Long before Motown Records put Detroit on the musical world map, Fortune Records was the label that captured the raw rockabilly and wild rock 'n' roll from Detroit on record. From the late 1940s to the mid-1960s, Fortune Records produced songs characterized by striking directness and immense rawness. The recordings were not polished, and country, rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, and rhythm & blues were committed to vinyl with that mindset. As a result, these recordings have lost none of their persuasive power today, thanks to their directness and energy.
Fortune launched an impressive array of artists, including the York Brothers, Johnny Powers, Pete DeBree, Roy Hall, and Andre "Bacon Fat" Williams.
The recordings from both Fortune Records and the sub-labels Hi-Q and Strate 8, which you will find on this CD, were recorded with a fixed house band, whose musicians changed quite frequently. One of the most important musicians was guitarist Eddie Jackson, partly responsible for the typical Fortune sound. This compilation also contains incredibly rare songs, including ‘Blues I Can’t Hide’ by Eddie Jackson, the only release on his Caravan label.
The CD starts immediately with a classic, namely ‘Rock The Universe’ by Dell Vaughn & The Fortune Aires, recorded in 1958. A track that immediately highlights Fortune’s energetic and raw sound. From then on, the tone is set for 28 fiery rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly, both vocal and instrumental. Energetic songs performed by wildly lashing-out artists, accompanied by tight bands with skillful contributions on lead guitar and sax.
Kenny Land & His Bull Dogs take things down a notch in ‘Columbus Stockade Blues’. Not for long, however, as we are back at top speed with the instrumental ‘The Roll’ by Butch Vaden & The Nite Sounds. Pay special attention to that tearing sax. The saxophone also takes center stage in the equally instrumental ‘Long Walk’ by The Catalinas. Sublime! Guitar and saxophone complement each other perfectly in another fine instrumental, namely ‘J & D Hop’ by Jim Myers & The Regan with The Gems. A pure guitar instrumental appears with Ellis Kirk & The Town And Country Boys in ‘Flamingo Rock’. Guitar with a somewhat Eastern slant later makes a splash in the equally instrumental ‘Fling’ by The Phaetons.
The reason why Eddie Jackson was one of the most important musicians at Fortune can be heard in the previously mentioned ‘Blues I Can’t Hide’, a magnificent blues-based number. A top-class song is the rawly performed ‘Gonna Get Me A Satellite’ by Little Ernest Tucker & The Ted Walker Orchestra, featuring yet another delightful saxophone part. Inspiring guitar work sets ‘Hamtramck Mama’ by The York Brothers on track. A track that contains subtle traces of hillbilly. For a fun piano boogie, you'd best skip to the fiddle-adorned ‘Dirty Boogie’ by Roy Hall & His Cohutta Mountain Boys. You get a serving of rocking rhythm & blues with ‘Try Me One More Time’ by Nolan Strong & The Diablos, complete with great backing vocals.
Elvis not only captured the imagination but was also a source of inspiration for songs. The first song you get is ‘Elvis Is Rocking Again’ by The Hunt Sisters & Mark with Roy Hall & His Boys, a track in which The Hunt Sisters put their best foot forward with breathtaking harmonies. The second track is ‘Hey Mr. Presley’ by Pete De Bree & The Wanderers, featuring vocals by Jimmy Franklin.
Snippets of gospel grace ‘No Grave’ by The Whirl Wind Evangelists.
True to tradition, you once again receive a beautifully produced 36-page full-color booklet, packed with rare photos, illustrations, and an extensive label history, as well as info about the tracks and the artists.
Volume 55 in the ‘That’ll Flat… Git It!’ is once again a standout. If you love the raw and energetic aspect that characterized Fortune Records recordings, then there is good news. Bear Family Records is currently working on a second volume centered on the raw rockabilly and wild rock ‘n’ roll of this Detroit label.

When we think of the birthplace of rock and roll, we almost immediately arrive at Memphis, and actually, this is only partially correct. After all, a large part of the music developed outside the city, namely in the rural South. There, country, blues, and the new beat came together in a raw way, as in Arkansas. This region is often unjustly overlooked. The reason may lie in the fact that Arkansas was not really a major recording center. However, it cannot be denied that many young musicians took their first steps there with only one goal... to get to Memphis. Many of those who had their roots in Arkansas grew into world-famous artists. Just think, for example, of Johnny Cash, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, and Conway Twitty. They all came from The Natural State and became world-famous through their own sound. Just behind these well-known artists were artists like Larry Donn, Bobby Lee Trammell, and Don Head. They too spread the sound originating from Arkansas, just like Eddie Bond, who is connected to both Memphis and Arkansas. They recorded on smaller labels, produced their own singles, or played in clubs and on radio shows in the region. It is these recordings that you can listen to on this first volume of ‘Arkansas Rocks’. These rare original recordings from the fifties and sixties were carefully selected, resulting in 25 tracks that sound unpolished, real, and honest. Tracks by artists who had an immense drive and were willing to do anything to be part of the rock 'n' roll and rockabilly scene.
That becomes immediately clear during the opener ‘Arkansas Twist’ by Bobby Lee Trammel. A track that sounds incredibly professional and immediately captures Bobby's emotion and passion. With this song, we also start our trip through Arkansas in Jonesboro, ending up in Little Rock via Trumann, Monette, West Memphis, Harrisburg, Bald Knob, Concord, Harrison, Fayetteville, Siloan Springs, Fort Smith, Plainview, and Hot Springs. The nice thing about this compilation is also that it shines a light on artists who are less well-known and even unknown. Yet, being less well-known does not detract from the quality. Kenny Owens delivers a delightful rocker with his ‘Long Lost John’, complete with razor-sharp guitar playing, while Ken & The Goldtones’ ‘If Somebody Loves You’ still clearly bears the traces of rocking rhythm & blues.
The young, driven artists from Arkansas clearly managed to distinguish themselves. Be sure to listen to Bobby Brown’s ‘Please, Please Baby’, as well as Chuck Comer’s ‘Little More Lovin’’, a track featuring incredibly skillful guitar work.
Of course, there were covers too, but in a fiery manner. ‘A Whole Lot Of Shakin’’ by The Thunderbirds is a fine example of this, in which the guitar duels beautifully with the piano. Sonny Deckelman presents another very personal cover with ‘Lonely Weekends’, the ending of which leans somewhat towards The Blues Brothers. Eddie Bond also delivers an excellent rendition of Jimmy Reed’s ‘Big Boss Man’. Beautiful harmonies form the foundation for ‘Johnny Come Lately’ by The Morgan Twins. The Arkansas ladies also held their own, such as Sylvia Mobley, who beautifully blends rockabilly with country in ‘Everytime I See You’. Pure and unadulterated rockabilly is the genre for Tonya Dee in ‘Shake This Town’.
Charley Maybee was active in both rock and roll and country. You can experience his delightful country voice for yourself during ‘Little Judy’. Country influences can also be found in ‘You’re In Love With Yourself’ by Johnny Tolleson. A Johnny Cash rhythm, in turn, forms the basis for ‘Moonshine’ by Montie Jones. Raw and authentic are the keywords that certainly apply to ‘Spinning My Wheels’ by Chuck Brooks.
‘Arkansas Rocks’ rightly focuses on the often overlooked rock and roll and rockabilly scene from Arkansas. What this volume makes clear is that Arkansas had a great number of excellent artists and songwriters. It is just a shame that a large portion of them had to make do with only local fame.
This compilation is so immensely good and convincing, regarding both the songs and the sound quality, that we are already eagerly looking forward to the second volume of ‘Arkansas Rocks’.

With The Rhythm Rockets, Bear Family Records takes a look at rockabilly from Miami. You might raise an eyebrow at the link ‘Miami and rockabilly’, but upon listening, it quickly becomes apparent that Miami, although located far from the musical center, gave The Rhythm Rockets a distinct identity of their own.
The core of The Rhythm Rockets was formed by brothers Ray and Donnie Pate. Two enormously talented teenagers who grew up with gospel, country, and rhythm & blues, which they absorbed through radio programs. From those influences emerged their own energetic and impressive sound.
When rock and roll spread to Florida, The Rhythm Rockets quickly became part of the local scene. Performances at jamborees and in the legendary shows of DJ Milt ‘Mr. Rock & Roll’ Oshins followed, and they even shared the stage with grandmaster Carl Perkins. Brothers Donnie and Ray wrote all the songs, and once in the studio, they blossomed into confident and dedicated musicians. Unfortunately, many of their songs remained unreleased for decades and could only be found sporadically on obscure releases or acetates. Their only official release took place in 1958 on the Gulfstream Records label. Collectors have since discovered the band and earned them the status of a ‘cult band’. It is therefore commendable that Bear Family Records is now paying attention to The Rhythm Rockets as well as their contribution to rockabilly.
What stands out immediately is that the Pate brothers had the talent to compose catchy songs. Songs that, through their power, get stuck in your head, and Donnie’s distinctive guitar sound and Ray’s powerful and convincing vocals certainly play a part in that. This is immediately evident in the first track, ‘My Shadow’. Raw, energetic, and delivered with immense personal flair, just as rockabilly should be. In ‘I’ve Got That Feeling’, Ray uses the well-known ‘voice break’, but he manages the boundaries; not excessive but measured use undoubtedly adds value to the track.
Donnie’s talent on the six strings is sublimely on the instrumental ‘Donny’s Boogie’. A track that also closes the album in an ‘alt. take’.
The fact that The Rhythm Rockets were not at the epicenter of rockabilly certainly paid off. Young and talented as they were, they sought a way to distinguish themselves from other musicians. They did this by composing powerful songs with structures that often varied. For instance, guitar solos could open a song, drop in the middle like in classical way, or even close the track. Moreover, their attitude in the studio testifies to enormous professionalism, something other rockabilly groups often fell short of. In short, anyone who thinks that Memphis or Nashville produced only excellent rockabilly will be forced to revise their opinion after listening to this band from Miami.
The authentic, raw, original, and long-unreleased compositions by the Pate brothers have invariably put Miami rockabilly on the map. It is just a pity that it took several decades for this to happen. Nevertheless, this album is a ‘must-have’ for rockabilly fans, although you need to be lightning fast once again, as this album is also limited to 500 copies. So don't hesitate!

