The 5 AM Miracle

The "5" Royales - Monkey Hips & Rice (1994) {2CD Set Rhino R2 71546 rec 1952-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 567 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 255 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 41 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1952-62, 1994 King/Gusto Records / Rhino Records | R2 71546
Rhythm & Blues / Rock & Roll / Early R&B / Doo Wop / Jump Blues

The 5 Royales are legendary, primarily in the sense that their legend grew over the years, as the status of what they achieved began to be realized. Like many trailblazing groups, the 5 Royales made music that wasn't fully appreciated at the time and is pigeonholed into the influential but not heard category. This makes their list of accomplishments seem academic – they pushed through gospel and doo wop, incorporating jump and urban blues and, eventually, rock & roll, paving the way toward the soul of the '60s. Led by guitarist/songwriter Lowman Pauling, the group was remarkably versatile, stretching the accepted limits of what a vocal group could do, particularly because Pauling's guitar and earthy, soulful songwriting ignored boundaries and let the group follow suit.

The "5" Royales - Soul & Swagger: The Complete "5" Royales 1951-1967 (2014) {5CD Set RockBeat Records ROC-CD 3101}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.58 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 888 Mb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1951-67, 2014 S'more Ent. / RockBeat Records ROC-CD 3101
Rhythm & Blues / Rock & Roll / Soul / Gospel / Early R&B / Doo Wop / Jump Blues

One of the finest and most influential rhythm & blues acts of the '50s, the "5" Royales began their career as a gospel group called the Royal Sons Quintet before crossing over to secular music in 1952. The "5" Royales initially recorded for Apollo Records, where they scored hits like "Baby Don't Do It" and "Laundromat Blues," but they enjoyed greater success when they signed with King Records in 1954 and stormed the R&B charts with tunes like "Monkey Hips and Rice," "Think" (later covered by James Brown and Aretha Franklin), and "Dedicated to the One I Love" (which both the Shirelles and the Mamas & the Papas took to the upper reaches of the pop charts).