rinky Dink’ the new series ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’ recently got off to a flying start. With ‘Boss Black Rockers’ and its successor ‘More Boss Black Rockers’ we got a formidable insight into the beautiful vocal rocking rhythm & blues that talented black artists recorded in the middle of the previous century. That beautiful instrumental rhythm & blues was also recorded at that time, is evidenced by ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’. Just like on the first volume, ‘Zeen Beat’ also contains 26 instrumental works cut from the best wood. Numbers that saw the light of day by both smaller combos and large orchestras. Songs that are often the breeding ground for excellent horn work. We experience that right away with opener ‘Wiggle Tail’ by orchestra leader and songwriter Googie Rene, which is followed by Nick and The Jaguars who show a fine example of high-quality surf rock with ‘Cool And Crazy’. Lightning-fast rocking work on the six strings follows with ‘Ho Ho’ by Icky Renrut. A little research taught us that Icky is none other than Ike Turner. Tommy Ridgley was a fixture in the rhythm & blues scene of New Orleans. Rightly so when you hear the catchy ‘Jam Up Twist’. Drummer Earl Palmer can be heard on well-known recordings of Fats Domino, Little Richard and Smiley Lewis, among others. Here you hear him under his own name at work on ‘Drum Village’, a song that consists of two parts. It is very nice that the KokoMojo label places both ‘parts’ behind each other. The slower, with its wonderful piano decoration ‘Let It Roll’ by Cliff Davis and The Turbo-Jets also consists of two parts, and here too you get both parts nicely presented one after the other. Memphis Slim made a career as a blues and boogie-woogie pianist. In the latter capacity he delivers an excellent ‘Slim’s Thing’. And also pay attention to the sublime solo on the upright bass by none other than Willie Dixon. Slim returns later with ‘Steppin’ Out’. Chicago guitarist Lefty Bates worked with many greats, including the El Dorados, the Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and Etta James. No wonder when you hear his talent on ‘Rock Alley’. Earl Washington was a jazz pianist by nature. His rocking rhythm & blues side is at the forefront during ‘Wolf Call’. The blues was a breeding ground for many artists on the harmonica. Little Boyd is perhaps a little less well-known. Undeservedly so, because his ‘Harmonica Rock’ is simply one of the best. The blues harp is also abundantly present on ‘Midnight Jump’ by Walter J. Westbrook. The Upsetters were at the cradle of Little Richard’s career. You can hear them at work under their own name during ‘The Strip’. Trumpeter Gene Redd played in Cootie Williams’ band, among others. Gene presents the title track of this volume, the jungle beat-driven ‘Zeen Beat’. The father of saxophonist Louis Brooks was active in a New Orleans jazz band. You can clearly hear that he passed on his love for the New Orleans sound to his son in ‘Frisco’. Guitarist René Hall closes with ‘Flippin’’.
That in addition to great vocal rhythm & blues in the previous century, a lot of catchy instrumental rocking rhythm & blues was also made, is crystal clear with this series. We are already looking forward to the upcoming third volume, with the name ‘Shaggy Dog’. To be continued!

​​At the end of last year you could read the review of the first volume about Chuck Norris in the series ‘Right Hand Man’ on this site. That volume dealt with the recordings that Chuck made under his own name, as well as the recordings of colleagues in which he was involved as a guitarist, during the period 1946-1955. The second volume also starts in 1946 but extends further to 1962. Now you also get 28 beautiful tracks on which many well-known names can be found.
The album starts with ‘You Gotta Give It Up’ by Frank Haywood And Monroe Tuckers Band. Chuck’s first recordings tended more towards jazz. This wonderfully swinging and slightly jazzy number is therefore right up Norris’ street, resulting in sublime guitar work. Chuck effortlessly adapted to the repertoire of his employer. He shows this on the soulful slow blues ‘When I Had My Money’ by Jimmy Witherspoon, as well as in Percy Mayfield’s ‘Two Years Of Torture’, which is situated in the same genre. Later, you get Percy again with the swinging and well-known ‘Louisiana’. An equally beautiful slow blues comes with ‘I’ll Be Lonely’ by the Floyd Dixon Trio, with a wonderful piano part by Floyd. Chuck lets us hear a smooth-sounding guitar a little later on ‘Just A Poor Boy’ by Roy Hawkins. On the instrumental ‘Rockin After Hours’, which Norris recorded under his own name, we hear him fantastically duel with the sax of Maxwell Davis. Under his own name, you hear Norris later on with the bluesy ‘Messin Up’ and ‘Let Me Know’.
On the Leiber & Stoller composition ‘Riot In Cell Block #9’ by The Robins, you hear Chuck as well as co-composer Mike Stoller on the piano. The blues solo that Chuck plays on Little Willie Littlefield’s ‘Lump In My Throat’ is a rare beauty. Although Helen Humes made formidable recordings, she did not always get the recognition she deserved. Convince yourself during ‘You Played On My Piano’, a song from 1952. Norris also delivers cool work on the six strings on the instrumental ‘Cool Caravan’ by Rhythm Cats.
Although session musicians like Norris played on many well-known tracks, they were not always clearly audible in the final mix. This shows how little these competent musicians were often appreciated. This is the case on ‘The Wallflower (Roll With Me Mr. Henry)’ by Etta James, where you have to prick up your ears to discover Norris’ beautiful rhythm work. Where this did not happen is certainly on Linda Hopkins’ ‘Three Time Loser’, Dinah Washington’s ‘Don’t Hold It Against Me’ and ‘People Are Talking (Pt2)’ by Rollee McGill.
The group around Johnny Otis was a breeding ground for talent. Johnny Guitar Watson was also part of it for a while. Watson can be heard together with Norris in the closing song ‘Sweet Loving Mama’ from 1962.
This second volume also makes it clear what contribution Chuck Norris had to recordings by fellow artists. His guitar playing undoubtedly ensured that many songs by now well-known artists were sent to a higher level through his input. Great album!

Volume 7 in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series has ‘Red Hot’ as its title. A title that applies to all 28 tracks. Songs that mainly originate from the fifties and early sixties. Two tracks date back to 1949, namely the still current sounding ‘I’m Gonna Rock (Till My Rocker Breaks Down)’ by Connie Jordan, as well as the closing track and title track of this album, by The Five Scamps. In addition, well-known, lesser-known and perhaps obscure names. With the first track, ‘Im Clappin’ and Shoutin’’ by Bumps Myers and His Frantic Five, we are immediately treated to an exciting jumping rhythm & blues via our speakers. Readers of this site will have already discovered that the undersigned is a fan of Joe Turner. Together with his Blues Kings he treats us to ‘The Chicken And The Hawk (Up, Up And Away)’, incidentally a song by the composer duo Leiber and Stoller. Someone who certainly contributed to the birth of rock-‘n-roll is orchestra leader, saxophonist and singer Jimmy Preston. Convince yourself during ‘Let’s Hang Out Tonight’. Roy Hamilton theeën swings nicely in ‘You’re Gonna Need Magic’, supported by a wonderful background choir. Female group The Copesetics only made one single. It is incomprehensible that no one believed in a sequel to the beautiful harmony ‘Believe In Me’. Jimmy Ricks, blessed with a deep bass voice, was once part of the vocal group The Ravens. You can hear him solo with ‘Do You Promise’, which contains a nice dose of soul. Many artists who made solo recordings once belonged to vocal groups. This also applies to Earl Wade. He sang with The Crystals, The Opals and The Cadillacs. You get him solo here with the super rocking ‘Let Me Miss You’, which is also reminiscent of Little Richard. When you talk about vocal groups, you can’t ignore The Platters. Enjoy them again with ‘Humble Bumble Bee’. Just like Johnny Otis himself, his music needs no introduction. As infectious as ever, he is here with ‘Hey Hey Hey Hey’. Fans of instrumental work will certainly enjoy ‘The Party Stomp’ by The Egyptians. In the original version by Jess Willard, ‘On A Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor’ was a hillbilly boogie. Bob Williams serves up a completely unique version of that song. Big Al Downing was a black musician in The Poe Cats, one of the first and perhaps the first rock-‘n-roll groups in which white and black musicians found each other. Big Al is present with ‘Please Come Home’, a gem of a rocker. Covering from a commercial point of view is timeless. That also applied to Roy Brown, who covered Buddy Knox’s hit ‘Party Doll’ in the hope of reaching a younger audience. Incidentally, ‘Priscilla’ by Eddie Cooley and The Dimples also rocks. The famous Billy ‘The Kid’ Emerson started his career at Sun Records. He did not record the great ‘I Never Get Enough’ for Sun but for Mad in 1962. Joe Houston made a career as a saxophonist. He performs top on the largely instrumental ‘Rock That Boogie’.
As always, the seventh volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series has become a formidable album. In addition to well-known artists, you will discover artists and their songs here for the first time, more than likely.

