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.

You could recently read the review of the album that Jesse Stone featured in the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series' on this site. In that review we also announced that Jesse Stone would soon be featured again, but in the 'Koko Mojo Spotlight Series'. Well that album is out now. For a short bio about Jesse Stone, we would like to refer you to the review in the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series' that you can find here https://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/jesse-stone-crazy-crazy-party. Like Jesse Stone or Charles Calhoun, he shone as a musician, arranger, producer and songwriter. A number of the songs on which he contributed in one or more of these guises have now become 'all-time classics'. Consider, for example, 'Shake, Rattle And Roll', which he wrote for Big Joe Turner, but was sung into eternity by Bill Haley. As this compilation shows, Haley owes even more of his success songs to Stone, with 'Razzle Dazzle' and 'Flip, Flop And Fly' written by him. You get 'Shake, Rattle 'n' Roll' here in the catchy and pure Carl Perkins' version. But there's more. We immediately start with an 'Alarm Clock Boogie' by Odelle Turner, a rocking rhythm & blues where Jesse acted as bandleader. We hear Jesse Stone himself on guitar on the subsequent instrumental 'Runaway'. Behind the microphone he appears as Charles Calhoun on 'My Pidgeon's Gone'. Joe Turner may take office three times. First with 'Hide And Seek' and later with 'Well All Right' and 'Teen Age Letter'. On the first two you hear Jesse at the piano and for 'Teen Age Letter' he was the arranger. More fine instrumental work comes with 'Right Now, Right Now' by the Alan Freed Big Band, which provides a live atmosphere with handclaps. With 'Ward 13' by Frankie Brunson you witness a formidable jazzy soul blues. Janis Martin was one of the first female artists in rock 'n' roll and was regarded as the 'female Elvis'. She proves that this was not unjustified in 'Good Love', written by Stone. Jimmy Breedlove also continues with 'Oo-Whee, Good Gosh A-Mighty', fully rocking. The fact that Grady Martin was a top guitarist has been discussed here before. You can hear him again on 'Love Is A-Breakin' Out' by Roberta Sherwood. One of my personal favorites on the saxophone is King Curtis. Here he shines again on the instrumental 'Crawfish' by The Stone Crushers. Curtis is also present on 'Rack 'Em Back' by Walter Spriggs, who was once part of the doo-wop group The Five Echoes. The Clovers provide the necessary doo-wop in the sublime 'Old Black Magic'. There is also some great work with 'Don't Let Go' by the vocal group Frank Deaton and The Mad-Lads. Dale Hawkins is known for his 'Susie Q'. He is present here with the 'Money Honey', composed by Stone.
'The Stomp' once again makes it clear that Jesse Stone, as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, arranger and orchestra leader, left his mark with enormous craftsmanship on many songs in the fifties and early sixties. This album is the ideal addition to 'Crazy, Crazy Party', previously released in the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series'.

Jesse Stone, also known under the pseudonym Charles Calhoun, did more for music than is generally known. As the only black artist, he was for a while on the payroll of the Ahmet Ertugun-led Atlantic Record Company. Because of this he probably left that label. Not only did Stone largely model rhythm & blues, but he was also an important person who was closely involved in the development and evolution of rock 'n' roll. His greatest achievement is always mentioned as 'Shake, Rattle And Roll', which he wrote as Charles Calhoun for Big Joe Turner. Considering that Bill Haley made the song famous worldwide, this certainly makes sense commercially. But as this compilation in the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series' shows, there are still a considerable number of rocking rhythm & blues hits on Stone’s of Calhoun's list of achievements. In addition to a number of songs that he recorded under these two names, this album also provides a nice insight into the songs he wrote for big names in rhythm & blues. We find a number of them on this compilation, such as Lucky Millinder, Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, The Drifters and Jimmy Witherspoon. 'Get It While You Can', recorded under his own name, is the first track reserved for Stone. Song that puts Stone's strict rhythm & blues side in the spotlight. Later he appears again with the only instrumental song on this album, namely 'Tall And Short'. You can hear that his songs could be performed by a full orchestra without any problem in 'The Jumpin' Jack' by Lucky Millinder with John Greer as vocalist. Big Joe Turner scored with the general public with of course 'Shake, Rattle And Roll', but also with 'Lipstick, Powder And Paint' and 'Flip, Flop and Fly'. You will find these three songs here and on the latter you can even hear Jesse at the piano. From The Drifters this album contains 'Bip Bam' and 'Gotta Get Myself A Woman'. On the first, Johnny Moore takes care of the tenor lead vocals. On the second song, Clyde McPhatter does that. 'Dead Broke' by The Du Droppers opens the door for rock 'n' roll, just like Ruth Brown's 'As Long As I'm Moving'. LaVern Baker, with her powerful voice, later serves up a wonderful rocking rhythm & blues with 'You Better Stop'. Al Jones, the brother of Billie Jean Jones, in turn the ex of Hank Williams and the widow of Johnny Horton, surprises twice. The first time with the penetrating 'Mad, Mad World' and the second time with 'Why Can't We Get Along', which clearly bears the traces of rock 'n' roll. Jimmy Witherspoon was a well-known artist in the jump and blues genre. Convince yourself of this during the rocking 'All Right Miss Moore' that he recorded with Stone's orchestra in 1957. A little later you get pure rock 'n' roll from Billy Williams with 'Red Hot Love', as well as from Ray Scott with 'Silk Satin And Lace' and 'We Need Love'. Ray also recorded as Walter Spriggs. He can also be heard in that guise with 'I Pawned Everything'. He was also part of the doo-wop group The Five Echoes. His love for the genre is still clearly evident.
You get beautiful harmony vocals from The Eagle-Aires and the a cappella 'Money Honey'. Vocally, The Cues also shine in the uptempo 'Why' and 'Crazy, Crazy Party', The Cookies with 'My Lover' and The Flyers, one of the many Drifters line-ups with 'On Bended Knee' as well as Buddy Wilkins in ' Private Eye'.
Jesse Stone died at the age of 97 on April 1, 1999 in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
In addition to all possible information about the tracks, the liner notes also contain Jesse Stone's musical bio, his relationship with Atlantic Records and information about his 'cross over' recordings.
This compilation makes it clear what a gifted singer/songwriter Jesse Stone was. Not only did he have a nose for quality, but he also managed to produce a number of 'all-time hits'. And you still haven't heard everything, because in the 'Koko Mojo Spotlight Series' the label also has a 'Spotlight On Jesse Stone' planned. To be continued!

