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!

In 2019, we were already very enthusiastic about Ray Allen's album 'Personally'. The somewhat sophisticated way in which this German approached rockabilly certainly appealed to us. For his new album 'Chains', Ray went to the Lightning Recorders Studio in Berlin. He recorded 13 songs by Mathias Arnold, as Ray's real name is. Lyrically, Ray sought inspiration in what each of us experiences. Love, happy relationships, failed relationships, searching for oneself to ultimately end up with true love. He packages all of this in danceable songs. In the opener and the title track, Ray does this in an infectious country and western way. Country also forms the basis for the warm piano-driven 'Walking Through The Mountains'. He goes more rocking on 'Don't Push Me', which deals with 'wasted time'. The life of an artist is not always a bed of roses. ‘Footlights, Fears & Fame’ are part of it. Dream subjects to pour into a catchy emotional song. The love-craving ‘The Only Thing That Matters’ is captivating, with a great piano part by Holger Niemeyer. Allen rocks cheerfully and enjoys the good moments on ‘Let’s Have A Good Time’. Ray also rocks on ‘Let Me Be The One’, including a wonderful clean guitar moment, which he repeats on ‘I’ll Have My Way’. Ray drifts towards blues mid-tempo on ‘Get Down With The Blues’. Ending a relationship with ‘No Hard Feelings’ is not always self-evident. Ray shows that it is possible in a cheerful melody, with another nice piano part.
That it doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom is demonstrated by the final track ‘You Move Me’, which also has a somewhat summery undertone.
With ‘Chains’ Ray Allen proves once again that he has mastered writing ‘catchy’ songs and that you don’t have to kick around wildly to make rockabilly sound catchy. Add a good dose of country and you know that Ray Allen keeps the fire of the roots genre burning in his own way.

With the 33 tracks on this album, all from the archives of the Starday label, we are already at volume 47 in the ‘That’ll Flat…Git It’ series. Starday was founded in Beaumont, Texas in June 1953. The owners were Jack Starns Jr. and Harold ‘Pappy’ Daily. The intention of both gentlemen was to make Starday a pure country label. Don Pierce soon came on board. After the departure of Starns Jr., the rockabilly genre emerged in the mid-fifties, from which Starday was eager to get a piece of the pie. They brought on board greats such as George Jones and Sleepy LaBeef, then still listed as Sleepy LaBeff. In addition to these two artists, well-known rockers such as Sonny Fisher and Link Davis also found shelter at Starday. Just as important, however, were the many recordings of unknown, often amateurish and obscure, but energetic talents, which the label released in the ‘Starday’s Custom Series’. For this series, amateurs could send in their home-made recordings and, for a fee, they would become the owners of 300 vinyls with their creations. This way, unknown but no less talented rockers got their money's worth. That these gentlemen produced exciting, energetic rock-'n-roll can be heard on the gems of Buddy Shaw, Larry Nolen, Hal Payne, Arnold Parker and The Southernairs and Lou Walker, among others.
Rocky Bill Ford ran a barbershop, but that he was also a talented rocker is shown in the first track 'Have You Seen Mabel'. Bill Ford is immediately followed by the well-known Sonny Fisher with the excellent rockabilly song 'Sneaky Pete'. Sonny returns later with 'Little Red Wagon'. The then still called Sleepy LaBeff, gets to shine for the first time in the previously unreleased 'I Ain't Gonna Take It' and in the closing song 'I'm Through'. Wonderful rockabilly, including excellent guitar and piano work, comes with ‘Don’t Sweep That Dirt On Me’ by Buddy Shaw. A recording that was released in the aforementioned ‘Starday’s Custom Series’ was ‘King Of The Ducktail Cats’ by Larry Nolen & His Bandits. Formidable rocking Western Swing! George Jones became known earlier as a country artist. However, rockabilly also suited him like a glove. You can hear that here in ‘How Come It’ that he recorded as Thumper Jones. Jones was not the only country artist who recorded rockabilly. That also applied to Leon Payne, who recorded the excellent ‘That Ain’t It’ as Rock Rogers. Another Payne provides a dose of honky tonk, namely Hal Payne in ‘Honky Tonk Stomp’. Vernon Wray was the older brother of Link Wray. His typical guitar sound can also be heard in ‘Teenage Cutie’ and the other Wray, namely Doug, was on the drums. Steel guitar and fiddle give Bill Mack’s ‘It’s Saturday Night’ a country vibe in addition to rockabilly. Link Davis was not one to stick to one genre. Link started as a country fiddler, then switched to Cajun and finally shone as a tenor saxophonist on several legendary rock-‘n-roll songs, including ‘Chantilly Lace’ by The Big Bopper and ‘Runnig Bear’ by Johnny Preston. Under his own name, he recorded the original ‘Sixteen Chicks’ and ‘Don’t Big Shot Me’ for Starday. Top-notch rockabilly, on which he also presents a nice piece of sax solo. If you like excellent vocal work, then ‘My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now’ by Sleepy Jeffers and The Davis Twins is definitely recommended. Blues influences can be found in Jimmy Johnson’s ‘Woman Love’.
Bill Dahl once again provides you with all the information about the artists and tracks in the 37-page booklet.
It should be clear by now that if you want to add the hottest rockabilly of The Lone Star State to your collection, the 47th volume in the ‘That’ll Flat…Git It!’ series is more than worth its money.