The successful series ‘Boss Black Rockers’ was followed up with the equally high-flying ‘More Boss Black Rockers’. For a while it seemed that nothing more would follow, but fortunately KokoMojo now comes up with the series ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’. The first volume that was recently released is entitled ‘Rinky Dink’, named after the song by trumpeter Cootie Williams. Cootie was once part of Duke Ellington’s orchestra and after listening to ‘Rinky Dink’ you will undoubtedly understand why Duke hired him. But there is more. With 26 instrumental tracks, this first volume provides an insight into the formidable instrumental repertoire from the heyday of rhythm & blues and blues. With the exciting ‘Malibu’ by Bob Reed and his Band we immediately get a beautiful example of guitar-driven rhythm & blues. Harmonica virtuoso Little Walter lets the Mississippi saxophone take the lead on ‘Flying Saucer’. More sublime work on the blues harp comes with ‘Boogie Beat’ by Levi Seabury. Lafayette Thomas was also featured in the series ‘Right Hand Man’, also released by KokoMojo. Here you can hear this guitarist at work on the bluesy ‘Cockroach Run’. The black and white keys create, played by Piano Red for an atmospheric ‘Wild Fire’, after which a roaring sax is the ‘leading instrument’ on Red Prysocks ‘2 Point 8’. The 2-part ‘Johnnys Houseparty’ by multi-instrumentalist Johnny Heartsman is certainly impressive. You get to hear the 2 parts one after the other. In the first part the guitar dominates, while part two focuses on the sax and keyboard. The live feeling that emanates from both numbers is also very infectious. Another top song is the gypsy jazzy feeling artistic ‘Destination Mars’ by Frosty and The Diamonds. Blues guitarist Elmore James became famous for his ‘straightforward’ raw performances on the slide guitar. He shows it off again here during ‘Elmore’s Contribution To Jazz’. Elmore is followed by the equally famous Ike Turner with ‘Rock-A-Bucket’. Bandleader Preston Love wrote quite a few songs with Ike. You can hear Preston and his band at work in the swinging ‘Country Boogie’. In the zydeco genre, accordionist Clifton Chenier is one of the greatest. Rightly so when you listen to the rocking ‘The Big Wheel’. Lazy Lester was talented as both a harmonica player and a guitarist. He shines on the bluesharp during ‘Lester’s Stomp’. Johnny Otis and his orchestra should not be missing here either. Otis has quite a few catchy songs to his name, including the two-part ‘The Midnight Creeper’. You can already get the first part on this compilation. Saxophonist Joe Houston evolved from jump blues to ‘early rock & roll’. A fine example of his skills can be heard on ‘Shuckin’.
The ripping sax sounds of ‘Walkin With Mr. Lee’ by Lee Allen stylishly end this first part of the ‘Black Rockers Instrumentals’.
It is clear that KokoMojo puts the instrumental work of the black artists in a awesome way in the spotlights with this new series. We can already look forward to ‘Zeen Beat’ soon, the second volume of this once again fantastic series. To be continued!

Elvis would have turned 90 this year. This inspired the German Bear Family Records to release the fourth volume in the series ‘The Elvis Presley Connection’. The first volume in this series focused on the 1950s, the second covered the late 1950s up to and including 1962 and the third contained the period 1963-1966. The fourth volume puts the period 1967-1969 in the spotlight. In the 1960s, Elvis mainly concentrated on his film career in Hollywood, but he reclaims his place on stage in 1968 with the grandiose ‘Comeback Special’. This volume also contains 28 impressive tracks. Both original songs that Elvis covered, as well as covers of original Elvis songs. That Presley had a nose for great songs is beyond dispute. In addition, he was also extremely creative in the period 1967-1969 and recorded many timeless hits. Think of ‘Guitar Man’, ‘Big Boss Man’, ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’, ‘U.S. Male’, ‘In The Ghetto’ or ‘Suspicious Minds’, of which you get all the original versions here. A fun fact is the following. ‘Guitar Man’ is here in the original version by Jerry Reed, although Bob Luman’s version inspired Presley more. On the version that Elvis recorded, Jerry Reed played lead guitar. Incidentally, he also did that on Presley’s version of Jimmy Reed’s ‘Big Boss Man’. That song is also here in the faster version by Charlie Rich, clearly the version that inspired Elvis. Jerry Reed was a great source of inspiration for Presley, because ‘U.S. Male’ was also written by him. A classic within rhythm & blues is Tommy Tucker’s ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’. In addition to Elvis, José Feliciano, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jeff Beck also covered the song. In 1967 Elvis recorded the magnificent ‘You Don’t Know Me’, a song performed here by Ray Charles. Elvis’ musical interests were very broad. He also covered ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, now the theme song of Liverpool’s Football Club, here in the version of crooner Andy Williams. This song is also performed by the formidable Conway Twitty. The version of ‘A Little Less Conversation’ by Mac Davis, who wrote the song together with Billy Strange, also sounds wonderful. As is known, Elvis was a fan of gospel, including the song ‘Saved’, which he performed in a medley on the ‘Comeback Special’. The original version by LaVern Baker graces this compilation. Presley often preferred to record songs that had made a great impression on him, rather than using the new songs that were presented to him. For example, he often sang ‘Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle)’ live in a medley with ‘Mystery Train’. ‘Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle’ is the original version by Rufus Thomas who recorded it in 1953 in Sam Phillips’ Sun studios. You experience a touch of country in ‘Long Black Limousine’ by Vern Stovall. It was Elvis’ first song that he recorded in the American Sound Studio in Memphis in 1969. Bobby Bare’s version, which you can also hear here, sounds ‘country to the top’ and has more connection with Elvis’ version. Ned Miller scored worldwide with ‘From A Jack To A King’. Elvis previously sang the song with a gospel slant, which made Miller decide that Presley’s version was better than his own. ‘In The Ghetto’ was one of the many monster hits for Elvis. Here you hear the version by Mac Davis who was also a co-writer, although it must be said that Elvis added more empathy to the song. ‘Suspicious Minds’ is a composition by Mark James, who also recorded the song as a single. James’ producer Chips Moman and also owner of the aforementioned American Sound Studio, offered the song to Presley after James’ single flopped. Not surprising when you hear his version. James clearly lacked a connection with the song. Before Presley made the second take of Johnny Tillotson’s ‘It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin’’, he jokingly sang ‘Only The Lonely’ by Roy Orbison. When Elvis was asked why he didn’t record an Orbison song, he replied that Roy’s songs couldn’t be sung better.
A rarity on this album is certainly the Elvis-inspired Vince Chu from Singapore, with his version of Carl Perkins’ ‘Blue Suede Shoes’.
In the 38-page booklet, you get, in addition to rare photos and illustrations, extensive information about the recorded tracks and the artists. The King was inspired by rhythm & blues, soul, country, rock-‘n-roll, gospel and pop and he always managed to make those songs immortal thanks to his beautiful voice and empathy. Great album!

