Seeking recommendations: R&B/jump blues/soul vein.

[mikelz777]

I'm looking for any recommendations you might have for some good compilations or anthologies of various artists in the early R&B/jump blues/soul vein. I'd be looking for stuff from the pre-rock and roll or very early (formative) rock and roll era of the 40's and 50's. I'd appreciate any recommendations you might have.

[J.A.W.]

There are a few recommendations on my Blues/R&B list.

Edited February 14, 2009 by J.A.W.

[jazzbo]

These may be out of print but are worth the effort to find.

Edited February 14, 2009 by jazzbo

[GA Russell]

Mike, I have the Specialty Story box. The first disc is all jump blues from the late 40s.

I wouldn't recommend that you buy the box just for the first cd, but I can recommend the Specialty artists from that period, and I've been planning to get some myself. Maybe they are at discount now at the Concord website.

Some names to look for are Louis Jordan, of course, and Roy Milton, Jimmy Liggins and Joe Liggins.

You might also want to look at Lloyd Price and Percy Mayfield.

[kh1958]

Buy whatever you can find in the Classics Blues and Rhythm series.

[jostber]

These are some of the top of the R&B crop:

Roy Brown

Wynonie Harris

Roy Milton

Big Joe Turner

Tiny Bradshaw

H-Bomb Ferguson

Louis Jordan

[mikelz777]

Thank you to everyone for their recommendations. I can see that the responders have a wide and knowlegable set of tastes in music. I thought I would share what I ended up ordering. I decided to go the route of picking up some various artist compilations. There were a lot of individual artist recommendations but I figured with the various artist compilations I could give them a listen and then pursue any individual artists that struck a chord with me from there. I also wanted a party CD kind of vibe which is better served with a variety of artists. My picks:

Stompin' at the Savoy: The Original Indie-Label 1944-1961(4-CD)

This was an easy pick for me. I really dug the sound samples, it was available through the soon-to-be-extinct BMG club and I had a code for free shipping.

Blues Masters, Vol. 5: Jump Blues Classics

This one's currently out of print but I found a nice deal on a copy through Ebay. I'd also like to pick up its counterpart, Blues Masters, Vol. 14: More Jump Blues eventually.

Lost and Found: Rockabilly and Jump Blues (2-CD)

Here's a review (edited) from AMG:

Lost and Found: Rockabilly and Jump Blues resurrects a host of long-lost '50s jump tunes, with precious little overlap with music that already appears on CD. The two curators, Keb Darge and Cut Chemist (each takes one disc), provide copious notes on nearly every title, displaying a knowledge of the form that is formidable (especially in Darge's case). And, of course, the music isn't bad either. Much like Bear Family's series of That'll Flat Git It! compilations, there's a certain delight in hearing these second- or third-tier R&B or rockabilly artists, many of which featured plenty of energy and talent but simply not enough distribution (or luck) to make a lasting impression.

The line, "...there's a certain delight in hearing these second- or third-tier R&B or rockabilly artists, many of which featured plenty of energy and talent but simply not enough distribution (or luck) to make a lasting impression." pretty much sums it up for me. I really dig it when I find great or really enjoyable music from unknowns or the unheralded. There's a lot of excellent and fun music out there that never makes the charts or gets a notable following. Those of you out there who don't already have it may want to check it out and grab one. It currently can be had pretty reasonably. (The best deal I found was via CD Pacific for $14.00 and change delivered.)

My wish list for somewhere down the road:

Ruth Brown - Rockin' in Rhythm: The Best of Ruth Brown is one I'm pretty sure I'll eventually pick up. I'm intrigued by The Aladdin Records Story but can't seem to find sound samples anywhere. Once I have a chance to listen to the CDs I ordered, I'll maybe start looking into more of the individual artists.

Thanks again everyone.

Edited February 19, 2009 by mikelz777

[RDK]

Mike, I have the Specialty Story box. The first disc is all jump blues from the late 40s.

Big rec from me for the Specialty Story. One of my all-time favorite boxes!

Also the Jumpin' Like Mad comp that Lon already mentioned.

