It is widely known that Ike Turner had a nose for discovering talent. Long before he became world-famous with Tina, Ike was already no stranger to the world of rhythm & blues. Countless artists were given the opportunity through Ike to make themselves heard musically by the outside world and to establish themselves. In addition, with his band The Kings Of Rhythm, he supported the recordings of many of his discoveries.
One of those discoveries was Billy Gayles, whom he also accompanied with his band. Gayles should not be underestimated. Although he did not always receive the attention he deserved—unjustly, by the way—he helped lay the foundation for rock and roll. This is abundantly evident from the 12 recordings written by Ike that Bear Family Records brought together on this album.
Gayles was born on October 19, 1931, in Sikeston, Missouri, and passed away on April 8, 1993. As a teenager, he became captivated by blues and jazz, and learned to play the drums. In that capacity, he played alongside greats such as Robert Nighthawk and Earl Hooker. In 1954, Gayles debuted with ‘Night Howler’, written by Ike Turner, which he recorded for Flair Records. Additionally, you get the songs that Billy released from 1956 onwards for Federal Records, still accompanied by Ike Turner’s King Of Rhythm. By that time, Billy had already joined The Kings Of Rhythm as a singer.
Opener ‘Just One More Time’ immediately indicates that Gayles and Ike Turner are more than a perfect match. Billy’s powerful vocal work benefits from Ike’s renownedly strong guitar playing. Guitar playing that is repeatedly characterized by the use of the whammy bar, which was revolutionary for that period. Ike creatively kicks off ‘Do Right Baby’, after which Billy, with his formidable and immensely powerful voice, sends the song to immense heights. If you are not yet convinced of Gayles’ powerful voice, just listen to the bluesy ‘I’m Hurting’, which bursts with intensity and dynamics. You can also feast on Ike’s guitar in the intro to ‘Willie King Peg Leg Woman’.
The first side of this album closes with the compelling, soulful ‘If I Never Had Known You’, delivered emotionally and heartbreakingly by Gayles, who once again pulls out all the stops vocally. He does the same in ‘I’m Tore Up’, which opens the second side.
And pay special attention to ‘Take Your Fine Frame Home’, which leans very close to rock and roll. Simply brilliant! With ‘Dreaming Of You’, the second side of this album also features a more than excellent soul song.
The album concludes with Gayles’ debut ‘Night Howler’.
Billy Gayles can certainly be regarded as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. After all, all tracks are situated in the period when rhythm & blues evolved into the new genre of rock 'n' roll. His powerful voice capable of handling a wide range, his empathy with the song, and Ike's high-quality compositions make this album a bullseye.
This tribute to Billy Gailes, released on 10-inch vinyl, is therefore a must-have for lovers of steaming rhythm & blues as well as impressive rock 'n' roll. A compliment certainly also goes to the downright fantastic, lively sound, which gives no indication whatsoever that these tracks were recorded in the middle of the last century. True to tradition, you receive a beautifully produced 10-page booklet.
Because this album is being released in a limited edition of only 500 copies worldwide, acting fast is more important than ever. After all, let's be honest, would you want to miss out on this superb album?

With the third volume of the five-part ‘Black Phantom Rockers’ series, we dive once again into 26 tracks, in which well-known artists can be discovered within a hazy and often mysterious setting.
‘Hallelujah Rock And Roll’ kicks off immediately with a massive cracker: the delightful rocking blues à la Chuck Berry, ‘Hill Billy Blues’ by Clear Waters. This refers to Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater. He was given the name Clear Waters, a reference to Muddy Waters, by drummer Jump Jackson in the 1950s. Another fun phantom rocker announces itself as Big Red McHouston and ‘I’m Tired’. McHouston is actually guitarist Mickey Baker, also known from the duo Mickey & Sylvia.
For a large part of his career, he used the name Smilin’ Joe, which you hear here in ‘Sleepwalkin Woman’. Later, he became Cousin Joe.
You can certainly rock out to ‘Big Jimmy, Little Jack And Nellie’ by Bobby Flare. As far as is known, it would be his only single. You can also rock out to ‘Nursery Rhyme Rock’ by Percy Welch and His House Rockers.
Both the song and the artist Guitar Junior are well-known, as is the widely known dance ‘The Crawl’. Moreover, this song was covered by quite a few artists, including The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Guitar Junior would later achieve worldwide fame as Lonnie Brooks.
As Eddie Kirkland, he recorded with John Lee Hooker and toured with Otis Redding. Here, as Eddie Kirk, you find him with the largely instrumental ‘The Hawg’. He is reportedly accompanied here by Booker T & The MG’s.
David Walker was active in the gospel genre but wanted to record raw and rousing rock ‘n’ roll. To avoid shocking the fans of his group The Mighty Clouds Of Joy, he did this as Bunker Hill in ‘The Girl Can’t Dance’. You can hear Link Wray on guitar. A song that, incidentally, in terms of style, is reminiscent of ‘the wild’ Little Richard.
The phantom rocker on Bobby Long’s ‘Jersey City’ is guitarist ‘Wild’ Jimmy Spruill. He is responsible for the masterful blazing guitar solo in the song. It is generally assumed that Jimmy Spruill is also the guitarist on ‘They Just Rockin’ And Rollin’’ by V. and B.B., although he was not listed on the musicians' roster.
Delmer Wilburn released the rocking ‘Kissin’ Cousin’ with The Mandals in the mid-20th century. Later, he made recordings as Del Delmon. Recordings that, however, did not achieve the hoped-for success.
As Little Mac Simmons, he had his own record label and, through his club, he gave young musicians a platform. You get the man here in ‘I’m Your Fool’ simply as Little Mac.
It often happened that artists who already enjoyed a certain level of fame were under contract with a specific label. As a result, they were often forced to record under a pseudonym. This also happened to Jesse Stone, who also recorded as Chuck Calhoun or Charles Calhoun. Under the latter name, you can hear him together with The Four Students on the swinging ‘My Pigeon’s Gone’.
He made several recordings as Driftin’ Slim. You can hear this harmonica player, guitarist, and singer as Model ‘T’ Slim during ‘Shake Your Boogie’.
The vocal group The Ecuadors, among others, serve up impressive harmonies with ‘Let Me Sleep Woman’. The same applies to the slow, bluesy ‘It’s Hot’ by Gene & Billy. Both were also part of various vocal groups.
The title track of this volume is credited to the dynamic singer Sandra Grimms.
For a bit of verbal bickering, you can turn to the spoken ‘Topless’ by Rolls Royce & The Wheelers, swaying along to a nice groove.
Series like these always provide a lot of listening pleasure. In addition, they also contain discoveries and fun facts about the artists responsible for these impressive recordings. Moreover, pay attention to the stunning illustrations by Dayvk Martins.
Fortunately, we are not at the end yet with this third volume. The upcoming release is titled ‘The Twirl’. To be read on this site soon.

