Hank Ballard was one of the greatest singers in the pre-soul generation – the kind of vocalist who provided inspiration for so many others to come in the 60s – a raw lead singer who really drove his group to great heights – as you'll hear here in this hard-rocking collection of ... (Soul) read moreCD
Joe Bennett and his South Carolina group are best known for one classic rocker – the great "Black Slacks" – but back in the day, the group had a much longer legacy of recordings – all of which are presented here in a really well-done set! The groove is great – ... (Rock) read moreCD
A small package, but one that's overflowing with gems – given that the 10" album includes 14 titles, and the bonus CD features a total of 25 numbers in all – a great illustration of these early years from Memphis rocker Eddie Bond! Bond's maybe best known for his work on Sun ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Mighty nice work from The Brother Boys – a contemporary group, but one who've got a sound that's very steeped in older folk and country styles – all at a level that makes them a perfect group to focus on in this excellent series! As you might guess from their image on the cover, the ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
Jimmy Cavallo —
Jimmy Cavallo Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy ...
Out Of Stock
Great work from Jimmy Cavallo – an early tenor star from the years when the saxophone was almost more important to the sound of rock music than the guitar! Jimmy draws plenty of inspiration from R&B on these tracks – and although he sings in the lead, he also takes a break for a ... (Rock) read moreCD
Sanford Clark —
Sanford Clark Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
Sanford Clark was one of the coolest early figures in rock and roll – never as big as Elvis and some other contemporaries, but working at the start with great help from Lee Hazlewood – who really brings a lot to the spirit of these recordings! In some ways, Sanford was an early foil ... (Rock) read moreCD
Two fantastic albums from the legendary David Allen Coe – back to back on a single CD! First up is Long Haired Redneck – one of the greatest albums ever from one of the greatest talents in 70s country music – and the kind of set that really helped the great David Allen Coe find ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
Collins Kids —
Rockin'est ... CD Columbia/Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s. Used ...
$6.99
A killer collection from one of the coolest rockin acts of the 50s – a pair of younger kids, but who work together with a fire and frenzy that honestly beats most of the bigger rockabilly acts of the time! The Collins Kids are the stuff of legend – the kind of act that could hardly ... (Rock) read moreCD
Mac Curtis —
Mac Curtis Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Mid 70s. New Copy ...
$15.9920.99
Mac Curtis rocks, that's no lie – and this well-done collection shows that the southern legend kept on going strongly long after his famous late 50s singles for King Records! The set's got plenty of that classic King material – really hardcore work that rivals some of the best ... (Rock) read moreCD
Charlie Feathers —
Charlie Feathers Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy ...
Out Of Stock
Memphis music legend Charlie Feathers may not have hit the heights back in the day – but in the late 50s he cut some of the heaviest tracks on his scene, then kept going as kind of a "secret hero" of rock and roll for the decades to come! Feathers is one of those cats that only the ... (Rock) read moreCD
Includes the songs "Sugarfoot Rag", "The Third Man Theme", "Flying Eagle Polka", "Sugarfoot Boogie", "Hillbilly Express", "Seventh And Union", "Lowdown Billy (Billy In The Lowground)", "Sentimental Journey", "Doll ... (Jazz) read moreCD
The lost legacy of Stomp Gordon – a hard-wailing artist who should have been a crucial force in the early years of rock and roll – had an early death not taken him away from us all too soon! Stomp plays piano with the dexterity of the best postwar players of his generation, but also ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An overlooked German soundtrack composer of the 50s – represented here by music from a huge amount of films, in a well-done collection that also features over 80 pages of shots from the movies, their vintage posters, and notes as well! The style is mostly full and orchestral, but often in a ... (Soundtracks) read moreCD
A totally great collection of work from the young Ronnie Hawkins – one of the last great raw rockers to emerge in the 50s – and an artist who's maybe equally famous for his searing backing band, The Hawks – a combo that features a young Levon Helm, and who later morphed into The ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A fantastic package of work – material that not only helped kick off the career of the legendary Howlin Wolf, but also the Memphis powerhouse Sun Records too! The material here was all cut in the Sun Studios right at the start of its famous run – material recorded by Sam Phillips long ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A fantastic package of work – material that not only helped kick off the career of the legendary Howlin Wolf, but also the Memphis powerhouse Sun Records too! The material here was all cut in the Sun Studios right at the start of its famous run – material recorded by Sam Phillips long ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A really great collection that brings together some of the most hard-rocking tracks from Wanda Jackson's early years on Capitol Records – a time when the singer became an instant legend for her hard-edged way of putting over a tune! At a time when the early rock scene was dominated by male ... (Folk/Country) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
George Jones —
Heartbreak Hotel ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s. Used ...
