Bear Family

Sleepy LaBeef - Larger Than Life (1955-1979) {6CD Deluxe Box Set, Bear Family BCD15662 rel 1996}
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© 1955-79, 1996 Sun / Bear Family Records | BCD 15662
Rockabilly / Country / Traditional Country

All of Sleepy LaBeef's most important records – from his early singles for Starday to his latter-day sides for Sun – are included on the mammoth, six-disc box set Larger Than Life. LaBeef recorded for a number of different labels during his career, and during that time, he explored a variety of roots music, from rockabilly and country to blues and soul. Spanning three full decades, Larger Than Life contains 158 tracks, including all of his recordings for Starday, Dixie, Columbia, and Sun.

Johnny Burnette - Johnny Rocks (2008) {Bear Family Records BCD16992AR rec 1956-1960}
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© 1956-60, 2008 Coral / Imperial / Liberty / Bear Family Records | BCD 16992 AR
Rock & Roll / Rockabilly / Early Pop

The original rockabilly wildman, Johnny Burnette led the seminal Rock 'n' Roll Trio, which slightly predated Elvis Presley. Their raw, unfettered sound inspired several generations of rockers, and the best of their output is featured in this collection, along with a generous helping of material from Burnette's later (1957-1960) solo recordings. While some of the solo sides bear a bit more of a pop sensibility, there's always plenty of rock-&-roll abandon in Burnette's delivery, and the driving force of the Trio tracks is still a wonder to behold. Hardcore Burnette fans will be particularly impressed by the inclusion of 11 rare demo recordings, further illuminating the too-short story of Burnette, who died by drowning in 1964 at the age of 30.

Buddy & Ella Johnson - 1953-1964 (1992) {4CD Box Set, Bear Family Records BCD 15479 DH}
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© 1953-64, 1992 Bear Family Records | BCD 15479 DH
Rhythm & Blues / Rock & Roll / Jazz / Swing / Blues / Early R&B / Jump Blues

Four discs (104 tracks in all) that exhaustively document the Mercury, Roulette, and Old Town output of big-band veteran Buddy Johnson, whose eternally swinging outfit was seductively fronted by his sister Ella (along with several interchangeable male crooners). Buddy's band wasn't as big as it once was during his Mercury tenure (tenor saxman Purvis Henson was at the core of the blazing horn section), but the tightly arranged New York-style sizzle remained.

George Jones - Walk Through This World With Me: The Complete Musicor Recordings 1965-1971, Part 1 (2009) {Bear Family BCD16928}
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© 1965-67, 2009 Bear Family Records | BCD 16928 EI
Country / Honky Tonk / Nashville Country / Country Gospel / Country Pop

George Jones' classic Musicor recordings have been out of circulation for years while a lawsuit was resolved. George Jones' Musicor recordings were never issued systematically or in full until now! George Jones' Musicor recordings were never issued in premium sound quality until now! This CD boxed set includes all-time classic George Jones hits, such as Love Bug (revived by George Strait), Take Me, Four-O-Thirty Three, and Walk Through This World With Me. Includes two complete George Jones sessions with false starts and alternate takes. Be there with George Jones in the studio! The first of two boxes that will eventually include every Musicor recording, except the duets with Gene Pitney (available elsewhere on Bear Family)!

George Jones - A Good Year For The Roses: The Complete Musicor Recordings 1965-1971, Part 2 (2009) {Bear Family BCD16929}
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© 1967-71, 2009 Bear Family Records | BCD 16929 DI
Country / Honky Tonk / Nashville Country / Country Gospel / Country Pop

George Jones' classic Musicor recordings have been out of circulation for years while a lawsuit was resolved. George Jones' Musicor recordings were never issued systematically or in full until now! George Jones' Musicor recordings were never issued in premium sound quality until now! The set includes 20 previously unissued recordings. Includes all-time classic George Jones hits, such as When The Grass Grows Over Me, I'll Share My World With You, As Long As I Live, and one of the greatest ever country classics, A Good Year For The Roses! Plus the earliest duets with Tammy Wynette! The second of two boxes. Together, they include every Musicor recording, except the duets with Gene Pitney (available elsewhere on Bear Family)!

Merle Haggard - Hag: The Studio Recordings 1969 - 1976 (2007) {6CD Bear Family Records BCD 16749}
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© 2007 Bear Family Records | BCD 16749
Country / Bakersfield Sound / Honky Tonk / Folk Rock / Progressive Country / Traditional Country / Western Swing Revival

Merle Haggard, RIP. In Memoriam. Merle Haggard, an icon of American music, died at his home in California on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. It was the singer, songwriter, and musician’s 79th birthday. In 2008 he battled lung cancer, and was hospitalized in December 2015 with double pneumonia. Haggard returned to the stage soon after, but was sidelined again in February due to continuing health concerns. “A week ago Dad told us he was gonna pass on his birthday,” Merle’s son and lead guitarist, Ben, revealed the day his father died, “and he wasn’t wrong.”

Fats Domino - I've Been Around: The Complete Imperial and ABC-Paramount Recordings (2019) {12CD Set, Bear Family BCD17579}
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© 1948-65, 2015 Bear Family Records | BCD 17579
Early Rhythm & Blues / Rock & Roll / New Orleans R&B / Swamp-Pop / Piano Blues

We could have taken the easy way out. The original 1993 box set was out of stock. We could simply have printed more copies and filled orders. Of course, we didn’t. This is Bear Family Records and we don’t take shortcuts. We’ve invested more than 1000 hours in re-writing, recompiling and re-mastering this box. The brilliant engineering by Christian Zwarg will leave you shaking your head in admiration. You won’t quite recognize some of your favorite Fats Domino tracks because they’ve never sounded this good.