B.B. and The Blues Shacks are among the top German blues bands. They have proven their craftsmanship several times, both on their studio albums and on their live recordings. The 3 CD box 'Breaking Point', released in 2021, offered a nice overview of the evolution that the band has undergone in their 30 years of existence. Fortunately, new material from them is being released again with 'Lonesome In The Moonlight'. Guitarist and singer Andreas Arlt, singer and harmonica player Michael Arlt, Henning Hauerken on upright bass, Fabian Fritz on keys and accordion and Andre Werkmeister on drums and percussion, are assisted by guest musicians Tom Müller on sax and Simon Hartl on trumpet. The album contains 14 tracks, half of which are their own songs and we can only applaud that. The gentlemen open with 'I Go To Bed With A Worry' by Chick Morris. A great rhythm & blues that in the hands of B.B. and The Blues Shacks gets a serious upgrade due to the wonderful performances of guitarist and singer Andreas Arlt and the guest hornplayers, as well as Fabian Fritz on organ, who plays somewhat in the background. With its successor, 'That's A Lie', borrowed from Ray Charles, the mix of rhythm & blues and soul makes its debut, on which Fabian's piano takes center stage and Michael Arlt blows his blues harp. We encounter the first original song with 'I Told My Eyes', on which the band develops their swing side with verve. What a formidable song that also proves that B.B. and The Blues Shacks master composing with verve. This is also reflected in 'Steppin' Stone', which is bursting with high-quality contemporary soul and certainly in the bluesy 'Dead Notes'. In this latter song, the creativity on Andreas' six strings is once again expressed, with a style that makes us think at the great B.B. King. Andreas shows this again in King's famous 'I've Got Papers On You, Baby'. The fact that composers Andreas and Michael can convey any style with class in their songs is demonstrated in the rocking 'Feed The Flame', which is given a light zydeco touch by Fabian's accordion. And we haven't heard everything yet. With the original 'What You Mean' the band presents an exceptional 'old school' jump and swing song, with Andreas and Fabian in top form. The gentlemen slow down a bit in the emotional 'More To Life Than This', an example how contemporary blues should sound like.
With 'Lonesome In The Moonlight' B.B. and The Blues Shacks have released an album that can effortlessly compete with the productions of their American colleagues. The excellent instrument control, the formidable original compositions and Andreas' excellent voice for the genre make this album one that deserves a place in my end-of-year list. Enjoy!

It is a fact that Halloween is the time for record labels to release music adapted for this purpose. You could recently read the review of the album 'Hallowscream!3' released by the Atomicat label for this occasion on this site. The Koko Mojo label also makes a point of serving up a Halloween soundtrack with 'Horror Show'. Compiler Little Victor, aka The 'Mojo' Man, has put together 28 tracks that will make you shudder and tremble. Instrumentally we start straight away with The Ernie Freeman Combo and the 'Theme From Igor'. What follows is a super soulful rhythm & blues song by Betty Lavett and 'Witchcraft In The Air'. You can also expect exciting rocking rhythm & blues from 'Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde', by The Emersons. You might not immediately expect it from Louis Armstrong, but he also enjoys Halloween with 'Spooks'. Who fitted 'horror' like a well-fitting suit is John Zacherle. As a TV presenter of horror films, he enjoyed success in America in the fifties and sixties. Here he does it singing in 'Dinner With Drac Pt.1'. A penetrating blues harp sets off Bobby Garrett's rhythm & blues 'Vampire'. Harmonica is also the main instrument in the instrumental 'Terror' by The Bees. You can count 'I Know What Happened To Baby Jane' by Bent Forcep & The Patients as more of a popcorn item. Faye Adams had a mega hit in the fifties with 'Shake A Hand', but 'The Hammer (Keeps A Knockin')’ is also a great rhythm & blues song. A blues artist through and through was Lightnin' Hopkins. He remains faithful to the blues genre, and also note the fantastic guitar work, in the tormented 'Cemetery Blues'. Another blues legend is John Lee Hooker. In his well-known personal style, only accompanying himself on guitar, he also performs 'Graveyard Blues'. Luke Jones will later close the album with a song that has the same title, but is a completely different one. Johnny Thunder goes on a more rock 'n' roll tour in 'Horror Show'. Subdued bluesy with a somewhat jazzy touch, Georgia White continues in 'Dean Man's Blues'. That style is also contained in 'Graveyard Disposition' by Gatemouth Moore. Billy Ward and His Dominoes later provide a major slow soul in 'The Bells', including sublime work on the saxophone. Special and also humorous is the spoken 'The Mummy' by Bob McFadden and Dor.
For beautiful harmony singing you can go to The DelVikings and The Moroccos, with 'Voodoo Man' and 'The Hex' respectively. And The Elites also deliver beautiful vocal performances in 'Jack The Ripper', just like Edwin And Alvin in 'Shiverin' & Shakin''.
As you can see, 'Horror Show' again offers wonderful rhythm & blues, blues, soul and rock 'n' roll to spice up your Halloween period. Enjoy!

