​The third volume of 'The Elvis Presley Connection' focuses on the music that inspired Presley on the one hand, and on the other hand you get a number of covers of songs that were immortalized by the King. The songs featured here are songs Elvis recorded between 1962 and 1966. Some of the covers on this compilation are rather rare and were recorded for UK and US budget labels. In addition, a number of well-known names are also present.
The 34-page full-color booklet contains, in addition to often rare photos, all information about the tracks and the performing artists by German Elvis expert Helmut Radermacher.
For Presley fans who want to know everything about the songs their idol released between 1962 and 1966, this edition is a must have.

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

​With volume 3 in the 'R & B Goes R & R series, the Atomicat label serves us again 28 songs. Songs that were initially recorded by artists from the black community and could be classified under the name rocking rhythm & blues. As it often happened, white performers discovered their black colleagues' songs, recorded them, and called them rock 'n' roll. It is also remarkable, however, that the dividing line between the original rhythm & blues version and the rock 'n' roll version is often difficult to draw. Some songs were covered outright, while others added more rock 'n' roll. A mix of well-known and lesser-known artists once again makes an enjoyable album with versions of songs you've probably never heard before. To discover!

​Unfortunately, Lily Locksmith was unable to experience the release of her debut album. First, the release was delayed due to the pandemic, and on December 27, 2021, the sad news came that she had died of a severe brain haemorrhage. At the funeral, Patrik Staffansson, head of Sweden's Enviken Records, for whom Lily recorded, talked to her mother, who expressed her wish as follows: 'I want the whole world to hear her voice, release the album'. With her blessing, it was obvious. Lily Locksmith's debut album was to be released and has turned out to be one of the biggest surprises. From the first track, Lily convinces like no other. Her powerful, voluminous voice, her extremely tight and constructive playing band, the clever mix of own songs and covers immediately captivate you. Add to that Lily's enormous versatility and you get one hell of a debut album. In addition to being an excellent performer, Locksmith shows also her songwriter side. She does that in the bluesy written 'Praying' together with Staffansson. Finishing the songwriter's job alone, she immediately showcases in successor, the swinging 'Bad'. Guitarist Chris Bergström, who is responsible for several tracks, gave her the soulful 'Last Night', the swinging 'You Gotta Try' and the rockabilly leaning 'I Don't Need'.
Of the covers she puts down an enormously strong version of Nick Curran's 'Player'. That the blues also suits her, she proves with verve in 'Further Up On The Road'. Lily also knows how to bend a heck of a slow to her will. Listen to the Lloyd Price penned and sung into eternity by Little Richard 'Can't Believe You Wanna Leave'. Locksmith concludes with Bo Diddley's well-known 'What Do You Know About Love'. Although this album doesn't end completely, because Lily still treats you to an unmentioned track, where she shows the beautiful emotional side of her voice with only piano accompaniment.
With this debut album, Lily Locksmith had a golden ticket to a successful musical career. Too bad fate decided otherwise.

​For the second release in the series 'On The Dancefloor With….' the German Bear Family Records goes back to the dance that took over in no time the world in the early sixties. Hank Ballard and his Midnighters carefully kneaded the twist dough, after which Chubby Checker only had to pop it in the oven and his ‘bun was baked’. In other words, Hank Ballard was not properly rewarded for unleashing ‘the twist’. Unlike Checker, who struck a gold mine with Ballard's cover and was only too happy to be crowned the king of the twist.
With the real twister Hank Ballard, this 25-track compilation starts with not as might be expected 'The Twist', but with the 1962 recorded 'Good Twistin' Tonight'. In addition, you get 24 tracks that all have the twist as their subject. Well-known and lesser-known names give the best of themselves.
'On The Dancefloor With A Twist' is the perfect soundtrack to master those 'twist moves' in a funny way and don’t forget…… ‘Keep On Twistin'!’