Recently you already received the reviews of the fourth volumes in the series ‘Stroll-A-Rama’ and ‘Jive-A-Rama’ on this site and now it is the turn of ‘Bop-A-Rama’. Here too the Atomicat label serves you 30 boppin’ tracks. 28 of them date from the golden period 1953-1963, supplemented with 2 tracks from the Rhythm Bomb Records archives. Brace yourself for energetic rockabilly, rhythmic country rockers and tight blues. Tony and Jackie Lamie with The Swing Kings may surprisingly give the starting shot with ‘Sunset Blues’, a song that has rockabilly, country and blues in it. The next one to be discussed is a well-known one, namely Moon Mullican. The fiddle breathes both hillbilly and country in ‘Jenny Lee’. Among the accompanists we find guitarists Hank Garland and Grady Martin. Martin returns later for brilliant guitar work on the bopping ‘Be Bop Baby’ by Autry Inman. Grady was a much sought-after studio musician, because he also provides a sublime sound on the six strings on Johnny Bond’s country-like ‘All I Can Do’. Clever guitar work also adorns ‘You Can Have My Love’ by Judy Capps and Pat Kingary. A cool rock-‘n-roll song comes with ‘It Ain’t Right’ by Gordon Terry, who brings in wonderful backing vocals with The Jordanaires. Mojo Buford became known as a harmonica player in Muddy Waters’ band. Here you can hear him at work on the blues harp in the instrumental ‘Can’t Sit Down’ by the Voodoo Men. Buford also has a link with the next number, the well-known ‘Hold Me In Your Arms’ by that other blues harper James Cotton. When Cotton left Muddy Waters’ band in 1967, Buford returned to replace him. Cotton leaves the harmonica in the box here and concentrates on the vocals. Also note the beautiful guitar of Pat Hare. Henry Wilson with The Bluenotes present a top rockabilly number in ‘Are You Ready’. Curley Jim was originally a country singer. That rock-‘n-roll is also in his genes, he proves with The Billey Rocks on ‘Rock And Roll Itch’. Sonny Hall also provides more rousing rock with ‘My Big Fat Baby’, as does Ricky and The Stompers with ‘The Wild One’. Rock-‘n-roll in its purest form comes later with Billy Smith and ‘Tell Me Baby’. Guitarist Joe Maphis was Larry Collins mentor and Joe can also be heard here. Larry formed The Collins Kids together with his sister Lorrie. Youthful rock of the highest order is the result here and can be heard on ‘Hoy Hoy’. ‘Great old school country’ is next with ‘Wishin’ I Was Kissin’ You’ by Leon Merritt. Vocalist and drummer Willie Nix worked with blues legends like Earl Hooker, Walter Horton and Joe Hill Louis. Of course his ‘Just Can’t Stay’ can also be classified as blues. More blues follows immediately afterwards with grandmaster Lightnin’ Slim in ‘Have Your Way’. On the harmonica you hear super face slider Lazy Lester. You certainly know the country blues ‘Step It Up And Go’ from Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. In a completely different arrangement, with beautiful backing vocals by The Jack Halloran Singers, Mac Wiseman presents the song here. The Netherlands also made itself heard through Peter Koelewijn in the golden years of rock-‘n-roll, and….. in Dutch. No ‘Kom Van Dat Dak Af’ here, but the equal ‘De Hele Stad Is Gek En Dol’. A beautiful steel guitar characterizes the mix of hillbilly and country in ‘Baby I’ll Soon Be Gone’ by Lattie Moore. Unfortunately unknown to many!
Tracks 29 and 30 are reserved for the songs from the archives of Rhythm Bomb Records. First up, the British Rhythm River Trio may perform with the seventh take of ‘I Can’t Go’. A song that can be heard here for the first time. The Australian Chrome Daddies may close with ‘It Must Be Something’. The released version can be found on their album ‘Gear Up Daddy’.
Frontman of the Daddies is Doug Wilshire. On the previously reviewed fourth volume of ‘Jive-A-Rama’ you can hear him under his own name in ‘Five Star Boogie’.
It is clear that the Atomicat team does not ‘take any chances’ when compiling albums. These series never disappoint, but……….. they do leave you wanting more!

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!

After the release of volume 5 'Fatty Patty' in 2021, it became quiet around the 'Rock And Roll Floozy' series for a while. That silence is now broken because with 'Pauline' the series continues on the successful path it has taken. That still means rockabilly and rock-'n-roll that are not always well-known, but more than worth listening to. Let yourself be carried away by the jive, stroll and bop rhythms. Getting into the right mood right away is easy. Pat Kelly and The Shamrocks ensure that with 'Hey Doll Baby', a song from 1958. Lonnie Mullins was an American country artist. You can clearly hear that country was the breeding ground for the rockabilly song 'It Was You'. In addition to country, Phil Sullivan also had some folk in his genes. He shows that both genres match perfectly in 'You Get A Thrill'. Beautiful harmonies, somewhat like The Everly Brothers, are served by Marcus Brothers with 'Little Girl In Pigtails'. Later, Bob and Denny, The Dennis Brothers, also appear in that genre with ‘Hush Hush Little Baby’. A big name is certainly Johnny Rivers, whose album ‘Johnny Rivers At The Whiskey A-Go-Go’ has become a classic. Here he signs present with the rocking ‘Baby, Come Back’ recorded in 1958. At Sam Phillips’ Sun label, Ernie Barton could be deployed in many areas, including as a producer, songwriter and artist. However, he did not become successful with it, although his ‘Stairway To Nowhere’ is a song that is certainly worth mentioning. Fans of instrumental rockers will get their money’s worth with ‘Big Wheel’ by The Royaltones. Nice alternation between sax and guitar, by the way. The title track ‘Pauline’ comes with Bobby Doyle. It is his most famous song, but Bobby became even more famous through his collaboration with the young Kenny Rogers and later briefly with Blood, Sweat and Tears. The nice clean sounding ‘If You Don’t Like It, Don’t Knock It’ by Kimo Lee is also great. ‘Shirley Lee’ was Bobby Lee Trammell’s most and best rocking song. It goes without saying that it belongs on this compilation. Rockabilly in its purest form, you get with ‘Little Forty Ford’ by the Oregon rockabilly artist Leon Smith. Despite the cool songs, Ronnie Self’s solo career did not reap the deserved success. You can hear that he recorded good songs during ‘Big Town’. Guitarist Al Casey worked as a studio musician with a number of big names. He proves that he could also score under his own name with ‘If I Told You’. The Nashville rocker Jimmy Isle recorded his best rocker in 1958 for Roulette with ‘Goin’ Wild’. The song flowed from the pen of Jimmy’s brother Ronnie. The spoken narrative ‘Cruisin’ Central’ by Faron Warner is also great. ‘Apron Strings’ was covered by Cliff Richard as a flipside of his single with ‘Living Doll’ as A side. Here you get the original version of Billy The Kid, after which Sonny Lowery waves goodbye to the album with ‘Goodbye Baby Goodbye’.
Having to wait three years for a sequel in the ‘Rock and Roll Floozy’ series was rewarded 100%. After all, you rarely come across such formidable rockabilly and rock-‘n-roll served on a platter. Magnificent volume!

