4CD Set in DVD case

By 1950, Rhythm and Blues was well established as a distinct form of black popular music having shed the generic racial connotations of earlier descriptions. The establishment of new recording studios in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis fostered the development of distinctive regional styles with smaller independent labels such as Atlantic, King, Specialty and Imperial being set up to capitalise on this booming new market. So here we’ve got country blues and club blues; drinking songs and risqué songs; vocal groups and instrumental combos. From bebop to boogie, gutbucket to gospel, honkin’ and screamin’ to low down and dirty rock’n’roll; 112 tracks and not a dud in the bunch!

Disc 1 1. Amos Milburn – Bad Bad Whiskey 2. Ruth Brown – Teardrops From My Eyes 3. Tiny Bradshaw – Well, Oh Well 4. Stick McGhee – Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee 5. Fats Domino – The Fat Man 6. Charles Brown – Trouble Blues 7. Harold Burrage – Hi Yo 8. Lloyd Glenn – Old Time Shuffle Blues 9. Jewel King – 3×7=21 (1950 recording) 10. Joe Liggins – Pink Champagne 11. Little Esther & Mel Walker – Mistrustin’ Blues 12. Wynonie Harris – Sittin’ On It All The Time 13. Joe Thomas – Page Boy Shuffle 14. Clarence Garlow – Bon Ton Roula 15. Louis Jordan – Saturday Night Fish Fry 16. Larry Darnell – For You My Love 17. Calvin Boze – Safronia B 18. Percy Mayfield – Please Send Me Someone To Love 19. Amos Milburn – Let’s Rock A While 20. Tiny Bradshaw – Breakin Up The House 21. Roy Brown – Love Don’t Love Nobody 22. Gatemouth Brown – She Walks Right In 23. Laurie Tate & Joe Morris – Anytime Anyplace Anywhere 24. Hal Singer – Rock Around The Clock 25. Doc Sausage – Rag Mop 26. Professor Longhair – Bald Head 27. Dave Bartholomew – Country Boy 28. Bobby Smith – After Hours.. Disc 2 1. Little Walter – I Just Keep Loving Her 2. Duke Henderson – Mama’s Clock Stopped Ticking 3. Roy Brown – Good Man Blues 4. The Orioles – Happy Go Lucky Local Blues 5. Smiley Lewis – Dirty People 6. Terry Timmons – Worried Woman Blues 7. Freddie Jackson – Duck Fever 8. Jimmy Rushing – Ain’t It Lonesome 9. The Keys – The Four Brothers 10. Annie Laurie w Paul Gayten I Ain’t Gonna Let You In 11. Julian Dash – Long Moan 12. Emmitt Slay w Todd Rhodes – Beulah 13. Little Esther & Mel Walker – Cupid’s Boogie 14. Billy Wright – Back Biting Woman 15. Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson – Jump And Grunt 16. Ray Charles – See See Rider 17. Jimmy McCracklin – Gotta Cut Out 18. Jimmy Rogers – Goin’ Away Baby 19. Lonnie Glosson – Pan American Boogie 20. Johnny Otis – Freight Train Boogie 21. Lester Williams – Hey Jack! 22. T-Bone Walker – Strollin’ With Bones 23. Mel Walker w Johnny Otis – Strange Woman 24. Louis Jordan – Blue Light Boogie (Pts 1&2) 25. Sugar Chile Robinson – Sticks And Stones 26. The Dominoes – Weeping Willow Blues 27. Chris Powell & 5 Blue Flames – Down In The Bottom 28. Rufus Thomas (Mr Swing) – Beer Bottle Boogie… Disc 3 1. Tiny Bradshaw – Walking The Chalk Line 2. Archibald – Shake Baby Shake 3. Johnny Moore & 3 Blazers – Shuffle Shuck 4. Tom Douglas – Raid On Cedar Street 5. Johnny Otis w Little Esther – Lost Dream Blues 6. Goree Carter – Come On Let’s Boogie 7. Joe Thomas – Rollin’ The Blues 8. Sonny Thompson – After Sundown 9. Rudy Render – So Many Beautiful Women 10. Mabel Scott – Disgusted 11. Calvin Boze – Waiting & Drinking 12. Joe Hill Louis – Boogie In The Park 13. Muddy Waters – Evans Shuffle 14. Johnny Bond Put Me To Bed 15. Blind Boys Of Mississippi – In The Wilderness 16. Roy Brown – Dreaming Blues 17. Cousin Joe – Chicken-A-La-Blues 18. Jimmy Rushing – Lotsa Poppa 19. Floyd Dixon & Mari Jones – Real Lovin’ Mama 20. The Robins – You’re Fine But Not My Kind 21. Percy Mayfield – Praying For Your Return 22. Joe Liggins w Candy Rivers – Daddy On My Mind 23. King Perry & His Pied Pipers – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright 24. Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson – My Big Brass Bed Is Gone 25. Smiley Lewis – My Baby 26. The Ray-O-Vacs – Got Two Arms 27. Red Foley & Cecil Grant – Hobo Boogie 28. John Lee Hooker – Mad Man Blues…. Disc 4 1. Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup – Mean Old Santa Fe 2. Kitty Stevenson w Todd Rhodes – It Ain’t Right 3. Amos Milburn – How Long The Train’s Been Gone 4. Joe Liggins – Goin’ Back To New Orleans 5. Moon Mullican – Well, Oh Well 6. The Ray-O-Vacs – Besame Mucho 7. Lloyd Glenn – Cute Tee 8. Dave Bartholomew – Ain’t Gonna Do It 9. Percy Mayfield – Nightless Lover 10. King Perry – Natural Born Lover 11. Roy Milton & His Solid Senders – Junior Jives 12. Bobby Nunn w The Robbins – That’s What the Good Book Says 13. Julia Lee & Her Boyfriends – Can’t Get Enough Of That Stuff 14. Sonny Thompson – Blues For The Nightowls 15. Archibald – Crescent City Bounce 16. Little Willie Littlefield – Happy Pay Day 17. Helen Humes Million Dollar Secret 18. Charlie Singleton – Alligator Meat 19. Tiny Grimes – Flying Saucer Boogie 20. Roosevelt Sykes – Rock It 21. John Greer w Lucky Millinder – Let It Roll Again 22. Cecil Gant – We’re Gonna Rock 23. Baby Face Leroy Trio – Rollin’ And Tumblin’ 24. Henry Glover w Lucky Millinder – Baby, You’ve Been Wrong 25. Hubert Robinson – Old Woman Boogie 26. Andrew Tibbs – Achin’ Heart 27. Smilin’ Joe – Living On Borrowed Time 28. Ruth Brown & Delta Rhythm Boys – Sentimental Journey