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

It has been a year and a half since volume 5, entitled ‘Audrey’, was released in ‘The Rockin’ Spot’ series. With ‘Belinda’, the new volume in this series, compiler Mark Armstrong once again serves us 30 tracks belonging to rock-‘n-roll, country and doo-wop.
Not much is known about Patsy Clark, who opens with ‘Watcha Do To Me’. What we do know is that Hillous Butram, bassist for Hank Williams, wrote this catchy rocker. Patsy is followed by Red Williams with ‘Walkin’’, which also has some country in its genes. A good dose of pop is more likely to be found in ‘Start Movin’’ by Loren Becker and The Zig Zags. Hopeless Homer provides a good dose of hillbilly with ‘The Girl In The Red Blue Jeans’.
You will find nice rock-‘n-roll with Rocky Storm in ‘Every Night’. Western Swing and rock-‘n-roll form the basis for ‘Big Foot Annie’ by Don Boots and The Western Swing Band. Also nice is the rock-‘n-roller, with excellent sax drenched ‘Fireball’ by The Rocket-Tones.
Formidable country presents the well-known Dave Dudley in ‘Under Cover Of The Night’. Number that had Garland Perry Cochran as producer. He recorded as The Cochran Brothers with Eddie Cochran. You also get more country during ‘Ride Jesse Ride’ by Merle Kilgore.
Del Shannon is not unknown. Here he is present with the uptempo ‘You Never Talked About Me’. Shannon is followed by the British Cliff Richard, as always accompanied by The Shadows. ‘Choppin’ ‘n’ Changin’’ is such a typical Richard song, with magnificent lead guitar by Hank B. Marvin. Despite the fact that the number was released in the States, Cliff could barely get a foothold there. Another legend who is present on this compilation is Carl Perkins. In ‘Lend Me Your Comb’, a duet, Carl is vocally assisted by brother Jay. Another great artist who is present is Ronnie Hawkins with the well-known ‘Baby Jean’.
Chuck Miller was a boogie pianist. That genre still resonates in the rocker ‘Bright Red Convertible’. Pianist was also Darryl Vincent, who goes wild here on ‘Wild Wild Party’. What a great song!
Bonnie Fussell came from North Baton Rouge, Louisiana and his origins are clearly reflected in ‘Too High Class’. Some artists do not get further than one recording. That happened to guitarist and singer Hunter Watts, also from Baton Rouge. Incomprehensible because ‘Wild Man Rock’ is a more than worthy song.
Vocal group The Spindrifts is responsible for the title track of this album. Member of the band Frederick Picariello can later be heard as Freddy Cannon in the top rocker ‘Patty Baby’. We know Cannon from ‘Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It’ and ‘Tallahassee Lassie’. The Sunbeams also serve up more fine vocal work with ‘Come Back Baby’ and so do The Selections in the uptempo ‘Guardian Angel’. Certainly not to be forgotten in this genre are Billy Huhn and The Catalinas with ‘Baltimore’ and The Four Cheers who close this album with ‘Fatal Charms Of Love’.
Just like the previous volumes in ‘The Rockin’ Spot’ series, volume 6 is also one that you can hardly get out of your playback device.

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

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

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

You could recently read the review of 'Rock House' on this site, the first volume in the new series 'Hi-Strung R & B' released by the KokoMojo label. The series continues with 'Chop Chop' and once again we get 28 tracks that contain both rocking rhythm & blues and beautiful doo-wop. We immediately start with Ralph Wilson's 'What's Shakin'', a high-flyer within rocking rhythm & blues. Song that contains beautiful sax and guitar solos. Wilson is followed by Pearl Bailey with 'I Can't Rock 'N' Roll To Save My Soul'. We get our first taste of door-wop with The Fleetones in 'Your Lover Man'. The Chimes serve more in that genre in the title track and Jimmy Ricks with The Suburbans also operate in that genre during 'Bad Man Of Missouri'. The Treniers also serve up exciting harmony vocals, in the handclaps-embellished 'Go! Go! Go!. You will also find wonderful vocal performances in 'IFIC' by The Chantels. He would later build a formidable career with immense record sales and dazzling live shows. Here you hear James Brown on vocal bass in The Jewels' 'Goin' Goin' Gone', recorded in 1956 for the Imperial label. Other well-known people together provide 'Little Richard's Boogie'. The piano virtuoso's name was already in the title and the accompanying band was that of Johnny Otis. And the legendary performers follow each other in rapid succession. For the blues this is John Lee Hooker, who you hear here in a style that is unique to him. His trademark, the boogie, is fully present, but also gets a Southern touch in 'She's Mine'. A name that you often come across when you browse through American roots music is Piano Red. He delivers formidable rock 'n' roll in 'Rock, Baby'. Rock 'n' roll, but with inspiration sought in Spain, comes in 'Rock 'N' Roll Espanole' by Mad Man Taylor. Nappy Brown became a name in the blues and rhythm & blues. Here you can hear him with 'Land I Love', a song he recorded in 1958. For a swinging big band rhythm & blues you can later visit Buddy Johnson and his orchestra in 'Rock On!'. Lovers of decent popcorn will certainly enjoy 'Chills And Fever' by Ronnie Love and his orchestra. Very nice instrumental work awaits you with 'Shake Walkin'' by Mickey 'Guitar' Baker and his House Rockers. About George 'Mr. Blues' Jackson is little known. What we are certain of is that his 'Uh-Huh' is a gem of New Orleans rhythm & blues. 'My Baby's Tops' by The Gardenias could count on support from Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm, which provides an excellent setting. From 1955 to 1973, Billy Guy was part of The Coasters. The fact that he also tried it solo is evident in '(She's A) Humdinger', which he recorded for ABC-Paramount in 1963. Big Joe Turner is still one of my favorite artists. It is nice that he can close the list with 'I Love Ya, I Love Ya, I Love Ya', which is traditionally expertly accompanied. Pete Johnson's orchestra takes care of that here.
This second volume in the 'Hi-Strung R & B' series again contains some of the best of the best rocking rhythm & blues and doo-wop. 'Hi-Strung R & B' is a series that certainly deserves a place in the collection of fans of these genres.