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 Ford Motor Company was founded on June 16, 1903 by Henry Ford. That same year, Ford achieved its first success with the production of the 'Model A'. A model that was extremely popular in the late 1940s as a basis for designing and building Hot Rods. After the end of the Second World War, the 'T model' (1910-1920), the 'As model' (1928-1931) and the 'Bs model' (1932-1934) were extremely popular among Hot Rod enthusiasts. In the fifties it were the rockers who organized races for it. In the more luxurious segment of the car industry, Ford scored with the Lincoln, named after President Abraham Lincoln. However, not all models that Ford launched were successful. The 1949 to 1951 Fords were labeled as 'shoe box cars' and the Ford Edsel, named after Henry's son, was a commercial flop. The reasons for the lack of success were the appearance, the economic recession, the price problem and the numerous production problems, such as defective welds, leaking trunks and problems with the power steering.
Ford later expanded its branches worldwide, which gave the brand a lot of name recognition. Over the years, Ford allo bought Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin.
Reasons enough to put Ford in the spotlight on its 121st anniversary with 30 songs by well-known and lesser-known artists. The songs may have the name 'Ford' in the lyrics or the bands may have chosen a Ford model as the name.
'Start the engine and let's go'! Who immediately sounds through the speakers is Curtis Gordon, who delivers a hell of a rockabilly song with 'Draggin''. Curtis is followed by class act Gene Vincent who talks about his 'Pink Thunderbird', 'with a red fur seat'. Eddie Cochran also honored Ford with 'Pink Peg Slacks' and in 'Somethin' Else'.
More famous people arrive with Janis Martin. She transformed Buck Griffin's 'Let's Elope Baby' into a real rock 'n' roller. 'She had a high speed motor in a 44 coupe', impressed the rocking 'Hot Rod Baby' Rocky Davis. Lefty Nicks gives his 'Model A-Ford Blues' an authentic country blues jacket. The T-model inspired Rosco Gordon for his 'T-Model Boogie'. Willie Love was more in the mood for a stronger engine. He chose 'V8 Ford', a song that exudes a slow blues atmosphere. A beautiful piece of blues harp is cleverly contained in 'Mercury Boogie' by K.C Douglas Trio.
Betty Rogers presents a wonderful cover version of Hank Williams' 'Hey Good Lookin''. Buddy Knox also opted for a cover. He took Chuck Berry's 'Maybellene' and gave it a great rockabilly twist.
For beautiful doo-wop you can go to The Fairlanes and 'Johnny Rhythm'. The Fairlanes later appear together with lead singer Charles Perrywell in 'Come Along With Me', which has a Chuck Berry edge. You get Chuck Berry himself in 'Jaguar and Thunderbird'.
More doo-wop comes with the band that chose a Ford model as the group name, namely The Edsels. They go up-tempo in 'Shake Sherry Shake'. The Lincolns also chose their group name in the same way. They are present with the also uptempo 'Pleasin' You - Pleases Me'.
There is also beautiful harmony singing with the vocal women's group The Delicates in 'Black And White Thunderbird'. Another vocal group The Paramounts chose the same model with 'Thunderbird Baby'. You can certainly rock on the sax-driven instrumental 'What's The Word' by The Thunder Rocks. Another nice instrumental serves up Sunset Dragster's Orchestra. You can hear what a Thunderbird should sound like in their 'Boss T Bird'.
The album ends with 'Arkie Meets The Judge' by Arkie Shibley and The Mountain Dew Boys, set to a hillbilly instrumental background.
'121 Years Of The Ford Car' is not only a beautiful ode to a car brand that made mobility possible for the general public, but also offers a collection of sublime songs in genres such as blues, rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and hillbilly. This album is definitely recommended on a long car trip, or at home in your familiar surroundings. The choice is yours!

You recently could read the review of volume 43 in the 'That'll Flat...Git It! series, and now volume 45 is in our playback device. I already hear you asking... and where is volume 44? Well, that volume was already released in August 2023 and you can reread its review here. Okay, but now back to volume 45 which focuses on Imperial Records releases. The label had country, rockabilly and New Orleans rhythm & blues in its catalog. A catalog that was also supplemented with subgenres. The label produced many well-known artists. Just think of Ricky Nelson, The Burnette Brothers, Merle Kilgore, Lew Williams, Laura Lee Perkins, Dennis Herrold, Jackie Walker and Bob Luman. Other names that would later come into the spotlight are the then young Freddy Fender and Roy Brown, who later made a name for himself as a blues shouter. These buzzing names are joined by lesser-known and obscure artists. Tommy Lomonte kicks off. Together with the famous Dave Bartholomew he wrote the super rocker 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah'. Tommy is followed by Ricky Nelson with 'Shirley Lee'. Nelson returns twice more with 'One Of These Mornings' and 'Milk Cow Blues'. Another great one within the genre was Bob Luman. He appears four times, including the often covered 'Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache', which Bob was the first artist to record. In 'Blue Days, Black Nights' he shows his country side a luttele more. Merle Kilgore was also one of the showpieces of the Imperial label. He is included on this compilation with three songs. The somewhat slow 'Start All Over Again' is intriguing. In addition to being a performing artist, Kilgore has also written many hits, such as 'Ring Of Fire' by Johnny Cash, with June Carter as co-writer. A strong hillbilly undertone characterizes Gene Henslee's 'Rockin' Baby' and 'Diggin' 'n' Datin''. With a very raw voice, Laura Lee Perkins works her way through 'Kiss Me Baby'. Remarkable is certainly 'So Shy' by The Leen Teens. Song that floats on a nice clean guitar sound. Voice drenched in echo and rock 'n' roll and rockabilly go together perfectly more than once. A good example of this is 'Get Off My Back' by Jay Blue. A highlight is certainly Ronnie Smith's 'Long Time No Love', which features a cool piano. Song written by Roy Orbison. Roy Brown showcases a relaxed blues atmosphere in 'Slow Down Little Eva'. Dorsey and Johnny Burnette composed 'Yes, I'm Gonna Love You', which you get here in Sonny Anderson's version. For a formidable instrumental guitar rocker you can go to The Sidewinders and their 'Sidewinder'. Long before he made a name for himself as a country artist in the seventies, Freddy Fender was active as a rocker. You can witness this during the slow rocking 'Mean Woman'.
This compilation once again makes it clear that Imperial took many well-known artists under its wing. A lot of attention was also paid to the recordings. Excellent compositions, clever arrangements and beautiful vocal performances completed the picture. All things you would expect from a well-known record label.

