Joe Tex

Though R&B is hardly the first thing that comes to mind when Nashville, Tennessee is mentioned, the town known worldwide as the cradle of country music does indeed have a long, rich tradition of blues, soul, and more. The revelatory two-disc collection NIGHT TRAIN TO NASHVILLE makes Nashville's R&B legacy clear by tracing it across four decades. The first disc abounds with delightful obscurities like Cecil Gant's jump-blues tune "Nashville Jumps" and convict vocal group the Prisonaires' haunting ballad "Just Walkin' in the Rain." The second disc contains more familiar fare, such as Joe Simon's soul gem "The Chokin' Kind" and Arthur Alexander's legendary Brill Building-goes-South lament "Anna (Go to Him)" (later covered by the Beatles). The context provided by NIGHT TRAIN's theme also serves to underscore the not-so-subtle connections that have always existed between country music and R&B; it's easy to imagine a great country singer sinking his teeth into virtually any of the soulful gems on offer here.

Recorded between 1945 & 1970. Includes liner notes by Michael Gray.

This collection of tracks, part of the "History of Soul" series, illustrates the depth and breadth of the music produced in the city between 1958 and 1962. All the familiar names are here: Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Eddie Boe, Bobby Marchan, but so are the lesser-known but incredible Ray Washington, Berna Dean, Martha Carter and Chuck Carbo. So get ready to be blown away by some of the most breathtaking, deep and touching sounds that have ever come from Louisiana and penetrate the soul as we know it.

38 tracks compilation of classic funk and funky soul cuts spread across a broad stylistic spread. So many highlights with a mix of well known gems like Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘The Bottle’, Linda Clifford’s ‘Runaway Love’, Joe Quarterman’s ‘I Got So Much Trouble…’ and Leroy Hutson’s ‘Lucky Fellow’ to maybe lesser known cuts like the Continental Showstopper’s funky Northern ‘Not Too Young’ Alvin Cash’s frenetic ‘Keep On Dancin’ and Jodi Gayles’ sassy ‘You Gotta Push’. Good, solid comp of well produced funky soul.

Chávez Ravine: A Record by Ry Cooder is the twelfth studio album by Ry Cooder. It is the first concept album and historical album by Ry Cooder which tells the story of Chávez Ravine, a Mexican-American community demolished in the 1950s in order to build public housing. The housing was never built. Ultimately the Brooklyn Dodgers built a stadium on the site as part of their move to Los Angeles. Chávez Ravine was nominated for "Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album" in 2006.