The second volume of Bear Family's riotous 2014 series The Hillbillies: They Tried to Rock is every bit as good as its companion, possibly because it has many of the same players as the first disc. Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Johnny Horton, Webb Pierce, and Marvin Rainwater didn't cut just one jumping rock & roll single, they cut several and the best of these appear on this 31-track delight. Although there are a few exceptions here, nearly everything on this collection dates from 1956 through 1958, when it was still possible that rock & roll was just another dance fad and not a cultural revolution.
Here's one of the great untold stories in American music, revealed at last! Harry Choates was a natural-born musician. He's famous as a Cajun fiddle player, but he could play matchless Western Swing fiddle and jazz guitar to rival Django Reinhardt. His fellow musicians say he played piano and mandolin superbly, too. In 1946, Harry Choates recorded the Cajun classic Jolie Blonde, forever mistitled Jole Blon. It was cut for a tiny local label, but became a nationwide smash, inspiring numerous cover versions, sequels, and prequels. For the first time, the story is revealed here.
The blues recording industry began in New York City and for most of the 1920s, musicians travelled from all parts of the country to make their mark in the recording studio. Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey were amongst the most popular female singers but they were soon rivaled by the likes of Lonnie Johnson, Robert ‘Barbecue Bob’ Hicks, Texas Alexander and Mississippi John Hurt. Kansas Joe McCoy cut ‘When The Levee Breaks’, justly famous in its Led Zeppelin incarnation, in the city.
The Best Of King Curtis 1952-1961 - Saxophone titan King Curtis gets the stellar showcase he deserves on Dave Penny’s latest career-defining set for Fantastic Voyage, continuing the roll which has seen the label raise the benchmark for knowledgeable, expertly-annotated compilations. Over three discs and nearly 100 tracks, Wail Man Wail! traverses the unmistakable tones of the late Curtis Ousley after he arrived from Texas in New York City in 1952, winning amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo before embarking on a recording career which took him to several seminal independent labels and bands with the likes of Lester Young and Lionel Hampton. He settled in New York for 17 years, declaring himself King Curtis and quickly making a name for roaring instrumentals and enhancing countless sessions.
"That'll Flat… Git It!" is one of the best compilations of the 1950's rockabilly. Each volume contains nearly 30 songs, mostly rockabilly classics and unknown great artists. In spite the tracks were remastered, you can hear some noise, especially in the end of the tracks. This is because many songs were taken from original vinyl singles.