With the album about Eddie Bond in the 'Rocks' series, the German Bear Family Records takes a look at Memphis rockabilly. The CD contains 14 tracks from the fifties, which Bond recorded for Ekko, Mercury and Sun/PI, 15 songs recorded in the sixties for Millionaire and Stomper Time, among others, and 6 songs from the rockabilly revival of the seventies.
Bond was born in Memphis in 1933 and when he made his first recording in the mid-1950s, he was at the center of the new rockabilly genre. From 1956 to 1959, Bond was one of the top stars of the genre. He performed in shows where Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash were also present. Eddie started and ended as a country artist, but his backing band always included musicians who belonged to the top rockabilly musicians. His Mercury recordings with guitarist Reggie Young are classics within the rockabilly genre. Recordings that can also be found here.
The compilation starts with Eddie's biggest hit, his 'signature song', the 1956 recorded 'Rockin' Daddy'. Song that made him known as the 'rockin' daddy from ding dong Tennessee'. The steel guitar played by John Hughey clearly shows Bond's country background. The CD ends with the same song, but recorded in 1972.
It was not uncommon in the 1950s for original hits to be frequently covered. Eddie Bond did that too, but in a very special way. You already experience this, for example, in Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes', where Jerry Lee Smith unleashes a hell of a piano solo. Other excellent covers include Hank Williams' 'Fool About You', Jimmy Reed's 'Big Boss Man', Tarheel Slim's 'No. 9 Train' with probably Charlie Feathers on guitar, although there is no certainty about that, Hank Ballard's 'Tore Up Over You', the rockabilly version of Ray Charles' 'I've Got A Woman' with sublime guitar work by Reggie Young, Little Richards' 'Long Tall Sally' and Chuck Berry's 'Memphis, Tennessee, which boasts wonderful harmonies between Eddie and his bassist Bobby Joe Killingsworth.
It's actually embarrassing to label them as covers, because they often effortlessly surpass the original.
The cd shows that Eddie Bond was at home in many musical markets in 'Love Makes A Fool (Every Day), a pearl of honky-tonk country. On 'Satisfied' the choir provides a pleasant gospel feel, while 'Let The Good Times Roll' is given a New Orleans rhythm & blues twist.
But Bond also had talent as a writer and co-writer. It is a fact that 'Here Comes The Train' is one of his best songs. But also 'Monkey Business' is also a fine example of rocking country. Other great original songs include 'Look Like A Monkey' and 'The Monkey And The Baboon'.
You can hear Eddie's love for country throughout his repertoire. The way he injects it into his rockabilly makes his performances very unique.
In the 38-page booklet, Martin Hawkins writes an extremely detailed biography based on interviews with Eddie. Traditionally, you also get all the recording details of the tracks. All of this is also beautifully illustrated with photos and illustrations.
In addition to being a rockabilly artist, Eddie Bond was active in many areas. He was, among other things, a DJ, a nightclub owner and had his own record label. Eddie Bond died in 2013.
By placing the spots on Eddie Bond in the 'Rocks' series, Bear Family Records pays tribute to a rockabilly artist who is only known to many through the song 'Rockin' Daddy'. However, Eddie had more to his advantage. High time to appreciate his other songs as well. This compilation is the right tool for that.

For the 43rd volume, Bear Family Records delves into the archives of the Allstar Records label. Allstar Records was based in Houston, Texas and was owned by Daniel James Mechura. Mechura was a songwriter and through The Folk Writers Co-Operative Association, of which he was president, he helped aspiring amateur songwriters transform their lyrics into hits. For a small fee, Dan Mechura had the amateur songwriters send in their lyrics. These were set to music and recorded with talented singers and instrumentalists. Allstar Records had two sub-labels, Kool and Nu-Craft. Together they released beautiful country and rockabilly, both from well-known names and obscure artists. Dan Mechura was also a recording artist himself. He appears twice as Daniel James on this compilation, namely with the rocking 'Rock Moon Rock' and the more country-tinged 'I'm Gonna Move'. The label scored a top 20 country hit with 'Imitation Of Love' by Adrian Roland. Roland makes a very special appearance later with the also country-drenched 'Now I Know' and 'Mr. Bass Fiddle', as the title suggests, with a creative bass in the leading role. But more beautiful country can be heard on this album. Such as Johnny Bush, Earl Aycock, Wiley Barkdull with the impressive 'When You Go' and later with the lightning fast guitar driven instrumental 'Tiger By The Tail', Jerry Matthews, Lawton Williams, Smilin' Jerry Jericho and certainly Red Mansel with 'My Only One'.
Top-level rockabilly is served by Johnny Watson, Bobby Clanton with the raw 'Beat Back Baby', Larry Butler, Tommy Graham, Tommy Hammond, Prince Arky and Rocky Williams.
Someone who clearly had Chuck Berry as an example was Johnny Huskey, present here with 'Red Dress'. Definitely worth mentioning is 'Your Kind Of Love' by Johnny Bush. Song with a great doo-wop choir.
'When I'm Gone' by Jerry Jericho also sounds very nice. Song that combines rockabilly, hillbilly and country. And pay special attention to that wonderful fiddle part.
More than likely, the names of the artists brought together here will not sound familiar to you. High time to change that, because let's be honest, it would be a shame to miss the formidable rockabilly and country of Allstar Records.
In addition, you will receive all information about Allstar Records and the tracks in the attached booklet.