In 2017, with the album ‘Going Places’, Doghouse Sam & His Magnatones proved to belong to the absolute top of the Belgian roots scene. Unfortunately, it later became a bit quiet around Doghouse Sam. When he started with acoustic solo performances a while ago, we secretly hoped that Doghouse Sam & His Magnatones would not be a thing of the past. Sam and his companions still deserve to be taken into account, as their recently released new album ‘Gone Too Long’ proves. After an impressive presentation of the album in the Muze café, this became more than clear. Attending a concert by Doghouse Sam & His Magnatones is an experience in itself. The energy and the joy of playing radiate from the stage. The fact that a band can convey these feelings on an album is rather exceptional. Well, let Doghouse Sam be that exception. ‘Gone Too Long’ was recorded in a relaxed atmosphere at Doghouse Sam’s home. Admittedly in a relaxed atmosphere, but the recordings did result in an album that is bursting with enthusiasm and energy. This is immediately clear with the opener and also the title track, on which Doghouse Sam, supported by his masterful rhythm section, shows an enormously catchy riff and powerful vocals. The album contains ten original songs, all by Doghouse. Incidentally, he repeats this again on the erupting volcano 'The Other Side', on which the slide immediately makes its appearance. 'I'll Take It' is the next in line and live, as proven during the CD presentation, the swinging song for an interaction with the audience. 'Shakey Situation' has a very special story attached to it. When the trio recorded the song at Sam's house, it was warm and the door was open. There is an airfield for sports aircraft nearby. During the recordings, a small plane certainly flew in. The band did not let themselves be distracted, stopped the song, let the plane fly over, and simply continued the song. Sublime and certainly original to record the song like this. And the level remains high. ‘Nobody Else Around’ is driven by a beautiful blues vibe, after which ‘Time Well Spend’ shows the country side of Doghouse Sam. A very beautiful song, followed by the super swinging ‘The Boogaa Hoogaa’, with a formidable guitar solo, where he, just like his great examples from the fifties, creates his own dance. A typical rhythm & blues comes with ‘Good Lookin’ Woman’, where Doghouse also lets his first love, the harmonica, shine. He will do that again on the instrumental closing song ‘Stompin’’. In between both songs is the ‘low down blues’ ‘Low Down Dog’.
With ‘Gone Too Long’ Doughouse Sam & His Magnatones have delivered a heavenly album. Doghouse is comfortable in his own skin, writes sublime songs that he packages in the typical ‘Doghouse’ arrangements. In short, ‘Gone Too Long’ confirms Doghouse Sam’s place at the top of the Belgian roots scene. Highly recommended!  

​With ‘A Real Mother For Ya’, the song on his album of the same name, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson became known to a wider audience in 1977. What was immediately noticeable was the very unique sound that Johnny squeezed out of his guitar. A heavenly sound that many had never heard before. The fact that he was given the nickname ‘Guitar’ is the best proof of his unique talent and associated sound. What many did not know at the time, however, was that Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson had already been active as a singer and guitarist for several decades. He scored in the fifties and early sixties with ‘Too Tired’, the impressive ‘Gangster Of Love’, ‘Johnny Guitar’, ‘Untouchable’ and ‘Cuttin’ In’. And yet, as a teenager, he did not start his career as a guitarist, but as a pianist. He recorded his unique sound as a guitarist as early as 1954 with the instrumental ‘Space Guitar’. Bear Family Records rightly pays attention to Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson in this recent edition of ‘Rocks’. This is done by means of 29 uptempo tracks recorded between 1953 and 1964, on which you can hear Johnny on both guitar and his first instrument, piano. With formidable guitar work, the album opens with ‘Hot Little Mama’, which he recorded for RPM in 1955. On the following track ‘Motor Head Baby’, you hear Johnny on the piano. He also repeats this later on ‘I Got Eyes’ and ‘What’s Going On’. And admit it, his nickname could just as well have been ‘Piano’. But rock-‘n-roll was also his thing. Listen to ‘Deana Baby’ and ‘The Bear aka The Preacher And The Bear’ for this, while ‘Oh Baby’ and ‘One Room Country Shack’ are both a slow blues of size. It was not unusual in the fifties and early sixties for artists to introduce a new dance. For Watson, that became the catchy ‘Posin’’. For some New Orleans blues, you can go to ‘Broke And Lonely’, which Johnny wrote together with that other Johnny, namely Otis. By the way, you can hear Chuck Norris on second guitar here. The well-known Earl King ‘Those Lonely, Lonely Nights’ provides a cracking tearjerker.
All the songs mentioned here and other, equally not to be sneezed at ‘guitar driven’ songs can be found on this album.
The cover mentions 29 tracks, but as a surprise you get an extra as track number 30. That is the remastered version of the slow blues ‘Cuttin’ In’.
In addition, the booklet contains all the information about Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and the tracks.
What this compilation makes clear is the fact that Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, with his somewhat aggressive way of playing, lifted the blues guitar to a higher level. The razor-sharp sound and his often surprising twists on the six strings certainly justify his nickname 'Guitar'.

During 5 volumes, or in this case visits, we stayed in ‘Sadie’s Gentlemen’s Club’ or perhaps better called ‘The House Of Sin’. You can’t just walk in, because the sturdy doorman anxiously guards the door that leads to the coveted entrance. He checks your membership card with an eagle eye and when he opens the door for you with a slight gesture of his head, Sadie’s world opens up for you. A world where you encounter the most peculiar characters. Some are extremely self-confident and almost immediately seek out their ‘sweetheart’, while for others the alcohol has to do its work first. The music you hear there has only one goal, namely to give the atmosphere and ultimately the attendees a boost. Incidentally, that music is thoughtfully and carefully chosen, just like on this compilation that was given the title ‘Weird’. Roray Reid immediately sends the attendees towards ‘Mad Lovin’’, an rousing track with minimalist instrumental accompaniment. Bobby Peterson started in the local clubs with imitations of Ray Charles. Ray's influences can clearly be heard in 'Irresistable You'. With the rocking rhythm & blues 'Gettin' Ready For Love' Barry Lane makes his intentions more than clear. We go on the country tour with Bobby Hardin in 'I'm Loving You Baby'. Hardin also formed The Hardin Trio together with his two sisters. Bluesy and doing the title justice Bob Vidone does in the title track 'Weird'. Hot Lips Page was an American jazz trumpeter, singer and orchestra leader. His jazzy rhythm & blues, winking at Louis Jordan, 'I Wanna Ride Like The Cowboys Do' will certainly not need any further explanation in Sadie's Club. In the direction of fantastic soul, with a dash of gospel, Phil Flowers steers his 'I Need You Baby' a little later. That some of the ladies in Sadie's Club also have singing qualities, is proven by jazz singer Pat Morrissey in the sultry 'Why Don't You Do Wright'. Another lady who convinces is Diane Maxwell in ‘Love Charms’. The girl group The Shirelles convinces again and again, here with ‘Boys’. We have already met the vocal group The Du Droppers on several compilations. Here they once again show the best of themselves in ‘Can’t Do Sixty No More’, with a wonderfully smooth lead vocal. The Versatones also operate in the same genre, with the uptempo ‘Tight Skirt And Sweater’. For a nice piano riff you can go to The Toppers and their 1954 ‘(I Love To Play Your Piano) Let Me Bang Your Box’. A more than pleasant instrumental comes with Emily and ‘Hoppin’ With Emily’. An equally nice instrumental number is the guitar-driven ‘A Little More Wine, My Dear?’ by The Hawks. Not everyone falls for an alcoholic drink, certainly not Hal Case. He makes that clear in ‘The Cola Song’, a beautiful big band rhythm & blues. Authentic rockabilly is served up a little later by Sonee West in ‘Sweet Rockin’ Baby’. Wynonie Harris was a singer and guitarist who, with his upbeat songs, was one of the founders of rock-‘n-roll. His lyrics were often on the edge. Here he keeps it calm and civilized in ‘Don’t Take My Whiskey Away’. An artist who also guarantees great songs was Wilbert Harrison. He performs the formidable bluesy ‘Cheating Baby’. Al and Nettie formed a rock-‘n-roll duo. You can enjoy the blending of their voices on the rocking ‘Move, Baby, Move’. Beautiful harmonies also characterize ‘Lovers’ by The Leaders. Ocie Smith, professional O.C. Smith was mainly active in the soul genre. This also resonates in ‘Bad Man Of Missouri’. Ernest Tucker presents a wonderfully straightforward rock-‘n-roll song with ‘Mirror, Mirror’, just like Al Hendrix in ‘Monkey Bite’.
The album ends with the emotional ‘Love Again’ by Eddie Cochran.
And so our sixth visit to ‘Sadie’s Gentlemen’s Club’ comes to an end. Those present will undoubtedly have enjoyed themselves… if not, they still enjoyed 30 songs recorded between 1951 and 1962.