With this volume we have also come to the end of the 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' series. Over the course of 4 volumes, compiler Little Victor, aka The 'Mojo' Man, proved that doo-wop not only comes into its own during Christmas, but also that doo-wop and blues have many similarities. Both genres are about emotions and when those genres come together in one song, it creates fireworks. We were able to enjoy this in an exceptional way during this series. But as already mentioned, this unfortunately comes to an end, but not before we take a closer look at volume 4. Once again it is striking that both well-known and lesser-known artists have miraculously merged both genres into one song. Blues artists who hired doo-wop backing vocals, or doo-wop groups who gave their songs a blues or rhythm & blues feel. Was that mixing conscious or rather coincidental? No one will be able to say for sure. What is a fact is that the merger has been a great success.
We start with a legend, namely B.B. King. With 'Please Accept Me' he brings a more than beautiful soul song. Willie Dixon was heard as bassist on many blues recordings. He also has many hits to his name as a composer. Here he takes place behind the microphone for the bluesy '29 Ways'. Vocally he is supported by The Moonglows. Dixon is followed by another celebrity, guitarist Tarheel Slim. He collaborated with The Wheels on the exciting rhythm & blues 'Let's Have A Ball'. With The Larks he later closes this album on acoustic guitar and with handclaps with 'Eyesight To The Blind'. Superior number! Pianist Memphis Slim was known in both boogie-woogie and blues. Here, seated at the black and white keys, he creates a fantastic blues song with 'Mother Earth'. A pleasant song is certainly the slow blues 'Front Page Blues' by the vocal group The Solotones. Another vocal group, The Del Vikings, also scores immensely with the uptempo 'Woke Up This Morning', a formidable remake of B.B. King's number. Someone you immediately recognize by his style is Jimmy Reed. He does not deny that style on 'Close Together'. Hank Ballard is the uncrowned king of the twist, from which Chubby Checker reaped the benefits. Ballard is present with his inseparable The Midnighters in the shuffle 'I'm Crying Mercy Mercy'. 'Blues Stay Away From Me' has been covered repeatedly. Here you get a beautiful version of Otis Williams and His Charms. You undoubtedly know 'Linda Lu' in several versions. For Ray Sharpe it was his biggest hit, noted here as 'The New Linda Lu'. The list of well-known artists also includes Pee Wee Crayton, Albert King and Jimmy Witherspoon. The first has a beautiful slow blues with 'I Don't Care'. King scores rhythm & blues wise with 'Had You Told Me Like It was', a song that will not go unnoticed in popcorn circles. Witherspoon has a vocal group in The Lamplighters that takes 'Move Me Baby' to a higher level.
Furthermore, superior work by Baby Washington, The Enchanters, The Nic Nacs, Dorothy Prince, Henry Pierce and his Five Notes, The Chanteclairs, The Clovers and Camille & The Creations.
Unfortunately, the statement 'all good songs come to an end' also applies to the 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' series. However, I am firmly convinced that compiler Little Victor will surprise us again in one way or another in the foreseeable future.

Dion Di Mucci, usually referred as Dion, features on the recent volume of the 'On The Dancefloor With...' series. Dion was the lead singer of The Belmonts. Together they scored hits with 'I Wonder Why', 'A Teenager In Love' and 'Where Or When'. Dion also did well as a solo artist. There he managed to storm the charts with 'Lonely Teenager', 'Runaround Sue', 'Ruby Baby', 'The Wanderer' and 'Donna The Prima Donna'. Born in 1939, he started in the fifties, the heyday of doo-wop and rock 'n' roll, with The Belmonts and immediately profiled himself as one of the pioneering artists of that time. Dion's strength was that he managed to fuse doo-wop, rock 'n' roll and even rhythm & blues in such a way that a unique 'Dion sound' was created. He left the group around 1960 to pursue his solo career. As a solo artist he evolved to such an extent that in addition to pop, he also recorded songs in the blues and folk genre.
This album contains all the hits that Dion made together with The Belmonts, as well as the hits that he recorded as a solo artist. In addition to the well-known tracks, there are songs that may not be immediately known to the general public. But let us be clear, all songs are of equal quality. The covers of well-known songs are just as interesting. Listen to him work his way through the Leiber/Stoller composition 'Kansas City' and also Little Willie John's classic 'Fever'. Not to mention his energetic cover of 'Shout'. Later Dion would record blues songs. You get a taste here with 'I Got The Blues', where he showcases the wonderful raw edge in his voice. In the closing song, the slightly jazzy 'North East End Of The Corner', he once again shows his versatility.
Dion is not only a wonderful performer, blessed with a beautiful voice, but he also scores effortlessly as a songwriter and co-writer.
Bill Dahl based the liner notes on an interview with Dion, in which the latter describes his career from the rock 'n' roll years in the fifties to the 1960s, the years where he achieved success in pop. A nice addition to a great release.

