The Last Shout! Twilight of the Blues Shouters This three CD 97 track package on Fantastic Voyage Records features the forgotten superheroes of 20^th Century. These leather-lunged blues shouters dominated the U.S. nightclub stages and R&B charts for half-a-dozen years or so following World War II, before being sidelined by the burgeoning rock n’ roll storm in the early 1950s. Still considered a force with which to be reckoned in the music industry, and still at the height of their vocal prowess, many of the biggest stars were granted one or two final shots to save their flagging recording careers during rock n’ roll’s heyday.  Compiled and annotated by R&B authority Dave Penny, this set endeavors to document the twilight of that proud musical genre and resurrect the ultimate releases from some of the great voices of R&B. Included here are Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris, Jimmy Rushing, Roy Milton, H-Bomb Ferguson, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Jimmy Witherspoon and others. 

Southside Blues Jam was Junior Wells’ second recording for Delmark following the classic Hoodoo Man Blues and features some of the finest Chicago blues players of the time including the last studio recording of the genius of the blues piano, Otis Spann. Junior is accompanied by Buddy Guy and Louis Myers on guitar as well as Spann, bassist Earnest Johnson, and Fred Below on drums. Recorded on December 30, 1969 and January 8, 1970, the session has a loose, improvisational feel with stellar mellow support from Spann and Guy. This expanded digi-pack, deluxe edition contains previously unissued performances (Tracks 9-15) and a 16 page booklet with many never before seen photos. 

Louisiana Swamp Blues on JSP Records is a four disc, 102 track package compiled by the  ever dependable Neil Slaven. Here Slaven shies away from the big names and big hits and offers a wonderful collection of harder to find tracks. There is some overlap with the recent series on Ace Records, but not enough to make it an issue. The artists and songs featured here come not only from Louisiana, but from along the upper gulf coast all the way to east Texas. What you get in this package is a gigantic slab of swamp and rockin’ blues with that unique gumbo of lazy reverb laden sounds and laconic vocals. Everything from Texans Hop Wilson and Big Walter Price to Louisiana’s own Clarence Garlow, Boozoo Chavis, Guitar Junior and Lonesome Sundown to names with which you may not be familiar. There is even Hop Wilson’s Merry Christmas Darling to keep things cooking this holiday season.   

RPM Records Story: No More Doggin’ - Modern's third label was founded after the parent imprint and the short lived Colonial Records. It was set up to get more airplay of the company’s masters from radio programmers who were reluctant to play too many records from the same label. This tact also was designed to achieve more orders from distributors. The artists who were assigned to RPM were as potent as any of those who were appearing on Modern. From the label's very early days these included such R&B titans as B.B. King, Lightnin Hopkins, Howling Wolf and Rosco Gordon. The 52 tracks that make up this overview of RPM's early years cover 1950-53. More than half are new to CD in these versions. Almost all have been re-mastered from the original acetates, even if they have been out on Ace CD before. These tracks will never have sounded as good as they do here. Every major name on RPM is featured at least once, plus a bunch of lesser known artists whose careers did not progress beyond their RPM tenures are included in this wonderful package. 

Hard To Explain More Funky Blues 1968-1984 - This is the second volume of BGP's exploration of funky blues recordings from the 1960's on........like its predecessor, (Shattered Dreams BGP229) it casts a wide net with sides from Kent, Stax, Virgo, Hawk Sound, Romark and many other labels of the period. The artists all have a history that extends back in time so their recordings have a strong blues imprint on them and yet do not sound dated. Two wonderful sides from Finis Tasby from the 70's are a highlight as well as one of Ray Agee’s best records which make this collection extra special. 

Pee Wee Crayton Texas Blues Jumpin’ in Los Angeles - WOW...What a sound! These vintage outtakes were taken directly from acetate and are presented on this long awaited third volume of Modern Recordings from this great Texas born guitar player. This beauty represents West Coast blues guitar at its finest. All 30 tracks taken from 1949-1951 are unissued versions, distinctly different from the issued takes. Some illuminating studio chat is included and all sides are taken from fresh 2014 dubs of the original acetates. This release was compiled and annotated by the great blues archivist and producer, Chicago's Dick Shurman.

Eddy Giles Southern Soul Brother: The Murco Recordings 1967-1969 gathers the Shreveport soul master’s recordings for this label, including the bluesy hit Losin’ Boy as well as all of the high quality bluesy soul sides for the label. Giles was an incredibly talented singer who was adept at covering all the bases required of soul singers of the time, from ballads such as Happy Man and While I'm Away (Keep The Faith) to the up-tempo dance styles popular during this period. Access to the master tapes means perfect sound and three previously unreleased recordings including a bluesy alternative version of his final Murco single, Ain't Gonna Worry No More, add interest for the hard core Southern Soul Blues lover. 

Scatchin’ The Wild Jimmy Spruill Story showcases one of the most distinctive guitar stylists of the 50s and early 60s, yet he was only a session man until his explosive solo powered the number one pop hit Wilbert Harrison’s Kansas City and resulted in a modest career as a leader. From Fanny Mae by Buster Brown to the Happy Organ by Dave Baby Cortez, his solos are so striking and singular that the sessions might as well have been Spruill’s own. His take no prisoners approach is as exciting as any postwar plank plunkers and the recordings he did under his own name are some of the most visceral post war guitar records recorded. 

The Ric and Ron Records Story Volume 2: Ain’t It the Truth! Is a 24 song set that features tunes from this label’s relatively small roster of artists. Interestingly enough, almost everyone who ever recorded for the label went on to be significant in New Orleans R&B. Many of the well known names are featured here, including some of the best early sides by Johnny Adams, Eddie Bo and Tommy Ridgley. Some cult favorites, James 'Skip' Easterling and Warren Lee are also included in this package. Many of the tracks on Ain't It The Truth! feature the musicianship of the artist run A.F.O. (All For One) Combo under the direction of Harold Battiste. Other sides feature Dr. John when he was still known as Mac Rebennack. Some of the cornerstone songs of New Orleans R&B are included, almost all of them drawn from fresh transfers of the original Ric and Ron master tapes. As with our previous volume, the CD closes with a handful of early demo recordings including a never heard recording from Barbara Lynn. 

... for Under the Tree - Personally, The 5 Royales are one of my favorite artists of all time. Their blend of Gospel soul singing, fresh inventive songs and blistering guitar from Lowman Pauling are everything I look for in an artist. This package entitled, Soul and Swagger: The Complete 5 Royales 1951-1967 is housed in a beautiful 8 1/2" X 8 1/2" 124 page hardcover book package. (Spotify...Dowload...Stream that!) This complete collection by these founding fathers of American soul music contains 141 tracks on 5 compact discs. Headed by influential guitarist/songwriter Pauling, the collection includes the original recordings of Think (covered by James Brown), Dedicated To The One I Love (covered by The Shirelles) along with a treasure trove of blistering R&B scorchers and some fine ballads as well. Note: This bad boy will not fit into a stocking, so the under the tree route is the way to go for that special person in your life who is on the top of your “nice” list.