When rockabilly was born in Memphis in the 1950s, probably no one could have predicted that the genre would conquer all of America—and indeed the entire world—in no time. Record labels sprang up like mushrooms, all trying to cash in on the genres success. Not all labels succeeded with flying colors, and some therefore remained more or less under the radar. That was the case for Nau-Voo Records, founded in Ohio in 1958 by Glenn McKinney. Glenn was passionate about rock and roll, and in the two years that Nau-Voo and its sub-label Mack existed, McKinney recorded only 10 singles. Singles that are extremely difficult to find but highly sought after by collectors.
Fortunately, you no longer have to search for them, as Bear Family Records is now releasing a 10-inch vinyl featuring the very best tracks.
At the center of the label was Billy Adams, born in 1940. He was strongly influenced by the Carter Family, Hank Williams, and Bill Monroe. Together with his Rock-A-Teers, Billy shines in the sharp-guitar-embellished ‘That’s My Baby’, as well as in the title track, which provides a surprise thanks to the ‘stops’. A pumping bass, excellent clean guitar work, and echo-drenched vocals make Bobby Lawson’s ‘Baby Don’t Be That Way’ and ‘If You Want My Love’ absolute top tracks.
For the more explosive work, the label could count on Deacon and The Rock & Rollers. And they make that clearly audible in ‘Rock It On The Moon’. They prove that they can also take a different direction on the country-tinged ‘I Don’t Wanna Leave’.
Beautiful harmonies can be found in ‘I Didn’t Do It’ by The De Villes and in the doo-wopper ‘Hey Little Girl’ by The Jades.
There are instrumental tracks as well. With a scorching sax, The Untouchables conjure up ‘Blue Chip Bounce-part 1’. For a guitar-dominated instrumental, skip to ‘Jim-Jammin’’ by The I-V-Leaguers.
In the beautiful and brilliantly illustrated supplement, you also get all the info regarding the artists and the tracks.
‘You Gotta Have A Ducktail! Nau-Voo Rockers From West Portsmouth, Oh’ contains 12 extremely rare tracks. Tracks that not only breathe the rockabilly of the 1950s but also rightly put the importance of Nau-Voo Records, which existed for only two years, in the spotlight. If you love raw, authentic, and energetic recordings, this album undoubtedly belongs in your collection. It is an absolute shame that these stunning recordings could not count on the hoped-for success.
However, do not hesitate too long to get your hands on this formidable release, as this 10-inch vinyl is being released in a limited edition of only 500 copies. Keep on rockin’!

With the five-part series ‘Phantom Rockers’, of which 3 volumes have already been released, the Atomicat label released an impressive number of obscure recordings. Incidentally, you will also soon find the review of the upcoming volumes 4 and 5 here.
Following that series, the KokoMojo label is now focusing on the ‘Black Phantom Rockers’. This series will also consist of 5 volumes. The principle is similar to the ‘Phantom Rockers’ series. The only difference lies in the fact that this series focuses on black artists. Artists who remained unknown to the general public, sometimes adopted strange stage names, or well-known artists who, for whatever reason, did not reveal their true identity and hid behind aliases.
The first volume is now on the market and contains 26 tracks that will quickly leave you wanting more. Because it mostly concerns unknown and local artists, little and often no information is available about them. However, do not despair, as the excellent tracks speak for themselves. The album opens with ‘You Made A Boo Boo’, a fine rocking rhythm & blues by Bob and Earl. The names Bob and Earl certainly make you think of the song ‘Harlem Shuffle’ from the early sixties. Well, the Earl on both recordings is the same artist, namely Earl Nelson. Bob was not the same on both recordings. On ‘You Made A Boo Boo’, you hear Bob Byrd and not Bob Relf. That both Nelson and Byrd came from vocal groups is clearly audible in their vocal qualities. Pure rock ‘n’ roll follows with ‘Country Boy’ by Billy La Mont. Behind ‘What Am I’ by Big Bob, you discover the powerful voice of Big Bob Kornegay. He recorded the song for Jaro International. In ‘Bip Bop Bip’ by Pretty Boy, you clearly discover the similarity to Little Richard’s performance. Well, he gave Don Covay the nickname Pretty Boy. Later, you hear him again with the equally rocking ‘Rockin’ The Mule’.
The fun thing about compilations is that you discover obscure songs that have long been hidden from your ears. That certainly applies to ‘Rock and Roll Jungle’, the title track of this first volume. Wonderful rockabilly by Joe Benson! A track that is also embellished with a driving sax. An all-scorching sax also sets ‘Cheating Woman’ by Kansas City Jimmy on the rails. Stunning guitar work forms the intro to ‘Peg Leg Woman’ by Willie King. The song was written by Ike Turner, and his band was also on hand for the accompaniment. Guitar Shorty is also well-known, here in ‘Ways Of A Man’, where Shorty’s guitar work sounds heavenly once again.
‘I Got Your Boogie’ is introduced by Sarah ‘Fatwoman’ Dean in a soulful manner, after which the song unfolds into a superb rhythm & blues boogie. Dimples Jackson then provides a cool blend of early soul and rhythm & blues in ‘Ring A Ling’. Blues is represented by Lonesome Sundown and the well-known ‘Gonna Stick To You Baby’. Sundown recorded the song for Excello, and on harmonica you hear Lazy Lester, who was also associated with Excello. Emon Mickle was a gifted blues guitarist and harmonica player. You can hear his talent on the instrumental ‘Lonesome Highway’. Mickle also recorded as Driftin’ Slim and often performed as a one-man band. More instrumental work follows with ‘The Boogie Twist’ by Cal Valentine & The Texas Rockers. Clifford King serves up a fine example of jump blues in ‘Want To Jump With You Baby’.
It is clear that KokoMojo has hit the mark again with this new series. In addition to the fantastic music you get here, the CD is packaged in a highly original three-part fold-out digipack, adorned with handsome illustrations of Guitar Shorty, Lonesome Sundown, and Big Bob.
We are already eagerly looking forward to the upcoming volumes.

This successful series, which focuses on the energetic rock 'n' roll and rockabilly of the fifties and early sixties, continues with the 53rd volume. This volume focuses on the Los Angeles-based labels Challenge and Jackpot. These labels were already featured in volume 51, but the archives of both labels certainly contain a large number of tracks that are more than worth listening to. As already proven in previously released volumes, the German label Bear Family Records once again dives deep into the catalogs of the featured record labels. It does not stop at just the well-known songs released by the labels; fortunately, attention is also paid to those recordings that are not immediately part of the collective memory. This is also the case in this volume. A number of the artists who were part of volume 51 are also present on this volume. Additionally, there are also artists making their debut on volume 53.
But let's listen to the tracks. The opener is immediately the well-known Wynn Stewart, from whom we get a driven and fast alternative take of ‘Come-On’. He returns later with ‘She Just Tears Me Up’. Up-and-coming talent follows immediately with ‘Great Day In The Morning’ by The Four Teens. Legend Huelyn Duvall is present twice. The first time with ‘Juliet’, an infectious rockabilly number. Later on the album, he returns with ‘Hum-Dinger’. You also get ‘Juliet’ in the version by Jerry Arnold. The Champs became instantly famous with ‘Tequila’ from 1957. Here they are present with two songs recorded a year later, namely ‘Go Champ, Go’ and the raw, sax-characterized ‘Midnighter’. When Dave Burgess was not working with The Champs, he recorded under his own name. ‘Lovey Dovey Baby’ is a fine example of this. Dave Burgess also scored as a songwriter for fellow artists. For this, be sure to listen to Hedley and Lee with ‘Trouble’. Chuck Rio was also part of The Champs, although he left the band after the success of ‘Tequila’, he was responsible for the song's great success. He recorded ‘Denise’ under his own name, a gem of a rocker.
Kimball Coburn serves up delightful doo-wop in ‘Cute’, in which he is backed by a sublime vocal group. Solid, rocking rhythm & blues is represented by pianist Al Downing. In ‘Oh! Babe’, he can count on the musical support of The Poe-Kats.
Because of his tenor voice, Prentice Moreland was part of various vocal groups. He demonstrates that he could also make it under his own name in ‘Teacher Drives Me Crazy’.
Jerry Fuller released about 20 singles, only four of which made it into the charts. As a songwriter and producer, he gained more appreciation, although ‘Anna From Louisiana’ is a cool track and pay attention to the harmonica part as well.
A nice ‘spoken song’ with a rocking foundation is ‘Bad Dad’ by Gene Davis. Originally, Gene had a fondness for country, but when he moved to Los Angeles, the rockabilly bug caught him.
The Rangers deliver some nice instrumental, guitar-driven work in ‘Mogul Monster’. The same goes, by the way, for Bob Regan and the incredibly impressive ‘Tarantula’. Incidentally, Bob was the husband of Lucille Starr. Alan Pierce and The Tonekings provide instrumental surf with ‘Swampwater’. A final instrumental comes with the buzzing ‘Buzzzzz’ by Jimmy Gordon.
Volume 53 is a wonderful addition to the 51st volume, which also paid attention to the labels Challenge and Jackpot. Both volumes are, by the way, more than worth purchasing.