It is always nice when a new volume is released in a good series. This also applies to the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series, of which the fifth volume has now been released. Now you get 28 danceable tracks to feast on.
Vocal group The Du-Droppers can start right away with the uptempo doo-wop title song. They are followed by another vocal group of size, namely The “5” Willows with ‘So Help Me’. Great song with a creative sax solo. Quite a lot of vocal groups on this compilation. The Gaylarks are also present with ‘Mr. Rock-N-Roll’ and pay special attention to that beautiful intro. Kripp Johnson and Chuck Jackson were members of the vocal group The Del Vikings. You can hear that they also make it as a duo in ‘Woke Up This Morning’, a more than fantastic version of the B.B. King song. They are followed by The Deep River Boys with ‘Not Too Old To Rock And Roll’. As accompaniment they could count on the superior Sid Phillips and his band. Don & Dewey, once founders of The Squires, also do a fantastic job as a duo. The duo shows its best side in ‘Miss Sue’. The Shells also shine vocally in ‘Pretty Little Girl’ and The Jivers with ‘Ray Pearl’. ‘Walkin’ After Midnight’ became famous through Patsy Cline. How that song sounds when a vocal group tackles it, you can hear here by Otis Williams and His Charms. Someone who tried it solo was Larry Harrison. He was once part of The Four Buddies, The Barons and The Ravens. That he can score on his own without any problems, you can hear in ‘Move Baby Move’.
 
Chris Allen provides an infectious rhythm & blues with ‘Lonely’. Co-writer of the song was Phil Flowers. We will certainly hear Phil at work on future compilations. More formidable rhythm & blues comes with Bobby Adams in ‘I Want My Lovin’’, June Bateman and ‘Yes I Will’. Teddy McRae was a saxophonist, arranger, composer and bandleader. In the latter capacity he is present on Jerry Mar’s ‘’Sittin’ On Top Of The World’, where Teddy extensively displays his skills on the sax. Some instrumental rocking rhythm & blues comes with ‘Wiggle Tail (part 2)’ by Googie Rene and his orchestra.
The list of famous artists is opened by Johnny Otis. Together with Marci Lee he brings the well-known ‘Telephone Baby’. Later Nappy Brown would reap success with his impressive blues numbers. Here you hear him in ‘Oh, You Don’t Know’, a rocking rhythm & blues song. Many famous artists follow one another. The next track is for The Platters in the heavenly cheerful swinging ‘Darktown Strutters Ball’. Ivory Joe Hunter is also not unknown. This pianist and singer admired Elvis, who also recorded six of Hunter's songs. When Hunter was diagnosed with cancer, Presley helped pay for the medical costs associated with the disease. Talking about solidarity and respect! You can hear Ivory Joe here with the bluesy 'Old Gal And New Gal Blues', in which he serves up a fine example of his piano playing. A name that also often comes up when you talk about excellent authentic rhythm & blues is Chuck Willis. He puts down a 'What's Your Name' that belongs to that genre. Roy Milton could be heard on many recordings as a bandleader. On the well-known 'You Got Me Reeling And Rocking', which is actually his own composition, he stands behind the microphone himself. In 1955, when she recorded as a 17-year-old girl 'That's All' with the orchestra of Maxwell Davis, blues diva Etta James still had a whole career ahead of her. That was predictable, as you can hear from this recording. Roy Hamilton had noticed that a new musical direction was coming in 1962, in which rhythm & blues also got a somewhat poppy edge. Just listen to ‘If Only I Had Known’.
It should be clear by now that volume 5 ‘Honey Bunch’ is once again a bull’s eye. That is only possible if you, as a compiler, have the necessary ‘know-how’. A quality that Mark Armstrong clearly has. Talent for excellent artwork is another quality that applies to Gito Lima. Magnificent edition!

In the middle of the previous century, rhythm & blues flourished like no other. Artists who later received an honorable mention, as well as those who only proved to be worthy of a footnote, recorded dizzying songs. The fourth volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ traditionally brings together 28 of those numbers, which once again show what wonderful music was recorded at the time. Grand lady Dinah Washington can start right away with ‘Ring My Phone’, which also bridges the gap between rhythm & blues, rock-‘n-roll and pop. You may know the song earlier in the version by Brenda Lee. What follows is the beautiful harmony singing of the vocal group The Mello-Tones. During ‘Rattle Shake Roll’ they are musically supported by Hank Ivory’s orchestra, after which we remain in the doo-wop genre with The Rocketeers and their ‘Talk It Over Baby’. The Coins, present here with ‘Look At Me Girl’, also operated in that genre. Lots of great harmonies on this compilation. The Adventurers also provide that in ‘Wallflower’. Later on, The Rivingtones also follow with ‘Have Mercy, Mercy Baby’, The Swallows in ‘Itchy Twitchy Feeling’, The Five Keys in ‘It’s A Groove’ and The Charms with ‘Hearts Of Stone’. A great example of the combination of authentic rhythm & blues and doo-wop comes with ‘Guitar Player’ by The Evergreens. And as the title already suggests, the gentlemen also treat you to a great guitar part. Fans of the sound of the sax will get their money’s worth during ‘I’m Telling You Baby’ by saxophonist Bumps Myers. Vocalist is Bobby Nunn, once a member of The Robins and The Coasters. Big Joe Turner is such an artist who always manages to charm the undersigned. He does the same now during ‘Sally Zu-Zaz’, including the dominant sax solo by Albert Ammons. Willie Mae Thornton, better known as Big Mama Thornton, recorded the title track ‘Hey, Baby’ with Johnny Ace. Rhythm & blues as it should be, rousing and scorching. The ‘crème de la crème’ gathers on ‘Betty Jean’ by Chuck Berry. For example, you hear Willie Dixon on upright bass, drummer Fred Below and pianist Johnnie Johnson. Another big name is Ruth Brown. In 1953 she recorded ‘I Would If I Could’, which also winks somewhat at jazz. Clyde McPhatter’s golden voice graced many recordings by The Drifters. Incidentally, the ‘There You Go’ present here also comes from a Drifters’ session from 1954. The resounding names are not yet finished, because there is Little Richard with the well-known ‘Rip It Up’. ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry Over’ was covered by Elvis. Here you get the song impressively performed by Roy Hamilton. The instrumental side of this album is provided by the trio The Egyptians with ‘Inkster Boogie’, as well as Googie Rene with ‘Wiggle Tail (Part 1). Rhythm & blues in its purest form is provided by ‘Tick Tock’ by Phil Flowers. You can see that people often didn’t take credit for a song very seriously with ‘Little School Girl’ by Larry Williams. Williams considers himself the composer of the song, while the song is an original by John Lee Williamson, better known as the original Sonny Boy Williamson. Larry did give the song a rocking touch. The Johnny Otis Show signs up with Marie Adams in ‘Bye Bye Baby’, a song in which quite a few rocking song titles appear.
Would you like some more advice? Well, put this album in your player, turn that volume knob to maximum and…..’go crazy’. Satisfaction guaranteed!