​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 

​For the new release in the 'Destination' series, we move to Baghdad and Istanbul and the world of sheiks, harems, oases, red-hot Sahara sand and Ali Baba. The 32 tracks on this album clearly show that these items can be performed perfectly musically. Titles such as 'Ali Baba', 'Pasha', 'Shish Ka Bob Rock', 'Ali Ben Ghazi', 'Hari's Harem' and Sands Of Arabia' speak for themselves.
With Bill Haley, Art Neville, Dinah Washington, The Fendermen, Preston Love, Johnny and The Hurricanes and Jerry Reed you already get a number of resounding names. The latter immediately kicks off with 'Rockin In Bagdad'. The song immediately puts you in the right mood and already lets the sweltering heat work on you. Song that also has a nice Eastern feeling intro.
So make sure you already have an ice-cold drink within reach, because you shouldn't expect cooling from this compilation. Reed is followed by The Champs. 'Tequila' is without a doubt their 'signature song', but the instrumental 'Ali Baba' is certainly not inferior to that. And The Polk Brothers also do it instrumentaal with razor-sharp lead guitar on 'Caravan Rock'. Later you will also hear the versions of this Duke Ellington classic by The Fendermen and Bobby Christian. Sax is 'the leading instrument' on the also instrumental 'Oasis - Part 1' by The Majestics. More beautiful atmospheric instrumentals follow with, among others, 'Hari's Harem' by The Slaves, 'Camel Walk – Part 1' by The Saxons, 'Ali Baba's Boogie' by alto saxophonist Preston Love and his orchestra, Leroy Holmes with 'In A Persian Market', 'Sands Of Arabia' by The Teentones, Ganimian and His Orientals featuring 'Come With Me To The Casbah' also known by Los Straitjackets' version, 'Ali Baba' by Dave & The Customs, The Big Sound Of Don Ralke in 'Zooba !', Johnny and The Hurricanes and 'Sheba', as well as 'Istanbul' by The Renegades.
Lots of instrumental work on this album. Not surprising because how can you better represent the Eastern atmosphere. But vocals are also scored here.
Like by the great rhythm & blues artist Big Maybelle. You might not immediately expect her here, but 'That's A Pretty Good Love' fits in perfectly. Another great lady is Dinah Washington. She does it nice swinging on 'One Arabian Night'. 'Twistin' Jack Hammer, who once recorded for the Belgian Ronnex label, is present with 'Ali Ben Ghazi'. That Ferlin 'Husky was at home in many markets, he shows in 'Aladdin's Lamp', which has both rockabilly and country & western in its genes. In 1958, Bobby Freeman recorded the original ‘Do You Want To Dance’. Song that got a high score in Cliff Richard's version. Freeman is present on this compilation with the rocking 'Sinbad'. Art Neville provides a bit of New Orleans rhythm & blues with 'Arabian Love Call'. Formidable doo-wop is featured in 'Ali Baba' by The Sandpipers.
True to tradition, Sheik Bill Dahl guides you through all tracks through the extensive liner notes.
'Destination Desert' is a nice sequel in the 'Destination' series. An album that makes you dream away.

​Nine Pound Hammer is the 10th and final volume in the Rhythm & Western series. The album contains a series of well-known names of black artists who recorded their versions of songs that originally belonged to the domain of the 'country & western'. True to tradition, this compilation also offers the opportunity to explore the work of lesser-known artists. Work that is more than worth listening to. Opener of service is King Curtis with 'Beatnik Showdown'. A very idiosyncratic but very beautiful song, containing both country & western and rhythm & blues and with, as we are used to from Curtis, sublime sax work. He is followed by Pearl Galloway and 'Think It Over Baby', a song that contains a dose of pop in addition to rhythm & blues. Another great example of how you can transform an original country & western song into a breathtaking rhythm & blues, Bull Moose Jackson provides in 'If You Ain't Lovin', You Ain't Livin'. Number by the way with which Faron Young scored in 1954. Jackson recorded it 1 year later. Eunice & Eddie provide a more than fantastic duet with 'Tell Me To My Face'. A penetrating soulful slow blues follows with 'You Made Me Love You' by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, song that is also known in the version by Patsy Cline. Washboard Sam is present with the classic and pure blues 'Bucket's Got A Hole In It'. Although the song mentions Williams as the composer, this is not Hank Williams as is often thought, but the black jazz pianist and songwriter Clarence Williams, who wrote the song in 1933. You can read how Hank Williams is associated with the song in the extensive liner notes from compiler Little Victor. The formidable numbers follow one another. This way you get the heavenly soulful 'After Loving You' from Esther Phillips. What a lot of passion she puts into that song! Slim Gaillard's ‘The Hip Cowboy’ is reminiscent of Jimmy Rodgers because of the yodeling. An earcatcher is also Johnny Guitar Watson's version of 'Cold Cold Heart'. Classmates Clyde McPhatter and Ruth Brown star for the full 100% in 'I Gotta Have You'. You undoubtedly know 'A Room Full Of Roses' from Jim Reeves or Dean Martin. I myself prefer Damita Jo's version. Remarkable is 'Coming Round The Mountain' by Cecil Gant trio with vocal input from Baby Ruth. Song that contains a medley of ‘Smoke That Cigarette’ and ‘Cigarettes, Whiskey and Wild Women’ and ends with a yodel. The title track of this compilation 'Nine Pound Hammer' is often attributed to Merle Travis, but Al Hopkins already recorded the song in 1927. Here you get the impressive version of soul man Lou Rawls. There is even more soul in 'It's My Lazy Day' by Brook Benton. Piano Red provides a not-to-be-missed version of the frequently covered 'It Makes No Difference Now'. Joe Henderson's hit 'Snap Your Fingers' gets a striking sensual boost in Barbara Lewis' version. 'I've Got A Feeling' by Mickey & Sylvia contains both rhythm & blues and a touch of gospel. Lloyd Price's version of Pee Wee King's 'Tennessee Waltz' is also impressive.
'Nine Pound Hammer' is a beautiful last compilation to the formidable 'Rhythm & Western' series. A series that is more than worth purchasing.