‘Phantom Rockers’ concludes the series with ‘Pocketful Of Hearts’. The album once again contains thirty tracks, including one previously unreleased acetate track, and attempts to highlight the essential but often unknown contributions of artists; whether performing under their own names, studio musicians, or artists using a pseudonym. Moreover, many of these musicians later became famous artists themselves.
The reason why the already well-known names recorded under a pseudonym was sometimes due to the fact that they were still under contract elsewhere or timidly aspired to a solo career.
This volume also features breathtaking tracks, and just like on the previous volumes, you get, as already indicated, a never-before-released acetate recording. This also contains the title track of this compilation and comes from an emotional-sounding Fred Dexter, in real life Sylvester Long Cross, owner of Crest Records. Incidentally, ‘Pocketful Of Hearts’ was released in 1958 by Eddie Cochran, as the B-side of ‘Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie’. ‘Pretty Baby (I Saw You Last Night)’ by The Vibes is a delightful rocker. The phantom rocker here is singer Ronnie Franklin. He later became a member of the group Bread as David Gates. Jericho Jones adopted various aliases. Under this name, he can be heard rocking on ‘Save Your Lovin’ For Sis’. As Johnny Blaine, he later returns with the country-influenced ‘Play That Song One More Time’. He was born Clifford Joseph Trahan.
The Dovells present wonderful harmonies in ‘Bristo Stomp’, and a touch of doo-wop can be found in ‘Pretty Brown Eyes’ by Kenny Esquire & The Starlites.
Hardrock Gunter also recorded under various names. You hear him for the first time as Sidney Jo Lewis in the echo-drenched and special ‘Boppin’ To Grandfather’s Clock’. As Hardrock Gunter, he makes an appearance with the rocking and rolling ‘Gonna Dance All Night’, complete with a fine piano.
Jerry Grant, who can be heard with The Rockabilly Bandits in the rockabilly number ‘Some Day, Maybe Tonight’, is none other than lead singer Dicky Doo of Dicky Doo & The Don’ts. He is also present here with that lineup in ‘Wild Party’. On the Presley-famous ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ by Hank Smith & The Nashville Playboys and ‘Rock It’ by Thumper Jones, the phantom rocker is country legend George Jones, who, with these recordings, rode the wave of the genre’s success as a rocker.
For a touch of African percussion, skip to the instrumental ‘Rockin’ Bongos’ by Chaino, in real life bongo player Leon Johnson. Malcolm John Rebennack, better known as Dr. John, is the phantom rocker on both ‘Bad Neighborhood’ by Ronnie & The Delinquents and ‘Dangerous Redhead’ by Jerry Raines.
Impressive vocal work can be found on ‘Tonight And Forever’ by The Whirlers, ‘Looking For Love’ by The Prestos, and ‘Don’t Touch My Gal’ by The Empires. The same vocalists were central to all these groups.
In ‘Watch Me Do The Twist’ by Misty Bonner, you might think you hear a female singer. Not true, because it is a perfectly camouflaged Bobby Lee Tramell.
The most famous phantom rocker on Leslie Harris’ ‘Come On Little Sarah’ is Mickey Baker, who was not only the guitarist but also co-wrote the song.
The album closes with ‘South Of Chicago’ by Charlie Morgan. It was the only time Charlie Feathers used this pseudonym. With ‘Pocketful Of Hearts’, the ‘Phantom Rockers’ series has a worthy end. If you own all 5 volumes in this series, you are guaranteed to embark on a journey of discovery in the realm of the Phantom Rockers.