You will undoubtedly know the name Charlie Brown from the legendary Peanuts cartoons, but this Charlie Brown is of a very different caliber.
Brown was a Texan cattle rancher and country singer. In 1955, together with his much younger guitarist Roy Thackerson, he recorded a number of groundbreaking songs that can be considered the first Texas rockabilly tracks, although Brown received no more than a footnote in the annals of Texas rockabilly. By now, we know better. A limited number of songs, but ones that collectors now eagerly search for and are often willing to pay a considerable amount of money for. Through this 10” LP released by Bear Family Records, playable at 45 rpm, you can acquire Charlie Brown’s legendary recordings at a reasonable price. You get blueprints of raw early Texas rockabilly like ‘Mean, Mean Mama’ and ‘Have You Heard The Gossip’ here in the best possible sound quality. Brown mixed his country skills with infectious rhythms, creating a high dose of intensity that was often lacking in commercial recordings. However, this album is not limited to the highlights, but adds some incredibly fine songs as well. For instance, you get a formidable, swinging version of ‘Milkcow Blues Boogie’ and a ‘Back To B Boogie (Pickin’) by guitarist Roy Thackerson that remains fantastic after all these years and has lost none of its charm. Incidentally, Roy Thackerson would later gain fame as the ‘fingerless fiddler’. And it doesn’t stop there, because of smash hits like ‘Don’t Put The Blame On Me and ‘Me’ and ‘Have You Heard The Gossip’, this vinyl also features the irresistible alternative takes.
When we drop the needle on ‘Mean, Mean Mama’, the first track on side 1, we are immediately grabbed by the scruff of the neck. This is rockabilly in its purest form, straight to the point and with a vibrant dynamic. In the follow-up, the slightly slower ‘My Hungry Heart’, Charlie’s love for country comes to the surface, but with ‘Have You Heard The Gossip’ and ‘Don’t Put The Blame On Me’, we get back up to cruising speed. Side 1 is boogie-style closed with ‘Boogie Woogie Mama’. On all these songs, Brown was masterfully accompanied by the talented guitarist Roy Thackerson. That same Roy gets to open the second side with the instrumental ‘Back To B Boogie (Pickin’)’, where you can fully enjoy his impressive string playing.
After a shaky start, ‘Milkcow Blues Boogie’ turns out to be a lightning-fast boogie. Phenomenal!
We hear that Charlie and Roy formed a perfect tandem in the alternative takes of ‘Don’t Put The Blame On Me’ and ‘Have You Heard The Gossip’.
Roy Thackerson gets to close the album in an incredibly skillful way with ‘Guitar Boogie’, where his finger dexterity is simply breathtaking.
The importance of Charlie Brown, the fact that these recordings are often impossible to find and that some never even saw the light of day back then, make this album an absolute ‘must-have’ for rockabilly fans. Additionally, this vinyl comes with a hugely richly illustrated booklet, in which you also learn everything about Charlie Brown and the tracks.
With this release, Bear Family Records fills a gap in the recognition that Charlie Brown lacked at the time.
Charlie Brown was born on April 10, 1913, and died at home after a fall in the shower on June 18, 1992.
One tip: be quick, because the print run of this album is limited to 500 copies. Enjoy!

Jackie Lee Cochran was born one of two twins on February 5, 1934. However, Jackie's twin brother died at the age of two, resulting in a grief-stricken, unstable relationship between Jackie Lee's parents. When Jackie Lee was six, his father gave him an acoustic guitar. Because his father was serving a lengthy prison sentence, Jackie Lee was raised by his grandmother. Jackie was fascinated by roots music and in the 1950s, he recorded explosive rock songs for the Decca, Viv, Sims, and Jaguar labels.
It's no surprise, then, that Bear Family Records has dedicated a volume to him in its ‘Rocks’ series. This volume contains songs spanning Jackie's career that peaked in the mid-1950s and experienced a resurgence during the rockabilly revival of the 1970s and 1980s.
Many of his songs have since become true classics of the genre. Just think of ‘Riverside Jump’, ‘Hip Shakin' Mama’, ‘Mama Don't You Think I Know’, and ‘Georgia Lee Brown’.
During the rockabilly revival, he recorded for Ronny Weiser's Rollin' Rock label. As can be heard on this compilation, Cochran still possessed that passion, rhythmic feel, rawness, and emotionality that also characterized his recordings from the 1950s. These qualities are the common thread running through all the tracks. Not only was Jackie Lee Cochran incredibly strong vocally, but he also perfectly captured the spirit of the rockabilly era in his compositions. Jackie Lee Cochran and Merle Travis clearly knew each other, although Merle was already an established name in country music and Cochran had made his mark in rockabilly, Travis backs Jackie Lee on some tracks. Ray Campi, also active in rockabilly, also does so on a few tracks. The 31 tracks offer a sublime glimpse into a charismatic rockabilly artist from the mid-20th century. Four of the 31 tracks are appearing on CD for the first time. To top it all off, ‘For You Baby’ is a previously unreleased rockabilly song that Cochran recorded for Decca in 1956 during the legendary ‘Ruby Pearl’ session. Incidentally, ‘Ruby Pearl’ features excellent guitar work by Merle Travis, as well as a beautiful piano solo by Jimmy Pruett.
The cover of this compilation depicts Cochran standing in front of a life-size black cat, which served as his stage decoration during his early shows at the ‘Big D Jamboree’.
As is tradition, Bear Family Records also accompanies this album with a beautifully produced, 31-page booklet, illustrated with rare photos, containing all the information about Jackie Lee Cochran and the tracks. If you're a fan of authentic, emotional, raw, and dynamic rockabilly, then you can't miss this passionately and expertly remastered release. Highly recommended!

In the 52nd volume of the ‘That'll Flat...Git It!’ series, Bear Family Records delves into the archives of the Mar-Vel Records and Glenn Records labels. Mar-Vel Records was a small independent label in the industrial heart of Northwest Indiana, just across the state line from Chicago. Both labels were founded by Harry Glenn, an entrepreneur with enormous energy and a vision for the future. Glenn was a special character because, besides being a producer and idealist, he also personally promoted his releases. To do so, he filled his old Rambler station wagon with thousands of singles and crisscrossed the South. He would drop in unannounced at radio stations and charm DJs into pushing his latest singles. His visionary nature can be summed up in a single line: ‘Tomorrow's hits, recorded today’. In the 1950s and 1960s, Mar-Vel produced a roster of raw, unpolished rockabilly and country. Numerous artists caught Glenn's attention. For example, there was Jack Bradshaw, who briefly found a home at Decca, and Bobby Sisco recorded rockabilly for Chess. Most notable was the teenage Sherry Lee, who would later become world-famous as Jackie DeShannon. Herbie Duncan, on the other hand, was the best at translating the Mar-Vel concept into songs. His 1958 single ‘Hot Lips Baby’, as you can hear on this compilation, is a wild, uninhibited, and somewhat chaotic rockabilly number, yet highly representative of the genre. The songs that followed this hit were equally intense and raw, earning him cult status as a true rockabilly pioneer. ‘Little Angel’ (the flip side of ‘Hot Lips Baby’) and its successors ‘Escape’ and ‘That's All’ grace this album.
Harry Glenn's musical vision was, in short, phenomenal. Young artists, often working-class, with enormous potential, found a listening ear in Glenn. This resulted in gems of songs, 36 of which made it onto this album.
The authenticity is immediately evident in the opener, ‘Jump Baby Jump’, by Harry Carter of The Rock 'N' Roll Apache. Carter returns later with three more tracks. Jack Bradshaw was originally a country artist. His ‘Naughty Girls’, however, leans more towards rockabilly, though it still bears country influences. A magnificent song with an inspiring guitar solo appears on Bill Ferguson's sophisticated ‘Dark And Stormy’. Glenn's knack for talent is also evident in the recordings of Billy Nix, who delivers a magnificent song with a ripping sax on ‘Moon Twist’. Nix returns later with two more songs, including the formidable, beautifully arranged, and twisting ‘Get With The Beat’.
Blues influences undoubtedly characterize Paul Parker's ‘Rockin' For Goldwater’. Guitar solos are practically obligatory in rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. Mel Kimbrough takes a different approach in ‘Ha, Ha, Hey, Hey’, replacing it with a clever drum solo. The Law Brothers also sound original in ‘Root Beer’. Emotional harmonies, a wonderful twang guitar, and a dose of humor complete the song.
Bill Hall veers more towards honky-tonk in ‘Move Over Rover’, as does Bobby Sisco's ‘Honky Tonkin' Rhythm’. Hall later delivers the cool riff-driven ‘I Need Some Lovin'‘. Bob Burton adds a touch of country in the steel guitar and fiddle-infused ‘Tired Of Rocking’, while The Gaye Sisters provide beautiful harmonies in ‘Oh Ricky’. Burton also returns with ‘Boogie Woogie Baby’. Country also forms the basis for Jim Gatlin, present here with ‘The Way You're Treating Me’ and ‘Would It Matter At All’. It's once again clear that many independent labels delivered incredibly talented songs. Major labels usually prioritized big profits. While profit is essential to keep things afloat, the potential of young, unknown artists is just as important. And Harry Glenn had this in mind like no other.
As we've come to expect from Bear Family Records, this volume also includes a beautifully designed booklet, complete with rare photos, and all the information about the tracks and artists.