​Volume 1 with the title 'Rhythm & Blues' has only just been released when the second volume is already approaching us. This volume was again compiled by Ronni Boysen. For this album, this talented guitarist focused on the period '1960 -63', from which he distilled 28 tracks. We start with the vocal ladies trio The Ru-Bee-Els and 'Evil'. Rhythm & blues with a dash of gospel comes with 'Love You Baby' by Eddie King. King also recorded with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Detroit Jr. In addition, he was a guitarist in Koko Taylor's band for more than 20 years. You undoubtedly know Brenton Wood from 'Gimme Little Sign'. Here Brenton is part of The Newports, who released an extremely commercial song with 'Dixie Women'. You can expect a steamy rhythm & blues from Bill Parker & His Showboat Band. Jesse Parker, also known as Blues Boy Palmer, is the singer on 'All Day, All Night'. Parker is followed by the rocking rhythm & blues 'Granpas' Gully Rock' by Floyd Smith with The Montclairs. With 'Louie Louie', Richard Berry had a song that has been covered countless times. That the man had songwriter talent, he shows here, as Jasper Woods, with the equally catchy 'Hully Gully Papa'. Another 'earcatcher' is definitely 'Tired Of Walkin'' by Little Joe Hinton. A scorching rhythm & blues! Beautiful harmony vocals present the Fabulous Playboys in 'Honky Tonk Woman'. Later, Arlando King and The Earthquakes do just as well in ‘Baby Only You’, as well as The Majestics in ‘Treat Me Like You Want To Be Treated’. A beautiful blues song comes with 'Made It Up In Your Mind' by singer and harmonica player Big Jack Reynolds. By the way, he gives a brilliant performance here on that instrument. Rosco Gordon shows how to mix rhythm & blues with a good portion of soul in 'I Want Revenge'. You get even more soul with Fred Bridges and 'Baby Don't You Weep', song that Wilson Pickett once covered. Little or nothing is known about Oscar Boyd, but 'She's My Baby' is a song that immediately nestles between your ears. Johnnie Mae Matthews was one of the first women to own her record label. You can experience that she also scores well vocally in 'Help Me', including a thunderous guitar solo. The Price family was not short of musical talent. Leo Price, who you hear here on ‘Hey Now Baby’, was Lloyd Price's younger brother. In addition to songs he wrote and recorded himself, he also composed hits such as ‘Send Me Some Lovin'’ and ‘I Can't Believe You Wanna Leave’ for Little Richard. Jean Trevor became known as the 'First Lady Of St. Louis Jazz'. Here she has a great popcorn song with 'Get Outta My Heart'. You will find a somewhat jazzy rhythm & blues with 'Feelin' Kind A Lonesome' by Willie J. Charles. On the vibraphone solo you can hear none other than Lionel Hampton.
This second volume in the 'Black Pearls' series more than lives up to its title. So look forward to the third volume entitled 'Voodoo Moon'.

​‘Fever’, first recorded in 1956 by Little Willie John, was covered by Peggy Lee 2 years later and immediately brought her international fame. The song is also featured twice on this compilation. A first time you get the recording from 1958 and a second version is a rare live recording from 1961 made during a concert in New York City. Peggy Lee was one of the greatest voices of her period. Her versatility is formidable on this compilation released by Bear Family in the series 'The Velvet Lounge'. The recordings were made in the period 1948 - 1962 and show Lee in genres such as swinging rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, light jazz and pop in both uptempo and ballad forms. Peggy Lee was also accompanied by highly professional orchestras, such as those of Dave Barbour, Gordon Jenkins, Nelson Riddle, Jack Marshall, Ralph Carmichael, Joe Hamell, Quincy Jones and Louis Prima. The 30 carefully selected songs are an anthology from the American Songbook. Songs like 'Alright, Okay, You Win', 'Lover', 'Heart (Corazon)', 'Jump For Joy' and 'Kansas City' speak for themselves. By the way, Lee knows how to leave her mark on all tracks. Even the often covered '(Ghost) Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)' is given extra shine by Peggy. Handsome is definitely an early version of 'Everybody Loves Somebody'. Peggy Lee already recorded it in 1948. Later in 1964, the song would give Dean a mega hit. The songs by Ray Charles that Peggy Lee covered also bear witness to a rare beauty. That applies to 'Hallelujah, I Love Him So' and certainly to the live performed 'I Got A Man (I Got A Woman)'. She presents a nice example of a compelling ballad with 'Uninvited Dream'. Cliff Richard recorded the ballad ‘I'm Lookin' Out The Window’ in 1962. The original version belongs to Peggy Lee, who recorded it for Capitol in 1959. Along with the aforementioned live versions of 'Fever' and 'I Got A Man (I Got A Woman)', the album closes with 'Yes, Indeed'.
Peggy Lee passed away on January 21, 2002 at the age of 81. The 38-page booklet contains Peggy Lee's biography as well as all the info about the tracks.
This compilation puts the impressive versatility of the legendary Peggy Lee in the spotlights in a fantastic way on the basis of 30 tracks. Recommended!

​In this new series launched by KokoMojo with well-known, lesser-known and completely unknown rhythm & blues, the label focuses on the stimulants in this first volume. Alcohol and mind-altering drugs not only give an instant happy feeling, but often also put the user in unpleasant situations, such as addiction, relationship problems, conflicts with authorities or even worse. Compiler Mark Armstrong gathered 30 songs, all of which are linked to this. Rhythm & blues from the period from 1947 to 1960. A time when a lot was still possible, but also a time that was therefore problematic.
We start with a well-known person, who is often present on good compilations. That is Wynonie Harris, who can immediately start with the title track 'Quiet Whiskey'. He immediately sets the tone for excessive alcohol consumption and debauchery with a penetrating rhythm & blues. Jimmy Witherspoon, on the other hand, prefers 'Drinkin' Beer', a song with a raw sax solo by Buddy Floyd. Herb Fisher indicates later on the album, in 'Wine, Wine, Wine', which also contains some jazz elements, that he chooses this stuff. Unfortunately, whatever excessive drinking can lead to, The Hi-Fidelities showcase in 'Help Murder Police', a song from 1957. It's still fun on 'Rock Me Daddy' by Laurie Tate and The Joe Morris Blues Cavalcade , of which guitarist Roy Gaines was a part. Another famous one is Johnny Otis. Together with his band he is responsible for the backing of Marylyn Scott on 'Beer Bottle Boogie'. Admitting that one is drunk is often quite difficult. Jimmy Liggins confirms this once again in the well-known 'Ain't Drunk'. A really obscure recording is this 'Big Fat Joe The Wino' by Allen Henry & his Band. Song that dates from 1947, but nevertheless sounds quite current. And then we approach a group of extremely well-known artists. The first is Louis Jordan, with the danceable 'Whiskey Do Your Stuff'. He is followed by Roy Brown & His Mighty-Mighty Men. Roy was also in the front row when rhythm & blues turned into rock and roll. 'Bar Room Blues' is still close to rhythm & blues. Smiley Lewis shows that repentance often only comes after sin in the classic 'Shame, Shame, Shame'. Also familiar to the ears is 'You Drink Too Much Booze' by Jimmie Rainey & Slim Slaughter, who recorded the song in 1960 for the Jo-Dee label. A not unknown rhythm & blues pianist was Jack Dupree. On 'Drinkin' Little Woman' he can be heard on the piano, while Danny 'Little Boy Blues' Taylor takes care of the vocals. For Thurston Harris, the excessive consumption of stimulants was also the cause of his death at the age of 58. Here he still enjoys ' (I Got Loaded At) Smokey Joe's'. Within the blues and rhythm & blues, Lowell Fulson belongs to the top. Not unjustified if you listen to 'Don't Be So Evil'. Kansas City gives Jimmy a nice example of jump blues later on 'Cheatin' Women'.
For rhythm & blues with a great combination of the voices of the group members, you can go to The Five Keys and their 'Come Go My Bail'. Impressive are also The Falcons in the slightly more blues tinted 'Sent Up'. Even more on the blues side, The '5' Royales go into 'Laundromat Blues'.
The last song, like the first track, is reserved for Wynonie Harris who closes the bar with 'She Just Won't Sell No More'.
Rhythm & Blues Hell Raisers is definitely a series to keep an eye on. The first volume offers 30 tracks of the highest quality for lovers of rock-solid authentic rhythm & blues. Looking forward to volume 2 is therefore the message!