The series 'Stroll-A-Rama', which started in 2020, is now being enriched with a fourth volume. Compiler Mark Armstrong has once again collected 30 tracks that form the ideal soundtrack for the 'slow rocking stroll dance' from the fifties. Not that it is strictly necessary to push all the furniture aside and overload the perhaps stiff muscles. After all, the 30 tracks are also extremely enjoyable without the accompanying 'moves'. However, if you believe that exercise would have a positive effect, then you will immediately get your money's worth with 'Baby Workout' by Leroy Jones. Jones is followed by Don Dowing, the brother of the well-known pianist and singer Big Al Downing. Don delivers a magnificent rocking rhythm & blues with 'Have You Seen My Baby'. Before he achieved success as Delbert McClinton, he recorded 'The Cat' as Mac Clinton, accompanied by The Straitjackets in 1962. Number that is set to rocking tracks with a great intro on the blues harp. You get more harmonica on the bluesy ‘Steppin’ High’ by Little Luther, as well as on ‘I’m Tired Waitin’ Baby’ by Lightnin’ Slim, where the Mississippi saxophone is played by none other than blues legend Lazy Lester. You undoubtedly know ‘Sick And Tired’ in the version by Fats Domino. Here you get the song by Elton Anderson and it can easily compete with the one by Domino. You also know ‘Kansas City’ by the same Fats. The song appears here in the New Zealand version by Eddie Howell together with The Bob Paris Combo. Be sure to pay attention to the creative guitar work. Also great is ‘I Just Can’t Wait’ by Skip Robinson and His Imperials. Song where the keyboard part is clearly modeled on that of Booker T & The M.G.’s. Fans of instrumental stroll will enjoy the sublime horn section of ‘The Big Bad Train’ by Lee Castle and Jimmy Dorsey’s Orchestra and the guitar-dominated ‘Driftin’’ by Terry Lee and The Poor Boys. A very special instrumental comes from Georgie Young and The Rockin’ Bocs with ‘The Sneak’. Classy Lloyd Price needs no further introduction. High-quality songs were synonymous with him. Such as ‘Who Coulda’ Told You (They Lied)’, which will appeal to both fans of rhythm & blues and rock-‘n-roll. You can expect nice doo-wop on ‘Roadhouse Rock’ by Arbis Hanyel, just like on the formidable ‘Happy Go Lucky Baby’ by the vocal group The Ravens featuring Jimmy Ricks, as well as on ‘Crazy, Crazy, Crazy’ by The Flamingos. Very occasionally, a recording on a small label would attract the attention of a major. This honor fell to Frankie Loren who recorded ‘Hey Little Girl’ for the Porter label at the age of 18. The somewhat poppy rock-‘n-roll number was picked up by Mercury Records and could therefore count on better distribution. A nice fusion of rhythm & blues with a dash of jazz characterizes ‘Hey, Mr. Warden’ by Danny Cobb. Although ‘C’Mon Baby (What’s Your Name)’ is a wonderful rockabilly track, Jimmy Williams remained relatively unknown as a singer. As a composer he scored with Clyde McPhatter’s hit ‘A Lover’s Question’. With ‘I’m Checkin’ Up’ Tender Slim, also known as Fender Guitar Slim, serves up a great blues number.
28 tracks date from the fifties and early sixties. The other two are previously unreleased tracks. The first, Glen Glenn’s ‘Kitty Cat’, comes from The Shadowmen. The released version can be found on their album ‘True Love Highway’. The second previously unreleased track is the ‘dubbed alternate take’ of ‘Your Mamas Here’ by Portuguese Ruby Ann. The released version is on her album ‘Mama’s Back’. Whether you like rocking rhythm & blues, rock-‘n-roll, rockabilly or doo-wop, volume 4 in the ‘Stroll-A-Rama’ will not leave you out in the cold. Enjoy!

What series, such as this ‘Black Pearls’, bring to light, is that in the middle of the previous century a lot of really good rhythm & blues, blues and rock-‘n-roll was released. It’s just a shame that not all recordings were done via major labels. Often the songs were recorded via small local labels, so that if those songs were not picked up by the majors, they would also stick around locally. On the positive side, the Atomicat and KokoMojo labels bring together those lesser-known and often obscure songs in wonderful series.
This is now also the case on the tenth volume in the ‘Black Pearls’ series, which was given the title ‘Wiggle It!’. During 28 tracks you are once again immersed in the best rocking rhythm & blues and blues of the fifties of the previous century. Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, who as we know was not unimportant for the start of Presley’s career, is allowed to kick off with ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’, a song that has been covered many times and that immediately explains why Crudup was allowed to be at the cradle of rock-‘n-roll. By the way, also pay attention to that cool bass line. For the next track ‘Good Road Blues’, a top-notch early blues song by Wright Holmes, we even return to 1948. For a beautiful example of country blues with a beautiful blues harp, you can go to Ralph Willis during ‘Gonna Hop On Down The Line’. Lightning Slim is a legend within the blues. Rightly so if you listen to ‘New Orleans Bound’, with impressive work on the harmonica here too. You can also experience more penetrating blues harp on ‘Country Boy Blues’ by Pee Wee Hughes and The Delta Duo. ‘Just An Army Boy’ by Boyd Gilmore certainly sounds nice and bluesy. Number that needed a second start and where Ike Turner was at the piano.
More uptempo we go with ‘Goin’ Back Home’ by Cousin Leroy. Joe Hill Louis was known as a ‘one man band’, which made his blues sound quite raw. He is present here with the somewhat milder ‘Keep Your Hands Around Me’. Another blues pearl is served by Little Arthur Matthews with ‘Someday Baby’, a composition by Johnny Otis. Lonesome Sundown is also well-known, here with the excellent ‘My Home Ain’t Here’. Frank Frost and drummer Sam Carr worked together with Sonny Boy Williamson II. Here Frost is present with The Nighthawks with ‘Everything’s Alright’, on which Carr plays the drum kit and the guitarist of the day is the top-notch Big Jack Johnson. Another master on the six strings, namely Eddie Taylor, can be heard at work on Bobo Jenkins’ ‘Nothing But Love’. And there is no end to the sublime string pluckers. Mighty Joe Young is also present here. He played with many greats in the blues. You can hear him on ‘To Prove My Love’ by TV Slim. A magnificent shuffle comes from King Charles and His Orchestra in ‘You Thrill Me’, a recording from 1954. ‘Straightforward’ blues was the trademark of J.B. Hutto. Just listen to ‘Things Are So Slow’ for that. When Hound Dog Taylor died, J.B. Hutto took over his band The House Rockers. Slide virtuoso Hound Dog Taylor can of course be found here with ‘Baby’s Coming Home’. Guitarist and harmonica player Woodrow Adams worked with Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Nighthawk, among others. Adams shows his talents on ‘Wine Headed Woman’. You can hear Howlin’ Wolf just after Adams in ‘Crying At Daybreak’. Other big names such as harmonica player Little Walter, guitarist Robert Lockwood Jr., bassist Willie Dixon and drummer Fred Below make the weather on John Brim's 'You Got Me Where You Want Me'. A pearl of a blues! The title track 'Wiggle It' of this volume comes from Crook Junior and is a great blues song reduced to its essence. Another great one on the blues harp Walter Horton, also known as Big Walter or Shakey Horton, may close with 'Jumpin' Blues' under the name Mumbles. The tenth volume in the 'Black Pearls' series once again lives up to the name of the series for more than 100%, just like the nine previously published volumes.