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

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

​​Just like the ‘Phantom Rockers’ series, this series centered around the ‘Black Phantom Rockers’ will eventually comprise five volumes. With ‘The Dance’, we have reached the second volume, and we can already say that this album contains gems waiting to be discovered. The title of this second volume is well chosen, as the energetic opener ‘The Jump’ by Richie Richardson with Charlie Cuevas And The Jaguars will ensure the dance floor is overcrowded in no time. A personal favorite comes with Lord Tennyson, and rightly so, the title track. ‘The Dance’ is a delightful rocking rhythm & blues with a sax riff that gives the song extra shine. Downhome blues forms the basis of ‘Goin’ Back To Orleans’ by Jesse and Buzzy. What makes the track special is the addition of the blues harp. In ‘Comin’ Around The Mountain’ by Johnny Two-Voices, the backing vocals add clever gospel to the rhythm & blues. For a touch of New Orleans blues, you can turn to The Jokers Orchestra’s piano-driven ‘Love Money’, featuring vocals by Johnson Boudreaux. No wonder, as Boudreaux hailed from Louisiana, and ‘Love Money’ is immediately his most famous song. Little Papa Joe, present here with ‘Looking For My Baby’, was actually Jody Williams. Jody used this alias for his first solo recording. Norman Sands was an artist who remained obscure. Here you hear him together with the vocal group The Valiants on the rare and, apart from a few shouts, mainly instrumental ‘Don’t Wanna Leave The Congo’. The same applies to ‘Work With It’ by Jesse Pipkin and Band. On the country blues ‘Little City Woman’ by Big Bill & His Guitar, the phantom musician is none other than Big Bill Broonzy.
The duo Henry and Mamie did not make many recordings. But those they did make were undeniably convincing. Experience it for yourself during the cheerful ‘Two Big Feet’, the B-side of their most famous song, ‘Soap Suds’. The phantom rocker on ‘Strollie Bun’ by The Blond Bomber is none other than rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Dawson. Another phantom rocker who registered as Big Ed and His Combo for the recording of ‘Biscuit Baking Mama’ was Eddie ‘Guitar’ Burns. Also impressive is ‘Rock And Roll Baby’ by Mercy Baby, a performance that is somewhat reminiscent of Big Joe Turner.
For delightful vocal work, Tippie & The Clovermen offer the solution with ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’. Hearing pumping piano sounds makes you think of Little Richard or Esquerita. On ‘Gettin’ Plenty Lovin’’, it is Esquerita who is said to have served as the model for Richard. The latter would achieve the most success, although Esquerita paved the musical way for him. Over a cool blues melody, Blue Charlie showcases the largely spoken ‘I’m Gonna Kill That Hen’. The impressive guitar work comes from Blue Charlie himself, aka Charles Morris.
Well-known, perhaps more so among true enthusiasts, is the sublime ‘Love Blood Hound’ by K.C. Mojo Watson. Little Jessie Smith sings her heart out on ‘My Baby Has Gone’. Jessie Smith would later become part of the Ikettes, backing vocalists for Ike and Tina Turner. The phantom rocker on ‘Say You’ll Be Mine’ by The Ecuadors is Chuck Berry, and you can hear that clearly in the guitar part.
We started with a dance and we end with one too. The closing track is ‘Du De Squat’ by Little Luther.
The second volume in the ‘Black Phantom Rockers’ series once again provided striking recordings.
In June, you can expect the third volume, titled ‘Hallelujah Rock And Roll’. Fans know that it is best to consult our site regularly for this.

Recently, you received the review of the first volume of ‘Black Phantom Rockers’, the new series from the KokoMojo label, here. The remaining Phantom Rockers, and there are still a large number of them, found a home with the Atomicat label, which is now releasing the fourth volume in this series. Once again, 30 tracks by rockers who are either unknown or chose to remain unknown through aliases.
The opener is immediately the title track and also a never-before-released acetate recording. It is served up by Nelda ‘Ned’ Fairchild. Probably unknown, yet she was the composer of Cochran’s ’20 Flight Rock’. Cochran was credited as co-writer, although it is assumed that Fairchild is largely responsible for the song, certainly after hearing ‘Who Baby’. Cochran is also the phantom rocker in John Ashley’s ‘Born To Rock’. In the follow-up, the rousing ‘You Oughta See Grandma Rock’ by Skeets McDonald, you get not one but two phantom rockers. On guitars, you hear Eddy ‘Edward’ Cochran and Joe Maphis.
Although Buddy Knox’s backing band is listed as The Rhythm Orchids on ‘Swingin’ Daddy’, it was actually Buddy Holly and his Crickets, and they clearly left their mark on the song. Buddy Holly and Cricket Jerry Allison later also act as the phantoms on Jack Huddle’s ‘Starlight’, in which Holly’s guitar style is undeniably present.
Paul Marvin, real name Marvin Gauthreaux, was a musician from the New Orleans region. You can certainly hear that typical sound in ‘Hurry Up’. Marvin appears later as Little Mummy with ‘Where You At Jack’. He kept the name Little Mummy because Marvin’s older brother pronounced his name as mummy.
‘Ham ‘N’ Eggs’ is at times reminiscent of Ray Charles’ repertoire. However, the performer is Skip Manning, who later made soul recordings under the name Phillip John Flowers. If Jett Powers’ voice in ‘Go, Girl, Go’ sounds familiar to you, that is not surprising, as Powers would later become known worldwide as P.J. Proby.
Sharon Lee Myers recorded as Jackie DeShannon and Sherry Lee. On the poppy rockabilly song ‘I’ll Be True’, she blends both names into Jackie Dee.
In the creepy ‘The Whip’ by The Creeps, the Diddley-riff-driven ‘Who’s Been Here’ by Commonwealth Jones, and ‘Pauline’ by Johnny & The Jills, the common thread is phantom rocker Ronnie Dawson. With The Creeps, he sits behind the drums; with Commonwealth Jones, he acts as singer and guitarist and with Johnny & The Jills, he combines drumming with vocals.
A song that has been covered quite often, sometimes with a few changes, is ‘What’s The Word – Thunderbird’. Here you get the original version by Bobby & Buddy. Bobby was Bobby Robinson, CEO of Fury Records, and Buddy was Buddy Barnes.
You get impressive harmonies with vocal groups like Bells and their ‘Let Me Love Love You’, The Four Ekko’s with ‘Toodaloo Kangeroo’, and certainly during ‘I’ll Be Gone’ by Ron-Dells. The founder and group member was none other than Delbert McClinton.
There is delightful instrumental work propelled by sax and guitar in ‘Tough’ by ​​Bill Smith Combo, but this was actually Tom Brown of Tommy & The Tom Toms, who worked with Gene Summers.
The album is packed with formidable tracks. For instance, there is ‘Bopper 486609’ by Donna Dameron. The song was written by The Big Bopper. Could The Big Bopper also be the vocalist? According to some sources, the song was recorded with a speed-up voice so that he sounded like a woman. We will probably never know for sure. However, this counts as a funny anecdote.
What is certain is that this fourth volume in the ‘Phantom Rockers’ series contains 30 impressive tracks. It is also interesting to know which artists were behind the Phantom Rockers. ‘Phantom Rockers’ is, without a doubt, a series to cherish.