Doug Deming is an American blues and roots guitarist/vocalist, born and raised in the Detroit area, currently residing on the Gulf coast of Florida. Doug is the 2013 recipient of the Blues Blast Music Awards' Sean Costello Rising Star Award. Drawing influence from greats like T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian and Robert Jr. Lockwood, Doug's traditional taste and style are evident in his original music. This new album is a live performance. Recorded ith several guest artists in Basel Switzerland. 

​With 'Black Pearls', the KokoMojo label not only launches a new series, but also employs a brand new compiler. The compiler of this series is none other than the multi-award winning Danish blues guitarist Ronni Boysen. In addition to playing in the band of Muddy Waters' son Mud Morgenfield for 13 years, he was also one of the founders of The Kokomo Kings. Ronni played festivals and concerts in 23 countries and worked with an impressive list of artists, including Lazy Lester, James Harman, Dianna Greenleaf, Bob Corritore, Lurrie Bell, Gary Primich, R.J. Mischo, Barrelhouse Chuck and Big Creek Slim. Due to touring and recording professionally in 2022, Ronni was unable to make enough time for his family. Therefore, he is now stopping his professional music career to spend more time with his family. Ronni now has a day job so he certainly shouldn't give up his preference for original 45 and 78 rpm singles. He can therefore now express his love for those recordings in this 'Black Pearls' series. Volume 1, subtitled 'Rhythm & Blues', contains 28 tracks. The kick-off of this new series is Piney Brown who creates one of the roughest blues songs with 'You Bring Out The Wolf In Me'. With Pearl Reeves & The Concords we switch to the jump blues with 'You Can't Stay Here (Step It Up And Go)'. One of the most swinging orchestras on the West Coast was that of drummer Roy Milton. He proves this once again in 'One Zippy Zam'. Milton is followed by another singing drummer who was also active on the West Coast, namely Al Simmons. Here you can hear him with 'You Ain't Too Old', an example of a sublime blues boogie. Another formidable song comes from Carmen Taylor. She took Big Mama Thornton's hit 'Hound Dog' as an example and created the super handsome 'Ding Dong' in the same style. Big Mama Thornton herself passes later with the well-known 'Just Like A Dog (Barking Up The Wrong Tree)'. Preston Love was a saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter and has worked with Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Frank Zappa and Janis Joplin, among others. He left vocals to Roy Easter, but Preston does take care of the alto sax on the rhythm & blues smash song 'If You Ever Get Lonesome'. Another big name in the orchestra leader category was saxophonist Buddy Lucas. He did session jobs with Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. He also played the sax solo on Dion's 'The Wanderer'. Here he is with 'Bo-Lee'. With 'How Wild Can A Woman Be' by Harold 'Thunderbird' Ward you get a beautiful rocking rhythm & blues. The advantage of expertly compiled compilations is always the discoveries you make. One of those is definitely 'Let's Get Together And Make Some Love' by Jimmy Lewis and his band. Not obvious guitar work, but great! You can experience that 'rapping' has existed for a long time on 'The Buggy Ride' by Rudy Moore. Pianist, singer and composer Floyd Dixon referred to himself as ‘Mr. Magnificent'. Overdone? Judge for yourself after listening to the stunner 'Oooh Little Girl'. Marie Knight started her musical career as a gospel singer and in that capacity she toured with Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Nothing remains of gospel in the wonderfully rocking 'I Thought I Told You Not To Tell Them'. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm have undeniably contributed to the evolution of rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll. You can hear them here with vocalist Tommy Hodge on 'That's All I Need', a song that flowed from Ike's pen by the way. The last two tracks are reserved for Rufus Thomas and multi-instrumentalist Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, featuring respectively the catchy 'The Easy Livin' Plan' and the instrumental 'Swingin' The Gate', which showcase Brown's six-string talent. can enjoy.
Ronni Boysen successfully passed the compiler's baptism of fire. After this first volume, we firmly believe that the upcoming releases in this series will provide some serious fireworks.