With ‘Do It’ the third volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series is announced. Traditionally, we once again dive into the rich treasure chest of rocking rhythm & blues that was recorded between 1951 and 1963. Once again, there are a number of well-known names among them, but just as interesting and captivating are the songs of lesser-known and even obscure artists.
This album starts off immediately with the title track, performed by The Adventurers, who gave the steaming rhythm & blues a touch of doo-wop. More doo-wop follows later with the rocking ‘Please Love Me Baby’ by The Five Jets, ‘Look At Me’ by The Sharps, as well as in ‘Little Turtle Dove’ by Otis Williams and His Charms.
‘Get On The Right Track Baby’ is certainly familiar to you in the version by Ray Charles. Here you get the original version by Titus Turner, who also wrote the song. Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew are inextricably linked to New Orleans. Fats is present with ‘Don’t You Know’, which the two gentlemen wrote together. Bartholomew also worked on the recording as a trumpet player. Dave Bartholomew was also co-writer of the cheerful ‘Give It Up’ by The Hawks. He also acted as bandleader during that recording. More New Orleans sound can be found in ‘Oooh-Wow’ by Roy Montrell, as well as in ‘I’m Wise’ by Eddie Bo. You undoubtedly know the song, because Little Richard recorded it as ‘Slippin’ And Slidin’’. The launch of the ‘twist’ was stolen from Hank Ballard & The Midnighters by Chubby Checker. The Midnighters present the catchy ‘Rock, Granny, Roll’ with Hank behind the microphone. Rawer and winking at Little Richard, things get rougher during ‘Switchin’ In The Kitchen’ by Pretty Boy and the orchestra of Lee Simms. Incidentally, Pretty Boy also recorded as Don Covay. Jay McNeely was one of the very best saxophonists. Here you can hear him, together with his orchestra, at work on Jesse Belvin’s ‘Don’t Cry Baby’. Dinah Washington always guaranteed brilliant interpretations. She also does this on ‘Such A Night’, which was previously known in Presley’s version. More famous people pass by with Clyde McPhatter and the soulful ‘High School Social’, just like The Drifters, including Ben E. King with ‘Hey Senorita’. Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry also needs no introduction. Here he delivers another beautiful piece of New Orleans rhythm & blues with ‘It Won’t Be Long’. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was responsible for the original ‘Susie Q’. An instrumental version is provided by saxophonist Billy Carson and The King Bees. Formidable version! Linda Hayes also sounds formidable in ‘Hubba Hubba’. Apparently the singing talent ran in the family, because Linda was the sister of Platters’ lead singer Tony Williams. With the closing track ‘The Party’s Over’ by the vocal group The Fiestas the party really is over, although nothing prevents you, just like yours truly, from immediately pressing that ‘repeat’ button. What a hit is ‘Do It’, the third volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series, which was once again provided with beautiful artwork by Gito Lima.

As we are used to from the ‘Atomicat Rockers’ series, all these volumes guarantee excellent ‘old school’ rhythm & blues. This line is of course continued on the sixth volume ‘The Juke Box Man’. The title track comes from Mel Tills, originally a country artist and those influences are also in the song, which makes a nice link with rockabilly. But before Mel gets his turn, there is more to enjoy. For example with Cecil Bowman and The Arrows who start off rockabilly-style with ‘Blues Around My Door’ that also winks at country because of the steel guitar. Rockabilly in its purest form can be found in ‘Shake It Up Baby’ by Frankie Dee and The Carter Rays, including a nice clean guitar solo. ‘Chug-A-Lug’ by Bobby Doyle and The Ideals and ‘Sleep Rock-A-Roll Rock-A-Baby’ by Alvis Wayne sound just as pure and clean. Jimmie and The Night Hoppers provide a ‘top-notch’ instrumental song driven by handclaps and sax in ‘Cruisin’’. We know ‘Book Of Love’ from The Monotones, who released the song in 1958. Here you get the version by The Blazers, a cover group that recorded the song that same year. John Fred and His Playboys scored a world hit with ‘Judy In Disguise’ in 1967. ‘Shirley’ here is at least as good, but did not bring John Fred the same success. It is not immediately clear how often ‘Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On’ has been covered. One cover is better than the other. The cover that is certainly one of the better ones is this one by The Centurys. Excellent vocal performances and great guitar parts characterize this version. Carl McVoy, present here with the formidably rocking ‘Little John’s Gone’, was none other than Jerry Lee Lewis’ nephew. It sounds like he listened very carefully to his cousin's songs. Jeff Barry may not have been into rock-'n-roll, but he still managed to deliver a great rocker with 'Hip Couple'. The twist gained popularity through Chubby Checker. Here Chubby shows his rock side with 'Schooldays, Oh, Schooldays', including a cool sax solo. The sound of The Coasters can clearly be heard in 'Don't Wake Up The Kids' by Otis Williams and His Charms. You wouldn't immediately say it, but Bobby Pedrick Jr. was only 12 years old when he recorded the great rocker 'White Bucks And Saddle Shoes' in 1958. Joey Michaels, misspelled as Joey Micheals by the label, can also rock really well. On his 'Sixteen Cats' it would be Bill Haley and His Comets. That could very well be the case, from the sound of it. A cracker of a recording! Lucky Millinder's orchestra always offers sublime songs. That is no different on 'Goody Good Love'. Number that also has beautiful vocal harmonies. Eddie Gaines clearly found inspiration for his ‘Be-Bop Battlin’ Ball’ in ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’.
Compiler Mark Armstrong has once again brought together 28 sublime songs from the fifties and early sixties. Rock-‘n-roll, rockabilly and authentic rhythm & blues at the highest level. Give that volume knob a good turn to the right, throw all the brakes loose and enjoy this sixth volume in the ‘Atomicat Rockers’ series. You won’t regret it!