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

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

We can only applaud that Big John Greer is featured in Bear Family Records’ ‘Rocks’ series. In the post-war music scene, Big John was one of the saxophonists who gave rhythm & blues a serious boost with their energetic and raw sound. Greer could not only coax an enormously powerful sound from his sax, but when he stepped behind the microphone, he also proved to be a great blues shouter. Big John, also known as ‘240 pounds of solid jive’, learned from the very best, as a member of one of the best orchestras of the time, namely that of Lucky Millinder. Big John sang occasionally in that orchestra, but he made his recording debut in 1948 with ‘Wineola’.
From early 1949, Big John Greer was just about the most important artist under contract with the rhythm & blues department of RCA Victor. The 30 tracks on this compilation all date from the late 1940s and the entire 1950s. Recordings he committed to vinyl for the labels RCA Victor, Groove, and King Records. Moreover, here you get Big John’s hits including ‘Red Juice’, ‘Clambake Boogie’, and ‘Rocking Jenny Jones’, both vocal and instrumental. It is no wonder that his music resonated with the public. After all, his songs were immensely powerful and, above all, very danceable, which was a plus for that time. Another plus is that Greer recorded with the very best musicians. We hear studio guitarist Mickey Baker, Al Casey, bandleaders Lucky Millinder and Art Blakey, Bill Doggett, Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor, Big Al Sears, and Stanley Webb, to name just a few.
The compilation starts with ‘I’m The Fat Man’, a blues shouter made for Big John, that unceremoniously lodges itself in your head. The tone is set for Greer’s successes, as the instrumental ‘Big Rock (Rockin’ With Big John’ is already foreshadowing. Big John demonstrates his effortless transition from rhythm & blues to the emerging rock ‘n’ roll in ‘Come Back Maybelline’, the answer to Chuck Berry’s ‘Maybelline’. Big John turned The Memphis Jug Band’s pre-war ‘Bottle Up And Go’ into an infectious rock ‘n’ roll version, and ‘Honey, Why’ and ‘Come Back Uncle John’ also possess that rock ‘n’ roll feel. You get another beautiful interpretation of a classic with ‘Drinkin’ Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee’. Greer could also be subtle, as in the slow, bluesy ‘Wineola’. With Dolores Brown, he created a cool duet with ‘You Played On My Piano’.
You can also enjoy Greer’s performance as a saxophonist on the instrumental tracks ‘Record Hop’, ‘Duck ‘Walk’, ‘Midnight Ramble’, the rocking ‘Blam’ featuring a skillful blend of sax and lead guitar, ‘Big John’s A Blowin’’, and the wonderfully smooth-sounding ‘Night Crawlin’’ with a superb performance by guitarist Mickey Baker.
The great Big John Greer concludes with the brilliant melodic blues ‘Got You On My Mind’, immediately his signature song.
As is customary in the ‘Rocks’ series, you once again receive a fantastic 30-page booklet with all the info about the artist and the tracks.
If you love roaring sax, a killer blues shouter, steaming rhythm & blues as well as flashy rock ‘n’ roll, and music that is incredibly danceable, then this ‘Big John Greer Rocks’ is definitely your thing. Highly recommended!