Out Of Stock
A really cool little collection – and one that only has partly to do with the beat-era writings of the legendary Jack Kerouac! Jack does appear on the set, and there are some spoken passages by some of his contemporaries – but the sprawling 2CD set does a heck of a lot more to ... (Spoken Word) read moreCD
Peggy Lee's best known as a jazz singer, but this very cool collection emphasizes her work in more pop-based fields of the postwar years – great grooving tracks when Lee was touching on R&B, early rock, and other more upbeat styles! The match of Bear Family presentation and these well-cho ... (Vocalists) read moreCD
An incredible 60s performance from Jerry Lee Lewis – proof that the man was always on fire when he worked overseas, even if his star had dimmed a bit back home! Jerry gets sharp, tight backings from The Nashville Teens – but the Lewis is center stage throughout – really wailing ... (Rock) read moreCD
An incredible 60s performance from Jerry Lee Lewis – proof that the man was always on fire when he worked overseas, even if his star had dimmed a bit back home! Jerry gets sharp, tight backings from The Nashville Teens – but the Lewis is center stage throughout – really wailing ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(RSD Essentials pressing – on opaque white vinyl! Quantities limited.)
A wealth of vintage work from this R&B legend – mostly from his years at Imperial Records, but also featuring tracks recorded for Dot and Okeh as well! (Soul) CD
Bob Luman —
Rockedr ... LP Hickory/Bear Family (Germany), Early 60s. Sealed ...
$11.99
A very early LP release from Bear Family – one that features material originally recorded for Warner Brothers by the great Bob Luman – including one unissued track! (Rock) LP, Vinyl record album
Jimmy McCracklin —
Jimmy McCracklin Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s. New Copy ...
Out Of Stock
A fantastic overview of a key figure from the early years of soul music – the mighty Jimmy McCracklin, an artist whose tight approach to R&B really helped pave the way for many others to come! Jimmy was a really versatile artist, and during the years in this set, he moved from blues, to ... (Soul) read moreCD
Memphis Slim —
Memphis Slim Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), 1950s/Early 60s. New Copy ...
$15.9920.99
A package that definitely lives up to the title – as it presents the hardest-wailing work recorded by Memphis Slim in the postwar years – including plenty of cuts that were a huge influence on early rock and roll, and many that have him in more of an R&B mode than usua! Slim's ... (Blues) read moreCD
A much-needed look at the early years of Roger Miller – the chart-topping country star of the mid 60s, best known for a few key hits – but actually a well-traveled journeyman who spent cut many records before hitting the big time! Most of the work here is from the prime years of ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
Roy Milton —
Roy Milton Rocks ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 40s/Early 50s. New Copy ...
$15.9920.99
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 ... (Soul) read moreCD
Johnny Paycheck (aka Danny Young) —
Shakin The Blues ... CD Decca/Bear Family (Germany), Early 60s. Used ...
Out Of Stock
Johnny Paycheck has worn many hats over his decades in country music – but maybe one of the coolest was his early career as singer Donny Young – featured here in a host of excellent recordings done before his classic sides on the Little Darlin label! The work here is totally great ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
A really unique side of the talents of PJ Proby – a singer who's forgotten by most these days, but who had a hell of a vocal range when he was making records back in the 60s! That range really comes through here, in a set of tracks that offer up an unheard and almost unknown side of Proby's ... (Rock) read moreCD
A really cool collection of work from Marvin Rainwater – one of those late 60s cats who was always equal parts country and rock – with a hard-wailing style and a really great way with a tune! Marvin wrote much of his material himself, and that gives his records a very personal quality ... (Folk/Country) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Tommy Sands maybe wasn't the coolest cat in the crowd – but at the right moment, with the right recording style, he could deliver up some surprisingly great work – as you'll hear in this well-done collection that's in the best Bear Family tradition! Sands' work for Capitol Records isn't ... (Rock) read moreCD
Tommy Sands —
Worryin' Kind ... CD Bear Family (Germany), Late 50s/Early 60s. Used ...