The name Sylvester Bradford will more than likely not mean anything to you. Yet as a songwriter or co-songwriter he was responsible for a lot of wonderful material and million sellers. Bradford was born on January 7, 1942 in Manhattan. He was visually impaired and his first apparente was in 1952 in a meeting place for the blind and partially sighted. He was then part of The Bradford Boys. In addition to himself, the vocal group consisted of Chris Killer (bass) and Wayne Durham (tenor) who were both blind. Like Sylvester, the fourth member, tenor Gregory Shankowitz, was also visually impaired. In 1955 the group recorded two songs. In the meantime, Sylvester's talent as a pianist was also discovered, which earned him a place in another band, which would emerge as The Ivories. For this group, Sylvester wrote 'Alone' and 'Baby Send A Letter', which The Ivories recorded for the Jaguar label. Johnny Earl Jackson, the driving force behind The Ivories, left the group and set up a new group with the same name. The original The Ivories transformed into The Love Notes. Sylvester Bradford, together with Chris Killer, then formed The Suburbans. These recorded under their own name, but were also asked as a backing group for studio worg. In that capacity they could be heard on recordings by Ann Cole and Jimmy Ricks. In mid-1957, the members of The Suburbans went their separate ways. In 1957, Sylvester recorded his only single as a solo artist with 'I Like Girls / I Live Just To Love You'. After that, Sylvester concentrated on songwriting. 'Ific', the title of this compilation, is taken from a song that Sylvester wrote together with Al Lewis, with whom he would later write many songs. 'Ific' was first recorded by Lucy Rivera in 1959. Two years later, The Chantels would record it for their LP 'There's Our Song Again'. By the way 'Ific' was an acronym for 'It's Flavor-Ific', which in turn was a beechnut flavored chewing gum. 'Ific' was also the slogan in Dick Clark's broadcast 'American Bandstand'.
So much for the introduction regarding Sylvester Bradford. All previously mentioned songs can be found on this compilation, as well as a serious number of other songs, 30 in total. The album starts with the rocking 'Little Boy Blue', the very first recording by The Bradford Boys, with Shankowitz and Bradford on lead vocals. Bradford's songwriting talent and diversity immediately come to the surface in 'Alone', a formidable slow that he recorded with The Ivories. The group scores uptempo in 'Baby Send A Letter'. Bradford shows evolved and formidable uptempo doo-wop with The Suburbans in 'Leave My Gal Alone'. The fact that they functioned well as backing vocals on recordings by other artists in both rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll is proven on the recordings of Ann Cole and Jimmy Ricks. Sonny James provides a good example of Bradford's talent as a songsmith on 'Uh-Hum-Mm', which has both rock 'n' roll and doo-wop in it. It's a shame, however, that Sylvester's solo recordings were limited to that one single 'I Like Girls / I Live Just To Love You'. After all, he is also very strong vocally in these uptempo songs. As mentioned earlier, Bradford wrote many beautiful songs together with Lewis, such as 'Walkin' Home From School' and 'Right Now', which Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps recorded for Capitol. The duo Bradford / Lewis, together with Fats Domino, were also responsible for creating Domino's hit 'Im Ready'. Bradford and Lewis scored instrumentally with 'Vodka' by The Golden Highlights. The duo is featured humorously in their composition 'Roaches', performed by Jack Larson. Only Sylvester signed Bill Haley's 'Spanish Twist'. The versatility of Bradford/Lewis once again comes to the surface in Chuck Jackson's 'Tears On My Pillow', an impressive soul song. The duo's compositions could also be found outside the USA, including with the French rock 'n' roll band Les Chaussettes Noires with 'Le Temps Est Lent'.
In short, if you like sublime doo-wop, rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll, then make sure that 'Ific' by Sylvester Bradford can be found in your CD player as quickly as possible.

With this volume we have arrived at the penultimate volume in the 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' series. The final volume will be available in February. But first let's take a closer look at the third. Once again we get 28 songs in which blues artists called on doo-wop groups, as well as doo-wop groups that wrapped their creations in a blues atmosphere. The famous guitarist and blues singer Little Milton kicks off together with The Rockers in 'I'm In Love'. The vocal group The Dominoes was one of the most successful doo-wop groups of the 1950s. Their talent effortlessly surfaces in 'Have Mercy Baby'. Chuck Berry also added doo-wop. In 'Almost Grown' he relied on the beautiful harmonies of The Moonglows. Elmore James was a legend on the slide guitar. He shows this again here on 'Good-Bye' with fantastic vocal backing. Eugene Church delivers a wonderful slow blues with 'Geneva'. And the top performers follow each other. After all, the next track is reserved for boogie grandmaster John Lee Hooker. Here he does so with The Andantes who provide vocal background in 'She Shot Me Down'. Another legend, Albert King, joins us later with 'This Funny Feeling', which also has some pop in it. It doesn't end there, because Johnny Otis is also coming up with 'In The Dark', a slow blues of format, with a formidable performance by singer Marie Adams. Pianist Detroit Junior will also be present with 'Too Poor' and Roy Brown will close with the slow blues 'Tired Of Being Alone'. A unique version of 'Baby Please Don't Go' features the vocal group The Orioles. Nice reworking of this classic! Version that is very impressive both vocally and instrumentally. As a harmonica player, Jerry McCain enjoyed great attention. He keeps it neatly stored here. Instead, he gets behind the microphone for 'Twist “62”', which was the flip side of the single with 'Red Top' as A side. The Five Echoes sound soulful and bluesy in 'Fool's Prayer'. Jumpblues is present with 'Just For You' by Jimmy Witherspoon, who is accompanied by The Lamplighters. Sonny Fishback added a lot of soul to his work, as he does here in 'Gee Baby'. A cool piano introduces 'I Don't Have To Ride No More' by The Ravens. Song that also has a light jazzy touch. That jazzy feeling is also somewhat contained in 'I Won't Be Back' by The Kidds. The composer duo Lieber / Stoller was responsible for many hits. The Robins also turned to them for the catchy 'Framed'.
The 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' series gives a nice picture of the way in which the genres of blues and doo-wop overlapped. Just like the two previous volumes, volume three also shows this fully and undoubtedly this will also be the case on the final volume to be released. Recommended!