The Blue Velvets is a German/Canadian trio consisting of guitarist and singer/songwriter Alistair Christl, Mario Wachsmann on drums and Ralph Sommer on upright bass. Alistair, who comes from Canada, is not only a gifted guitarist but also a more than excellent songwriter. Mario and Ralph, on the other hand, gained their experience in bands like Spo-Dee-O-Dee, The Rob Ryan Roadshow, The Lazy Boys, Rosis Rockets, Johnny Falstaff and John Lewis. A trio that is certainly not up to his test piece. The release of this album was preceded by the vinyl single 'Waiting For A Sign / I'm Her Man'. A single that made us very curious about the full album. Thanks to Patrik Staffansson, head of Enviken Records, the 11-track CD arrived in our mailbox. All songs are by Alistair Christl and that is the first plus. The two songs from the single are also on this album, which opens immediately with the title track. However, those are not the only advantages. First of all, the 11 original songs, which contain influences from country, rockabilly and rock 'n' roll, are of an extremely high level. The trio does not follow well-trodden paths, but consciously explores further, resulting in a complete and, above all, unique sound of its own. This unique sound can largely be attributed to Alistair's masterful string playing. Ralph and Mario roll out such a tight rhythm carpet on bass and drums, on which Alistair can play to his heart's content on his string board. And he does that with verve. His clean and twang sound immediately hits you. In addition, his talent and creativity ensure that his game is full of surprising twists. You immediately get a taste of this on the intro of 'Waiting For A Sign', a high-flyer in the rockabilly genre. You can also place 'I'm Her Man' in the same genre. For a nice intro by the rhythm section, go to 'Troubles Ahead', where the knowledgeable trio slows down a bit. All 11 songs are absolute hits, although we cannot hide our love for the wonderful groove-driven 'Joe Jobs'. Country is the undertone for 'Last Chance Saloon', after which creativity reigns supreme in the super melodic 'A Girl I Used To Know'. Wonderful song, with a guitar solo that Brian Setzer should be jealous of. The intro of 'Long For The Wild' creates an Eastern atmosphere, but nothing could be further from the truth, because the song turns out to be a pure rocker with Alistair in top vocal form. He proves once again that he can go high vocally in 'Amelia'. The Blue Velvets conclude in a rockabilly style with 'Little Jane May'.
We can certainly conclude by saying that The Blue Velvets have delivered a formidable and promising name tag for the future with this debut album. If you like sky-high quality, both in terms of songwriting and performance, then The Blue Velvets is your band. Recommended!

On August 18, 1939, Huelyn Duvall was born in rural Garner, Parker County, Texas. As a growing boy, Huelyn was only interested in sports. Because he had to wait a while before being accepted into the school's sports team, Huelyn looked for something to bridge the time. Like many of his contemporaries, he started listening to music, specifically country. When he was confronted with rhythm & blues for the first time on the radio and a little later the same radio also brought him into contact with rockabilly and rock 'n' roll, it changed his life. From then on, Huelyn shifted his interest from sports to music. While at school in 1956, he befriended guitarist Lonnie Thompson, with whom he soon formed a band. They recruited Lonnie's twin brother Johnnie on rhythm guitar and vocals and Ralph Clark on bass and became Huelyn Duvall and The Troublesome Three. In 1957 they joined forces with Danny Wolfe who ran a gardening company. As their manager, Danny arranged their first recording session. Danny was about ten years older than the guys, wrote songs and recorded them in his own recording studio. Wolfe teamed up with songwriter and producer Major Bill Smith and together they formed the Twinkle label, for which Duvall would later also record. Huelyn made his first recording in 1957. His second session took place at the Gold Star Recording Studios in Hollywood, where he could count on the instrumental group The Champs as studio musicians. After his marriage in 1961, Huelyn moved to Houston, Texas for nine years where he became vice president of Brazos Valley Computer Center. However, the blood ran deep and in 1985 he performed in the Netherlands during the Rockhouse Rock 'n' Roll Meeting. This was followed by shows throughout Europe. In 2002, Duvall recorded the album 'She's My Baby' with Wildfire Willie and The Ramblers. A year later he went back into the studio, this time with the reunited The Troublesome Three. Appropriately, the album was titled 'The Reunion'. Huelyn recorded the album 'Ramblin' + Boppin'' again with Wildfire Willie and The Ramblers in 2003 in Sweden for Rhythm Bomb Records. Five years later he returned to Sweden to record the album 'Get Carried Away' with the same band for Goofin' Records.
This compilation starts with 'Teen Queen', which immediately puts Huelyn's powerful voice in the spotlight. On this song, just like on other tracks, you can hear the sublime Grady Martin on guitar. It is certain that Huelyn could rock, but he also shines in the slower 'Little Boy Blue'. He shows once again that ballads suit him just as much as uptempo songs in 'Tear Stained Letters' and 'Across The Aisle'.
Together with the inimitable The Jordanaires he also performs a fantastic 'Boom Boom Baby'.
In addition to the songs from the fifties, this compilation also contains the recordings that Duvall made in Germany in 2014 with The Lightning Recordings Boys, better known as Cherry Casino and The Gamblers, and in Sweden with Wildfire Willie and The Ramblers. You also get the remake of 'Pucker Paint' made in 2017 with Berlin's Long John and The Ballroom Kings. And it soon turns out that although time may have had a little bit of a grip on Huelyn's voice, this certainly does not detract from his rock quality. Just listen to 'Stina Lee', after which Huelyn's voice sounds even more mature in 'Dizzy', 'Blue Eyed Sally', 'High-Class Baby' and certainly on 'Daddy's Little Baby'.
We end with a live recording from 1957 of '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear'.
Huelyn Duvall passed away on May 15, 2019 at the age of 79 in Colleyville, Tarrant County, Texas.
'You Knock Me Out' is an album that showcases both rock 'n' roll and ballads at top levels. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Huelyn Duvall, this compilation will certainly open your ears to the remarkable rock 'n' roller that was Huelyn Duvall.