Out Of Stock
The complete recordings of a key stretch in the career of European rocker Ricky Shayne – a singer who was born in Cairo, lived in Paris, then made a whole host of important 60s records on the Italian scene! Much of the work here resonates very strongly with English beat group material of the ... (Rock) read moreCD
Clinch Mountain bluegrass harmony at it's absolute finest! Ralph and Carter Stanley always felt that they recorded their best tracks for Mercury, a fair assessment by any stretch, and nearly 50 of those tracks are compiled here on two CDs, spanning the 50s and early 60s. Trust us, put the Grammy ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
Way before he was a country crooner, Conway Twitty started out as a hard-edged rockabilly artist – as you'll hear on this collection of all his early work for Sun Records, Mercury, and MGM! 8LPs, a huge amount of music, and a great booklet of notes! (Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album
A wonderfully obscure set of work from Gary Williams – not the blues singers you might expect from the title, but a northwest Pacific country singer who drew plenty of inspiration from the Jimmie Rogers blues folk legacy – which he then served up with a tighter postwar flair! Williams ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
An overdue collection of work from the very young brother of the great Bob Wills – an artist who recorded for the same MGM label as Bob in the 50s, but who made some very different music overall! Billy Jack is much more of a rocker than his brother – and the cuts here do a really good ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
An imagined take on the Mid-East scene – not authentic tracks, but a mix of postwar recordings in a variety of styles – most of which mix rocking rhythms with the kind of exotic touches that fed fantasies back in the day when the area was known as Asia Minor! As with other "destina ... (Rock) read moreCD
Cool space songs in all sorts of styles – raw rockers, swinging vocal numbers, and even some cool instrumentals that have all sorts of weird sound effects and spacey modes – brought together here in a wonderfully overstuffed package! We've loved the other releases in the Destination ... (Rock) read moreCD
A really cool collection of car-themed tunes – not 60s hot rod numbers, but mostly 50s tracks from those years when the automobile was really beginning to dominate American culture – and served as the inspiration for car-based cuts in a variety of different styles! A good number of the ... (Rock) read moreCD
Here's a set that will make your time in the joint a whole lot more enjoyable – more than two dozen prison-themed tunes, served up in a variety of genres – some as blue-hearted as you might expect, some with themes that are a fair bit more playful! The package follows in the best ... (Rock) read moreCD
Take a trip to the sea with this mighty sweet collection – a whole batch of boat and summer-related tracks from the glory days of the 7" single – served up in a variety of different genres, and with a mix of music that would work pretty darn well for a winter cruise as well! The ... (Rock) read moreCD
Music from Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, The International Submarine Band, Henson Cargill, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Glen Campbell, Jeannie C Riley, Porter Wagoner, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more. (Folk/Country) CD
Don't think "Easter", think "groovy springtime" instead – as the tracks here are a great assortment of postwar numbers that conjure up the spirit of spring – some with bunny-themed lyrics, but others with a range of very cool styles! As with other Bear Family ... (Rock) read moreCD
A really cool collection, even if you want nothing to do with Elvis Presley at all! The set's got way more to offer than just some covers in the mode of Elvis – and instead, it brings together all sorts of weird and wonderful singles from the late 50s and early 60s – some that are very ... (Rock) read moreCD
Celebrate your birthday with this cool little collection – a batch of party-hearty numbers hand-picked by the folks at Bear Family records – a label we've come to really trust for postwar sounds in just about any style! And just about any style is the way they approach this set too ... (Rock) read moreCD
A totally wonderful package, and one that offers a deep dip into the surprisingly strong rock and roll side of the Felsted label! Felsted is best known as the home to pop hits, jazz artists, and easy listening records – but the company also managed to record some killer singles in the early ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Rare live material by Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and others – packaged with a superb hardcover book! The package is way more than just a 2CD set – as it's more of an historical object – with pages of images from the club, and rare material that includes a 1929 broadcast, a ... (Jazz) read moreCD
A cool little record label from the Arizona scene of the late 50s – one that worked in a cool variety of styles that's perfectly summed up by the title! MCI was an early home of Lee Hazlewood's studio efforts, and also handled the output of some other inventive talents too – artists ... (Rock) read moreCD
A sweet set of sweet-themed tracks from the postwar years – early rockers, vocal jazz, and plenty of pop hits from the 50s – almost all of which have candy or chocolate as their theme! There's a great range of material here, which makes the package extra playful – as the folks at ... (Rock) read moreCD