The 2024 comeback within the blues and rhythm & blues can be placed behind the name of the Swede Greger Andersson, better known as Knock-Out Greg. After all, with 'Serves Me The Right To Suffer', he presents his first album since 2004. Greg takes care of the vocals, harmonica and guitar. For the other instruments he surrounds himself with top Scandinavian blues musicians, The Blue Flames. On guitar we hear, besides Greg, Tomi Leino, the electric and acoustic bass were entrusted to Jaska Prepula, drummer on duty is Marcus Anderson and on the piano and organ we find Fredrik Humlin. The album has 10 tracks, including 'Suprovox Mood', an original song by Tomi Leino. As opener Greg chose 'Midnite Blues', a song by Charlie Rich. In the hands of Knock-Out Greg it becomes a rhythm & blues while retaining the country slant. Contemporary rhythm & blues of the best kind! It gets even better when Greg takes out the blues harp for the intro of the title track, a song by Jimmy Dawkins. The same harmonica also sets the Texas shuffle ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ on track. With Eric Bibbs ‘Same Well’ the slow blues makes its entrance. A song that can also count on excellent backing vocals and a wonderful organ solo by Fredrik Humlin. A version that is definitely worth it. The next song is the slightly more uptempo ‘Suprovox Mood’, an instrumental where Knock-Out Greg can go all out on the chromatic harmonica. Later, with ‘Whiskey Heaven’, another great sung slow blues follows. With ‘Bad Mouthing’ the band gives an example of how real downhome blues should sound. The addition of the blues harp gives ‘When The Birds Begin To Sing’ a somewhat zydeco atmosphere. Uptempo, Knock-Out Greg and The Blue Flames can pull out all the stops one last time for the closing track ‘Tight Skirts’. We said it more than once that the Scandinavian blues artists are no less than their American colleagues. That is proven once again here. Throughout the album, The Blue Flames manifest themselves as a band that knows the ropes of the blues. Add to that Knock-Out Greg’s beautiful vocals and ditto harp work and you have one of the blues albums of 2024 with ‘Serves Me The Right To Suffer’.

James Cotton was born in 1935 and died in 2017 at the age of 81. Cotton was certainly one of the most talented and groundbreaking harmonica players. James grew up with the blues giants of his time. They were singers, guitarists, pianists and saxophonists. Sonny Boy Williamson taught him the basic techniques on the blues harp, but the sax players would definitively shape his playing. Cotton modeled his way of playing after the sax parts in rhythm & blues and jazz. Moreover, these were the years that preceded the birth of rock 'n' roll. Naturally, in addition to the blues, he embraced the emerging new music genre, as is evident on this compilation. The album contains 27 tracks, all recorded between 1953 and 1968, including 4 from his very first recording session, 9 songs with the Muddy Waters Band, of which he was a member for a time, 2 tracks from rare British EPs with Chris Barber and Alexis Korner and 12 recordings with Cotton as bandleader, of which 1 Verve recording for the first time here on CD. In addition, you hear creative and innovative musicians such as Pat Hare, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Paul Butterfield, Fred Below and Otis Clay. So you can say that James Cotton belonged to the top of the Chicago blues musicians. In addition to his membership of the Muddy Waters Bluesband, James founded his own band in the mid-sixties, with which he also performed at many European blues festivals and continued to record.
James Cotton scores almost immediately with the Jackie Brenston-originated ‘Rocket 88’, here in a superior rhythm & blues version. No wonder, because besides Cotton on vocals and harp, you hear Otis Spann on the piano, James ‘Pee Wee’ Madison on the guitar and the drum skins are played by S.P. Leary. The next number is immediately a Cotton composition, namely the well-known ‘Hold Me In Your Arms’, which he recorded for Sun in 1954. Incidentally, there are classics in abundance on this compilation. For example, you will find ‘Don’t Start Me Talkin’’ from his first solo LP here, as well as the often covered ‘Feelin’ Good’. A first slow blues comes with ‘Cotton Crop Blues’, a number that also closes this album in a remake, after which Muddy Waters is featured for the first time in ‘She’s Got It’, immediately followed by ‘Rock Me (All Night Long)’. Later, Muddy is also present in ‘You Don’t Have To Go’, which Muddy and James wrote together, ‘Short Dress Woman’, ‘I Won’t Go On’, probably with Fred Below on drums, ‘Meanest Woman’, ‘Elevate Me Mama’, ‘I Feel So Good’ and ‘My Dog Can’t Bark’.
A beautiful example of James’ craftsmanship on the Mississippi saxophone is heard on the instrumental ‘Off The Wall’, a composition by Little Walter Jacobs. James also recorded the cool instrumental ‘Jimmy’s Jump’ in England in 1961 with pianist Keith Scott, Alexis Korner on guitar and bassist Chris Barber. The ‘harmonica blowout’ on ‘Three Harp Boogie’ is certainly formidable, where the harpists are on duty alongside Cotton, Billy Boy Arnold and Paul Butterfield. Note that the guitarist is the equally well-known Elvin Bishop.
With ‘Lovin’ Cup’, James honours a composition by Paul Butterfield. Number in which guitarist Luther Tucker is also at his best.
Whether you hear Cotton as an accompanist in the Muddy Waters Band or on his solo projects, you always hear a harper at the top level, who also convinces vocally under his own name.
‘James Cotton Rocks’ is a formidable compilation with recordings of a rightful Grammy Award winner.

The 'Black Pearls' series is almost complete, because with 'Let's Have Some Fun' we have already reached the ninth volume. It is best to take the title of this volume literally, because there is a lot of beautiful music to listen to. Jesse Thomas and his orchestra open the list with the swinging title track. Mahalia Jackson was not only an impressive artist but also had a nose for talent. That's how she discovered Johnny Sellers, who brought him to Chicago. You can hear Sellers here with 'Heavyweight Mama', a beautiful rhythm & blues song. The fact that Big Duke got his inspiration from Big Joe Turner is clearly noticeable in 'Baby Beat It', which is bursting with Turner influences and yet he could not achieve commercial success. Another person influenced by shouter Turner was Allen Thomas. Listen to 'Blowing My Horn' and then you will know. Blanche Thomas' 'You Ain't So Much A Much' reminds me of Big Mama Thornton. George 'Mr. Blues’ Jackson provides a fine example of New Orleans rhythm & blues with 'Hold Me'. Jimmy Nolen made his mark as a guitarist in the bands of Johnny Otis and James Brown. He was a member of the latter for almost twenty years. He proves that he can also be enjoyed as a solo artist in 'I Can't Stand You No More'. Peppermint Harris had a number 1 hit with 'I Got Loaded'. The 'Hey Little Schoolgirl' recorded here will undoubtedly also sound familiar to you. Mr. Bear, real name Teddy McRae, was not only a bandleader and composer, but also a renowned saxophonist who worked with Chick Webb, Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald and Champion Jack Dupree, among others. He made solo recordings, including the exciting 'Mr. Bear Comes To Town' was one. Sublime guitar work undoubtedly characterizes 'Sleepwalkin' Woman' by Smilin Joe. Completely unknown to me is Dorothea Fleming. Perhaps the fantastic rhythm & blues 'I'm Glad You're Leaving' was on the only single she ever recorded. Other unknowns who grace this album are Carl Matthews and Fercy Welch, who serve tasteful rhythm & blues with 'Big Man' and 'Back Door Man' respectively. H-Bomb Ferguson is well known, who you get here with the jump blues 'She Don't Want Me'. Little Sylvia collaborated with guitar legend Mickey Baker. Together they had a huge hit in 1956 with 'Love Is Strange'. She would later find herself in the spotlight as the founder and CEO of the hip-hop label Sugar Hill Records. Here you can hear her in the somewhat jazzy sounding 'Drive Daddy'. Ray Charles had his first hit with 'Mary Ann'. The song was about Mary Ann Fisher, who came into contact with Charles as a dish washer and started touring with him as a vocalist from 1955 to 1958. Not surprising when you hear what a singer she was on 'Wild As You Can Be'. Roy Brown was an inspiration to many such as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Elvis, Jackie Wilson and Little Richard. Hear Brown at work here in the rather rare 'She's Gone Too Long'. The bridge between post-war blues and the legendary Tamla Motown sound was pianist Joe Weaver. In Motown's early years, Weaver was also heard on many of their recordings. Weaver also worked with legends such as John Lee Hooker and Marvin Gaye. Here you get Weaver with the instrumental 'Too Hot To Trot' with which the album also closes.
Just like the previously released volumes in the 'Black Pearls' series, volume 9 is also one to cherish. It should be clear by now that this series is full of excellent rhythm & blues. You probably won't know many of these songs, but the motto 'unknown is unloved' applies here more than once.

