Gospel Davis

Ray Charles is an American legend beyond compare. This deluxe eight-disc box set proves it by encompassing Ray's entire Atlantic Records repertoire on the first six CDs. Additionally, the set includes an entire disc (27 tracks, all but three previously unreleased) of outtakes, live recordings, and alternate versions. Plus, there's a bonus DVD that features Ray live at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 and an exclusive interview with Ahmet Ertegun, conducted by Ray Director Taylor Hackford. Special packaging features a record player-style box and a linen-bound hardback book.

Al Smith - Hear My Blues (1959) {Prestige–Bluesville OBCCD-514-2 rel 1993}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 206 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 79 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1993 Prestige / Bluesville / Fantasy | OBCCD-514-2
Blues / Jazz / Soul Blues / West Coast Blues

As a rule, people who appreciate the late Jimmy Witherspoon have a very favorable reaction to Al Smith – that is, if they get a chance to hear him. Neither of the two albums that Smith provided for Bluesville (Hear My Blues in 1959 and Midnight Special in 1960) are well-known. While Witherspoon was a big name in the blues world, Smith was a gospel singer who dabbled in secular music. But when Smith did venture outside the gospel realm, his approach was quite comparable to Witherspoon's – like Witherspoon, he favored a jazz-influenced approach to blues and R&B.

The Sounds Of Nature [2 Box Set (12 CD)] (1994)

Here is the place to find peaceful relaxation, a place to connect to the music of nature and the natural world, and to reconnect (using recorded sound and soundscapes) with the slower natural pace and tempo of Life.

While it's true this is gospel music re-visioned by Scofield, it's still a gospel record, and carries within it the heart of that music's great traditions – melody, complex harmonics, and lyricism. This is a winner all the way through.

Various Artists - Chicago Hit Factory: The Vee-Jay Story 1953-1966 (2014) {10CD Set Charly Records CHARLY 915 B}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 3.39 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.64 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 59 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1953-66, 2014 Charly Records / Vee-Jay | CHARLY 915 B
Rhythm & Blues / Doo-Wop / Blues / Soul / Gospel / Jazz

Celebrating sixty years since the launch of one of the most successful independent record labels in US Popular music. Received wisdom would have us believe that before Motown, no black-owned record company had made a significant impact on the US mainstream. However, the actuality is something else entirely. Way back in the early 50s, long before Berry Gordy had written his first song, VEE-JAY RECORDS - a black, family owned and run, Chicago-based label - was establishing itself via a steady stream of Blues, R&B, DooWop and Gospel hits.

A Chicago-based vocalist whose music was steeped in Southern gospel and deep soul, Otis Clay never had a major pop hit, but he was a periodic visitor to the R&B charts and an enduring presence in the world of blues and vintage soul, while also enjoying a long career in spiritual music. Clay was born on February 11, 1942 in Waxhaw, Mississippi, where the church was a vital part of his family's life. In 1953, Clay's family moved to Muncie, Indiana, where he began performing with a local gospel group. In 1957, Clay and his family relocated to Chicago, where he joined the Golden Jubilaires, the first of many gospel groups he would work with in the Windy City.