​Li’l Ronnie And The Grand Dukes are one of the hottest swing en jump bands how create a sound that find a mixture between the fifties R&B, West Coast, Chicago Blues and vintage rock-’n-roll. Ronnie are looking forward to play on the Europian Bluesfestivals. Who will bring these partyband to Belgium ? Li’l Ronnie And The Grand Dukes are the real deal 

​On volume 42 of the 'That'll Flat...Git it!' series you could already get acquainted with the first volume filled with the rock 'n' roll and rockabilly of the King Label. A label that, as we already established on the first volume, has produced quite a few big names. Because of the many hits these artists have achieved, it is only natural that some of them are also present on this second volume about King's legacy. Charlie Feathers, Mac Curtis, Moon Mullican, among others, return, in addition to lesser-known and sometimes completely unknown artists. The 31 tracks on this compilation once again show that the musical legacy Syd Nathan left behind should not be underestimated. Authentically rocking, Boyd Bennett and His Rockets kick off with 'Move'. Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup's ‘That's All Right’ awakened the artist in Elvis Presley. In turn, Presley's version caused Mac Curtis to leave country music behind and turn to rockabilly. Mac comes three times on this collector. Elvis also had a major influence on Ronnie Speeks. This is clearly expressed in 'What Is Your Technique'. You can also hear Elvis in 'Run Fool Run' by organist Bobby Cash, who gives a nice solo on the organ. The Humphries family was active in the jazz scene. Teddy Humphries took a different course. With success if you listen to 'Guitar Pickin' Fool'. Rusty York certainly also deserves a mention for his 'Goodnight Cincinnati, Good Morning Tennessee', a handsome train rocker. On the first volume in this miniseries, Delbert Barker starred with 'No Good - Robin Hood'. Here you get the equally formidable 'Jug Band Jump' from that same session. Nice vocal backings give Al Henderson's 'All Star Boy' some extra shine. An 'earcatcher' is also the 'Mercy, Mercy, Percy' by Joe Penny interwoven with some blues. Superb number! A touch of rhythm & blues contains Ray Starr's 'Donna Lou'. Lack of enthusiasm is not Booker Lee Jr.’s kind. Just listen to 'Rockin' Blues'. You will undoubtedly notice that Ronnie Molleen was addicted to the work of Little Richard in his 'Rockyn' Up'. A mix of styles can be found in Zeb Turner's 'Jersey Rock', in which the sax provides a jazzy touch and the steel guitar gives the song a country feel.
Volumes 42 and 44 in the 'That'll Flat...Git it!, Vol.44' give a nice picture of all the fine work released by King in the second half of the fifties and early sixties. With both volumes you get no less than 61 rockabilly and rock 'n' roll toppers. 

​In 1938, Gary Williams was born in Spokane, Washington in the Pacific Northwest region. As a child he became fascinated by the music of Jimmie Rodgers, the 'Blue Yodeler'. By the age of 16, he was already playing the guitar quite well and appeared on TV shows on local channel KXOI. At that age, he also attended the second edition of the ‘Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Celebration’ in Meridan, Mississippi. At that memorial he would later perform himself together with the then unknown Elvis Presley. In 1957 Gary Williams made his first recording for Verve with the single ‘Travelin' Blues Boy / I'm Gonna Return’, which included Merle Travis on guitar. Both songs are on this album and you also get the 1960 version of 'Travelin' Blues Boy'. In 1957 the Verve label also released the successful album 'Teen Time', which also featured Ricky Nelson. This gave Gary's career such a boost that he was touring practically constantly until the summer of 1960. He also got his nickname 'Travelin' Blues Boy' from that. During his musical career that spanned more than four decades, Gary wrote more than 600 songs in genres such as country, folk and rockabilly. He recorded with no less than 14 record labels and his songs were covered by Webb Pierce, Freddy Hart and Bobby Wayne, among others. In the late 1960s, he left rockabilly, country and folk behind and recorded Christian-inspired music and gospels. On this compilation you get 34 tracks that are among the very best recordings of Williams. Tracks he recorded between 1957 and 1966, his most creative period. These songs ended up on Verve, Panorama, Manito, WA, Connie Sue and Gary's own label Empire. From his LP 'Gary Williams', released in 1960, this compilation contains 7 excellent songs, including 'Walla Walla State Prison', a fantastic rockabilly song. But there is more to enjoy. So we start with 'Travellin' Blues Boy', which immediately puts the qualities of Williams' songwriter talent in the spotlight. After this, you immediately get a taste of his versatility with the folksy 'Manhunt'. And also 'In This Prison Cell', 'Dueling Green' and 'Buckskin' fit in that genre.
Country forms the basis for, among others, 'Heart Break Special', 'The Great Northwest', 'Fields Of Rolling Green', 'Big City Blues', 'Branded An Outlaw', 'You And Your True Love', while 'Such A Good Good Girl' leans towards good pop.
‘Alaska’ has an accompaniment reminiscent of that other great artist, Johnny Cash, after which ‘Step Into My Heart’, ‘Rule Number One’ and ‘Country Jail Blues’ are examples of what an emotional ballad should sound like.
Gary Williams had all the qualities an artist needs to make it. Songwriting talent, a beautiful voice and providing the songs with arrangements that are not only excellent but also timeless, Gary possessed it all. The formidable accompaniment of excellent musicians completes the picture.
Just before Gary Williams passed away on November 23, 2018, well-known country and rockabilly artist Deke Dickerson interviewed him. Deke was also the person to write the very extensive and well-documented liner notes.
It's just a shame Gary Williams couldn't step out of the shadows of the big names of his time. If one thing is certain after listening to this compilation, it is that Gary Williams should have been among the legendary artists of his time.
'The Travelin' Blues Boy' is definitely worth buying!