Lillian Briggs was an impressive artist. Not only did she have an enormously powerful voice, but she was also an adept trombone player. During her performances she stood behind the microphone with the instrument in hand. Lillian was born on June 3, 1932 in Allentown, Lehigh County. During her childhood she mainly listened to jazz and jump blues and had a preference for the work of Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole. Initially, she trained on piano and violin, but in order to join the high school band, she had to change instruments, so she chose the trombone. Her musical career only got a push when she was spotted with her then band during a performance by talent scout Jack Petrill. They made a deal and Jack got her a record deal with Epic. It was the heyday of rock 'n' roll. Lillian bleached her hair, drove a white Cadillac convertible and performed in nightclubs, always with the trombone in hand. As her first single, she covered Louis Jordan's ‘I Want You To Be My Baby’, which sold more than 1 million copies and so she became the first woman to achieve rock 'n' roll star status. She has toured with all the major artists, including her idol Nat King Cole. In addition, in her most glorious years, from 1954 to 1965, she also worked as a film actress and appeared in various TV shows. When her career gradually declined after 1965, she only did small gigs to retire in the seventies. Lillian Briggs died on April 11, 1998 at the age of 65 from lung cancer.
Briggs made 18 singles, several of which made it to the charts. On this album you get 10 tracks that put the enormous talent of this lady in the spotlight. In addition to the aforementioned 'I Want You To Be My Baby', you get 9 songs of an exceptionally high level, including the classic 'Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop'. Opener 'Can't Stop' shows Lillian her jumping rhythm & blues side. Jazzy swinging she works her way through 'Blues In The Night' with class and from 'Follow The Leader' she pulls the rock 'n' roll card. The sporadically appearing raw edge in her voice in 'I Care For You', 'Come Here', 'I' and 'Is There A Man In The House?' give the rock 'n' roll feeling an extra push. Poppy rocking closes the album with 'I'm Burning For You'. Briggs' powerful vocals, the formidable performance of the accompanying big band and the sophisticated arrangements make 'Follow The Leader' an album that you turn after the last track of side B and then turn after the last track of side A and then again… …….! In short, a hell of an album. 

​The Rhythm Bomb Records label celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. An anniversary that gets even more shine with the release of some 10 inch '20th anniversary edition' vinyls.
'Let's Play Around!' by Cherry Casino and The Gamblers' is one of them. In 2006, this German band managed to connect with contemporary bands that embrace traditional rhythm & blues with this album, which was only released on CD. 'Let's Play Around!' received very good reviews and as it turns out, the album has not lost any of its power so many years later. Cherry Casino and The Gamblers have now become a permanent value. Rhythm Bomb’s Records’ boss Ralph Braband therefore thought it appropriate to release these historic recordings for the first time on vinyl on the occasion of the anniversary of his label. A decision that gives us, together with the fans of the band, great pleasure.
When listening, it immediately becomes clear that the band already radiated an enormous dose of professionalism in 2005. Cherry Casino (voc., gtr), Ike Stoye (sax), Michael 'Humpty' Kirscht (rhythm gtr), Torsten Peukert (drums) and 'Lucky' Lehmann (bass) ensure that. This immediately manifests itself in the raw, returning to the essence of rhythm & blues 'Huh Baby'. With 'Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down' the band presents a more rocking version of the genre.  Cherry and his mates work their way swinging through 'You're Too High For Me', which also boasts great backing vocals from the band members. And side two also opens in the same way with 'Baby Please Come Back'. Unadulterated rock 'n' roll typifies 'All Night Long'. A somewhat Chuck Berry-like intro later puts 'Girl Next Door' on the rocking tracks. Song that also boasts sublime sax and guitar solos.
Cherry Casino and The Gamblers know the authentic rhythm & blues and the rocking version of it in detail. Their craftsmanship, coupled with a dynamic performance, also make 'Let's Play Around' an extremely danceable record.

​With 'Lonely Lonely Train' the 'More Boss Black Rockers' series also comes to an end. When you own both the 10 CDs of the 'Boss Black Rockers' series and the complete 'More Boss Black Rockers', you have no less than 560 fantastic songs by black artists, including the 28 gems of volume 10. Let's start right away with the well-known and sublimely rocking 'Hickory Dickory Dock' by Big Boy Myles. Myles is followed by Johnny Acey with "Please Don't Go (Back To Baltimore)" that conveys both blues and gospel. Also beautiful is 'Polly Molly' by The Five Masks, who also provide the rocking rhythm & blues with wonderful harmony vocals. Cool harmony vocals then also characterize 'Forget It' by the vocal group The Larks and certainly 'Sud Buster' by The Spinners. Curtis Knight is best known for his collaboration with Jimi Hendrix. He shows that he could also score vocally on the swinging 'Gotta Have A New Dress' that he recorded for Shell in 1962. If you're looking for a throbbing sax-driven rhythm & blues instrumental, you can't ignoreren King Curtis. Here he presents 'Beach Party' and pay also attention to the performance of the Hammond in addition to the sax. Phil Flowers' ‘You Stole My Heart" is remarkably modulated after the early Elvis. Lee Dorsey was one of New Orleans' most famous artists. ‘Ya Ya’ earned him a worldwide hit. That the man had many more beautiful songs, proves 'Rock'. It is common knowledge that some genres are very close to each other. A good example of this is "I Wanna Do Everything For You" by Brook Benton, which sounds very soulful in addition to rhythm & blues. Another jack-of-all-trades was Wynona Carr. Gospel, rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll characterized her repertoire. Rock 'n' roll is here the basis for 'Touch And Go'. A hell of an instrumental rocker comes with The Upsetters and their 'Jaywalking'. The band acted as accompaniment for Little Richard on several singles. You can hear him a little later with 'Ain't Nothin' Happening', on which he takes it a bit easier than what we are used to from him. The title track 'Lonely Lonely Train' comes from Sonny Anderson, on which the backing vocals play for train. Wonderful!
There are a lot of bangers galore at this volume. Listing them all would lead us too far, but 'Please, Please Be Mine' by El Pauling & Royal Abbit, including a great piano solo, 'Struttin' and Twistin'' by Roosevelt Grier, 'Turn It Off' by Dean & Jean and The Jarmels with 'She Loves To Dance' are certainly also worth mentioning.
With the rhythm & blues of Jimmy Witherspoon's 'Move Me Baby', not only this volume closes, but also the 'More Boss Black Rockers' series.
We secretly hope that compiler Little Victor will expand on this. Wait and see!

​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!