With 'Quiet Whiskey' the 'Rhythm & Blues Hell Raisers' series got off to a flying start in 2023 and now the second volume entitled 'Jail Bird' has already been released, in other words 30 songs that are all to a lesser or greater extent related to life behind bars. It becomes clear when going through the tracks that both well-known and lesser-known artists found their inspiration in this. The Crawford Brothers already express their innocence on the first track in 'I Ain't Guilty', a wonderful partly spoken rhythm & blues. A nice anecdote is that their father was the first African American FBI agent and in that capacity was also J. Edgar Hoover's personal driver for many years. The title track of this volume is taken from Sonny Knight, who gives it a New Orleans rhythm & blues sauce. Saxophonist Clyde William Lynn plays a swinging 'Rampaging Mama' as Blow-Top Lynn together with his House Rockers, with vocal input from Melvin Smith. Also note Lynn's sublime part on the sax. Everyone knows Cab Calloway from his mega hit 'Minnie The Moocher'. Here he is present with the equally high-quality 'Papa's In Bed With His Britches On'. Also worth mentioning is 'Who Slammed The Door' by Little Caesar together with Eddie Beal and his orchestra. A great uptempo song with a nice backing choir. Caesar was originally an actor and appeared in the films 'Bird On A Wire' and 'Lady Sings The Blues'. New Orleans rhythm & blues gets a face with Fats Domino and 'You Done Me Wrong', performed in his recognizable style. New Orleans also resonates in Bobby Mitchell's 'No No No'. The fantastic Wilbert Harrison shows that 'Women And Whiskey' can put you in tricky positions, a song he recorded for Savoy in 1955. Harrison is followed by the inimitable Varetta Dillard and the scorching 'Scorched', a song that she incidentally herself wrote. John Greer and His Rhythm Rockers provide piano rhythm & blues with 'You Played On My Piano'. Greer shares the vocals with Dolores Brown and in addition to the piano you also get inspiring horn parts. Pianist Hadda Brooks was assigned the title 'Queen Of The Boogie'. Definitely deserved, listen to her lightning-fast work on the black and white keys in the instrumental 'Hip Shakin' Boogie'. If you like top doo-wop, then you will definitely enjoy 'I'm Gonna Run It Down' by The "5" Royales. 'Pass The Gin' by The Meadow Larks is also in the same genre. It's nice that the song was written by a non-drinker. More of that will come later with The Spirits Of Rhythm in 'Junk Man'. Doo-wop can also be found in 'All That Wine Is Gone' by Big Jay McNeely, who can count on Jesse Belvin and Three Dots And A Dash vocally. Pig Meat Markham provides a funny note in the spoken 'You Wires Have Been Tapped'. Songwriter and pianist Jimmy Williams delivers a more than formidable rhythm & blues song with 'Big Legged Woman'. You get rocking work from Harold 'Thunderbird' Ward with 'How Wild Can A Woman Be'. We bet that 'The Big Break' by Richard Berry will remind you of a famous song......! Classy Smiley Lewis can close with the impressive 'Down The Road'.
The second volume in the 'Rhythm & Blues Hell Raisers' series once again strings the high-quality songs together. It is now more than clear that the KokoMojo label does not rush into compiling compilation albums. Several series have already testified to this. To discover!

It is no longer a surprise that both blues and doo-wop are about emotions and that both genres have a link. You could already read that in the review of the first volume in the 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' series, which you can read again here https://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/various-artists- blues-meets-doo-wop-vol-1. What might surprise you is the fact that there are quite a few blues recordings that connect both genres. Compiler Little Victor filled the second volume with 28 tracks that will sound like heavenly music to the ears of both blues and doo-wop lovers. The album starts immediately with class leader Champion Jack Dupree. On 'Somebody Changed The Lock', a fine example of New Orleans blues, he leaves the polyphonic work to The Empires. Another well-known artist, namely Tampa Red, passes later with 'Since Baby Been Gone'. Legend Bo Diddley is also present. He is assisted by vocal group The Teardrops during 'I'm Sorry', a major tearjerker. Johnny Darrow presents a formidable version of Sonny Boy Williamson's 'Don't Start Me Talking'. For beautiful guitar work you can later visit The Evergreens and 'Guitar Player'. 'Reno Blues' is a formidable blues by The Big Three Trio, which takes center stage here as a doo-wop group. This also applies to The Royal Jokers in 'I Don't Like It That Much', after which Baby Washington delivers a truly compelling blues with 'Congratulations Honey'. Another beautiful blues comes with 'Walkin'' by Phil Flowers. Jimmy Witherspoon was a blues artist who made impression as both a shouter and a crooner. Here he can be heard with the rhythm & blues song 'My Girl Ivy'. A very clever doo-wop song comes with 'Bye Bye Baby Blues' by The Ravens, which swingingly heralds the arrival of rock 'n' roll. Clarence Gatemouth Brown was a multi-instrumentalist. In addition to being a guitarist, he also played the mandolin, harmonica, violin and drums. On 'Be Bop Baby' by The Peacheroos he serves as a guitarist. Due to the constant female laughter, 'Talking Trash' by The Marathons sounds rather hilarious. You can expect a good dose of sixties soul from Little Eddie Mint and his 'Bring Yourself Back Here'. Soul is also contained in the following track, 'Cryin' And Sighin'' by Manzie Harris. Blues-wise, The Five Breezes, with the help of blues legend Willie Dixon, can close the album with 'My Buddy Blues'.
This second volume once again shows that fantastic songs were recorded by blues artists with the help of doo-wop groups, as well as by doo-wop groups in the blues genre. 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' is a series that serves you the best of both genres on a platter.