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

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

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

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

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

With ‘This Night’, we've already reached the third volume of this series. A series that dispels the mysterious shroud surrounding the ‘Phantom Rockers’.
Research often reveals many Phantom Rockers, but the artist behind the first track will remain unknown forever. The title track, ‘This Night’, comes from an acetate recording that only mentioned the song's title, yet is a straightforward, substantial rocker. The Noble Brothers were brothers only for the recording. They were actually Jimmy Noble and George Weston. Their voices blend beautifully on ‘Didn't It Rock’. They're followed by the instrumental surf number ‘Charge’ by The Renegades. The band featured several heavy hitters, including Bruce Johnston and Sandy Nelson. Both men return on Bruce & Jerry's ‘I Saw Her First’. Another great instrumental surf number comes from The Gigolo’s with ‘Night Creature’. That band consisted of Bob Taylor, Don Cole, Buddy Wheeler, and Zeke Zoeckler. Along with others, they formed Duane Eddy's backing band as The Rebels.
Rockabilly guitarist Johnny Powers had a hit with ‘Long Blond Hair’. Here, he presents himself as Johnny ‘Scat’ Brown, rocking wildly on ‘Mama Rock’. The name was invented to facilitate an Australian release. Another well-known artist who recorded under a pseudonym is Ronnie Dawson. He rocks over a Diddley beat as Commonwealth Jones on ‘Do Do Do’.
Someone who didn't stick to one alias was John Dee Abohosh. He recorded as Dick Bush, Johnny Jordan, and Charlie Flener. He appears under all these names on this compilation. As Dick Bush, he rocks in a very unique way on ‘Ezactly’. I think his singing style already hints at his future as a stand-up comedian. It's a fact that artists can also mislead you. In Cliff Rivers' ‘True Love’, you think you hear Elvis. Not true, because Cliff Rivers also appears as Joey Castle. On Jack Huddle's ‘Starlight’, you'll have to look for the Phantom Rocker among the accompanists. After all, the guitarist is none other than Buddy Holly, in his signature style. The connection with Holly is also present in Gary Dale's ‘Pretty Baby’. As Gary Toilett, he also recorded with The Crickets and, along with his wife, can be heard as backing vocals on Holly's ‘That'll Be The Day’ and ‘I'm Looking For Someone To Love’.
From Holly, we jump with Whitey Pullen and ‘Let's All Go Wild’ to Gene Vincent. Pullen was Vincent's road manager and was also a member of Gene's band, The Blue Caps. The Queen we hear with Eddie Chamblee and his orchestra on ‘Honky Tonky’ is the legendary Dinah Washington, who, as The Queen, became a Phantom Rocker for a one-time gig.
A pseudonym is not always hard to find . You spell your name backwards and you have one. Ike Turner did that, and as Icky Renrut, he provided the super-rocking ‘Hey---Hey’.
When you hear Scotty Wayne on ‘I'm Gonna Leave’, you get the feeling his voice sounds familiar. And indeed, it does, because Wayne is none other than Freddy Fender.
On ‘Pretty Jane’ by Mark Robinson, things get completely crazy. Lee Hazlewood is Mark Robinson, and the second Phantom Rocker here is guitarist Duane Eddy. The Fleas also features a fusion of familiar names. The Fleas consisted of Dave Burgess, Glen Campbell, Jerry Fuller, and Ricky Nelson. The band created a delightful doo-wop rocker with ‘Scratchin'‘.
‘Doctor Rock’, featuring the infectious ‘That's What You Do To Me’, is Herb Zane's debut. He was a drummer in the U.S. Army Band, and after joining his brother's Alan Zane's Orchestra, he formed his own in 1952.
The album closes with ‘Rock Me Baby’ by the Canadian band The Prowlers. They were led by singer/guitarist Les Vogt, who also fronted The Emperors.
It's no wonder the ‘Phantom Rockers’ series appeals to many fans of high-quality rock 'n' roll. After all, the Phantom Rockers are many well-known and talented artists.
Just like the previous volumes, ‘This Night’ is definitely worth buying. It sure will bring you many hours of great songs.

The first volume of the ‘Phantom Rockers’ series, launched by Atomicat, quickly left us wanting more. This has now culminated in ‘Jake The Snake’, a worthy successor to ‘Don't Bug Me Baby’. Compiler Mark Armstrong once again retreated to the deep, dark recesses of the archives, where he enthusiastically searched through old recordings by mysterious artists. When he was finally allowed to see the light of day again, he had found no fewer than 30 recordings he wanted the world to hear. The result is now in our player.
Chuck Fayne immediately unleashes the title of this compilation on us. Glorious rock 'n' roll that had been gathering dust for 60 years, but has now finally found its way to a release. The successor, ‘Apron Strings’, by Billy The Kid, is mysterious. His real name was David Alexander Hess, but he also recorded as David Dante. He originally recorded ‘All Shook Up’ under that name, but he was also active as a songwriter for artists like Conway Twitty and Elvis. He later returned as David Hill with the energetic, hard-rocking ‘That's Love’.
On Randy Lee's ‘Tell Me’, you'll have to look for the Phantom Rocker among the backing vocalists. Not only did the song belong to Carl Perkins, but he's also the uncredited guitarist on this recording.
Jeff Daniels is featured here on ‘Uh-Huh-Huh’. It's not a bad song, but as a songwriter, he used Earl Lee as his name. Incidentally, it was in that capacity that he wrote ‘Midnight Shift’ for Buddy Holly.
Contractual obligations can sometimes throw a wrench in the works. For example, Bobby Darin recorded ‘Early In The Morning’ in 1958 with Brunswick, not the label he signed to. This didn't please his employers, who tried to boycott the song. Brunswick then released the song with The Ding Dongs as performers. Contractual concerns also led Bill Haley's Comets, as The Lifeguards, to entrust the instrumental ‘Everybody Out'ta The Pool’ to vinyl.
Another interesting story involves ‘School Day Blues’ by Johnny & The Jammers, a band in which Johnny Winter and his younger brother Edgar were members. For the Phantom recording ‘Broke And Lonely’, Johnny Winter adopted the name Texas ‘Guitar’ Slim.
The Saxons, featured here with ‘Rock And Roll Show’, were teeming with familiar names. Consider Tommy ‘Buster’ Williams, Jesse Belvin, Eugene Church, Gaynel Hodge, and Johnny Guitar Watson. They achieved fame either through solo recordings or by being part of other vocal groups.
Lloyd Arnold & His Rockin' Drifters hoped to win over a segment of the young rock audience with ‘Hang Out’. Before becoming a Phantom Rocker, Arnold recorded under his birth name, Lloyd McCullough.
A Phantom Rocker who used multiple aliases was Billy Lee Riley. As Skip Wiley, Darron Lee, and The Spitfires, you can hear him on the somewhat New Orleans-rocking rhythm & blues ‘Fast Livin'‘, the soulful ‘I've Been Searching’, and the instrumental ‘Catfish’, respectively. As an unaccredited harmonica player, he also scored on Bill Rice's ‘It's All Your Fault’.
Cool instrumental work comes from Sid Elrod on ‘Slap Happy Bass’, who recorded as Macy ‘Skip’ Skipper before becoming one of the Phantom Rockers.
It's no surprise that members were swapped within the vocal groups. Doo-wop, therefore, receives ample attention on this compilation. You can hear this member exchange on tracks by The Cadets, The Rocketeers, and The Flairs. To make things even more mysterious, the lead singers also recorded with other groups or even solo.
And there are plenty more Phantom Rockers, making this volume yet another smash hit. Want to discover even more Phantom Rockers? You can, because the next volume, ‘This Night’, is coming out soon.

