Shreveport

Various Artists - Shreveport Southern Soul: The Murco Story (2000) {Kent Records CDKEND178 rec 1967-1973}
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© 1967-73, 2000 Murco / Kent Records / Ace Records | CDKEND 178
Rhythm & Blues / Soul / Funk / Southern Soul

Based in Shreveport, LA, the Murco label didn't record soul music exclusively, but it did concentrate heavily on Southern soul in the late '60s and early '70s. There were no national hits, with the marginal exception of Eddy Giles' "Losin' Boy" (the first track on this CD), which registered briefly in the Cashbox Hot 100. In fact, none of the singers on this 26-track compilation of Murco sides (some of which came out on various subsidiaries, and a couple of which were previously unreleased) will be familiar even to most soul collectors.

Various Artists - Shreveport Stomp (1994) {Ace Records CDCHD495 rec 1957-1962}
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© 1957-62, 1994 Ram Records / Ace Records | CDCHD 495
Rhythm & Blues / Blues / Rockabilly / Swamp Pop

Ram Records was the creation of the late Mira Smith. A multi-talented musician, studio engineer and songwriter, Mira made many fine recordings both of blues and hillbilly artists. Most of them came from her home town of Shreveport, Louisiana but, occasionally, she would record musicians and singers from places further afield. Many of the performances she recorded have remained unissued until today, not because of any deficiency in the recordings or performances, many of which are very fine indeed, simply because Mira worked on an indie label shoestring and had insufficient capital to promote more than a handful of singles a year. An awful lot of good music just stayed in the vaults.

Various Artists - Shreveport High Steppers: RAM Rockabilly & Hillbilly (2001) {Ace Records CDCHD818 rec 1957-1974}
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© 1957-74, 2001 Ram Records / Ace Records | CDCHD 818
Rockabilly / Country / Hillbilly

The Shreveport, LA-based Ram label put out a cartload of rock, blues, and country records in the 1950s without ever establishing itself as a major indie. This 26-track compilation of, as the title promises, rockabilly and hillbilly sides from the decade is definitely for the "let's clean out the vault 'cause it's there'" kind of enthusiasts. That's not to say that it's terrible, just that it's a pretty unremarkable collection of minor leaguers, the biggest name – and she's hardly a big one – being Margaret Lewis. A couple of guys not primarily known for work under their own name make early appearances.

Various Artists - Red River Blues: Shreveport Blues from RAM Records (1999) {Ace Records CDCHD725 rec 1955-1961}
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© 1955-61, 1999 Ram Records / Red River Records / Ace Records CDCHD 725
Rhythm and Blues / Blues

Recorded between the mid-'50s and mid-'60s, most of this electric blues and R&B was laid down at Mira Smith's studio in Shreveport, LA, appearing on tiny labels like Ram, Jo, Clif, Speed, and Red River; a dozen of the tracks were previously unreleased. This is pretty tenuous ground for a compilation, and it should be pointed out that Smith also recorded some other styles in her studio that are not represented here; also, the disc is filled out by five cuts done elsewhere in Shreveport by Jesse Thomas in the early '60s. Nonetheless, it's a pretty fair collection of early electric Louisiana blues, TV Slim the only name likely to evince even faint recognition from most collectors.

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