​The eighth CD in the 'The British Are Rocking' series puts the most important and striking of all English rockers in the spotlight. Vince Taylor could easily tick off all the traits attributed to the 'real rockers'. His great example was Gene Vincent and, like him, a leather outfit was part of his trademark. In addition, Taylor's live gigs were strange and above all wild. His unlimited temperament along with his drug use will certainly have contributed to this. In the late fifties and early sixties, Vince was especially successful in France and the Benelux, in addition to his own country.
Taylor is accompanied by his Playboys on all 32 tracks. A band that fulfilled the wishes of their boss perfectly. Their hard and tight sound gave Vince an extra boost. Even better, Taylor managed to reproduce the wild and energetic live shows in the studio. You can make sure of that on this album.
Vince died on August 28, 1991 at the age of 52 from lung cancer.
Vince Taylor was undeniably the wildest legendary British rocker. 'Brand New Cadillac' is therefore a must for any true rock 'n' roller.

​The releases in this series jumped from volume 38 to volume 40. The label sure have had an acceptable reason for this. Fortunately, the missing volume 39 has now appeared, so that the space between editions 38 and 40 has been nicely filled again. Volume 39 focuses on a major label, namely United Artist Records. The label was created in the mid-1950s because the Hollywood film studios United Artists wanted a record label to release the soundtracks of their films. Since 1957, the label has also recorded rock and roll and rockabilly. For many artists in these genres, United Artists Records was a springboard to other labels. Often they only made one or two singles and then moved to other companies.  Al Casey, George Jones and Delbert McClinton were a few who began their musical careers with the Hollywood record label.
This release links these well-known names to lesser-known artists, who are certainly equal. In addition to rock 'n' roll and rockabilly, some songs also contain a good dose of rhythm & blues, which makes the whole thing even more attractive. Volume 39 again contains a nice mix of vocal and instrumental songs. The fact that we're dealing with a major label here is also reflected in the clever arrangements and the attention and care that went into the recordings.

​With 'On The Dancefloor' the German Bear Family is starting a new series, on which Joey Dee & The Starliters fill the first release.
In the early 1960s, The Peppermint Lounge in New York City was the place to be for celebrities. The nightclub, located at 128 West 45th Street, was only too happy to welcome the jet set. Famous names such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Jackie Kennedy, John Wayne, Greta Garbo and Salvator Dali were all too happy to visit. Why the Peppermint was so popular? Well, one of the reasons why, was the house orchestra Joey Dee & The Starliters. For over a year, the band played six sets a night, six days a week. Their energetic sets, brimming with pumping rhythms, filled the dance floor again and again. When you have to play six sets a night, you are forced to include the hits of the moment in the playlist in addition to your own songs. This compilation contains a mix of own songs and covers.
Recently Joey Dee gave an interview. In addition to the information about Dee and the tracks, you will also find this in the liner notes. Liner notes that are also packed with nice photo material.
The first release in the series 'On The Dancefloor' fully lives up to its promise. This is party music par excellence!

​Recently you could read the review of the first volume in this new series 'R & B Goes R & R' launched by Atomicat on this site, or number two is already in our cd player. Volume 1 was titled 'My Baby Left Me', the review of which you can read here. Based on rhythm & blues, the genre has developed in such a way that the second volume is simply titled 'Rock And Roll Music'. Again 28 tracks that 'rock and roll' that it is a delight. Although rock 'n' roll was mainly a white affair, the artists were only too happy to 'borrow' from their black colleagues.
The fun and exciting thing is that compilations like this introduce you to versions of well-known and lesser-known songs that you've never heard before. While some versions stay close to the original, there are also artists who completely gave the song an own twist and even change the music genre of the original. 'R & B Goes R & R' is therefore a series that is more than worth buying.

​It has become a tradition that the releases of the Atomicat label are full of danceable tracks. To reinforce this, the label is now releasing the 'Dance-Craze-A-Rama' series, the first volume of which has now been released. Under the heading '28 Craze Hits From The Vault Of Atomicat!', the series bundles the pinnacle of danceable music, recorded from 1957 to 1963.
Dance fads sprang up like 'The Wobble', 'The Hoss', 'The Horse', 'The Slop Beat', 'The Scotch', 'The Whiz Wosh', 'The Slop Beat' and ‘The Drag’ in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Dances of which you get the songs here in vocal or instrumental versions and especially in the very best sound quality. Besides the lesser known artists, a number of greats also grace this compilation.
Since this is only volume 1, we are already curious what the next volumes will surprise us with. And also note the awesome illustrations with which Henrique San, as always, also brightened up this compilation.