The name Wee Willie Harris may not immediately ring a bell, but he was undoubtedly the most colorful figure in the early days of British rock 'n' roll. He was certainly extravagant, with his pink hair and striking clothes. Moreover, his wild and exuberant stage performances brought a breath of fresh air to the British music scene of the late 1950s. You could even say he was a punk or glam rocker avant la lettre. The ‘Wild One From Bermondsey’, as he was known, rightfully claims the ninth volume in the ‘The Brits Are Rocking’ series. It's incredibly that his rare LP ‘I Go Ape’, released exclusively in Israel in the early 1960s, can be heard in its entirety here. The album is incredibly hard to find, making it a collector's dream. You'll also get his most important studio recordings from the 1950s, including ‘Rockin' At The 2 I's’, ‘Love Bug Crawl’, ‘Got A Match’, and ‘Wild One’. While rock 'n' roll may have originated in America, it's a fact that guys like Wee Willie Harris, with their uncompromising performances, also ignited the rock 'n' roll flame in London. It's logical that they initially relied on songs that were hits in the US. Many of these songs, therefore, appear on this album in Harris's own successful version. Wee Willie's ability to write great songs is certainly evident in ‘Rockin' At The 2 I's’ and ‘Grab You’. The latter must have inspired Brian Setzer.
Harris also mastered various rock 'n' roll styles, ranging from wildly raging numbers to more subdued ones. The tracks recorded with an audience at The Railway Tavern in October 1957, as well as those recorded for TV shows, are the ultimate proof of this. His band's talent and craftsmanship are revealed in the instrumental ‘Got A Match?’. Harris's versatility is also showcased in the country-rocking ‘Have A Drink On Me’.
David Bowie, Ian Dury, and The Clash all hinted that Wee Willie Harris inspired them. This immediately proves that Harris, although he didn't achieve the worldwide fame he undoubtedly deserved, was invaluable to the development of British rock 'n' roll.
In the 36-page booklet, richly illustrated with numerous photos and illustrations, Roland Heinrich Rumtreiber tells the impressive story of the unique, extravagant Wee Willie Harris, from his early years at the legendary 2 I's Coffee Bar in Soho, his tours with Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, to his status as the ‘Godfather of Punk’. Fans of wild, energetic British rock 'n' roll will love this tribute to Wee Willie Harris. Plus, you'll also own the hard-to-find ‘I Go Ape’ album in stunning sound quality and for the first time  on CD. Highly recommended!

With his unstoppable, energetic performances, where his wild piano attacks made rock 'n' roll proud, complemented by his passionate vocals, Jerry Lee Lewis set many venues ablaze in the mid-twentieth century. Unfortunately, seeing him live is no longer possible. Fortunately, you can blast him through your speakers on a brilliant live album. Germany's Bear Family Records is now taking care of that with the reissue of the vinyl ‘The Greatest Live Show On Earth’. First released by Smash Records in 1964, the album, along with Jerry Lee's ‘Live At The Star Club Hamburg’, is considered one of the best live albums of the 1950s and 1960s. ‘The Greatest Live Show On Earth’ was recorded during Lewis's performance at the Municipal Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 18, 1964. It's clear that ‘The Killer’ was at his best then. The album contains ten tracks, featuring now-classic songs in rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues, and country, each presented in Lewis's formidable interpretation. These songs, as we've come to expect from Jerry Lee, he committed to vinyl with an incomprehensible, dynamic enthusiasm. Rockers like ‘Jenny Jenny’, ‘Memphis Tennessee’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Mean Woman Blues’, ‘No Particular Place To Go’, ‘Long Tall Sally’, and the rhythm & blues of ‘High Heel Sneakers’ blend seamlessly with the slow country of Charlie Rich's well-known ‘Who Will The Next Fool Be’ and Buck Owens’ ‘Together Again’.
The album closes with an impressive, over five-minute-long version of ‘Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On’.
‘The Greatest Live Show On Earth’ has been remastered from the original stereo tapes, resulting in a truly impressive sound. What's more, the 180-gram vinyl comes packaged with the original cover, and as a bonus, you'll receive a rare postcard with a promo photo of Jerry Lee.
Does it even need to be said that this album is a must-have for any fan of straightforward, uncompromising rock 'n' roll? I don't think so!

