Some of the deepest work Ted Taylor ever recorded – great material done for the Jewel/Paula label – served up here on a Japanese-only compilation! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of 50s singles from Specialty Records! Features Pentagons, Jerry Byrne, Sam Cooke, Roy Milton, Dukes, Rene Hall, Lloyd Price, Wynona Carr, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Little Richard doing his much imitated, never bettered thing on the Fabulous Little Richard LP – released near the end of the 50s and featuring emotive r&b numbers he cut in earlier sessions – not all as wild-eyed and fiery as some of his 50s recordings but a soulful thrill! The album does feature a few of the more blazing classics, but all in all, this one demonstrates Richard's versatility more than some of his 50s work. Fabulous tracks from true legend! Includes "Shake A Hand", "Chicken Little Baby", "All Night Long", "Lonesome & Blue", "Kansas City", Maybe I'm Right", "I'm Just A Lonely", "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On", "I'm Just A Lonly Guy" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of unreleased and alternate tracks from Specialty sessions. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Slippin & Slidin", "Rip It Up", "Lucille", "Jenny Jenny", "Good Golly Miss Molly", "Long Tall Sally", and "Keep A Knockin". LP, Vinyl record album

Hip work from one of the important early bluesmen on Specialty records – a hell of a guitar player, as you'd guess from his name – but also a singer with the same kind of raw charms as Johnny Watson in the 50s! LP, Vinyl record album

Rootsy blues from the 78rpm years – a collection of well-recorded Specialty Records material by Frankie Lee Sims – an artist who was born in New Orleans, but was also a Texas-raised cousin of Lightnin Hopkins too! Sims' music here has lots of the styles we love in Hopkins' work of the time – kind of an evolution of blues past the delta years, but not too far either – mostly acoustic instrumentation, including bold lines by Sims that accompany his lyrics – and a stark sense of recording that really lets the simple elements come through. Titles include "Married Woman", "Lucy Mae Blues", "Don't Take It Out On Me", "I'm So Glad", "Jelly Roll Baker", and "Wine & Gin Bounce". LP, Vinyl record album

The last work ever recorded by pianist Elmo Hope – one of the most brilliant modernist talents of his generation, right up there with Monk and Herbie Nichols for sheer inventiveness. We've always loved the long sinuous lines he spun on piano, though Hope spent most of his career in obscurity, despite extremely strong critical response to his work – and he died at the age of 45 from pneumonia. The material here was recorded in 1966 for the Festival label – and feature Hope working with a trio that includes John Orr on bass and Clifford Jarvis on drums, with some occasional guest work on drums by Philly Joe Jones. Titles include two takes of ""Elmo's Blues", "A Kiss For My Love", "Stellations", "Night In Tunisia", and "I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of Percy's classic work for Specialty Records from the 50s – issued here in a full LP package from 1970, when Percy was enjoying a bit of a revival. The work's a strong batch of tunes with a sophisticated smooth and bluesy feel – clearly a strong percursor to soul work in the 60s, as can be heard on tracks like "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "Lost Mind", "Memory Pain", "What A Fool I Was", "Lost Love", and "The River's Invitation". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from the earliest years of this gospel giant – tracks that include "Too Close To Heaven", "Holy Ghost", "I Can't Tarry", "What Did John Do", "God Searched The World", "The Lifeboat", and "I Won't Sell Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal gospel work from the early years of Specialty Records – from the version of the group that featured Kylo Turner and Keith Barber on lead vocals – on titles that include "I'll Tell It", "Lord Hold My Heart", "He Will Remember Me", "My Old Home", "I Want My Crown", "Weary Traveler", and "Lord Help Me Carry On". LP, Vinyl record album

A key collection of work by Larry Williams – the 50's R&B artist who's too-often written off as a rocker, but who actually went onto have a key influence in the early years of soul! Like Johnny Guitar Watson, another contemporary with whom Larry sometimes recorded, Williams had a style that took the bluesy sounds of the 50s, and brought them into a slower, deeper groove – often with an approach that had a lot of deep soul overtones. LP, Vinyl record album

Don't think "rock n roll" – as the set features early New Orleans soul from Art Nevill – a host of tracks recorded for the Specialty label in the late 50s! LP, Vinyl record album