Annie Laurie recorded prolifically in the late 40s and early 50s, for six different labels, enjoying both R&B and crossover pop success.  She suddenly retired from singing in 1962 to devote her life to the Jehovah's Witnesses.  Her biggest success and her signature song was Since I Fell For You in 1947.  After that success she also registered with Cuttin' Out, I'll Never Be Free, It Hurts To Be In Love and If You're Lonely.  This compilation presents the very best of her recordings between 1947-62 and it includes sides which have never previously appeared on CD, notably her very first release, St. Louis Blues. 

Bobby Mitchell was a major personality in the Crescent City, but sadly his fame did not spread nationally.  This collection showcases all of his most popular and influential recordings.  Produced by Dave Bartholomew, most of New Orleans' greatest session musicians such as Lee Allen, Red Tyler and Earl Palmer are scattered across the sessions. 

Formed in Mexico City in 1960, Los Boppers were one of Mexico's most popular indigenous rock & roll groups between 1961-1962.  Their forte was Spanish language covers of contemporary American rock & roll hits, and they registered the Mexican hit versions of songs like Lonesome Train, Blueberry Hill, A White Sport Coat and Dream Lover. They recorded three LPs, Colina Azul, Rock, and Sesion De Rock Con Los Boppers, plus a handful of singles. This compilation features virtually all their recordings, including their hits and other well-known numbers. 

This compilation comprises all of Harris' solo recordings between 1957-1962, across three different record labels, which include a handful of late '50s sides which were not originally released. This is the first time that this impressive body of work has been compiled.  Much of this material is notoriously hard to find elsewhere on CD, apart from long-forgotten bootlegs, while a couple of these sides have never previously been reissued in any format.

The songs in this collection, recorded in 1968 and 1970 at the Pittsburgh apartment of Ernie Hawkins, find Reverend Gary Davis in a relaxed mood playing light and loose at times as he reaches back into his vast musical memory to pull one surprise after another from his 'bag of tricks' (his nonchalant term for guitar playing). Fingerpicked on the Rev's Gibson J-200 and a borrowed Martin D12-35, these performances were not for the stage or the recording studio rather, they chance upon Davis playing reflectively to himself and Ernie. You the listener, are privy to the intimate musical camaraderie caught on tape. 

These three CDs contain all of John Lee Hooker's sides for the Sensation record label. There has been meticulous tape research for best sources and the mastering far exceeds anything released before. There were LP releases of some of this material on United Artists and Green Bottle, but nothing this complete. 19 previously unreleased versions of songs including extended takes and alternative versions. There is an introductory note from Peter Guralnick and a comprehensive overview of the music from Dr. Wayne Goins, Director of Jazz Studies at Kansas State University. It also comes with a sessionography covering all the tracks. These early Hooker recordings are akin to jazz as much as the blues, with an improvisatory feel, that harken back to the pre-war era, but with a very distinct approach and a unique sound presaging the blues that was to come. 

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