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

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

A few months ago, the Atomicat label launched its new series, ‘Rockin' Country Style’. The first volume was an immediate hit, showcasing country and western artists blending their own genre with the new one, rock 'n' roll.
On the second volume, compiler Mark Armstrong once again brings together 33 tracks that showcase the beautiful blend of both genres.
The album opens strongly with Jack Cardwell and ‘Whiskey, Women And Loaded Dice,’ featuring excellent collaboration between steel guitar and harmonica. The presence of sax and piano then makes ‘I Ain't Got Time To Rock’ by Glenn Reeves & His Town And Country Playboys lean more towards rock 'n' roll. What follows is a delightful and danceable version of the classic ‘Oh Lonesome Me’ by Luke Simmons & His Blue Mountain Boys. Fiddle and percussion simulating the sound of horses' hooves then grace Roger Miller's ‘Poor Little John’. Rockabilly then leads Carmol Taylor's ‘Free As A Breeze,’ complete with a beautiful echo-drenched guitar solo. Rockabilly is also the key ingredient in Bill Flagg's ‘Doin' My Time’. Late last year, a sublime three-CD box set featuring Billy Barton recordings was released. This box set included several acetate recordings. On ‘Country Style, Vol. 2,’ Billy is billed as Hillbilly Barton with ‘You Make Me Cry’. This is also an acetate recording. Another acetate recording is featured later on with ‘On the Rhythm Range’ by Sons of the Pioneers. Also on acetate is the instrumental ‘Virgil's Juke Box Boogie,’ by an unknown artist. An extensive search for the identity of the guitarist who delivers formidable work here brought no solution. Despite this, it's an extremely enjoyable track! Sheb Wooley was both an actor and a singer. His exceptional performance in the latter is evident in the up-tempo ‘Oklahoma Honky-Tonk Gal’. Beautiful harmonies can be found in the country rocker ‘So Called Friends’ by Billy Barnoski & Bill Woods. Beautiful harmonies also feature in ‘Finger Poppin' Time’ by the Stanley Brothers, as well as in ‘Hamburger Hop’ by Johnny Hicks & His Troubadors. It's remarkable how well music from the mid-20th century has been preserved. This is why Eddie Noacks' ‘Shotgun House’ still has a brilliant sound today. The backing in ‘The Road To Your Heart’ by Bob Roark & ​​The Country Band feels distinctly Johnny Cash. Brothers Floyd and Dennis of the Blankenship Bros. were originally active in bluegrass. In ‘That's Why I Am Blue,’ they clearly flirt with rockabilly and country. Betty Jo of Betty Jo & Johnny Starr became the national yodeling champion in 1953. You won't hear any yodeling in ‘Eskimo Boogie,’ but it's definitely a danceable number. Johnny Tyler became famous with his version of ‘Okie Boogie’. Here you can hear him telling stories in ‘Hillbilly Preacher’. Clay Eager's ‘Helen Jo’ is also stirring. A well-known figure is Skeets McDonald. He's best known for his ‘You Oughta See Grandma Rock,’ featuring a young Eddie Cochran on guitar, but ‘Fingertips’, featured here with excellent backing vocals, is just as great. Sublime swinging fiddle work can be heard on Jack Cardwell's rocking ‘Day Done Broke Too Soon This Morning’.
Closing is reserved for the great George Jones with ‘Don't Stop The Music,’ which he recorded in 1957 for the Armed Forces Radio and TV Broadcasts to boost military morale.
That country artists impressively combined their country & western music with the prevailing rock 'n' roll is once again evident in this second volume of ‘Rockin' Country Style’. Look forward eagerly to the third volume. Luckily, you won't have to wait long, as its release is already scheduled for October.

Germany's Cat Lee King and His Cocks present their latest album, ‘Shootin' Crap’. In 2018, tee band garnered excellent reviews for their debut, ‘Cock Tales’. When the coronavirus struck, the world went into lockdown, and performances were canceled, singer and pianist Cat Lee King locked himself in his studio. This resulted in his beautiful solo album, aptly titled ‘The Quarantine Tapes’. Fortunately, social life resumed, immediately giving Cat Lee King the opportunity to collaborate on new songs with his Cocks. They now are 14 in total. Cat Lee King and His Cocks are unique in the current landscape of rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. The genre they explore was previously performed by small big bands in the mid-20th century, in which the horn section played a prominent role. The band doesn't feature any horns, but this is certainly not a drawback. This shortcoming is more than compensated for by Cat Lee's sublime black and white keyboard playing, as well as the guitars of Tommy J. Croole and Sidney Ramone. The band also consists of Lucky Luciano on upright bass and René Lieutenant on drums. Guest musician on xylophone is that other well-known German, Ray Collins.
The band opens immediately with the title track, a boogie floating on a simple but effective riff. With the follow-up, ‘Headin' For The Cottonfield’, kicked off by a great guitar, the band takes a rock 'n' roll approach, complete with a catchy piano and guitar solo. The style of the former little big band surfaces in the swinging, partly declaimed ‘Sound 'n' Smoke’, where the intervention of the former horn section is perfectly complemented by guitar and piano. ‘Blame It On Elvis’ has a somewhat Latin feel. Brilliant song! The band's gift for composing original songs with a sense of a bygone era is evident in tracks like ‘Nobody’, written by drummer René Lieutenant, who, alongside F. Wirths, also has credits on several tracks. More stunning guitar work can be discovered in the beautiful rhythm & blues ‘Miss Bourbon’. Jump and swing come to the forefront in ‘Mr. Big Time,’ while ‘Tomorrow’ evokes a charleton atmosphere. For a cover of a classic, the band returned to ‘Pretend’, made famous by Nat King Cole. A cover version that can be considered one of the very best.
Swinging and full of atmosphere, Cat Lee King and His Cocks close the album with the well-known ‘Last Call For Alcohol’.
‘Shootin' Crap’ is an album of which far too few are made. Excellent compositions, talented musicians, and Cat Lee King, whose vocals are incredibly close to the legendary artists of this genre, are the ingredients used here.
There's only one band that can perform this age-old genre in a contemporary, original, and expert way. That band goes by the name of Cat Lee King and His Cocks.