In the mid-1960s, Chicago bands like the well-known American Breed were regularly found in the charts. Long before that, however, musical activity was already brewing in the Windy City. The then-emerging rock 'n' roll, doo-wop, rockabilly, teenage pop, and rhythm & blues inspired many bands. Through energetic performances in clubs and high schools, these bands tried to gain a foothold in the overcrowded rock 'n' roll scene. Some succeeded, while others had to remain local or were sometimes forgotten as quickly as they emerged.
With this new series, Bear Family Records highlights both well-known and lesser-known rock artists. No fewer than 35 tracks guide you through the history of Chicago rock 'n' roll, which is brimming with authentic rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, doo-wop, rhythm & blues, and teenage pop. Chicago's answer to Elvis, Ral Donner, kicks things off with ‘I Got Burned’, and indeed, Presley's style is very recognizable here. His successor, Ron Haydock, clearly modeled his style on his great example, Gene Vincent. Together with The Boppers, he delivers an excellent Vincent-inspired ‘99 Chicks’. A simple yet incredibly effective riff later drives ‘Satan Is Her Name’ by Steve King and The Echelons. Also, pay attention to the creative guitar work.
As Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater, he would become a legend in the blues world. Here, he rocks Chuck Berry-style through ‘Cool Clear Water’. For an authentic rock 'n' roll song, you can turn to Benny Ingram and the bopping ‘Jello Sal’. Eddie Cochran, on the other hand, is more prominent in George Torrens' ‘TR-3’. Phil Orsi even covered Eddie Cochran, choosing ‘Come On Everybody’. Robby and The Troubadours, on the other hand, turned to Little Richard and ‘Long Tall Sally’, recording a tremendously powerful version of it.
Penny Smith sounds distinctive on ‘I've Got News For You’, a song that can be described as ‘big band rock’. Incredibly enjoyable!
Although limited to a ‘local hero’, Ronnie Rice still had a gem of a song with ‘T.N.T’. We've said it so often that it's incomprehensible that some artists could only release one single. That's certainly the case for Billy Prager, because with the partly self-written ‘Do It Bop’, he had a song with definite hit potential.
For a touch of teen pop, you can check out Tony Bellus and ‘Robbin' The Cradle’.
Energetic rockabilly is presented by J. Mikel with The Hepcats on ‘Bettyjean Rock’, as well as Wayne Worley and His Worly Birds with Sonny Burgess' ‘Red Headed Woman’.
Doo-wop fans will be delighted by The Deltones' ‘Early Morning Rock’. Dynamic doo-wop rock 'n' roll also features ‘Were Wolf’ by Cat Bonafede & The Gem-Tones.
Well-known artists on this compilation include Hank Mizell with his well-known ‘Jungle Rock’, which became a hit twice, in 1958 and on a reissue in 1976, as well as Hayden Thompson on Chuck Berry's ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’.
Instrumental work features The Tazmen's ‘Easy Pickin'‘ and The Millionaires' stunning ‘Rock And A Half’.
In the closing track, The Regulars and The Galaxies, score with their ‘Ride Your Horse’, spoken over a delightful beat.
The 40-page booklet, illustrated with charming vintage photos, tells you all about the artists and the tracks. This first volume demonstrates that the Windy City had a great deal of appealing music to offer between 1956 and 1963. It's therefore worth looking forward to the next volume.

In 2014, the German band Cherry Casino and The Gamblers surprised rock 'n' roll and rockabilly fans with their album ‘Hi-No-Love’. They prove they're still a force to be reckoned with with ‘The Automatic Fool’, their fourth album.
The album features 11 original songs, all written by Axel Praefcke, aka Cherry Casino. On this album, Cherry Casino is surrounded by saxophonist Ike Stoye, guitarist Michael ‘Humpty’ Kirscht, drummer Gregor Gast, and Kevin Weber on upright bass. Co-producer was the talented German rockabilly guitarist Randy Richter, who sadly passed away on September 23, 2025.
What also makes this album so compelling is that it was recorded at Lightning Recording Studio in Berlin using original vintage recording equipment, giving the album an unmistakably real fifties sound. This is immediately apparent in the opener, ‘Sugar Sweet Baby’. An utterly delightful sound that quickly makes you think Cherry and his band are giving a private concert in your living room. The smooth guitar, the handclaps, the backing vocals, the steady rhythm section, and Cherry's beautiful vocals immediately put you in a rocking mood. In the title track, ‘The Automatic Fool’, the sax provides a catchy, early sixties sound. That sax, by the way, is a huge asset throughout the album. The band presents rock 'n' roll with a swinging touch in ‘Shake Me Up Baby’. That swinging feel also characterizes the B-side opener, ‘This Is My Dance’. The A-side concludes with a rocking ‘Street Party’, complete with a beautiful guitar solo. Diversity is no stranger to Cherry Casino and The Gamblers. ‘Easy Baby’, for example, has an underlying smooth jazzy feel, further enhanced by the partially spoken passage. A generous dose of jump then characterizes the only cover, the Elvis-made-famous ‘It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing)’. ‘Baby Malonka’ is a slow track with a poppy edge. The quintet closes with a fierce rocking performance of ‘You Tell Me’.
Besides the exceptionally talented musicianship, the excellent original songs, and the authentic fifties arrangements, the sound achieved here is of a staggeringly high quality. Just before 2025 ends, Cherry Casino and The Gamblers release a awesome album with ‘The Automatic Fool’.

In 2023, the trio The Blue Velvets pleasantly surprised us with their album ‘Waiting For A Sign’, a review of which you can reread here.
Patrik Staffansson, owner of Enviken Records, was kind enough to provide us with two 7-inch vinyl EPs: this one by The Blue Velvets, and you can also expect a review of the 7-inch EP by Ed Cavin & The Blue Kings.
But first, our attention goes to The Blue Velvets, hailing from Germany. This band still consists of the Canadian-born Alistair Christl (guitar and vocals), Ralph Sommer (double bass and vocals), and Mario Wachsmann (drums and percussion). When a band releases its own songs, it's always a plus. And when those songs are also incredibly good, it's simply fantastic. Well, that's the case with this EP. Three of the four songs were penned by Alistair Christl. Ralph Sommer penned the fourth.
We open immediately with the title track ‘Anymore’, top-notch rock 'n' roll, which also incorporates a subtle poppy undertone. Wonderful rockabilly, in which the band nods to the legends in the genre, is introduced in ‘Candy Shop’. A fifties song of an exceptionally high caliber.
A superb clean guitar solo launches the bopping ‘Midnight Hour’, the first track on the B-side. The trio closes with an initially smooth-sounding ’In Years’, which gradually reveals itself as a rock 'n' roller of stature. And be sure to check out Alistair's excellent guitar solo.
‘Anymore’ proves once again that The Blue Velvets are versatile. Beautiful melodies, a driving rhythm section, creative guitar work and dynamic vocals are the ingredients that make this EP a 'must have'.

For Ed Cavin & The Blue Kings, we travel to Sweden, also the home base of Enviken Records, the label on which this EP, in transparent white vinyl, was released. And there are more links. Ed Cavin is none other than Emil Staffansson on acoustic guitar and vocals, and also the son of label owner Patrik Staffansson. The Blue Kings are formed by guitarist Harry Mellberg, Isak Wigander on double bass, and Olle Back on drums.
The EP contains four original songs, all written by Staffansson, who clearly has a great feel for authentic rockabilly.
The opener, the hard-rocking ‘Gonna Be A Ball’, immediately sets the tone for the classy rockabilly delivered in the genre's heyday. Cavin's enormously powerful voice and excellent guitar parts instantly catapult you back to the middle of the last century. That Cavin knows his classics is undeniable. You can hear this in ‘That's Why I Cry’, which evokes memories of Buddy Holly. Moreover, this song is pleasantly adorned with a formidable piano solo.
The B-side opens with a searing sax solo, which immediately gives ‘Honey Please’ that rocking sound of the early sixties. The closing track, ‘Bonfire Baby’, once again highlights the band's qualities. Excellent original compositions, a solid rhythm section, excellent work on the six strings, and Ed Cavin's wild, kicking vocals!
Ed Cavin & The Blue Kings are definitely worth considering. A band with these qualities has a promising future ahead of it.

This vinyl arrived just after Halloween, but don't worry, because these tracks will make your mouth water all year round. Besides, Halloween is an annual event……! As the title suggests, this compilation contains 14 rare horror tracks that are sure to give you the creeps. The tracks date from the '50s and '60s and explore various roots genres.
Merv Griffin gets the party started with the primarily instrumental ‘House Of Horrors’. Rockabilly horror can be enjoyed without any shame on ‘I'm The Wolfman’ by Round Robin. In the early '60s, Round Robin was a huge hit with dancing crowds. Later, he would record for the Stax label as a funky soul singer. Wonderful doo-wop, though the horror here is rather gentle, arrives with ‘Zombi’ by The Monotones. Screamin' Jay Hawkins took the horror very personally. He transformed himself into a monster, which he transferred to the stage. Here, he delivers a fantastically rocking ‘Little Demon’, and note that sublime guitar solo. Serial killer Jack the Ripper inspired Casey Jones and The Governors for the eponymous rhythm & blues rocker.
Side two of this vinyl opens with The Swingin' Phillies, who give the title track of this compilation a twisty touch. The Swingin' Phillies are followed by Rod Willis. He delivers the previously unedited version of the cat-screech-laced ‘The Cat’, a brilliant example of how a rockabilly song should sound, complete with a superb guitar. Virgil Holmes was a rather obscure figuur. He invites you to take a seat on a spooky train with ‘Ghost Train’, which, thanks to the clever arrangement, you can almost literally hear it riding along the rails. Screaming, Dick Barton's Rebels announce themselves with ‘Yes, Baby, I'm Scared’, a massive rockabilly banger. Little Gerhard then cheerfully works his way through the anything but scary, yet fantastically rocking ‘Rockin' Ghosts’. Completely horror-style, with raw vocals, The Savoys close with ‘The Mortal Monster Man’.
With ‘Frankenstein's Party’, Bear Family Records treats you to a devilishly spooky fusion of rockabilly and doo-wop, a hit that DJs and collectors alike will appreciate. Frankenstein and his colleague Igor will give you a warm welcome!