​Despite the fact that record companies led to believe that music should be classified in specific genres, in practice things turned out completely differently. The different genres not only influenced each other, but also the artists. The entanglement between rhythm & blues and country & western is therefore formidably addressed in the series that was appropriately titled 'Rhythm & Western'. 'You Are My Sunshine', volume 9 again, just like his 8 previous volumes, gives a good example of the cross-fertilization between rhythm & blues and country & western. We get a nice example of this right away with opener 'Hillbilly Blues', a song that Pee Wee Crayton recorded. Crayton is immediately followed by Piano Red, who puts Hank Williams' 'Hey Good Lookin' in a very special, but very well-fitting suit. Extremely well done! The tempo and the piano clearly give the song something extra. Later, Fats Domino also tackles a Williams classic. He transforms 'You Win Again' into a stunning New Orleans rhythm & blues. More work from Hank is coming with Nat King Cole and 'Your Cheatin' Heart'. Even gospel matches dribs and drabs with the aforementioned genres. Little Willie John shows this in 'Don't Be Ashamed To Call My Name', a song from 1958. Damita Jo also delivers an extraordinary performance. Her version of Loretta Lynn's ‘I Walked Away From The Wreck’ is a great example of the connection between rhythm & blues, country & western and even soul. We know '(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I' in Presley's version. Elvis achieved the most success with it, although Hank Snow already scored a hit with it in 1953. A very special version with formidable harmony vocals is presented here by The Robins, who remind me a bit of The Platters. King Curtis is the perfect artist for an impressive sax instrumental. Here he gives a very personal twist to Pee Wee King's 'The Tennessee Waltz'. Who is still doing very well is Solomon Burke with 'Just Out Of Reach', on which the country & western is in the spotlights. Wonderful country also sounds classy Brook Benton in 'Come On, Be Nice'. Eddie Lang provides rocking rhythm & blues a little later with 'She's Mine All Mine'. Giving an old gospel song a country & western touch is no problem for The Original Gospel Harmonettes. In 'Everyday Will Be Sunday (By and By)’ they show how you have to do that. A style that you immediately recognize is the one by Lee Dorsey. He is present with his version of Jimmie Davis' ‘You Are My Sunshine’. A voice that you can immediately point to at home is that of Jackie Wilson in the uptempo 'Why Can't You Be Mine'. We close with the oldest song on the compilation. That's the 1929 recorded ‘Kunjine Baby’ by The Black Hillbillies, being Tampa Red and Georgia Tom. A very pleasant song where Georgia vocally imitates a horn part.
The ninth volume in the 'Rhythm & Western' series again offers many discoveries and cover versions that you are most likely hearing here for the first time. Definitely an unmissable volume!

The number of decent 'black rock 'n' roll songs' is almost inexhaustible. After all, with the first 'Boss Black Rockers' series consisting of 10 CDs, we were able to add no fewer than 280 gems in that genre to our collection. And also with the subsequent series 'More Boss Black Rockers', compiler Little Victor presents the eighth volume of this series of 10 volumes with 'Rock & Roll Baby'. Once again, the album contains a number of well-known names, supplemented with artists who could not penetrate everyone's brain. Ravon Darnell is immediately in the starting blocks with the infectious 'Chicken Little', a solid rocking rhythm & blues that he recorded for Tampa in 1956. Very nice is 'Smack Smack' by Marvin and Johnny. Originally both gentlemen were saxophonists, but what they do here vocally is formidable, especially the head voice of one of them is impressive. Vocal delights but in the style of beautiful harmony vocals can be heard with The Barons and their 'Who's In The Shack', as well as in 'What's The Matter For You' by The Cellos and certainly with 'She's A Flirt' by The Jewels. Vocally strong are also the ringing at the door in search of 'Miss Petunia' being Day, Dawn and Dusk. Blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon is no stranger. Here he is present with "It Ain't No Secret (What My Baby Can Do)", a song that Willie Dixon credits as co-author and that also contains a bit of gospel due to the input of the backing choir. Jackie Brensten is certainly also known. He is assisted by Ike Turner and his band in 'Trouble Up The Road', by the way, also flowed from Ike's pen. For a swinging 'shout song' you can go to 'Shake Em Up Baby' by the well-known Roy Brown. Whoever let the rock 'n' roll sound through rather than the rhythm & blues was Elmer Parker as he did in 'You Know I Love You'. Influences of New Orleans rhythm & blues are more likely to be found in 'Rock And Roll Baby' by Mercy Baby. 'Juke Box Boogie Chick' by Snookum Russell Orchestra is then a particularly beautiful piece of big band rocking rhythm & blues. Jumping and swinging are indispensable tools for the Jap Curry's Blazers, as evidenced in 'Hey Now'. You can recognize Louis Jordan's style out of a thousand. 'Rock 'n' Roll Call' betrays him from the first notes. Of course you can also twist. Randy Thomas and The Twisters take care of that, except for a few screams, 'Twistin' All Night Long' is instrumental. You undoubtedly know 'Woke Up This Morning' from B.B. King. Well, Kripp Johnson and Chuck Jackson give the song a total metamorphosis by giving it a rocking doo-wop twist. Wonderful approach! 'Mirror Mirror On The Wall' becomes in the hands of Ernest Tucker, an excellent rock song. Chris Kenner who co-wrote “Sick And Tired” with Dave Bartholomew also recorded it first. However, the Fats Dominos version is more fameust. Here you get the Elton Anderson version, which stays close to the original New Orleans sound.
Chuck Higgins can close the list with the instrumental 'The Rooster'.
Even at this volume, the quality of the recorded songs remains exceptionally high. It is already eagerly awaiting the next two volumes, which will complete the 'More Boss Black Rockers' series. Those are volumes 9 and 10, which were given 'Hey Doll Baby' and 'Lonely Lonely Train' respectively as titles and which in turn will appear in May and June. Vinyl enthusiasts can also purchase this series on their beloved black disc, which also gives them the complete CD version as a bonus.

​‘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.