As we already showed in the first volume of 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop', doo-wop is often linked to the end of the year and more specifically to the Christmas event. However, Doo-Wop is more than just the soundtrack for a warm and cozy Christmas. But this aside, it is also a fact that this genre gives the Christmas period a special glow through the heavenly voices of its performers. To give that warm glow an extra boost, the Koko Mojo label is launching this compilation 'Doo Wop Christmas Party'. No fewer than 30 tracks that will undoubtedly make your Christmas a unique event this year. Many songs that you will certainly hear for the first time, but also a number of well-known names, such as The Drifters, Jan & Dean, The 4 Seasons, The Platters and Huey 'Piano' Smith and The Clowns, will immediately put you in the right mood. The Rhythm Aces can start with the sublime polyphonic, devoutly performed 'C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S'. Speeding up a bit and somewhat rocking, Debbie & The Teen Dreams continue with 'Santa, Teach Me To Dance' from 1962. The Martels also rock in 'Rockin' Santa Claus'. A song that certainly deserves our attention is 'My First Christmas With You' by The Eligibles. The instrumental accompaniment, reduced to its essence, ensures that the voices always grab you by the scruff of the neck. This also applies to 'Merry Christmas One And All' by The Rhythm Kings. Excellent and with an enormous dose of soul, The Midnighters deliver a formidable 'Christmas Time For Everybody But Me'. Soul is also part of 'A Very Special Birthday' recorded by The Cashmeres, as well as Dodie Stevens' 'Merry, Merry Christmas Baby'. No white Christmas, but a sultry 'Christmas In The Congo'. The Marquees will show you what that sounds like. The Stompers give you a tip about what you can do around the Christmas tree with 'Stompin' Around The Xmas Tree'. You don't even have to wait until Christmas to enjoy it. The Classic Four convince you of this with verve in 'Early Christmas'. Johnny Mendell serves the very special and especially twisting version of 'Jingle Bells' a little later as 'Jingle Bell Twist USA'. 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' would certainly have sounded a bit naughty in 1962, which once again puts the beautiful harmony singing of The 4 Seasons in the spotlight. In his typical style, Huey 'Piano' Smith, together with his inseparable The Clowns, closes the list with 'Happy New Year'.
You get classic Christmas songs from The Drifters with 'Bells Of St. Marys', 'White Christmas' by The Precisions, Jan & Dean and an energetic version of 'Frosty The Snowman', the very special 'Jingle Bells' by The 4 Seasons, 'Here Comes Santa Claus' with The Mills Brothers and 'Winter Wonderland' by The Ames Brothers.
'Doo Wop Christmas Party' not only contains impressive doo-wop, but also shows you how the genre graced Christmas in the fifties and early sixties and still does that today. I am extremely impressed. Recommended!

When voices blend beautifully, it gives us a pleasant and warm feeling. It is not surprising that for many doo-wop is associated with Christmas. After all, it is during that period that the heavenly singing of golden voices provide emotional warmth. Understandable but also a bit unfair to always link doo-wop to Christmas. After all, doo-wop also has the talent to express melancholic emotions vocally. These emotions can have their origins in economic hardship, for example, but can just as easily arise from relationships, both positive and negative. And what better way to bring emotions to life than through the voice. So emotions and doo-wop match perfectly. That immediately explains the title 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' of this new series released by the Koko Mojo label. After all, blues is also about emotions. And in this music genre too, hardships and events in the relational sphere are usually the subject. Consequently, there is a clear connection between doo-wop and blues. It goes even further. Artists of both genres recorded their songs for the same labels, in the same studios and often used the same musicians. Reasons enough for compiler Little Victor aka The 'MoJo' man to find 28 tracks for this first volume of four volumes that meet these requirements, both in doo-wop and blues. We start with the well-known 'Got My Mojo Working', which is provided with beautiful vocals by Ann Cole together with The Suburbans. Jimmy Reed sought his inspiration for the bluesy 'I'm A Love You' in the relational sphere. When both genres come together in one song, it becomes very beautiful. Hank Ballard and The Midnighters achieved this in 'I Got A Mind To Leave You'. Lillian Offitt also achieved the same in 'My Man Is A Lover', where she receives support for the vocal work from The 4 Duchesses. The same 4 Duchesses are also present on Magic Sam's 'You Don't Have To Work'. The two genres also work in an uptempo song, such as in 'Baby Baby' by Pete Willis and The Four Royals. Another wonderful up-tempo song comes with 'Chicken Blues' by The Dominoes together with Rene Hall. Even Bo Diddley called on doo-wop group The Moonglows for his 'Diddley Daddy'. He hired Little Walter for the harmonica solo on the song. The Spaniels inject their rocking doo-wop into 'Hey Sister Lizzie'. The Andantes, in turn, provided heavenly backing vocals on John Lee Hooker's 'Frisco Blues'. The Golden Gate Quartet are probably the most famous vocal group in gospel and blues. Both genres are also present in 'I Wanna Know'. The Thunderbirds made a more than excellent doo-wop version of 'Baby Let's Play House', also covered by Presley. Memphis Slim was a singer and pianist best known for his boogie-woogie songs. In 'I Guess I'm A Fool' he slows down a bit and creates a formidable slow blues with The Vagabonds in the background. Pee Wee Crayton also does an excellent job in the bluesy 'I Found My Peace Of Mind', with wonderful background vocals from The El Dorados. You can expect swinging rhythm & blues with 'Red Light' by Roy Milton.
The songs mentioned here are just examples of what to expect. After all, all 28 tracks are of such a high level that they all deserved a mention. However, this would make the review far too long. Therefore, be sure to consult the 'DETAIL ALBUM' section.
The 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop' series brings you the very best recordings from both genres. 'The best of both worlds', brought together here for the first time in the series 'Blues Meets Doo-Wop'. We are already looking forward to the second volume.