​Muddy Waters sang ‘The Blues Had A Baby And They Named It Rock 'n' Roll’. Babies do grow up, become adults, want to stand on their own two feet and leave the parental nest. That's how it went with rock 'n' roll and this immediately explains the title of this first volume 'My Baby Left Me', in the new Atomicat series 'R & B Goes R & R'. On this first compilation you get 28 songs, originally by black artists from the rhythm & blues, which were covered by white artists and thus became rock 'n' roll. In addition to well-known recordings, there are also a number of recordings that were originally released on small independent labels. An additional fact was that jukeboxes were often filled with covers of well-known songs, in order to circumvent copyrights.
Not only did rock and roll gladly borrow from the black artists within the rhythm & blues, but the genre also ensured that listeners went in search of the original so that many rhythm & blues artists still, although not always financially, got the recognition they deserved.
Our curiosity for this new series is already been aroused. The second volume, entitled 'Rock and Roll Music', will be released shortly. We will keep you informed!

​With their abundant shiny chrome, the immensely sized 'dream cars' repeatedly appeared in the rock 'n' roll in the fifties. Brands abounded. Just think of Chevrolet, Plymouth, Pontiac, Edsel, Buick, Mercury and Chrysler. But if you really made it, you showed off a Cadillac. Not surprisingly, many artists dreamed of owning a four-wheeler like this. Sun boss Sam Phillips even promised a brand new Cadillac to his artist who was the first to sell a million singles. Carl Perkins won it with his hit 'Blue Suede Shoes'. Sometimes that dream became reality, but often it remained a dream. A dream that was then expressed in music. The Cadillac brand was founded on August 22, 1902, thus celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. Given the brand's relationship with the music, it's clear that Mark Armstrong bundled 30 tracks, which spotlight the brand in various ways. For example, the album contains 9 tracks, in which artists in the rhythm & blues and blues sang their love for the vehicle. The rockers and hillbillies did the same in 10 songs. Four groups chose the car brand as their band name, after which seven interpreters incorporated Cadillac into their lyrics. In short, diversity is not lacking on this compilation. This is also reflected in the musical genres. You will find rhythm & blues, blues, doo-wop, rock 'n' roll and hillbilly.
You have to admire the staff at the Atomicat label. How they do it, it’s a mystery to me, but time after time they amaze you with the angles with which they compile their albums. We can only conclude that this compilation around the 120th anniversary of the Cadillac brand is another high flyer. Your car may not be a Cadillac, but with this album on the road you sure get the feeling of drivin' in a Cadillac.

​Tommy Sands rocking skills came in sight when he teamed up with The Raiders, who later transformed into The Sharks, backed by the outstanding guitarist Scotty Turner. With them he recorded some brilliant rockers, such as ‘Blue Ribbon Baby’, ‘The Worryin' Kind’and ‘Wicked, Wicked Woman!’. Obviously these songs are on this album, so is his mega hit ‘Teen-Age Crush’.
You can experience through this compilation that Tommy Sands was a rocker in the purest sense. With the first track, 'Is It Ever Gonna Happen', recorded in 1959, of which he was co-author, he immediately resolutely grabs you by the scruff of the neck. The tone is set for 36 rocking tracks. Tommy's fine vocal work and the tight, effective musical setting make his songs shine, with Turner's guitar delivering sublime work. The original songs are tailor-made for Sands, but he also knows how to distinguish himself from the covers of his colleagues in the covers. Whether it was 'straight' or rather 'smooth' rocking, he did it.
Tommy Sands had a lot to offer and yet things didn't go as planned. The divorce from Nancy Sinatra, whom he had been married to for 5 years, as well as the fact that Capitol was arrogant enough to take him out of the rock 'n' roll scene, after which Tommy entertained gamblers in Vegas was not what he deserved. Sadly there was no more rocking. Tommy has also starred in a number of films including ‘The Longest Day’ in which he played a U.S. Army Ranger. In the 1970s, both his singing and acting careers ended. You can read more about Tommy Sands in the extensive booklet by Bill Dahl.
Fortunately, the Bear Family label honors Tommy Sands' rocking career. Recommended!

