The cover has a 70s photo, but the set features key postwar work from this early king of R&B – titles that include "Gamblin Man", "I Feel That Young Man's Rhythm", "It's A Cryin Shame", "Cryin & Singin The Blues", "Deep Sea Diver", "Riding High", "Miss Fanny Brown", and "Woman's A Wonderful Thing". (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from the great Roy Brown – pulled from his groundbreaking years at King/Deluxe Records – and featuring very pure sound taken from original acetates in the vault! Brown is one of our favorite R&B singers ever – a vocalist with the range and skill of a jazz singer, but able to get down and dirty at a level that was a huge influence on later soul – and rock and roll as well. The package is way more than a greatest hits set, or just another Roy Brown collection – as it features close examination of his recordings in the years 1949 and 1950 – including work recorded in Texas, New Orleans, and Atlanta – and a good number of songs we'd never heard before. In the early years, King recorded directly to acetate discs, not tape – so these recordings are the purest, strongest versions of Brown's music you'll ever hear – served up with power that really beats some of the lower-end collections on the market – none of which feature this intense of a track selection either. Titles include "Fanny Brown's Wedding Day", "Special Lesson #1", "Love Don't Love Nobody", "Dreaming Blues", "Sweet Peach", "New Rebecca", "Butcher Pete (parts 1 & 2)", "End Of My Journey", "I Feel That Young Man's Rhythm", "Miss Fanny Brown", "China Blues", and "Cadillac Baby". (Soul, Blues) CD

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Later work from the great Roy Brown – captured here in some relatively hip LA company – with work from Don Randi on piano, Clifford Scott on tenor, Dennis Budimir and Charles Wright on guitars, and Earl Palmer on drums – working with arrangements from HB Barnum and Arthur Wright! (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

The title might be a tipoff here – as Roy Buchanan really soars into space on an album that finds an even more majestic setting for his mighty powers on guitar – especially given that a fair bit of the album's instrumental! Roy works with a core quartet that includes Ray Gomez on second guitar, Willie Weeks on bass, and Andrew Newmark on drums – a group who are almost a fusion combo at times, and who maybe help Buchanan find one of his more compelling settings of the 70s – free from some of the song structures that vocals would provide, and sounding fantastic throughout. The set does have a great vocal workout of the Neil Young tune "Down By The River" – with lead vocals by Gary St Clair – and other titles include "You're Not Alone", "The Opening/Miles From Earth", "Fly Night Bird", "Turn To Stone", and "Supernova". (Rock, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

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(Rock, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

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Roy Milton definitely rocks, even though he wasn't a rocker at all – and instead was one of the key artists in postwar R&B who helped really chart the course for other decades of musicians to follow! As you'll see from the image on the cover, Roy's a drummer, but his real strength is leading a tight small combo – effortlessly blending together influences from jazz and blues in the years before soul, and really setting loose with both searing instrumental solos and great lead vocals – including work from Camille Howard, who also plays piano in his combo! The package features a whopping 31 tracks in all – with material from both his Specialty and Dootone years, on titles that include "One Zippy Zam", "Train Blues", "It's Later Than You Think", "Succotash", "Wakin Up Baby", "Big Fat Mama", "Red Light", "Hop Skip & Jump", "Junior Jumps", "Train Blues", "Bam A Lam", and "Baby I'm Gone". (Soul, Blues) CD

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Joe Turner on vocals – with Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Clark Terry all on trumpet – plus Pee Wee Crayton on guitar, Jimmy Robins on piano, Charles Norris on bass, and Washington Rucker on drums. CD

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Johnny's very much in his "revival" mode here – dipping back to his earlier R&B roots, and working with a host of famous older blues singers. The set's got vocals by Roy Milton, Roy Brown, Esther Phillips, Mighty Mouth Evans, Ivory Joe Hunter, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Margie Evans, and Big Joe Turner – and even though Shuggie Otis is on the album, the whole thing's a pretty bluesy affair overall. Titles include "Shuggie's Boogie", "Plastic Man", "Margie's Boogie", "Baby You Don't Know", "Little Esther's Blues", "RM Blues", "Goin Back To LA", "Willie & The Hand Jive", and "Since I Met You Baby". (Soul, Blues) LP, Vinyl record album

With Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Al Grey on trombone, Lee Allen on saxophone, Ray Brown on bass, Jimmy Robbins on piano and organ, Thomas Gadson on guitar, and Earl Palmer on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Hound Dog Taylor, James Cotton, Professor Longhair, Koko Taylor, Tinsley Ellis, Kenny Neal, Elvin Bishop, Roy Buchanan, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Sonny Terry, and more. CD

Fantastic work from this mighty figure in New Orleans music – loads of Atlantic Records classics, mixed with other material too – and even some early R&B material when the Professor recorded under the name of Roy Byrd! All that, and a great booklet of notes. (Soul, Blues) CD

With Milt Jackson and Roy Eldrige. Titles include "I Want A Little Girl", "Crawdad Hole", "Juke Joint Blues", and "How Long How Long Blues". CD