The pleasant thing about releases in the 'Spotlight Series', such as this album around Leroy Kirkland, is that despite their valuable contribution to the development of certain music genres, artists are not known to the general public. And Kirkland was certainly one of them. There is some confusion about his date of birth. Some sources mention 1904 while others keep it as 1906. His name as a composer and arranger is listed behind more than 700 songs. Leroy Kirkland, also known as Claude Cloud, was initially a guitarist in jazz and rhythm & blues. But he also worked behind the scenes as a composer, orchestra leader, session musician and arranger. In the media, Leroy is often mentioned as a footnote and his contribution is not always fully recognized. This compilation hopes to change that. The 28 tracks on this album focus on Kirkland's talent as an orchestra leader and arranger. The music genres are very diverse and range from recordings in rhythm & blues, doo-wop to rock 'n' roll. The first track on which Leroy is present as orchestra leader and arranger is opener 'I Feel So Bad' by Chuck Willis. Song that was redone by Elvis in 1961 with almost the same arrangement. What follows is an extremely tasteful mix of rhythm & blues and doo-wop in 'My Baby's Gone' by The Barons. Delicious doo-wop is discussed later with The Dreams and their 'My Little Honeybun', The Carnations and 'Night Time Is The Right Time', The Roamers in 'Chop Chop Ching A Ling' and The Keystones with 'The Magic Kiss '. Nice harmony vocals can also be found in 'No Other Love (Like Yours)' by The Fi-Dells. A more than beautiful recording is 'It Should Have Been Me', an early recording by George Benson. Benson was only 11 years old when he recorded this King Curtis song. You can expect straightforward rhythm & blues from Varetta Dillard who delivers a catchy 'Promise Mr. Thomas’. In 1964, Jamaican Millie Small had a hit with 'My Boy Lollipop'. You get the original here from Barbie Gaye who recorded it in 1956 and which clearly has much more body than Small's version. Jaycee Hill provides a dose of raw rock 'n' roll with 'Bump!'. Rock 'n' roll is also the foundation for Dave Burton's 'Rock 'n' Roll Ruby'. We have often seen that former members of The Drifters also scored solo. This includes David Baugham, who presents the beautiful rocker 'You'll Pay' here as Little David together with His Harps. Before he would make a worldwide name for himself in blues and rhythm and blues, Nappy Brown could already be found in the studio. He shows that he already delivered excellent work in 1956 in 'Pleasing You'. A personal manager who started recording himself was Lloyd 'Fatman', who took on this position for Louis Jordan. You can hear that he mastered the tricks of rhythm & blues down to the last detail in the formidable 'Miss Mushmouth' and the subsequent title track 'Good Gracious'. We are used to the raw and wild of Screamin' Jay Hawkins. These trademarks are once again reflected in 'Frenzy' from 1957. As Leroy Kirkland's Rock-Chas, Leroy recorded an instrumental cover of Jimmy McCracklin's 'The Walk'. Rose Marie McCoy can close the list with 'Joy and Jubilation', a title that perfectly describes Kirkland's work.
Leroy Kirkland died on April 6, 1988.
Earlier this year, an album about Leroy Kirkland was also released in the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series'. You can read the review again here . Together with the now marketed release in the 'Koko Mojo Sportlight Series' Both editions give you a beautiful image of the usually underrated musician, Leroy Kirkland.

​Summer time is here and therefore high time for a new release in the 'Summertime Scorchers' series and it is here now. Get that summer outfit out of the closet, treat yourself to a cocktail, so that Mark and Henrique can serve the ideal soundtrack for your sweltering beach party. Both gentlemen are already raring to go with 30 songs from the period 1957 – 1963. Rocking hard to the tones of 'School's Out' by Bill James, we take our first steps in the warm sand. The pace remains high. Chuck Tharp and The Fireballs take care of that with 'Long Pony Tail', including a fantastic clean guitar solo. As if it isn’t warm enough already, Joe Jones treats you to some 'California Sun'. Joe Jones was an artist from New Orleans and you can hear that in the song. You may have known the song before from The Rivieras cover version. Holidays, sea, sun and beach can be the locations for many things. Flirting is definitely one of them. Ted Forbes and The Kisses highlight it musically via 'The Flirt'. You can certainly also twist to the tunes of Jimmy Simm's Thunderbirds and the appropriate 'Twistin' On The Beach'. Prefer rock and roll? No problem, Mark and Henrique already have the very special 'Hawaiian Rock 'n' Roll' by The Hulawai'ns on the turntable. You undoubtedly know 'You Excite Me' from Franke Avalon. Here you get an extremely handsome cover version of Johnny O'Keefe. The result of such a beach party is a lot of 'Footprints In The Sand'. The well-known The Marcels even made a song about it in their well-known style. With Darryl Vincent through the speakers it will certainly be a 'Wild Wild Party'. Well-known people are also present at the party. Ricky Nelson is there and he brings 'Good Rockin' Tonight'. Also known is Carla Thomas, daughter of that other legend, Rufus Thomas. She puts down a soulful 'Dance With Me'. Less is known about Jan Moore. She didn't record much, but she did record this wonderfully rocking 'Head Over Heels In Love'. You don't hear Nappy Brown on this compilation, but one of his songs, namely 'Little By Little' in a cover by Micki Marlo, who also recorded duets with Paul Anka. With razor-sharp guitar skills, The Sportesmen will take you in from the very first notes during 'Sand Storm'.
Lovers of vocal groups will get their money's worth. A first time with '45 R.P.M' from The Mark IV. A good portion of doo-wop awaits you with 'From The Bottom Of My Heart' by The Fantastic Five Keys. Brilliant harmony vocals also include ‘Red Hot Love (Oo This Love)’. It is provided by The Charms who back Otis Williams. The Pageants then provide the vocal impressive backings on Tony Dee's 'Make You My Queen'. And 'Rickety Rock' by The Jewels is also a good example of what vocal groups were capable of.
When you hear The Arqyles' 'Vacation Days Are Over', you know it. Time to get rid of the sand between your toes, because the beach party is coming to an end. But not before David Hill sings Cliff Richard's 'Living Doll' over the beach.
It is a fact that Mark and Henrique have the talent to musically support a real beach party. Just this one more. You can enjoy this album with just as much pleasure from the comfort of your couch. I’m sure you really will get that summer feeling.