Volume 42 in the Bear Family series 'That'll Flat...Git It!' is the first of two CDs to feature the King label. Syd Nathan founded the label in 1943. King soon established a unique place in the post-war music industry, bringing successful rhythm & blues and country & western to market. When rockabilly broke through in the mid-1950s, King immediately jumped on the bandwagon. It absorbed so much successful rock 'n' roll and rockabilly, making the genre as important as rhythm & blues and country & western. It is therefore logical that all this beauty had to be spread over two CDs. The artists initially came from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana with names such as the now legendary Charlie Feathers, Trini Lopez, Bruce Channel, Rusty York, Wes Voight, Fuller Tood, Moon Mullican and Dave Dudley. A lot of well-known names can already be found on this first volume.
For example, Charlie Feathers is present twice. A first time with 'One Hand Loose' and then with 'Nobody's Woman'. Mac Curtis is even featured three times. We immediately start rocking hard with 'Clock Tickin' Rhythm' by Cecil McNabb Jr.. Perhaps less known, but certainly not less good was Donnie White. He convinces without a doubt with the handsome 'Your Kind Of Lovin'. Another classic is 'Jungle Rock' by Hank Mizell. If the song did not do so well at first, that would change when collectors threw themselves into it in the sixties and seventies and 'Jungle Rock' even ended up in the charts. Someone who later also managed to gain worldwide fame is Trini Lopez. Here you get the famous 'Rock On'. Later he comes back with 'Yes You Do'. You can find some country in Bob Newman's 'Haulin' Freight'. When an artist was successful, labels looked for someone of equal value. The King label found Boyd Bennett and His Rockets in response to Bill Haley and His Comets. Not a bad choice when you hear 'You Upset Me Baby' and 'Put The Chain On The Door'. Joe Penny could also rock contagiously in his 'Bip A Little, Bop A Lot'. Hardrock Gunter certainly had a very own style. Just listen to the sublime 'I'll Give 'Em Rhythm'. Rocking no-nonsense is Ken McDonald's talent in 'Good, Good, Good'. Mac Curtis’ ‘Don't You Love Me’ contains some blues influences. The Voight family had some members who achieved success in the entertainment business. Jon Voight became a well-known movie actor who appeared in ‘Midnight Cowboy' and ‘Coming Home'. His younger brother Wes sought it in rock 'n' roll, as you can hear in 'Midnight Blues' that he recorded together with The Town Three for the DeLuxe label in 1958. Bruce Channel also gained international fame. A few years before this would happen, he recorded 'Slow Down Baby'. In quiet beauty, Luke McDaniel closes this first volume on King's legacy with 'One More Heart'.
That'll Flat...Git It!, Vol. 42' tastes like more releases from the King Label. We are curiously looking forward to volume 2.

​The second artist who can count on a '10 inch vinyl Rhythm Bomb Records 20th Anniversary Edition' release is Ruby Ann. This Portuguese artist performed in the clubs as an upcoming talent. After that, she stayed under the radar. She went out into the world and tried to survive singing on small stages. She already had talent then, but it was until she recorded the album 'Mama's Back' together with Cherry Casino and his musicians in 2010 and 2011 that the general public could enjoy it. Fortunately, due to the 20th anniversary of the Rhythm Bomb Records label, this album is once again getting the necessary attention. Because that's what Ruby Ann deserves. However, you can hardly put them in one musical box, because she is too versatile for that. She immediately shows that on 'Call His Name', with which she kicks off. A rhythm & blues class of stature and pay particular attention to that powerful voice. Rockabilly-wise she continues with 'No I Won't Cry', including beautiful guitar work. The raw undertone in her voice in 'Mad Mama' brings out the 'real rockin' chick' in her. With a voice drenched in echo, she later rocks herself with verve through 'Your Mama's Here'.
Side 2 starts with 'Baby Don't Care' that certainly exudes the Sun atmosphere and once again shows that Ruby Ann breathes pure rock and roll. Rockabilly then comes once again to the surface in "I'll Never Get Rich". For a moment she slows down a little bit in the somewhat poppy sounding 'I've Heard That Line Before', but on closing track 'Many Tears Ago' she pulls out all the stops again.
More than 10 years after its release, ‘Mama’s Back’ still has the power of rock 'n' roll and rockabilly.

​Few artists in the genres of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll could score more than locally in the 1950s, the heyday of both genres. Legends such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran succeeded. This also applied to Sanford Clark who immortalized his name in rock 'n' roll history with 'The Fool' in 1956. The song also landed him a contract with Dot Records, which made him one of the most successful rockers of his time. Later Clark also made recordings for Ramco, Warner Bros, Project and Trey, among others. 'The Fool' was produced by Lee Hazlewood, who also immediately profiled himself as a producer. It is not surprising that 'The Fool' became a national hit, because the song typifies Clark in a strikingly personal way, which differs from the average rock and roll artists. In 1966 he recorded 'The Fool' again, in an adapted version for the time, for the Ramco label. Of course both versions found their way to this compilation, as well as 'Lonesome For A Letter' the flip side of the original single released in 1956. Song that winks at Elvis. But Sanford had much more to offer. This is immediately apparent from the first track 'Ooo Baby', which he plays as an experienced rocker. And also note the great work of lead guitarist Al Casey. In addition to Sanford's formidable performances, the same Casey shines on every song. 'Modern Romance', 'Usta Be My Baby', 'Love Charms' and 'Lou Be Doo' are just a few of the many gems on this album. Also noteworthy is the then unreleased 'Cross-Eyed Alley Cat'. Unbelievable, because the song is a blast of a rock song. Another great track is the pre-Dean Martin version of the Hazlewood composed 'Houston'. A rarity is also the presence of the two versions of 'A Cheat'. In addition to the original version, you also get the version with 'snare drum overdub'. Clark's blues side floats again in Hazlewood's 'Just Bluesin', as well as in 'It Hurts Me Too'. You can hear that he also had country in his genes on 'Black Jack County Chain'. Humorous sounds more like '(They Call Me) Country'. In addition, you will also find rare recordings that Sanford made for Project, Trey and Warner Bros. Sanford Clark passed away on July 4, 2021 due to Covid. He was 85 years old.
That he can be counted among the historical heroes of rock 'n' roll is clear from this compilation. His masterful voice, the beautiful choice of songs, the extremely competent studio musicians and especially the presence of producer Lee Hazlewood are an undeniable part of this. In addition, there is a 36-page booklet, in which, in addition to beautiful photos, you can learn everything about the person Sanford Clark and the tracks. Super release!

​John Lindberg Trio is a Swedish band led by guitarist John Lindberg. On bass and backing vocals he is assisted by Nathanael Marcusson and behind the drums is Olle Tjern. On the Swedish Enviken label, owned by Patrik Staffansson, they release their new album 'Are You For Real?'. An album consisting of 14 tracks, to which 5 more songs from EPs and singles are added and which mainly contains own work. The John Lindberg Trio stands for solid, oversized rock, which is also the case on this album. On a solid foundation laid by Nathanael and Joakim, John showcases his fine guitar skills. Incessantly he shakes one riff after the other from his snare board and solos that it is a delight. In addition, he also has the talent to pen catchy songs, such as 'Bad Loving' and 'Get It On!' which definitely have hit potential. The trio slows down a bit with the beautiful 'Back At It', but with 'Bluebird' the gentlemen are back at cruising speed. A hell of a song is certainly the rousing 'Crying, Lying, Denying', while 'Wishbone' and 'Not Like The Other Guys' contain a wonderful rockabilly feel. Giving your own interpretation to classics is no problem for Lindberg. He does that excellently with Charlie Rich's 'Goodbye Mary Ann', which Stefan Nykvist provides with a nice piano tune. The gentlemen do that again in Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land'. Closing is done with a completely own version of Little Richards 'Keep A Knockin'' where Lindberg's guitar takes over Penniman's piano part.
With 'Are You For Real?' the John Lindberg Trio proves that they are ready to make it international. Something this band certainly deserves.