With this first volume of ‘Phantom Rockers’, the Atomicat label launches a new series. The guitarist pictured on the cover is wearing a masquerade or Zorro mask, which immediately highlights the essence of this series. The ‘phantom rockers’ recorded both under their own names and under various aliases. The musicians who supported them in the studio also often fell into this category, shrouding many recordings in a strange haze. This first volume offers 30 tracks by artists who fit the description of ‘phantom rockers’. The first to appear is keeping their identity very well hidden. ‘Don't Bug Me Baby’, which is also the title of this first compilation, comes from an acetate recording, the name of which is not always clear. It's a smashing rock song, with excellent sound quality and already 68 years old. Incidentally, the song was written in the Nashville State Penitentiary. The next song is the well-known ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, here in Buzz Williams's version. Williams was actually Delbert Barker, who recorded under several aliases. Rightly so, a ‘phantom rocker’. A beautiful piano introduces the somewhat bluesy ‘Little Girl, Little Girl’ by The Fairlanes. They were founded by Rick Hall, who was also part of Bill Bowen & The Rockets' ‘Have Myself A Ball’, which can also be heard here. Jack Hammer became known to us with his songs featuring the twist. He also co-wrote ‘Great Balls Of Fire’. Here, he rocks out on ‘Girl, Girl, Girl’. Someone who also adopted multiple aliases was Daniel Flores, a member of The Champs. You hear him twice: first as Danny Boy with ‘Don't Go Pretty Baby’ and later as Chuck ‘Tequila’ Rio with ‘Bye Bye Baby’. Known as Don Covay, under his own name, James Randolph, he was part of The Rainbows, featured here on the doo-wopper ‘Shirley’. Pretty Boy was also a member of The Rainbows. He returns twice more on ‘Bip Bop Bip’ and in the raw, rocking ‘Rockin' The Mule (Back In Kansas), Swingin' Like A Young Gray Mare’.
Bob Kornegay's aliases are countless. Not only was he part of the vocal group Du-Droppers, but you can also hear him rocking as Dave & Bob on ‘Whoa Bessie’. Dave is better known as Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez.
The Rio Rockers also rock hard on ‘Mexicall Baby’. Rusty Isabell was a member of the Rio Rockers but also recorded ‘Stop’ under the name Red (Hot) Russell. Both songs are featured on this compilation. Just like Don Cole, also a member of the Rio Rockers, who can be heard here with Donnie Owens as Two Dons on ‘Funny Honey’, which is strikingly reminiscent of The Everly Brothers.
For a touch of cool country, you can check out The Tunesmiths and ‘Oh Stop!’, complete with steel guitar and fiddle.
‘Don't Stop The Rockin'‘ features Pat Richmond & The Fireballs. The ‘phantom rocker’ here is Billy Eldridge, member of The Fireballs. He would go on to enjoy further success with ‘Let's Go Baby’.
Rudi ‘Tutti’ Grayzell recorded for the Abbott, Starday, and Sun labels. As ‘phantom rocker’ Rudy Gray, he can be heard on the country rocker ‘There's Gonna Be A Ball’.
A fine example of an instrumental guitar song comes in the form of ‘Red Hot Red’ by Young Guitar Red, later known as Guitar Red with recordings for Checker. ‘Dancin' Wild’ is a song by Tom & Jerry. You'll undoubtedly hear the duo, who later became known as Simon & Garfunkel, in it.
A vocally powerful song is definitely ‘I'll Mess You Up’ by The Cliques. They consisted of Eugene Church, who later recorded for Modern Records, and Jesse Lorenzo Belvin, who also performed as Curley Williams and Jesse & Marvin, among others.
With this first volume, the Atomicat label is undoubtedly generating interest in artists performing as ‘phantom rockers’. That interest will soon be fueled by more ‘phantom rockers’, as the second volume, titled ‘Jake The Snake’, is already scheduled for release. It will be reviewed on this site soon.

When country and western artists in the 1950s created a crossover between their genre and rock 'n' roll, the result was brilliant songs. Songs that, just like those in rock 'n' roll, had ‘drinking’, ‘dancing’, ‘love’, and ‘lying and cheating’ as their themes. What they also had in common with rock 'n' roll was that they drew you to the dance floor. Just as in the two previously released volumes, the third volume is also full of this.
This volume opens with a swing, ‘I Want A Bowlegged Woman’ by Jimmy Ballard, a song Bull Moose Jackson recorded in 1948. Ballard is followed by Jimmy Boyd. Boyd was 13 years old when he recorded the classic ‘I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus’. Here you hear Jimmy with the 1956 country-rocking ‘Crazy Mixed Up Blues’. Lattie Moore first recorded ‘Juke Joint Johnny’ in 1953. The song already exuded a rockabilly vibe. During the genre's heyday in 1956, Lattie re-recorded it. Besides a career under his own name, Billy Strange was also a sought-after session musician. He shines under his own name on ‘Let Me In There Baby’.
Fine performances on steel guitar and fiddle can be found on ‘Tom Cattin' Around’ by Speedy Noris & His Radio Rangers. ‘You Got The Right Number’ by ‘Rusty’ McDonald certainly sounds swinging. McDonald also sang for Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. Incidentally, you'll get them later on the energetic ‘Miss Molly’. In her heyday, Ann Jones earned the title ‘The Hillbilly Girl’. Not surprising when you hear her on ‘I've Had It’. A song with a tremendously high rock 'n' roll feel arrives with Howard Crockett and his ‘If You Let Me’, complete with an impressive clean-sounding guitar solo. Jimmie Piper also rocks later in ‘Don't Play Around (With My Heart)’. And doesn't that guitar sound a lot like Johnny Cash's accompaniment? ‘Sweetie Pie’ by Johnnie & Jack sounds delightful and cheerful. The backing vocals by The Jordanaires certainly contribute to this feeling. This duo returns once more with the unique and excellent ‘Uncle John's Bongos’, drenched in impressive bongos.
Sublime harmonies come this time from New Zealand, featuring the Apaapa Sisters along with The Downtown Boys and ‘Guess Things Happen That Way’. Wonderfully merging voices also define the follow-up single ‘Leroy’ from ‘Nita, Rita & Ruby’.
In previous series, we saw that acetate recordings often contain beautiful songs. Well, someone who made a ton of such recordings with the hope that someone would one day record his songs was Sandy Rivers. He proved he had a knack for catchy songs in ‘A Woman Is Like A Guitar’. Not much is known about Red Romine. We do know that ‘Money In The Bank’ is a cool country rocker. Country, rockabilly, and even a touch of bluegrass can be found in ‘Rock-A-Billy Baby’ by Johnny Duncan & The Blue Grass Boys. A great version of ‘Tweedle Dee’ is provided by Pee Wee King featuring Redd Stewart & The Trio. You can immediately hear where Little Jimmy Osmond drew his inspiration back then.
This compilation concludes with the slow ‘Tomorrow Night’ by Carl Smith.
The great thing about series like this is that the artists successfully blend two genres. This is reflected not only in the songs but also in their use of instruments. Besides the guitar, you'll naturally also hear the steel guitar and the fiddle. Wonderful third volume!

Their recently released vinyl single, ‘Rockin' Rebels Rock On / Private Eye,’ sounded incredibly promising. What's more, the single made us eager and eagerly await their then-in-progress debut album.
Tennessee Drifters is a rockabilly trio from Eindhoven/Alkmaar, consisting of double bassist and vocalist Peter de Wit (former frontman of the band Slapback Johnny), drummer Rob van Sambeek (formerly of the now-defunct Bang Bang Bazooka), and guitarist and vocalist Jeroen van Delden (also guitarist for Supersonics and previously for Texarkana Trio). They've played just about every festival in the Netherlands and Belgium, and at the end of last year, they even opened for Danny Vera at the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven.
But now, let's take a closer look at ‘Life Is Pretty.’ The album will be released on the Dutch label Tombstone Records and was recorded at Popei Studio / Rockcity Institute in Eindhoven in January 2025. It was mixed and mastered by the experienced Roel Blommers, in consultation with the band and Bang Bang Marcel. A plus, and something we always appreciate, is the fact that all 14 songs are originals. Jeroen penned no fewer than 12 songs, while he and Peter wrote the lyrics for ‘Double Blue Boogie’. The arrangements were developed by the trio. The other two songs, which also appeared on the single, are by Bang Bang Marcel. Marcel also sang on them, and on ‘Life Is Pretty’, he provides backing vocals on several tracks. On the album, Peter and Jeroen share the vocals.
The album immediately sweeps you off your feet with the opener ‘Boppin' My Life Away’, complete with a surprising ending. It's immediately apparent that the trio, with Peter and Rob, has a very strong rhythm section. A rhythm section that, even in the event of an earthquake, keeps the tempo going undisturbed. This allows guitarist Jeroen to, as we've come to expect from him, be inventive on the six strings. The solo on the upright bass, which flows seamlessly into Jeroen's guitar work, is also enjoyable in ‘Fallin' Down the Drain’. Variety abounds on this album, something we can only applaud. This is already evident on ‘Double Blue Boogie’, a song that spotlights the creativity and craftsmanship of Tennessee Drifters. To give the song a blues flavor, Ari Matheussen was brought in on blues harp. A brilliant move, perfectly blending rockabilly and blues. This is repeated again on ‘Liquor Blues.’ Sublime! Traces of country resurface in ‘Fade Away’ and ‘Fly Away’, while ‘You Dragged Me Down’ takes us firmly in the direction of rockabilly, driven by Jeroen's infectious guitar riff. This continues in the title track, the raw ‘Fifteen Cats’ and ‘Tennessee Boogie’. Tennessee Drifters hold the Eindhoven rockabilly brotherhood Rockin' Rebels in high regard. This is abundantly evident in ‘Rocking Rebels Rock On,’ also released as a single.
Country also features in the closing track, ‘Free’, a song that ends with gunfire. Hopefully, those don't spell the end for Tennessee Drifters...!
Let's be clear! ‘Life Is Pretty’ effortlessly exceeds our already incredibly high expectations. The trio's intention was to marinate authentic rockabilly in an Eindhoven sauce. Well, Jeroen, Peter, and Rob succeeded with flying colors. What's more, Tennessee Drifters elevates the rockabilly genre by injecting it with influences from blues and country.
‘Life Is Pretty’ is a stunning debut album. Brilliant songs and arrangements, a great rhythm section, and creative guitar parts, all bathed in an excellent sound; it's all there. Hopefully, more songs of this caliber will flow from Jeroen's pen. Highly recommended!