​Can you convincingly bring rock 'n' roll and rockabilly in the French language? Is it possible to stylishly fill the void left by Johnny Hallyday's passing? You may doubt this, but I don't. After listening to 'Rock Rebel' I don't doubt it at all. Céré, or in full Didier Céré, the old rocker from the south of France, blows everyone's socks off with this album and leaves many young musicians far behind, without mercy. Among the list of guest musicians, several well-known names immediately catch the eye. For example, we hear Buddy Whittington on guitar on 5 songs, Nico Wayne Toussaint puts the harmonica to his lips on 4 tracks, Redd Volkaert is guitarist on no less than 7 songs, Floyd Domino crawls behind the piano on 1 track and Red Young is also on 1 song behind the Hammond B. Add to that a horn section and you know that you will be presented with high-quality work here. Céré himself takes care of the vocals and he also plays the acoustic guitar. He starts with the title track, in the language of Molière, in which he immediately pushes the rock-'n-roll accelerator down considerably, including an inspiring sax solo. Successor 'VTwin Boogie' is bursting with originality. A wonderful rockabilly song, given a country touch by the pedal steel, and a blues feel by the harmonica of Nico Wayne Toussaint. For the first time, Céré exchanges the French language for the English language in the rock 'n' roll boogie 'Reeferbilly Boogie'. ‘You Keep On Knocking But You Can't Come In’ is a Little Richard classic. However, it pales in comparison to Céré's version 'Tu Peux Frapper'. What a number! Excellent vocals, heavenly soloing horns and sublime guitar work. One hell of an instrumental boogie is 'Lalla's Boogie', a song written by Cére in collaboration with Whittington, Volkaert, Domino and trumpeter Pascal Drapeau. The song is characterized by a balanced collaboration between piano, horns and guitar. For 'Salut Charly' he goes back to Hallyday and Céré releases the accelerator and measures the song in a country jacket. Céré knows his classics. He knows how to integrate that into his own songs. The 'Daytona Beach', written together with guitarist Jean-Pierre Medou, including harmonica and slide work that appeals to the imagination, floats on the well-known Diddley beat.
Johnny Hallyday has already proven that rocking in French is possible. It is true that there is still room for more, Céré shows how to do this perfectly on 'Rock Rebel', with a nice mix of own songs and covers. Recommended!

​Tony Sheridan is the sixth British artist to be featured in 'The Brits Are Rocking' series by the German Bear Family. Sheridan's relationship with The Beatles is widely known. For example, Paul McCartney named Tony Sheridan as their teacher, with George Harrison especially learning a lot in the field of guitar playing. After all, Sheridan had much more experience in that area. His contact with the Fab Four during their stay in the band's early years in Hamburg made Sheridan, along with Bill Haley, one of the most important artists in German rock 'n' roll and was therefore responsible for developing the 'Hamburg Sound'. In addition to his contacts with The Beatles, Tony also recorded under his own name. These recordings, also known as the 'Polydor rockers', he recorded from 1961 to 1965, are now brought together on 'Skinny Minny'. Tony's credit is certainly that he managed to provide the covers of the American rock 'n' roll hits with his own twist.
That Tony Sheridan was not only a hugely talented guitarist but also vocally strong, is evident from the 29 tracks on this album. Unfortunately, the great success was not awarded to him. Despite his influence for The Beatles and the clever recordings under his own name, he was only given a footnote in the history of British rock 'n' roll.

'Ecstasy' is the code word for the fourth entry to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club, where DJ Mark Armstrong will get you in the right mood with 30 appropriate tracks. As soon as you enter, a true artist will be resounding through the immense speakers. None other than Ray Charles welcomes you with the classic 'Hit The Road Jack'. And so it goes on at high level for more than 1 hour. Rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and soul of the best kind fill 'Visit 04, Ecstasy' in the more than fantastic series 'Sadie's Gentlemen's Club'. Highly recommended!

​'Do You Wanna Dance' is the title of volume 4 in the 'Atomicat Rockers' series. Well, asking that question is actually already answering it, because the 28 rocking and rolling tracks will certainly assure a crowd filled dance floor. The photos of battered cars, which are featured on the cover as well as on the inside of the digipack, prove that people went crazy at that time and so was the music. Traditionally, well-known and lesser-known artists complement each other perfectly.
As always with the Atomicat label, a lot of attention was paid to the composition of this album. No inferior rock 'n' roll, a high-quality sound and danceability score here again for the full 100%. Features that will certainly also will be found when issue 05, entitled 'Dungaree Cutie' is released on April 8th. Definitely something to look forward to!