[Big Beat Steve]

Whatever Jostber, Jazzbo, kh1958 and KH Russell said ... :D

With one slight exception: Ella Mae Morse ain't bad, but IMHO she's a bit in the "Hey-I'm-a-pop-singer-but-I'd-rather-do-swing-and-R&B-anyway" bag. Nice to listen to but compared to the real gritty stuff it's a bit watered down and cleaned up.

That said, Mikelz777, your purchases certainly aren't bad at all, but if really dig much deeper into that genre you'll end up being sorry for all that money spent on multi-label compilations as you invariably will end up with a LOT of overlaps, duplications or triplications (probably most of it, in fact).

If you want multi-artist discs, it might pay looking at more focused compilations that concentrate on specific labels, e.g. that Jumpin' Like Mad set recommended by Jazzbo.

Or have a look at the Delmark reissue program. Their material does not overlap all that much with other multi-label reissue programs and therefore fills a few gaps quite nicely, e.g. their "Honkers & Bar Walkers" CDs.

And BY ALL MEANS grab these - or drop dead! :D

http://www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?pa...amp;release=428

http://www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?pa...mp;release=7409

All FOUR "Mellow Cats" CDs (scroll down to the bottom of the page for details) are the bees knees - and you're NOT likely to find very much from those discs on ANY other reissue program!

And the Ace catalog is worth a second look anyway - their West Coast (Central Avenue) R&B compilations are really fine if you do not have them on LP yet.

Finally, if you make the rounds at secondhand outlets and dont mind vinyl, it also pays to go for the "Roots of Rock'n'Roll" 2-LP sets released on Savoy in the 80s. You'll probably have a lot of that on your "Stomping At The Savoy" compilation but these 2-LP sets should explore the subject in much greater depth (so there you are with your duplications ).

Enjoy!

Edited February 20, 2009 by Big Beat Steve

[jazzbo]

You really owe it to yourself, whatever you do, to check out T-Bone Walker from the forties.

[mikelz777]

You really owe it to yourself, whatever you do, to check out T-Bone Walker from the forties.

I really wanted T-Bone's The Complete Capitol / Black & White Recordings but couldn't afford the price tag attached for an OOP 3-CD set. I ended up having to get the 4-CD Quadromania set which appears to contain the whole of the Capitol / B&W set without the alternate takes. I'd agree that it's some excellent stuff and I like it enough to want to add the Imperial 2-CD set to the collection as well.

[jostber]

And after all that Jumpin' you gotta do some Downhome!

The Downhome Blues Sessions, Vol. 5: Back in the Alley

A great compilation by Ace Records from last year.

[AllenLowe]

I like the downhone stuff- the jump stuff drives me a little bit up the wall after a while - same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat same beat

[Big Beat Steve]

The downhome stuff drives me down the wall into the gutter - the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar ...

(... no, not really, there is a time and place for everything, but there's more to DA BLOOZ than just that "Black Snake Moan" etc. ... ;))

[Tom in RI]

You might like this Okeh compilation which I have had since it came out:

http://www.amazon.com/OKeh-Rhythm-Blues-St...3049&sr=1-1

In the same vein is the Fire and Fury Records Story:

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Records-Story-V...3245&sr=1-2

Edited February 20, 2009 by Tom in RI

[jostber]

The downhome stuff drives me down the wall into the gutter - the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar the same lowdown lyrics the same guitar ...

(... no, not really, there is a time and place for everything, but there's more to DA BLOOZ than just that "Black Snake Moan" etc. ... ;))

Well, you got great tracks by Lowell Fulson, Jimmy Mc Cracklin and Roy Hawkins here. What more do you need?

[Big Beat Steve]

@Tom in RI:

Great box indeed, that OKEH set.

Also recommended in the same vein : The Mercury Blues & Rhythm Story 1945-1955 (8-CD box set)

(There are other Mercury R&B boyx sets, e.g. the CD box set with the box in the shape of some 40s Catalon radio but IIRC that one concentrates on relatively fewer and better-known artists with more tracks by each artist)

@Jostber:

Like I said, there is a time and place for everything, and drawing a line between the sub-genres isn't always easy anyway.