Gene Autry, known for his acting as a movie cowboy, founded Challenge Records in 1957. You might not immediately expect that such a drastic career change would result in impressive rock 'n' roll and rockabilly from incredibly talented artists. Nothing could be further from the truth!
The recent volume, number 51 of the ‘That'll Flat...Git It!’ series, rightly puts Challenge Records and its sub-label, Jackpot Records, in the spotlight.
In 1958, Challenge Records had a mega-hit with the now-immortal ‘Tequila’ by The Champs. A song that immediately launched the label. ‘Tequila’ was joined by masterful recordings by now-famous artists like Dave Burgess, Bobby Bare, Joe Johnson, Johnny Thompson, and Wynn Stewart. But lesser-known names like Kimball Coburn, Kip Tyler, and Poe Kats also produced numerous high-quality recordings that still retain their appeal today. The Champs get to kick things off right away with the sung ‘Everybody's Rockin'’, a smashing rockabilly song they recorded in 1958. They later return with the impressive ‘Alley Cat’ and back Dave Burgess on the excellent ‘Maybelle.’ Dave Burgess's name, incidentally appears more than just as a performing artist. He not only wrote the aforementioned songs for The Champs, but was also responsible for the fiery rocking, excellently guitar-driven ‘Spark Plug’ for The Four Teens. The Four Teens return with the infectious and rousing ‘Go Little Go Cat’. Dave Burgess had a knack for writing hit-worthy songs. He also did so for Champs frontman Dean Beard, among others, on ‘Egad, Charlie Brown’, a song featuring a superb sax. Dean returns with his own raw ‘Shiverin' And Shakin'.’ It's hard to say how many instrumentals Burgess wrote. His high regard for quality and originality is evident once again in The Cherokees' ‘Uprisin’. Ralph Mooney serves up another delightfully rocking instrumental in his own composition, ‘Moonshine’.
Phil Carter delivers a special and highly original piece with the tempo-shifting ‘Amazon.’
The impressive Huelyn Duvall is present with no fewer than five songs. Each one is a sublime rockabilly number.
For excellent harmonies, you can find ‘Kee Ro Ryin’ by Johnny and Jonie, as well as the closing track, ‘Didn't It Rock’, by Jim and Rod (The Noble Brothers). Pianist and songwriter Al Downing began his musical career with The Poe Kats, the former backing band for Wanda Jackson. Downing also played piano on Wanda's ‘Let's Have A Party’, and in 1963, he scored a solo hit with the well-known ‘You'll Never Miss The Water (Till The Well Turns Dry)’, a duet he recorded with Little Esther Phillips. Here, you'll find Al with the aforementioned The Poe Kats, belting out ‘Down On The Farm,’ and his talent as a pianist is especially noteworthy. A driven instrumental guitar number arrives with The Riptides' ‘Machine Gun’. The Kuf-Linx, featuring John Jennings, serve up fantastic doo-wop twice, namely on ‘So Tough’ and rocking on ‘Eyeballin'’.
Jerry Wallace was also active in country music. That genre still subtly resonates in the rocking ‘Good And Bad’. Be sure to check out Prentice Moreland's ‘Holy Mack'rel’. Prentice was a member of bands like The Du Droppers, The Dominoes, and The Fortunes, but here he's screamin' as Little Richard under his own name.
The Jackpot Records sublabel is represented by, among others, the humor-laced ‘Vampire’ by Bobby Bare and the catchy, rocking ‘Come-On’ by Wynn Stewart. George Weston's ‘Well Don't You Know’ and ‘Hey Little Car Hop’ also come from Jackpot Records.
Breathtakingly obscure work thankfully surfaces here, thanks to recordings by artists like Phil Carter, Lee Harris, and The Contenders.
As is tradition, the richly illustrated accompanying booklet features extensive liner notes by Chicago rock expert Bill Dahl.
It remains to be seen how many more volumes will appear in the ‘That'll Flat...Git It!’ series. One thing is certain: quality is always on top, as is the case with this 51st volume.

Bobby Lee Trammell was born on January 31, 1934, as son of cotton farmers. His father Wiley played the fiddle, and his mother Mae played the organ at the local church. As a teenager, Bobby Lee played country music, and when Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash performed in Trammell's neighborhood, Perkins asked him to play a song. Perkins apparently found this convincing, advising Bobby Lee to contact Sam Phillips. To no avail! Trammell once said in an interview that his live performances were wilder than those of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, or Little Richard. His performances were extremely extravagant and erotically provocative. Perhaps that was why he never truly broke through. The term ‘The Wild Man From Arkansas’ suited him perfectly.
He became legendary, however, in 1957, and instantly so, with ‘Shirley Lee’, a self-penned song that made rockabilly history. Thus, he certainly contributed to the evolution of ‘performance’ and ‘sound’.
In this release, the German label Bear Family Records brings together the most essential songs by this legendary rocker in its ‘Rocks’ series. Naturally, you'll find ‘Shirley Lee’, alongside ‘You Mostest Girl’, ‘Woe Is Me’, and ‘Arkansas Twist’, as well as a forgotten gem like the instrumental ‘Mayonnaise Man’.
Bobby Lee Trammell also managed to surround himself with incredibly talented musicians. For example, you'll hear guitarist James Burton on his hit ‘Shirley Lee’ and ‘I Sure Do Love You Baby’. Joe Maphis plays the six strings on ‘My Susie J – My Susie Jane’. Brothers Dorsey and Johnny Burnette play guitar on ‘Open Up Your Heart’ and ‘Woe Is Me’. Sonny Burgess plays the same instrument on ‘Been A Walking’ and ‘Hi Ho Silver’. Bobby Lee enlisted The Jordanaires for backing vocals on ‘Am I Satisfying You’. Another striking fact is that Trammell wrote the vast majority of the 32 songs himself, co-wrote a few, and covered ‘Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On’ with his own unique twist.
After listening, it becomes clear that Bobby Lee Trammell was one of the very best. The songs he wrote possess a tremendous hit-like quality, which he further enhanced with excellent arrangements and accompaniment. He demonstrated his wildest ability on his hit ‘Shirley Lee’, as well as on songs like ‘My Susie J-My Susie Jane’ and ‘Toolie Frollie’. Bobby Lee was capable of many things. For instance, he likely retained that wonderful twang in his voice from his country music past, which can be heard on ‘Uh Oh’. He repeatedly demonstrated that he can also handle ‘the twist’. His ‘Sally Twist’, of which both parts 1 and 2 are included, is particularly impressive. Bobby Lee Trammell passed away on February 20, 2008.
This album was compiled by respected music journalist and Arkansas expert Alex Petrauskas, who also wrote the liner notes. It includes a comprehensive biography of Bobby Lee, supplemented with rare photos, illustrations, and a complete discography.
‘Bobby Lee Trammell Rocks’ is not only a beautiful tribute but also a dream release for any rockabilly fan.