​In America, the 1950s caused a serious upheaval. The growing prosperity, the presence of large car factories and the great distances to be covered made the car extremely successful. This was also the case with young people, because what could be more fun than cruising along the highways, driving into the sunset or enjoying a 'drive-in movie' in a luxurious shiny car. The cars of that time had enormous dimensions, often with immense wings at the back and with 8 cylinder engines, consumption of a liter more or less was not considered. A very different time than with the restrictions currently imposed. The feeling of freedom and the desire for adventure prevailed among the young people. Of course, all this also inspired the music. Artists themselves were often obsessed with the new means of transport and composed songs about it, which provided the whole with a suitable soundtrack.
The German Bear Family now bundled 33 songs recorded between 1950 and 1963, all of which have to do with cars. A large number of the recordings bundled here can be classified as rock 'n' roll and rockabilly, but there is more. The album opens with 'See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet' by Dinah Shore. The song served for a promotional spot for Chevrolet in 1950. More female work will follow later by Linda Laurie and 'Soupin' Up Your Motor'.
Classy Gene Vincent is featured twice. The first time with 'Cruisin' and later again with 'Why Don't You People Learn How To Drive'. Hayden Thompson is also no stranger. He rocks with verve through 'Fairlane Rock'. Another notable rock song is Jimmy Carroll's "Big Green Car." The man only made one single, but what kind of one. By the way, Bucky & Premieres also impress with 'Cruisin', rock 'n' roll at the top level.
The car and everything related to it also received the necessary attention in the rhythm & blues. Al Brown & His Tunetoppers show that in their version of the classic 'Route 66', while Clarence 'Bonton' Garlow and his orchestra opt for 'Route 90'. Chuck Willis sends his 'Keep A-Driving' more towards the blues and 'Riding In The Moonlight' by Howlin 'Wolf is also a winner in that genre.
You can listen to instrumental rock 'n' roll via 'Freeway U.S.A.' by The Bonnevilles.
Vocal doo-wop toppers come with The Premiers and 'Jolene', 'The Drive-In' by The Aquatones, The Spaniels with 'Automobiles' and 'Flat Tire' by The Del Vikings.
Beautiful harmony vocals can also be found in the slow 'Tail Light' by Sammy Hagan & The Viscounts and certainly in 'Nine More Miles, The Faster 'Faster' Song' by Georgie Young and The Rockin' Bocs who slowly but surely increase the tempo .
Rather fun is 'Sunday Driving' by actor Jerry Lewis with Billy May and his orchestra.
True to tradition, you will receive all information about the songs and artists in the enclosed booklet.
With 'Destination Freeway' Bear Family adds a beautiful album to the series. Considering the high costs or the impact on the environment, you prefer to leave the car aside, no problem because 'Destination Freeway' provides listening pleasure under all circumstances.

With 'Hey Doll Baby' we are already at the penultimate release from the 'More Boss Black Rockers' series. For the title track, compiler Little Victor consulted The Clovers, who recorded this uptempo doo-wop song in 1956 for the Atlantic label. Before we get to them, K.C. Mojo Watson rocking out wildly with 'Love Blood Hound'. Swinging, rocking and doo-wopping, The Cues then continue with the catchy 'Why'. A bluesy feel characterizes 'Can't This Be Mine' by Freddie Hall. Billy Tate certainly provides a New Orleans rhythm & blues feeling in 'Right From Wrong'. Straightforward rocking is right up the street of Eddie Daniels. 'Playin' Hide Go Seek' is more than a good example of this. An instrumental highlight is 'Lovers Satelite' by The Duals, which connects the feeling of space with the surf sound. Vocal groups in the fifties could boast of sublime harmony singing. The same goes for The Hollywood Flames and their 'Much Too Much'. "Bony Moroney" is a song that has been covered countless times. Here you get the rocking version of Doug Fowlkes and The Airedales. 'A Rockin' Good Way' is another classic that has been provided with its own version by many artists. Odessa Harris successfully sinks her teeth into the song here. The Emenators know all about too much booze. In addition, it provided them with inspiration for the handsome doo-wopper 'I Had A Little Too Much'. Authentic rocking is done by Pork Chops in 'I Wanna See My Lovin' Baby', a song from 1957. Things are a bit wilder with Don and Dewey in 'Jungle Hop'. Moments later, 'Yes, I'm Gonna Love You', a hell of a rocking rhythm & blues by Sonny Anderson, blasts through the speakers.
For a somewhat popcorn song you can go to 'Misery' by The Dynamics.
Well-known names are represented by, among others, Huey 'Piano' Smith who draws a present in his well-known style with 'Little Chicken Wah Wah' and Big Joe Turner who follows the trail of his well-known hits with 'I Need A Girl'. You can also immediately recognize Jackie Wilson by his formidable voice. He recorded 'Come Back To Me' in 1958 together with the orchestra of Milton Delugg. Fats Domino can complete the list of well-known artists with 'Little Mary', which traditionally also contains traces of New Orleans rhythm & blues.
Volume 9 in the 'More Boss Black Rockers' series is another hit. The tenth and final volume in this formidable series will be released next month. Could KokoMojo plan an eventual 'Even More Boss Black Rockers' series? Let’s hope so!

​‘The flag does not always cover the load’ is a statement that applies more than once to this new series released by Atomicat. In other words, a nonsensical song title says nothing about the song itself. The 'Wacky-A-Rama' series shows that behind meaningless titles there are enormously beautiful songs. On this first volume, compiler Mark Armstrong gathered 28 tracks that confirm this and Henrique San once again provided an eye-catching packaging. 'Bo-Bo Ska Diddle Daddle' is the first crazy title from Wayne Walker, who starts rocking with it. Wayne is followed by Wink Lewis who was mainly active in the country. By using piano and steel guitar, his rocking 'Zzztt, Zzztt, Zzztt' still has the seeds of country. Johnny Otis' band backs 'Mr. Goggle Eyes' August on 'Oh Ho Doodle Lu', which features co-produced by Otis' band New Orleans rhythm & blues . Wally Hughes' motto was 'May the music always bring you higher' and he fully lives up to that in 'Pug Nose And Pony Tail'. His whistling certainly contributes to that. With Earl Sanger and 'Whoopie Baby', including beautiful performances on fiddle and piano, we go a little more hillbilly. Slightly sultry and jazzy are the undertones of The Gimicks' '(Get Off My Tail You) Sneaky Snail'. In addition to being a songwriter and producer, Choker Campbell was also a talented saxophonist. He gives a nice example of that in the rhythm & blues 'Walking On My Thin Sole Shoes'. Larry and Lorrie made a name for themselves on TV shows in the fifties as The Collins Kids. They are present with the youthful 'Beetle-Bug-Bop' from 1955. Larry's mentor was Joe Maphis, which made Larry a gifted guitarist at a young age. Roy Hogsed provides a swinging boogie, embellished with an accordion solo with 'Let Your Pendulum Swing'. Prefer a portion of cool harmony vocals? Then you can certainly go to the vocal group The Metronomes and 'The Chickie-Goo'. A nice instrumental is 'Buzzzzz' by Jimmy Gordon. The song was co-written by Dave Burgess of The Champs. Girl group The Hollywood Chicks are present with Tossin 'A Ice Cube', a typical song for such groups. Also note the handclaps. They belong to Barry White who made his first professional recording with them in 1962. You may not believe it, but Big Brown and The Gamblers were a Belgian band. Big Brown was singer and especially shouter Roger Sauvenier. Initially the group started as a Dixieland band, but Sauvenier soon converted to rock 'n' roll. He recorded three singles on Palette, of which 'Menin Aéde Théa', which you can listen here, is the third one. Single that is highly sought after by the way. According to the data found, the song would have been sung or rather shouted in Ancient Greek. All in all a highly appreciated rarity! More famous than Brown is Screamin' Jay Hawkins. He was always special, as here in 'Orange Coloured Sky' from 1958. Instrumentally, the album closes with 'First Rhapsody For Knives, Forks And Spoons' by the aptly named Central High School Cafeteria Band and……..knives, forks and spoons were actually used for this song.
With 'Wacky-A-Rama, Vol. 1', the Atomicat label is once again launching a series that certainly has a lot to offer. The tracks, which all date from the period 1954 - 1963, can be classified into rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and doo-wop, some of which are very hard to find. Here you get everything perfectly presented in a sublime sound quality.