​With 'Oh Lonesome Me' we have arrived at the eighth volume in the 'Rhythm & Western' series. The series that focuses on the recordings made by artists from the black community. Recordings that could be linked to country & western.
We immediately start with a swinging rhythm & blues version of 'Cherokee Boogie' by Bullmoose Jackson. Song that was also recorded by Hank Williams and Johnny Horton, among others. Another brilliant example comes from Dinah Washington with her version of ‘I Don't Hurt Anymore’, which gave Hank Snow a hit in 1954. Dinah turned it into a beautiful slow rhythm & blues with a somewhat jazzy slant.
The Olympics perform nice harmony vocals in the rousing 'Dooley', which even has some gospel in it. Gospel is undeniably also an ingredient of the classic ‘I'm A Pilgrim’ by the vocal group The Swanee Quintet. The song was also recorded by country artists, such as Merle Travis, Bill Monroe, Willie Nelson and Doc Watson, among others.
A moment Bo Diddley came closest to country & western in his entire career was during the recording of 'Put The Shoes On Willy'. Most of the time you hear Little Walter on the blues harp but in Eddie Wares blues 'Lima Beans', Walter is the guitarplayer. Another legend is Buddy Holly. He serves as guitarist on the cajun country classic 'Jole Blon', performed here by the young Waylon Jennings, w.o. is fantastically backed by saxophonist King Curtis. Grandmaster Fats Domino provides the necessary portion of New Orleans rhythm & blues with 'Lil' Liza Jane'. Closing is done with a wonderful instrumental guitar number by Sylvester Weaver on slide guitar in 'Guitar Rag'.
‘Oh Lonesome Me’ is a wonderful continuation of the path Little Victor took with the Rhythm & Western series. A recommended series!

​The Firebirds are a five-piece band from Leipzig, Germany, who showcase their very personal interpretation of rock 'n' roll from the fifties and sixties on this album. That own interpretation is immediately apparent on opener 'You Don't Like To R 'n' R', including a fat sax solo. Sax who also put successor 'Blinding Lights' on the tracks. Even pop influences do not avoid The Firebirds. Traces of this can be found in 'Sweet Kisses'. Handsome harmony vocals also fit the band like a glove, as the gentlemen show in 'Mama Should Know'. An outlier is certainly the somewhat jazzy and a 'theatre feel' creating 'Boyfriend'. What a song!
Lyrically, The Firebirds also score in a special way. They avoid beaten paths like the plague. They prefer to continue in a narrative way. A wonderful example of this is certainly the quietly swinging 'The Way Love Goes', which is followed by the slow 'Moviestar', to which the gentlemen also add a bit of doo-wop. ‘Mr. Sunshine' goes even further back in time. Here you get more of a 'roaring twenties' feeling, mixed with vocal delights. What a structure that number has. With 'My Guitar' it is a bit of a shock when the band firmly prefers the fifties rock 'n' roll tour. Familiar in pure Firebirds style, 'Area 51' sounds a little later. A wonderful rhythm & blues, which ends with an emotional steel guitar and transitions almost seamlessly into the dreamy 'Down By The Sea'. They end with 'Let The Good Times Roll'. The umpteenth version of the Louis Jordan classic, I hear you say. NO, this quintet composed their own 'Let The Good Times Roll'.
In short we can conclude that The Firebirds are more than just another contemporary rock and roll band. Comparing them to other contemporary bands that keep the rock 'n' roll fire burning is pointless. After all, this group does not stick to the fifties sound that other bands try to approach as much as possible. Is this a disadvantage? Certainly not, although it takes some time to adjust when your ears are used to the rawer sound of fifties rock and roll. However, if you need a special contemporary and certainly innovative sound, then 'Stripes' by The Firebirds is definitely your thing. I'm already won over!

​Leroy Kirkland is the next to complete the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series'. Depending on the source you consult, he was born in 1904 or 1906. His first occupation, starting as a butcher, did not suggest that he would become a renowned songwriter and arranger. He started his musical career in 1932 as a banjo player. In the early 1940s, Leroy moved to New York. After World War II he returned to music and worked as an arranger and songwriter for Erskine Ramsay Hawkins' swing band. Then Kirkland joined the Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey band. From 1951 he was the arranger for the Savoy label and worked for labels such as Carol, Groove, Mercury, Okeh, RCA Victor, Vik, Wing and several independent labels. In addition, he was also a driving force behind the rock and roll shows of the legendary d.j. Alan Freed and organized sessions for The King's Henchmen. The really productive years for Leroy were the 1960s, when his cross-over rhythm & blues compositions could count on worldwide interest. When he passed away on April 6, 1988, Leroy Kirkland left a legacy of more than 700 songs. From that rich oeuvre, 28 songs found their way to 'Thrill-A-Dill'. Songs that contain rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, soul and a dash of jazz by solo artists and vocal groups. Famous names include Sonny Terry, Dinah Washington, Alan Freed and His Rock 'n' Roll Band, Clyde McPhatter and The Five Keys.
Perhaps the name Leroy Kirkland meant little or nothing to you. However, when you listen to this compilation, you witness some of his remarkable compositions. Another very successful release in the 'Koko Mojo Songwriter Series'.

​Blues has long been regarded as the 'devil's music' and the perfect genre to provide entertainment on a Saturday night. In other words, on ‘Shake That Thing’, the third volume in the ‘Sin On Saturday, Pray On Sunday’ serie, the genre is well represented. Would you like some examples?
Tender Slim, also known as Fender Guitar Slim, gets the Saturday night off to a glorious start with the rousing 'Don't Cut On Me'. With a nice example on the blues harp, Big Jack Reynolds keeps the tempo high in 'I Had A Little Dog'. For one of bassist Willie Dixon's most remarkable compositions, we have to turn to Bob Gaddy's 'Could I'. Partly due to the background choir, this song also has something gospel-like. By the way, we hear Dixon as bass player in 'Too Late' by harmonica player Little Walter. The other accompanists were also not the least, namely guitarists Robert Lockwood Jr. and Luther Tucker and drummer Fred Below.
We can certainly count on the great Mahalia Jackson for a pious Sunday. She shows her vocal qualities again in the 1953 released 'Said He Would'. Gospel and blues had something in common after all. Listen to 'Didn't It Rain' by Reverend Charles White, accompanied by bluesman James Butler. The Sensational Nightingales provide gospel in its purest form with 'To The End'. That also applies to 'This May Be The Last Time' by The Colemanaires. What a rousing harmony! In 1952, The Radio Four made their record debut with "Blood Done Signed My Name," a beautiful gospel song with minimal instrumental accompaniment.
Furthermore, impressive work by Little Richard, Jerry McCain, The Mello-Tones, Snooky Pryor, Howlin 'Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold, The Fairfield Four, J.B. Lenoir and Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup can close this again magnificent volume with 'Dirt Road Blues', which bears a resemblance to 'That's All Right Mama'.