In the review of the fifth volume in the ‘Jive-A-Rama’ series we already mentioned that the fifth volume in the ‘Bop-A-Rama’ series would soon be released. Well, it has already happened and a review is therefore necessary.
Traditionally, you will once again get 28 tracks from the middle of the previous century, supplemented with two contemporary tracks from the Rhythm Bomb archives. These two tracks come from the Australian Chrome Daddies with ‘Cattin’ Around’ and B and The Bops from Ukraine with ‘Crazy Over You’. We start with Johnny Taylor and the rocking rhythm & blues ‘Mixed Up Rhythm & Blues’, including a beautiful piece on the steel guitar. Taylor is followed by the pure rock-‘n-roll of Dick Bills and his ‘Rockin’ And A Rollin’’. A fun fact is that Bills was the uncle of Glenn Campbell, who even worked with Dick in his early days. With John Lee Hooker and Loneseme Sundown, the blues legends announce themselves. Hooker is present with ‘How Can You Do It’, a boogie in his well-known style. Second guitarist on this recording from 1951 is Little Eddie Kirkland. Sundown became especially famous for his Excello recordings. He also recorded the catchy ‘I’m A Mojo Man’ for that label. Also note that beautiful piece of solo on the blues harp. Lightnin’ Slim also comes from the blues, who scores boogie-wise here with ‘Love Me Mama’. Tom James was originally a country artist. That he could just as well put down a cool rockabilly, he shows on ‘Hey Baby’. Country, by means of fiddle and lap steel, was also injected by Curtis Gordon in the beautiful ‘I’d Do It For You’. There are artists that little is known about. One of them is Steve Shuma. For his ‘Thunder Lightnin’’ ‘unknown is unloved’ certainly applies, because the man delivers an impressive rockabilly song, in which the guitar somewhat nods to the recordings of Johnny Cash. That guitarist would be Bob Scott. That roots genres can easily be mixed is also evident from ‘Opal Lee’ by Earl Scott. Scott, a country artist who presents an excellent boppin’ beat here. Country can also be found in ‘One Dead Man Ago’ by Jimmie Skinner. A song that was produced by Ray Stevens, who also recorded under his own name. Curley Griffin wrote songs for Carl Perkins, among others. The ‘You Gotta Play Fair’ presented here also flowed from his pen. You can also hear Perkins’ style in it. Nice tempo changes come to the surface in the super cool ‘It’s A Great Big Day’ by Derrell Felts. With his falsetto voice and ukulele, Tiny Tim scored his world-famous hit ‘Tiptoe Through The Tulips’ in 1968. Eight years earlier he recorded the ‘Teenage Lover’ that can be heard here. Talk about a world of difference! When a music genre is very hot, artists from other genres often try to jump on that train. For example, Jimmy Swan, who operates in country, recorded ‘Country Cattin’’, a somewhat rockabilly number in the hope of gaining the approval of teenagers. Incidentally, Wayne Busby, an artist who used to belong to bluegrass, did the same. His trip towards rockabilly is certainly impressive with ‘Live Your Life With Care’. Straightforward rock-‘n-roll comes in the fiery sax-drenched ‘Hollywood Rock’ by Al Turnage. A song clearly modelled on Bo Diddley is ‘Arkansas Jane’ by The Millionaires. For a black artist who sounds more like a white person, we refer you to Nick Greene and ‘My Lovin’ Baby’.
Volume 5 in the ‘Bop-A-Rama’ effortlessly maintains the high quality level of the previously released four volumes. A series to continue following, that’s for sure!

Volume 50 in the ‘That’ll Flat…Git It!’ series is the fifth, and also the last CD, that pays attention to the more than formidable recordings made by the Columbia label. No surprise that Bear Family Records is once again diving into the archives of this label. The gems are inexhaustible, as is once again evident from the 30 tracks brought together here. In addition to recordings by Columbia, you will also find a few songs that were released by sister labels Epic and OKeh. Once again, we see quite a few well-known artists in the track list. In addition, this CD also contains a number of lesser-known artists, who made wonderful recordings, but for one reason or another were unable to reach the general public. The rockabilly genre developed rapidly, which is why artists from the country also wanted to get a piece of its success. Naturally, they injected the genre with country influences. And you also get wonderful examples of this. We start with Link Wray, the king of distortion and the well-known instrumental ‘Raw-Hide’. Wray returns later with the bluesy ‘Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby’, one of the rare songs where he also makes himself heard as a singer.
And Link is not the only well-known one. He is soon joined by Johnny Horton (present with three songs), The Collins Kids (twice) and Carl Perkins. Also present is Johnny Cash, who scored his first hit with Columbia with ‘What Do I Care’, after he left Sam Phillips.
A dynamic raw rocker, with razor-sharp guitar work is ‘Do Do Do’ by Ronnie Dawson, then still recording as Commonwealth Jones. Impressive, but also somewhat more commercial, sounds ‘Let Me Your Comb’ by Bernie Nee.
The influences of country are clearly audible in ‘Little Jimmy Dickens’ ‘Stinky Pass The Hat Around’, partly due to the nice piece of fiddle. Country also resonates in Charlie Adams’ ‘Cattin’ Around’ and ‘Sugar Diet’, as well as in ‘Case Of The Blues’ by Mel Tills, Lefty Frizzell’s ‘From An Angel To A Devil’, ‘There’s A Change In Me’ by Bill Phillips and in ‘The Little Rock Roll’ (with a nice harmonica) and ‘Lay It On The Line’ by Johnny Bond. Even more country is provided by ‘Hook, Line And Sinker’ by Gordon Terry and Carl Butler’s ‘Baby I’m A-Walkin’’.
Hillbilly influences are expressed in ‘Let Me Love You’ by The Maddox Brothers and Rose, while a touch of rhythm & blues can be heard in ‘A Looka – A Looka’ by Larry Hart. Doo-wop is part of ‘Party Pooper’ by Bobby Lord.
It must be said that the Columbia label was certainly not inferior to Sam Phillips’ Sun label in terms of quality rockabilly recordings. This compilation proves this once again with great aplomb.

With a limited 10” edition of 500 copies, the German Bear Family Records is ready for its next showpiece with ‘Ooh-Eee! What You Do To Me? Rockers And Country Boppers From Atlanta, Ga’. This vinyl edition contains 12 super tracks by young, enormously talented rockabilly artists. Recordings they made for the Stars, Inc. label from Atlanta, Georgia. The man to whom we owe these beautiful recordings is Bill Lowery. As a 16-year-old he started as a DJ and then managed a radio station, after which he settled in Atlanta in 1946. Lowery was a man of many talents. In addition to being a well-known DJ, he was also present in a morning country program and had his own music publishing company, where he scored his first two successes with ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ and ‘Young Love’. His label Stars, Inc., which had already ceased to exist at the end of 1957, he launched in 1955, in the heyday of the rockabilly. Although Jerry Reed did not record his own single for this label, he can be heard as a composer and guitarist on many of the recordings brought together here. Such as immediately on the opener and also the title track of this release. Jerry is listed as a songwriter, but can also be heard as a guitarist on both the version by Chuck Atha and this one by Ric Cartey, with which the second side opens. And it is clear that Jerry takes the songs to a higher level with his playing. The second track comes with Judy Tolbert and ‘I’m Wise To You Now’, on which you can once again hear magnificent guitar work, which is probably also by Reed. Reed is a common thread throughout this album. For example, he also composed the two instrumental parts of the bluesy ‘Rock Bottom’ by The Rockateers, on which Jerry shows an extremely beautiful piece of blues guitar. Pay also special attention to the second part, which is started with a nice honky tonk piano. For a portion of impressive ‘straightforward’ rockabilly you can go to The Night Hawks with ‘You’re My Baby’ and later on the second side with Cleve Warnock and his ‘My Baby Is Gone’. Warnock returns later with the poignant country-like ‘A Boy And A Guitar’. The first side closes with the country-inspired ‘Song Of The Singing Wind’ by Kenny Lee. A cheerful and well-voiced Billy Barton turns ‘Ten Wheels’ into an attractive trucker’s song. Each song radiates its own grooves. This certainly applies to the enormously emotional ‘Riding Shotgun (In A Hot Rod Car)’ by Danny Welch. Side two closes in genuine raw, rousing rockabilly style with Billy Brown’s ‘Did We Have A Party’.
As an extra, you also get a beautifully illustrated 10-page folder with all the information about the artists and the tracks.
That Bill Lowery had a nose for talent is evident from the 12 tracks that adorn this vinyl release. He would later tap into that talent at NRC Records.

The Maddox Brothers And Rose are the next artists in the spotlight in the three-part CD series ‘The California Acetates And More’. Previously, this unique series had already released boxes about Jimmie Dolan, Billy Barton and Terry Fell. The Maddox Brothers and Rose are no strangers in the history of American roots music. Together, the brothers and their sister Rose made quite a few, sometimes daring recordings, which included hillbilly, blues and country. As a result, they can certainly be considered pioneers of rockabilly. The group was formed by brothers Fred, Cal, Cliff and Don and their sister Rose. The Maddox family initially lived in Alabama but moved to California with their then young children. It was the 1930s, years of the economic depression and the family worked from early morning until late at night as pickers of fruit and vegetables. Social security did not exist, which made life extremely difficult and hard. The family noticed that those who performed at local rodeo shows made more money and more easily than those who worked hard. They decided to take the plunge into music. In 1937, they made their first appearance on a country radio station as The Maddox Brothers Band. However, there appeared to be a small problem. The sponsor thought the band had a female lead singer, which they did not. Fred Maddox responded that his then eleven-year-old sister Rose was the best singer. Anecdotally, he did not mention that Rose only knew the lyrics to three songs. But then World War II came as a spoilsport and the family's musical activities were interrupted from 1939 to 1945. At the end of World War II, the now 16-year-old Rose was married and had a son. However, that did not prevent her from recording and touring again with her brothers. With their mix of hillbilly, country and gospel and Fred who played the slap bass, the band was one of the founders of rockabilly, although they called it ‘Okie Boogie’ and the rest is history.
This box contains no less than 93 uptempo songs that The Maddox Brothers and Rose recorded between 1947 and 1963. 7 of those songs come from acetates and have therefore never been released before.
The first CD contains the recordings made for the 4 Star label, supplemented with 2 acetates, namely the demos of ‘I Don’t Care If Tomorrow Never Comes’ and ‘Tell Me You Care’.
The first CD kicks off with ‘I Couldn’t Believe It Was True’, where you are immediately overwhelmed by Rose’s lead vocals, which are nicely complemented by the brothers. The band was also extremely versatile. Be sure to listen to their version of ‘Milk Cow Blues’ for that. But also wonderful country and Western Swing and ‘Okie Boogie’ as they call it themselves, were no problem for this quintet. The lightning-fast instrumental ‘Water Baby Blues’ and the equally instrumental ‘Texas Guitar Stomp’ are also magnificent.
The first CD also contains songs where Fred, Cal or Don sing the lead vocals separately or together. The cheerfulness that the family radiates on all recordings is also striking.
This also applies to the second CD, which, in addition to recordings for 4 Star, also features their recordings for Columbia and Decca. The songs recorded with a string band are also beautiful. The songs on which Eddie Cletro’s orchestra provides the accompaniment show that Rose has evolved and has more control over her voice. ‘Hey Little Dreamboat’, recorded together with Eddie Cletro, already clearly shows how Rose is successfully moving towards rockabilly. The second CD concludes with the acetate demo of ‘Georges Playhouse Boogie’.
On the third CD we find recordings made for Columbia, Capitol, Black Jack and Flat-Git-It. Songs that were recorded in the second half of the fifties. You can clearly hear that the band has evolved enormously and where Rose's vocal control once again reaches new heights. The recordings that Rose made with Billy Strange's orchestra are so beautiful. Those songs are bathed in a fuller sound. A sign that Rose, Fred and Cal were clearly inspired by the then new prevailing musical zeitgeist.
The third part concludes with four acetate recordings of demos.
This three-part box not only offers an impressive overview of the career of The Maddox Brothers and Rose, but also shows the enormous evolution that the quintet went through.
In this respect, we can fully agree with Fred Maddox's statement: 'We are ten years ahead of ourselves'. Rose then always hit back with 'twenty!'. We cannot put it better ourselves.