With volume 41 in the 'That'll Flat...Git It!' series we dive into the archives of the labels Dot and their daughter label Hamilton. The Dot label was also known for their pop covers of rhythm & blues hits from the fifties, but also recorded a lot of good rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. From that offer, compiler Nico Feuerbach selected 37 tracks for this compilation. A number of well-known names such as Leroy Van Dyke, Sanford Clark, Jimmy Newman and Robin Luke can be found here. But also a number of artists who could not generate general fame are discussed.
Rock 'n' roll with both country and blues influences or rousing rockabilly, you will find it all on this album.
And in the 34-page beautifully illustrated booklet you get all the information about the artists and their songs.
The fact that there is still a lot of interesting rock 'n' roll and rockabilly to listen to is certainly a reason to get this album.

​The 'Rocks' series spotlights musical greats in rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. Previously there have been compilations around Link Wray, Bo Diddley, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, Scotty McKay, Ritchie Valens and Narvel Felts. Rightly so, the German Bear Family is now dedicating a publication to Charlie Feathers. Charlie was not an average performer. If many of his colleagues followed the rockabilly path that had been mapped out for them, Charlie deviated from it. For more than 4 decades he made his own version of the rockabilly that prevailed in the fifties. He mixed the genre with some country and bluesy feel, and added an unprecedented dose of rhythm. You get a nice example of his addition of country on 'Rain', 'When You Decide' and his version of 'Frankie And Johnny'. You can hear the bluesy feel in 'Can't Hardly Stand It', as well as in take 1 of 'Bottle To The Baby'. Feathers may have had a short musical career in the fifties, but he did record with iconic labels such as Sun, Flip, Meteor and King. When rockabilly was undergoing a revival in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Charlie made some recordings for the Barrelhouse Records label. Most of the recordings on this album date from the 50s and 60s. Of course you can find his classics like 'Get With It', 'One Hand Loose' and 'Tear It Up' on this album. But also recordings from the seventies such as 'That Certain Female' or the recordings he made even later adorn this compilation.
As a bonus you get the rare 'Adamsville', song that describes a bank robbery in Adamsville, by Bill Privett, on which Charlie Feathers was the guitarist.
True to tradition, this issue features highly detailed liner notes from Martin Hawkins, roots music expert and author of the book Sun Records – The Brief History of the Legendary Record Label.
The 31 tracks perfectly showcase Charlie Feathers' musical abilities. His music has such a high quality character that it still effortlessly appeals today.

​Rockin' Rollin' USA, Visit 01, Canada, Shhhhhhh Blast Off' is the first release in the new series from Pan American Recordings. The 28 tracks on this album include songs released on major and local labels between 1955 and 1963. Local labels such as Aragon, Apex Français, Barry, Quality and Rodeo may be less known or perhaps not known at all, but they certainly recorded songs that are more than worth listening to. Every state had a local hero. Some stayed that way, but others left their hometowns and moved on. In this series, compiler Mark Armstrong also pays attention to their musical journey. But before we start our journey through the American states, we first focus on Canada. This first volume features records that were produced in Canada as well as those that were imported there.
What can you expect? That's pretty simple. Vocal and instrumental rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and country at the highest level.
Give that volume knob a good turn to the right, because this new series is the umpteenth direct hit. Unbelievable that there are still so many really great songs, of which we didn't even suspect the existence. Thanks to compiler Mark Armstrong for drawing our attention to this and just as much thanks goes to Henrique San who makes the editions visually attractive with his matching artwork.

​'Audrey', named after the Billy Lehman song of the same name, is already the fifth volume in 'The Rockin' Spot' series. A series that conjures up expertly selected rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and rhythm & blues on your plate. Volume 5 again contains 28 songs, which probably won't tell you much or even nothing at first sight. Until you listen…..and then you know. Buddy Covelle immediately blows your socks off with 'Lorraine' doused in a nice vintage clean sounding guitar. Rocking 'Little Richard style' we continue the chosen path with 'Uncle John' by Wild Child Gipson. And so it goes on......! With ‘Mercy, Mr. Percy 'rhythm & blues singer Varetta Dillard scored a hit. Her 'Promise Mr. Thomas' is also a blast of a rhythm & blues. Vocal group The Valiants, on the other hand, is wildly enthusiastic about 'Frieda, Frieda' and musically express it that way. Saxophonist Preston Love could be heard with his orchestra on many well-known Motown recordings from the 1960s. Here his orchestra backs Beverly Wright on the rhythm & blues 'Kissin' Boogie' while Preston plays a beautiful sax solo. You can enjoy great rockabilly via Jack Scott's 'Geraldine'. An instrumental that also lays down a hypnotic groove is 'Fling' by The Phaetons. Rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and beautiful vocal work follow each other in rapid succession.
A fun fact is that Mark Robinson, the performer of 'Pretty Jane' is none other than Lee Hazlewood. On that song you can also hear another legend, namely Duane Eddy on the guitar.
In short, with 'Audrey' the Atomicat label continues the successful series 'The Rockin' Spot'.

The next release that will be discussed in the 'Destination' series, has as its subject a destination where you do not want to end up, namely the prison or 'jail'. In American roots music, such as country, hillbilly and rock 'n' roll, there are many songs that can be placed in this context. In addition to life behind bars, these songs can also deal with gruesome crimes, escapes or remorseful confessions. Examples of this can be found galore on this compilation.
A mix of well-known and lesser-known artists provide formidable thematic country, rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. It's best to stay out of prison, but this album is definitely a winner.