In the period before Valentine's Day, the label released the album 'Think Me A Kiss' in 2021. The following year came volume 2 with the name 'Kiss Me' and now Atomicat releases the third volume that bears the name 'Kiss Away', subtitled 'Rock 'n' Roll Songs Of Happiness'. Once again, Mark Armstrong collected 30 tracks that have love as their subject. Love in all its forms. Big love, why fall in love, longing for someone, true love, the pitfalls, the charm to finally be one with someone, these are all subjects that are sung about in both rock and roll and doo-wop, which were recorded from 1954 to 1962.
'Kiss Away' is the soundtrack that will brighten up your Valentine. But just as well, this album is suitable to please your romantic soul 365 days a year.
Brilliant album!

​On volume 25 in the series, composer Mark Armstrong dives for the fifth time into the rich repertoire of the artists from Tennessee and Arkansas. The 28 tracks of this album show that these regions have not yet given up all their musical secrets.
The album's subtitle is ‘No Blow, No Show’. You can apply that to the trains of that time, as Bobby 'Blue' Bland does in this song. But you can just as easily apply it to the horn sections and in this case you can take it literally, because there is a lot of creative and groundbreaking honking to be heard.
The 28 carefully selected tracks are from the releases of Excelsior, King, Excello, Chief, Duke, Capitol, Okeh, Decca, MGM, Vee Jay, Modern and Savoy, among others. So not the least!
Be entertained by formidable rocking blues, rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and doo-wop in the most diverse performances.
We can't help but give this album the maximum score again. A lower rating would violate our integrity. Enjoy!

​Sun, sea and beach immediately evoke a holiday atmosphere. Due to the pandemic measures, beach visits have not been taken for granted in recent years. Fortunately, there are now fewer restrictions and sunny weather lures us again en masse to water and sand. If you also want the right music to accompany you, then the compilation 'Destination Beach' released by Bear Family is the perfect soundtrack. Thirty tracks recorded in the late fifties and early sixties will undoubtedly put you in the right mood. Well-known and lesser-known songs and artists serve up brilliant rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, doo-wop and instrumental work.
However, don't be misled by the title 'Destination Beach', because even for those who opt for a 'staycation', these 30 songs are guaranteed to bring the holiday feeling to your home.

​Last year the Koko Mojo released label 'Let's Go Latin', the review of which you can read again at http://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/various-artists-lets-go-latin . With 'Let's Go Latin Again' there is now a sequel. Once again the emphasis is on groups that take a Latin tour with clever harmony vocals. Latin, which was created by the merging of cultures, exudes a relaxed and Southern atmosphere due to its Spanish roots. So do the 28 tracks on this album, recorded between 1954 and 1963. The fact that the genre inspired artists from various musical genres is a fact and can also be established on this compilation. This way you get delicious Latin based on rhythm & blues and doo-wop.
'Let's Go Latin Again' is the perfect album to give a summer garden party the necessary charm. However, if you listen to the album during a rainy day, slumped in your armchair with a cocktail within reach, a summer feeling will soon take over you. It's Mambo time!

​Our third visit to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club shows us that there are no taboos. After all, the music that drives the deejay through the speakers is of such a nature that when you enter Sadie's Gentlemen's Club, she accompanies you to the artificial world, where, provided you put the necessary money on the table, all your wishes are fulfilled. The 30 tracks on volume 3 once again give you a musical insight into the ins and outs of the club where Sadie and her company rule. Well-known and lesser-known artists provide the necessary atmosphere through 30 tracks, all recorded from 1952 to 1963. They contain rousing rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, doo-wop and a touch of jazz. Genres that fire up the flames of love during the third visit to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club.
For a next visit to the club we will have to wait patiently. That visit is scheduled for April 8, when the next volume titled 'Ecstasy' will be released.

​With volume 24 of the 'Southern Bred' series, we reside in Tennessee and Arkansas for the fourth consecutive album. As we already noted with the previous three releases around this region, there were a large number of artists there. They often had to wait for recognition until the 1960s when a real blues revival arose. The fact that the Tennessee and Arkansas recordings had a full sound certainly contributed to their popularity in the 1960s. The 28 tracks on this volume, titled 'Dippin' Is My Business', once again feature rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll from the genre's heyday. Recordings that, because of their danceability, will still provide a lot of entertainment in this time.
It has gradually become a tradition, because again volume 24 contains only the best classy rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, piano blues and doo-wop. Anyone who owns the other volumes of the 'Southern Bred' series will certainly not want to miss this volume.