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

The name Teddy ‘Mr. Bear’ McRae might not immediately resonate with you. You've probably already heard his compositions, or on the recordings of the well-known artists he accompanied. Fortunately, labels like KokoMojo promote these artists, allowing you, as a reviewer, to discover impressive music. Theodore McRae, as his ID states, was also known simply as Mr. Bear, in addition to Teddy ‘Mr. Bear’ McRae. Teddy was an exceptionally versatile individual. Not only was he a tenor saxophonist, bandleader, arranger, composer, and producer, but he also owned Rae Cox Records.
McRae was born in Waycross, Georgia, on January 22, 1908, but grew up in Philadelphia. He began his musical career as a family, along with his brothers, guitarist and trumpeter Bobby and Dave on alto and baritone saxophones. He later moved to New York. In the 1920s and 1930s, he worked with Chick Webb and Artie Shaw, among others. After Webb's death, Teddy became the musical director of the band behind Ella Fitzgerald. McRae composed Shaw's most successful songs, namely ‘Back Bay Shuffle’ in 1938 and ‘Traffic Jam’ a year later. He played with, arranged, and wrote for some of the greatest artists, such as Billie Holiday, Benny Morton, Teddy Wilson, Red Allen, and Count Basie. In the 1940s, Teddy worked with the orchestras of Cab Calloway, Jimmie Lunceford, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Armstrong, for whom he also served as musical director. In the 1950s, McRae was active in rhythm & blues, composing songs such as ‘All She Wants To Do Is Rock’ for Wynonie Harris, ‘Love, Love, Love’ for The Clovers, and ‘Person To Person’ for saxophonist Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson. In the late 1950s, Teddy, along with jazz pianist and arranger Eddie Wilcox, founded Rae Cox Records and its subsidiary Enrica Records. Their recordings ranged across jazz, rhythm & blues, blues, doo-wop, gospel, and eccentric instrumentals. In 1958, McRae released his most sought-after 45, the formidable rocker ‘Hifi Baby’. A track you can, of course, hear on this album.
A staggering list of achievements, but let's talk about the album's 27 tracks. Teddy's worthy of the name ‘Mr. Bear’ is immediately apparent from the opening track, ‘I'm Gonna Keep My Good Eye On You’, which he recorded as Mr. Bear & His Bearcats. He growls and declaims the lyrics, accompanied by a beautiful bluesy, honky-tonk piano. That masterful piano playing is once again evident on the follow-up, the primarily instrumental ‘Daybreak Rock’, fueled by Mr. Bear's screams. A song he recorded with legendary pianist Jack Dupree. You'll hear the duo again later on ‘Lonely Road Blues’, where they complement each other vocally in the call-and-response style.
Teddy shines bluesy again on the emotionally charged ‘How Come’, and be sure to pay attention to the lyrics. Another blues highlight is ‘Hold Out Baby’, where his raw voice gives the song an extra boost.
McRae rocks with class on ‘Mr. Bear Comes To Town’ and, of course, on the aforementioned ‘Hifi Baby’. Teddy elaborates on the potential consequences of excessive speed in ‘Radar’, with great humor. His sense of novelty surfaces again on ‘Peek-A-Boo’.
Teddy and his orchestra were excellent accompanists, as can be heard on The Empires' doo-wopper ‘Zippety Zip’. The Serenaders' ‘My Girl Flip Flop’ also falls within the same genre. Teddy and his musicians repeat this on The Butanes' ‘Don't Forget I Love You’, as well as with The Revelons on their ‘I Promise Love’. The orchestra of Rae Cox Records co-founder Eddie Wilcox shines on The Sunsets' ‘Sittin' And Cryin'‘. The Carnations serve up more beautiful doo-wop on ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’.
It's a fact that Rae Cox Records and Enrica Records have recorded a wealth of impressive material.
For example, gospel sets the tone for The Satellite Wanderers' ‘Meet Me In Zion’. A gem of an instrumental surf rocker arrives on The Demotrons' ‘Rockaway Special’. More brilliant instrumental work comes from Fender Guitar Slim on the rocking ‘Tender Rock’.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins appears twice. First, in his signature thunderous style, on ‘I Hear Voices’. The second time around, with the flipside ‘Just Don't Care’, Jay takes a more refined and calmer approach.
The album closes gospel-style with ‘What A Fellowship’ by Heavenly Gates Gospel Singers.
Teddy ‘Mr. Bear’ McRae passed away of natural causes at the age of 91 on March 4, 1999.
As you can see, Mr. Bear was a virtuoso at blending elements of rhythm & blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and the novelty genre. He also had an ear for the brilliant achievements of fellow artists, which he immortalized in his recordings for Rae Cox Records and Enrica Records. Unwittingly, he thus laid the groundwork for the upcoming legendary rockers and pioneers of the Motown sound. And pay close attention to his lyrics, because they're just as sublime as his melodies. A truly fantastic release!