It is generally known that rhythm & blues was the breeding ground for the advancement of rock 'n' roll. While the transition was initially labeled as rocking rhythm & blues, it would eventually become rock 'n' roll. A number of artists, although they were usually unable to capitalize on this, laid the foundation for rock 'n' roll with their rocking rhythm & blues. One of them was certainly blues shouter Roy Brown, whose work is now being spotlighted by Bear Family Records. The CD contains 30 tracks that Brown recorded for the DeLuxe label, where he scored his biggest hits between 1948 and 1951. You also get his recordings for the King label (1952-1955) and those for Imperial Records (1956-1958) when legendary New Orleans artist Dave Bartholomew helped launch Brown's comeback.
It is also remarkable that in addition to being an impressive performer, Roy was also a memorable songwriter. No fewer than 25 of the 30 songs on this compilation came from his pen, or he was involved as a co-writer. His 'Good Rockin' Tonight' from 1947 opened the door wide for the rock 'n' roll that was in the starting blocks. Opener 'Saturday Nite', which Roy recorded in 1956, the heyday of rock 'n' roll, also proves this. Other sublime rockers are certainly 'Rockin' At Midnight', 'Boogie At Midnight' and closing track 'Ain't No Rocking No More'. The 'Hip Shakin' Baby' and 'We're Goin' Rockin' Tonight', you would rather expect performed by a white rocker, are impressive. Just to say that Roy Brown was a great artist who could embody any form of music with verve. Also noteworthy is 'Butcher Pete', which you get here in parts 1 and 2, a total of 5 minutes. Fats Domino may have had the greatest success with 'Let The Four Winds Blow', written by Dave Bartholomew and Fats himself, but Brown’s version sounds purer and more authentic. Real blues fans certainly know 'Ain't Gonna Do It' in a cover version by Kim Wilson. Here you hear Roy's version, which sounds a lot more convincing. For a nice piece of guitar work from Jimmy Davis, you can go to 'Letter From Home'.
 'I've Got The Last Laugh Now' and 'Gal From Kokomo' lean more towards rocking rhythm & blues. ‘Mr. Hound Dog's In Town' is very similar to Big Mama Thornton's 'Hound Dog', which was recorded in 1952, a year earlier than Brown's song. Roy's talent as a blues shouter comes to the surface with class in, among others, 'Riding High', 'Good Man Blues' and 'Cadillac Baby'.
'Roy Brown Rocks' takes you in a formidable way to the time when rocking rhythm & blues was the precursor to the emerging rock 'n' roll and Roy Brown is the most suitable artist for that. Let that be clear!

In the 'Juke Box Pearls' series, Bear Family Records pays attention to Lillian Briggs this time. The fact is that Lillian Briggs did not actually get the fame she deserved. The 32 largely uptempo songs on this album were recorded between 1955 and 1961 and cover the genres from rocking rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll to more pop-oriented songs. As you will soon hear, Lillian had an extremely powerful voice, but she could also handle the trombone quite well. In her youth she mainly listened to jump blues and jazz and you can hear that in her songs. You undoubtedly know opener 'I Want You To Be My Baby', but perhaps in Louis Jordan's version. Here you get the song in Lillian's 1955 version, but also as an instrumental by the Lillian Briggs Orchestra and finally in a more twisted version that Briggs recorded in 1961. You also get the Lillian Briggs Orchestra a second time with the equally instrumental 'Delilah'. On both instrumental tracks you can hear Lillian as lead trombonist. Her jazzy side is reflected in, among others, 'It Couldn't Been Me'. That rocking rhythm & blues also goes well for her is evident from 'Rock 'n' Roll-y Poly Santa Claus' and 'Follow The Leader'. She rocks even more in 'Come Here'. She is a bit softer in the rather poppy 'Eddie My Love' and she also shines in the emotional 'Mean Words' and 'Will We Meet Again'. But also her cover versions of 'Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop' and 'Rag Mop' she knows how to provide them with the necessary dynamics. Bluesy Lillian comes out in 'Sugar Blues'.
In short, Lillian Briggs was not only blessed with a powerful, clear voice, but could also handle various genres, whether it was rocking rhythm & blues, blues, rock 'n' roll, jazz or rather pop, she always knew them all to perform in the right way.
In the 36-page colorful booklet you receive an extensive biography, as well as all recording information for the tracks and beautiful photos, on which you can also see Lillian at work as a trombonist.

Things are going well with the 'Black Pearls' series, of which the eighth volume entitled 'Down In The Basement' has already been released. Compiler Ronni Boysen once again collected 28 tracks that cover all corners of American roots music. Bunker Hill can start off with 'You Can't Make Me Doubt My Baby'. Bunker started his musical career with the gospel group The Mighty Clouds Of Joy and you can hear it in his powerful voice. Here he plays an energetic rhythm & blues with minimal accompaniment. With The Contours and 'Whole Lotta Woman', a composition by Motown boss Benny Gordy, we get a great combination of rhythm & blues and doo-wop. Rhythm & blues is previously linked to soul by Cookie Jackson. Together with The Zeke Strong Band she performs a beautiful 'Do You Still Love Me'. Rhythm & blues and soul are also included in 'Your Letter' by Willie Wright & His Sparklers. Even more soul contains 'I Won't Be Your Fool' by Little Joe Hinton. Someone who has had several songs covered is Arthur Alexander. Here you can hear his debut 'The Girl That Radiates That Charm' and he is labeled as June (for Junior) Alexander. Johnny Torrence was the founder of the vocal group The Jewels. He also receives backing vocals support on 'Your Lover Man'. Raw and lived-in rhythm & blues is Gino Parks' trademark. Listen and convince yourself during 'Same Thing'. The Metallics also show more beautiful harmony vocals in 'Get Lost' and The Originals in 'Little Lonely Girl'. This certainly also applies to the well-known The “5” Royales in 'They Don't Know' and to The Clovers in 'One More Time'. The title track of this album comes from King Coleman and pay particular attention to the beautiful backing vocals that give the song a very special twist. Who will blow your socks off with steamy rhythm & blues is Helen Troy with 'I Think I Love You'. Also pay attention to the impressive horn section. 'I'm Going Home' by Prince Conley sounds very special, with the horns providing a somewhat ska atmosphere. A rare recording is 'Playboy' by Billy Ray. He recorded it in 1961 for the Kent label. Fortunately it is on this compilation because it is a more than fantastic song. Little is also known about the vocal women's group The Vonns. The fact is that with 'So Many Days', their only recording by the way, they had a hell of a danceable song. For blues fans, the name of singer and harmonica player George Harmonica Smith will certainly ring a bell. Smith also worked with Muddy Waters and Big Mama Thornton. Here he can be heard under the name George Allen with 'Come On Home', a beautiful rhythm & blues song, where he solos cleverly on the blues harp. Another blues great is bassist and composer Willie Dixon. Here he backs with his band Billy Emerson in 'I'll Get You', a composition by beauty gentlemen, in which Dixon's influence is clearly audible. Closing is reserved for Jimmy Lewis, who delivers an excellent Northern Soul song here with 'Feelin in Mah Bones'. Lewis' songs were covered by Bobby Bland, Little Richard, Solomon Burke and Bobby Womack, among others.
Just like the previous volumes in this series, volume 8 is another hit. Still 2 volumes to go, of which volume 9 'Let's Have Some Fun' will be released next month. Looking forward to it!