[jostber]

There is always time for Lowell Fulson! This man's got

[AllenLowe]

not talking about Black Snake Moan -

I just feel that there is more tiredness and formula in the jump blues of the early 1950s, maybe late 1940s, than in most of the Delta, or the Piedmont, and than Chicago/Detroit/Cincinatti, the juke blues, or whatever you wanna call it - the hard four beat of the delta and the post-delta electric is, to me, much deeper in feeling. It is a more complex rhythm; the swing-era rhythm of the jump blues becomes too much of a closed-rhythmic box, no flexibility. Ironically the 'thump thump thump' of the Delta-derived blues is much freer than the swing/jump and, I think, more conducive to certain old-time retensions. The juke-styled things are just the wildest and freest things I've ever heard - the jump stuff, after awhile, is claustrophobic.

and then there's the in-between stuff; try the JOB recordings, the Trumpet stuff with Joe Willie Wilkins, Lockwood's electric stuff from the late 1940s -

Edited February 20, 2009 by AllenLowe

[Cliff Englewood]

You really owe it to yourself, whatever you do, to check out T-Bone Walker from the forties.

I really wanted T-Bone's The Complete Capitol / Black & White Recordings but couldn't afford the price tag attached for an OOP 3-CD set. I ended up having to get the 4-CD Quadromania set which appears to contain the whole of the Capitol / B&W set without the alternate takes. I'd agree that it's some excellent stuff and I like it enough to want to add the Imperial 2-CD set to the collection as well.

T-Bone Walker pretty much "invented" "perfected" "defined", for a lack of better words, the whole R&B/jump blues/soul vein you speak of. He is a giant IMHO, and doesn't really get his due, probably because he was fairly popular at one time.

T-Bone is GOD, and here is GOD with the JATP...

Edited February 21, 2009 by Cliff Englewood

[John L]

You really owe it to yourself, whatever you do, to check out T-Bone Walker from the forties.

I really wanted T-Bone's The Complete Capitol / Black & White Recordings but couldn't afford the price tag attached for an OOP 3-CD set. I ended up having to get the 4-CD Quadromania set which appears to contain the whole of the Capitol / B&W set without the alternate takes. I'd agree that it's some excellent stuff and I like it enough to want to add the Imperial 2-CD set to the collection as well.

T-Bone Walker pretty much "invented" "perfected" "defined", for a lack of better words, the whole R&B/jump blues/soul vein you speak of. He is a giant IMHO, and doesn't really get his due, probably because he was fairly popular at one time.

T-Bone is GOD, and here is GOD with the JATP...

I have always really loved that T-Bone clip. It really captures his genius.

Inventor of R&B/Jump Blues? I don't know about that. Joe Turner/Pete Johnson, Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton/Illinois Jacquet, and some others might have a better claim to that title. But T-Bone is certainly the father of modern guitar blues.

Edited February 21, 2009 by John L

[AllenLowe]

"T-Bone Walker pretty much "invented" "perfected" "defined", for a lack of better words, the whole R&B/jump blues/soul vein you speak of. He is a giant IMHO, and doesn't really get his due, probably because he was fairly popular at one time."

sorry Cliffie, close but no cigar - Saunders King beat him to it - not to mention Joe Turner/Pete Johnson -

and T Bone has gotten his "due" for the last 30 years. Great musician, gets plenty of credit. Entire books written about him -

and electric does not equal jump. T Bone was kinda in the middle, genre wise -

and let us not forget Goree Carter -

and let us ALSO not forget the man who really did it first, Elvis's daddy ARTHUR CRUDUP -

Edited February 21, 2009 by AllenLowe

[zootsi]

Here are a few more -

Jimmy McCracklin & Paul Gayten - Roots of rhythm and blues - Roots records

If you can find it, this stuff is dynamite.

Also - Big Maybelle, Smiley Lewis, Red Prysock, Johnny Otis, early Ike Turner, Bullmoose Jackson.

For more contemporary artists in the same vein, Roomful of Blues is probably the best. Also, Doug Sahm put out a very listenable live r&b album about 12 years ago - 'Last of the Texas Blues Bands' on Antione records - worth tracking down.

[BruceH]

...Just as long as you've got a heapin' helping of Louis Jordan and Wynonie Harris.

[jostber]

This recent compilation is a great one too:

V.A. - Roy Milton's Miltone Records (Acrobat)