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

​Although he is often only known for his hit ‘Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)’, Jackie Wilson had a lot more arrows on his musical bow. This compilation will certainly convince you of that. Jackie Leroy Wilson, born on June 9, 1934, already had a decent musical career before his big hit. In 1953, he replaced that other great artist, Clyde McPhatter, as lead singer on Billy Ward's Dominoes. Jackie had just turned 19 at the time of joining. He stayed with Ward until 1957, after which he resolutely opted for a solo career. That choice was immediately sealed with 'Reet Petite', which brought him instant world fame. The title ‘Mr. Excitement' he acquired through his live performances, but the fact that he effortlessly switched from rhythm & blues to rock 'n' roll and later to soul, makes that title even more important. Musically he was one of the greatest, but privately it did not always run smoothly. Like his father, Jackie was also a heavy drinker. His second wife fired twice at him and three of his children died at a young age. He had to pay for his stressful lifestyle on September 29, 1975, when he had a heart attack on stage and ended up with his head on stage equipment. Severe brain damage left him in a coma until his death on January 21, 1984. Jackie Wilson turned 49. His immense popularity is evident from the fact that none other than Michael Jackson paid for Wilson's funeral.
The 28 tracks on this album, spanning the period from 1953 to 1963, give an extremely beautiful picture of Jackie Wilson's immeasurable talent. The first six tracks, recorded for Federal, highlight his time with Billy Ward and The Dominoes and are rhythm & blues related, culminating in the somewhat jazzy feel and doo-wop laced 'St. Louis Blues'. What follows are 19 songs that Wilson recorded under his own name. His mega hit 'Reet Petite' tops the list, but the other songs are certainly not inferior to this. Listen for example to the sublime swinging 'If I Can't Have You', the energetic rocken 'Right Now!', the cheerful 'So Much' or 'Sazzle Dazzle', 'Love Train' that showcases Jackie's vocal range and the majestic 'Baby Workout'.
These are randomly chosen tracks, because every song is like a finely cut diamond. Songs that can all boast of excellent and formidably performed arrangements.
The last three tracks are reserved for duets that Jackie recorded with Linda Hopkins in 1962 and 1963. Fantastic songs by an impressive duo!
The fact that the tenor Jackie Wilson had an enormous vocal range, rightly puts this album in the spotlights, and don't forget that this album, traditionally with Koko-Mojo, is once again bathed in a sublimely remastered sound. An absolute must!

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

​The mention 'Man That's A Hit, Get It Covered' that appears on the cover of the 'Rockin' Rollin' Covers' series, covers it completely. The two previously released volumes already made us discover a few things. Hits that did less well in a cover version than the original, but also covers that left the original versions far behind and grew into true classics. Volume 3 also effortlessly lives up to those expectations, with thirty tracks that represent both energetic rhythm & blues and white rock 'n' roll from the period 1952 to 1963.
The attractive thing about series such as 'Rockin' Rollin' Covers' is that in addition to sublime music, you also get a piece of music history. You often only know the best-known version of songs, but through this series you also get to know other interpretations and that is definitely a plus.

​Our second visit to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club, better known as 'the house of sin', immediately says what Sadie's club is all about, namely 'flirting'. The lights are dimmed which enhances the intimate atmosphere, the deejay chooses the appropriate music and the gentlemen fight to win the favor of Sadie and her colleagues. The 30 songs on this compilation highlight the game of 'attract, seduce and repel'. Once again you can enjoy swinging and rocking Rhythm & Blues of the highest quality, with or without soul, supplemented with catchy instrumentals.
The second visit to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club certainly won't be the last. After all, 'Visit 03, Taboo' will be released on March 11, of which you are guaranteed to find a review here.

