Music
Various Artists, Rare Soul Groove & Grind 1963–1973 (Rock Beat)
This sure was the year for R&B CD box sets. However, despite the Rare Soul moniker here, the quality of rarity doesn’t always translate to it being very good. While […]
Peter Guralnick, Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ’n’ Roll (Little, Brown)
A Tumultuous and Eccentric Life While this is a through and mostly enjoyable biography, some folks—especially in these parts—might take exception to the book’s title; Cosimo Matassa had a […]
Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Baby Ain’t That Love (Ace)
Unavoidably labeled by many listeners as merely a poor man’s Fats Domino, Clarence “Frogman” Henry was much more than that. While he could mimic the Fatman as well as anyone, […]
Bobby Rush, Chicken Heads: A 50-Year History of Bobby Rush (Omnivore)
A four-disc box set containing 74 tracks that spans 1964 to the present day. The hardest working entertainer on the Chitlin’ Circuit and one our favorites; what immediately jumps out […]
Duke Robillard, The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard (Stony Plain)
One of the most prolific six-stringers of the last three decades, Duke Robillard has averaged a new album annually since he left Roomful of Blues in the mid-1980s. He goes […]
Eddie Bo, Baby I’m Wise: The Complete Ric Singles 1959-1962 (Ace)
Eddie Bo was perhaps the most prolific of all New Orleans R&B artists—surely rivaling Fats Domino—despite the claims made by the funksters and hip-hoppers. For my money the pinnacle of […]
Obituary: Frankie Ford
Ooh-wee…. Frankie Ford, the flamboyant rock ’n’ roll artist who rode “Sea Cruise” nearly to the top of the charts in 1959, died September 29 after a lengthy illness. He […]
The Valentinos: Lookin’ For a Love – The Complete SAR Recordings (Ace)
The Valentinos began as the Womack Brothers, a popular Cleveland gospel group, but Sam Cooke took them to Hollywood and transformed Bobby and the brothers into soul music luminaries. While […]
Various Artists, Scratchin’: The Wild Jimmy Spruill Story (GVC Records)
Relatively obscure, yet no less prolific, Wild (and the emphasis here is on wild) Jimmy Spruill was one of the most distinctive blues guitarists of the last century. A New […]
Various Artists, Rhythm ‘n’ Bluesin’ by the Bayou: Mad Dogs, Sweet Daddies & Pretty Babies (Ace)
The tenth installment of the By the Bayou series still contains a seemingly bottomless pool of great vintage South Louisiana/East Texas blues, swamp pop and R&B. Once again, this 28- […]