Columbia and Epic Records, which operated under its wings, had many talented artists under contract. The archives of both labels are therefore almost inexhaustible when it comes to the magnificent rock-‘n-roll and rockabilly that they recorded. It is therefore not surprising that volume 49 in the ‘That’ll Flat… Git It!’ series pays attention to these record companies for the fourth time.
It is also not surprising that this volume is bursting with well-known names. For example, you will find no less than two tracks by Carl Perkins here, namely ‘Pop, Let Me Have The Car’ and ‘Jive After Five’. Johnny Horton also makes himself heard twice. He is there with ‘Ole Slew-Foot’ and ‘I Don’t Like I Did’. Other well-known people come along with, among others, The Collins Kids with the unissued ‘The Cuckoo Rock’, Rose Maddox with the nicely rocking ‘Hey Little Dreamboat’, Ronnie Self and Link Wray. Link made a splash with his wonderfully distorted guitar in many cool instrumentals. Here he gets behind the microphone for the nicely tempo-changing 'Mary Ann'. Fortunately, he doesn't leave his guitar in the case here either.
The album starts off very promisingly with 'Run'em Off' by Billy Brown. Perhaps not so well-known at first, but he was the one who recorded the 'He'll Have To Go' made famous by Jim Reeves for the very first time. There is also Bill Craddock with the incredibly clever and catchy 'Lulu Lee', including a breathtaking sax solo.
The artists under contract with Columbia were even allowed to occasionally colour outside the lines of their familiar genre. In this way, a number of artists who were known under the 'country' label were also able to show their rockabilly side. This certainly applies to ‘Little’ Jimmy Dickens who sublimely mixes country with rockabilly in ‘Salty Boogie’ and ‘Country Ways And City Ideas’ with a cool fiddle solo. Billy Walker also scored several times for Columbia with country songs. He also rocks country-style here on ‘Whirlpool’. Country is also the undertone of Onie Wheeler’s ‘Onie’s Bop’. Someone who also got that chance was Johnny Bond. In addition to being a guitarist, songwriter, author, radio figure, actor in Western films, he was also a not bad singer, as you can hear here on ‘All I Can Do Is Cry’. A touch of country also adorns ‘I’m Lookin’ For A Musterd Patch’ by ​​Jimmy Murphy, provided with a wonderful harmonica.
Traditionally, you will also find a number of rather rare, discoverable recordings here. Sublime rockabilly also comes from The Tunesmiths with ‘Oh Stop!’ and also note the excellent steel guitar and fiddle. Impressive is the blues shuffle-modeled ‘Who’s Been Here’ by Commonwealth Jones, with excellent work on the six strings. Charlie Adams also graces this compilation with ‘Black Land Blues’, Lefty Frizzel’s younger brother David Frizzell with ‘Tag Along’ and Jim Burgett with the slower ‘The Living Dead’.
Volume 49 concludes with Wally Hughes and the train song ‘Bye Bye Baby (Movin’ Down The Line).
This album also comes with a beautifully produced 34-page booklet with all the information about the artists and the tracks.
For excellent rockabilly and rock-‘n-roll, people often only look at the recordings of Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios. But admit that they didn’t have to give in to Sun at Columbia.

A few months ago we were introduced to the three-CD box set around Jimmie Dolan. That was also the first release in the series ‘The California Acetates And More’, created by the Atomicat label. For more information about ‘acetates’, we would like to refer you to the review of the Jimmy Dolan release, which you can read again here https://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/jimmie-dolan-stingy.
‘The California Acetates And More’ series now gets a nice sequel with the also 3-CD box ‘Billy Barton And Friends’. In total you get 97 songs, of which no less than 37 previously unreleased ‘acetates’. Barton also wrote songs for others. These friends, who you will also find on this three-part box, are Johnny Horton, Barton's second wife Wanda Wayne, Carlyn Johnson, Cousin Herb Henson, Fuzzy and Bonnie Owen, Carolyn Bradshaw, Herb and Kay, The Maddox Brothers and Rose, Webb Pierce, Lefty Frizzell, The Variatones, Bob Miller, Benny Martin and Wynn Stewart. The common thread between these artists is, as previously indicated, that they all recorded songs that flowed from Billy Barton's pen. Among them were a number of crucial songs in the history of country music. Think of 'Forgive Me John', 'I Love You', 'Silence', 'Somebody Cries', 'You Got To Bite To Catch On', 'I'll Find Her', 'Donna On My Mind' and 'Done Done It'. To make it even more extensive, Billy Barton did not always record under this name. He also used pseudonyms such as Johnny Grimes (his real name was John Ralph Grimes), Hillbilly Barton, Billy Boy Barton and Laurel London.
Billy Barton was born on November 21, 1929 in East Bernstadt, Laurel County, Kentucky. In his teens he studied to be a tobacco auctioneer, a title he was allowed to claim at the age of 16. However, World War II threw a spanner in the works and after Billy had completed his military service, he started a career in the music industry. In 1951, in an unidentifiable studio in California, he became friends with Johnny Horton during his demo recordings, who was the first artist to be signed to the Abbott label. The second artist to be signed there was Billy Barton. In March 1952, Barton made his first commercial recordings as Hillbilly Barton with ‘Strange Affection / She’s A Good Ole Gal’, ‘No Interest / Never Satisfied’ and ‘My Darlin’ Liza Lou / You Made Me Love You (With A Twinkle In Your Eye)’. In 1953, he recorded as Billy Barton With The Circle O Ranch Boys. As Hillbilly Barton, he was also the lead singer on ‘No Help Wanted / A Heartbreak Ago’ by Bill Woods and His Orange Blossom Playboys. Later that year, he also went into the studio as Johnny Grimes, and together with Wandy Wayne for the King label. In 1957, Grimes or Barton, as you prefer, went to an unknown California studio where he recorded for Stars, Inc. Records. A year later, in June 1958, he recorded ‘Crazy Lover / Day Late And A Dollar Short’, two rockabilly numbers written by himself. For the Fire label, which was re-launched in 1958, Barton also served as band manager, producer, songwriter, mixing manager and most likely instrumentalist. There is even speculation that Barton may have been the owner or co-owner of Fire, which ceased to exist in 1960. In the sixties, Barton could often be found in Gulf studios, Sim's studios and those of the Quartercash label.
Just as Billy Barton recorded under various names, he also married several times. In addition to all the information about Barton, you can also read all the details about this in the 14-page booklet written by Mark Armstrong. Billy Barton passed away on October 8, 2011.
What is striking is that all three CDs contain songs that abundantly demonstrate Billy Barton's songwriting talent. Whether it's uptempo hillbilly, country, duets, rockabilly or swinging teenage rock-'n-roll, Barton always had the ears to package those genres in a nice melody. For example, the waltzing 'Betty Lorraine' by Johnny Horton is a song that not only captures the zeitgeist in two minutes, but is also immortal. Horton and Barton shine together vocally a little later in 'Somebody's Rockin' My Broken Heart'. Wonderful harmony! They repeat that together by the way. When Barton does the vocals alone, you only hear what a beautiful and dynamic voice he has. There are plenty of examples of this. You can already hear the first traces of Barton's rockabilly in 'A Lying Tongue', a first 'acetate' on this box, which he recorded as Hillbilly Barton. Later on, beautiful 'acetates' follow by Barton of course, but also by Wanda Wayne and Johnny Horton. A very fine 'acetate' is certainly Barton's country tearjerker 'I'm Through With Your Love'. Barton and Wanda Wayne shine together several times. It is difficult to choose a topper, because the duo always knows how to get the best out of each other to get. Billy Barton pulls out all the stops solo in the fast ‘Why Don’t They Leave Her Alone’ that he recorded for King in 1955. But also in a slow number like ‘What God Has Put Together, Let No Man Tear Apart’ Barton’s talent effortlessly comes to the fore. Billy goes in the direction of rockabilly with ‘So Called Friend’, ‘Crazy Lover’ and ‘Date Late And A Dollar Short’. He conducts a bit more teenage poppy as Billy Boy Barton in ‘Blue Lover’ and certainly also in ‘Two Kids In Love’ on which he can be heard together with Carlyn Johnson.
And then there is the third CD, on which most of the ‘acetate’ recordings can be found. Recordings that are all more than worth listening to.
It is beyond doubt that Barton, Grimes or under whatever name he recorded, had a feel for the prevailing music of his time. Even more, he succeeded with flying colors in adapting to new emerging styles such as rockabilly or even pop.
And yet I am still left with one question. Why did Billy Barton become no more than a footnote in American music history? A question that should not have been asked, because these 97 tracks show that Barton is worth more than that simple footnote.
What also deserves a mention is the superior sound in which this box bathes. The fact that these songs are three quarters of a century old can only be seen on the track listings. You certainly do not hear it!