​With rockabilly and rock 'n' roll from the archives of M-G-M Records and sub-labels Club and Metro, we are already at volume 40 in the 'That'll Flat…Git it!' series. M-G-M Records was founded in 1946 by the production company Metro Goldwyn Mayer for the purpose of releasing soundtracks. The label soon took a broader view, dating a wide variety of music genres to the catalog. In the mid-1950s, when rock 'n' roll and rockabilly exploded, it was logical that M-G-M set its sights on that too. It is therefore also logical that a large number of artists could grow into international celebrities. This volume focuses on these names. Well-known artists such as Conway Twitty, Johnny Rivers, Buck Griffin, Marvin Rainwater and Andy Starr are paired with lesser known, but no lesser talents such as Gary Walker, Randy Atcher, Kenny Lee Martin, Rita Faye, Bob Riley and Ronnie Isle. The result are 32 tracks most from the fifties and a few from the early sixties that relive the heyday of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll in detail. Expect danceable, excellent guitars, whether or not supplemented with beautiful harmony vocals, provided rocking tracks, in a great sound.
Just to mention that there are no overlaps with volume 7 in this series, which also featured rockabilly and rock 'n' roll from the M-G-M treasury. And as befits the series, you will again receive a 36-page booklet, in which Bill Dahl provides you with all the info about artists and tracks. More than worth buying!

​If the name Charlie McCoy doesn't sound familiar to you right away, there's a good chance that you'll find his achievements in your record collection without knowing it. After all, a visit to his website introduces you to an immense list of celebrities to whom Charlie has provided musical assistance. Among them are Elvis Presley, Joan Baez, Steve Miller, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings…..and we could fill several more lines. Not surprising because McCoy is a multi-instrumentalist. When his mother gave him a harmonica as a little boy, it was the start of a glorious career. Later, Charlie taught himself to play guitar, bass, percussion, organ, sax and tuba. In 1941 he was born in Oak Hill, West Virginia, but for health reasons he grew up in Miami. In 1961, Charlie's big break came. Chet Atkins heard him play and immediately hired him as a harmonica player and session musician. The 1970s gave Charlie's success a huge boost. He was heard on more than 400 recordings and in 2009 he was honored in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
With this compilation, the Bear Family label focuses on McCoy's early years, long before he became a celebrated country artist. The album contains recordings that he made in his own name, but also as Charlie McCoy & The Escorts or The Gas Lantern and this in the period 1961 – 1969. Charlie's talent and craftsmanship also make him feel various musical styles like no other. The album naturally contains enthusiastic rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues, blues and soul. In this way he works his way through a number of songs that have become classics. His unique harmonica playing is soon reflected in 'Gimme Some Lovin'', with which The Spencer Davis Group scored or 'Shot Gun' known from Jr. Walker, where he replaces the sax with the harmonica with verve. Masterfully he lets the harmonica sound on 'Harpoon Man'.
Also extremely beautiful versions of Little Walters 'Juke', 'My Babe', the rousing soulful 'Turn On Your Lovelight', Orbison's 'Candy Man', the poppy 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' by The Shirelles, Muddy Waters' ' I'm Ready' and The Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations', here in an instrumental harmonica version, just to name a few, but actually all tracks are absolute toppers. Charlie himself provided the foreword, after which Daryl Sanders elaborates on Charlie's career and his discography in the liner notes. Traditionally, everything is again illustrated with beautiful photos.
Screamin', Shoutin', Beggin', Pleadin'' by Charlie McCoy & The Escorts is an album of 29 captivating tracks, which sublimely showcases the talent of the young McCoy. A must without a doubt!

​For volume 23, entitled 'Rough Lover', we prick our ears for the third time to the rocking rhythm & blues from Tennessee and Arkansas. There is still so much to discover from that region, so this compilation contains a great mix of electric blues and rousing boogies with the piano in the lead. The region was a hotbed of talent and as a result produced a large number of well-known artists. So it makes sense that Big Maybelle, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Slim, Jimmy McCracklin, Aretha Franklin, Rosco Gordon and Joe Hill Louis, to name just a few, can be found on this compilation.
Like every volume in the 'Southern Bred' series, volume 23 is again full of catchy rhythm & blues, blues, soul and rock 'n' roll at the highest level.
You want more? Just a little patience, because volume 24 entitled 'Dippin' Is My Business' is scheduled for release on February 25.