A great lost chapter in the history of New Orleans R&B – material recorded by Mercury Records down in Louisiana in the early 50s – all beautifully brought together here in a lavishly overstuffed package! Mercury was located in Chicago, and cut most of their famous early work in the ... (Soul) read moreCD
That's not bop as in the jazz-based mode – but instead, the lively dancefloor style that first sprung up during the rockabilly years – presented here in all of its glory on a whole host of rare, raw rockers from back in the day! There's plenty of guitar and a bit of twang in the mix ... (Rock) read moreCD
Sure, the twist was a big dance fad, but it also opened the door to a whole new level of grooviness in American music – and was a way for the raw energy of the early rock years to step out into a whole array of different genres! You'll definitely hear that going on here, as the package goes ... (Rock) read moreCD
A cool little package that goes way past the big hits of the twist generation – and which shows instead that the big dancefloor moment was really just an excuse for all sorts of artists to really open up their groove – finding a romping style that wasn't just great for grooving, but ... (Rock) read moreCD
A whole host of genre-breaking tracks from Texas impresario Augie Meyers – both an artist in the underground country rock scene, and the creative force behind the TRC label, which is showcased here in a variety of different recordings! If you know some of the important criss-crossing styles ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
An essential look at one of the less-exposed sides of Krautrock during the early 70s – not the bigger-name progressive rock acts from the West German scene, who often got a fair bit of global exposure – but the much more obscure groups who were working behind the Iron Curtain in East ... (Rock) read moreCD
A second chapter of rare prog rock from the East German scene – material that's much more obscure than the bigger Krautrock names from the West – who got a lot more circulation at the time, and plenty of attention as the years moved on! That's definitely not the case with these artists ... (Rock) read moreCD
Music from T Bone Walker, Johnny Moore, Louis Jordan, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Pee Wee Crayton, Jimmy Rogers, Tampa Red, Charles Brown, Elmore James, Amos Wilburn, Joe Turner, BB King, Dr Ross, and more. (Blues) CD
The rainy season's plenty pleasant with a collection like this – a batch of 30 rain-themed tunes from the worlds of soul, rock, country, and vocal music of the 50s and 60s – all served up with the top-shelf level of presentation we love from Bear Family! The cuts are great – a ... (Rock) read moreCD
A cool little compilation – one that begins with the revving sounds of a vintage Indian Super Chief cycle, then rolls through 32 tracks that celebrate the joys of two wheels, a motor, and plenty of leather! The package is very much in the spirit of some of the That'll Flat Git It titles from ... (Rock) read moreCD
The first entry in this very cool series – raw singles originally issued on the Hickory label in the early 60s – with titles from Earl Sinks, Mark Dinning, Ernest Ashworth, Dan Folger, Bob Luman, Bobby Lord, Sinx Mitchell, and others! (Rock) LP, Vinyl record album
Really obscure work from the early days of the German rock scene – a time long before the prog experiments that would get some of its bigger groups international attention – and done when the nation was maybe working harder to import sounds from outside, rather than export its own new ... (Rock) read moreCD
A huge dip into the German rock scene of the late 50s and early 60s – a time when the nation was really getting back on its feet, and setting into the same sort of crazy consumer trends that also fueled the fires of rock and roll back in the US! The music here has a really nice range – ... (Rock) read moreCD
The "shellac dust" in the title will let you know what sort of territory you're in here – Christmas songs that go way way back, to the glory days of the 78rpm single, served up in a host of jazz and vocal modes! The set features a fair bit of tracks from the prewar years, and ... read moreCD
The "shellac dust" in the title will let you know what sort of territory you're in here – Christmas songs that go way way back, to the glory days of the 78rpm single, served up in a host of jazz and vocal modes! The set features a fair bit of tracks from the prewar years, and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A landmark moment in the birth of country music – recording sessions from Knoxville at the end of the 20s – equally important to the exposure of unheard strands of American music as the "big bang" sessions in Bristol, Tennessee! The format here is similar to the famous ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
A really weird little collection – and we mean that in the best way possible – not the sea shanties you might guess from the title, and instead a whole host of ocean and ship-themed tracks from the glorious days of postwar music! The styles here are heavy on modes from folk music, but ... (Rock) read moreCD
If you know us at all, you'll know that we really love a well-themed compilation – and we're especially in love with the sort of collection like this – which can bring together all sorts of weird and unusual singles with the united spirit of a holiday theme! This collection is even ... (Halloween) read moreCD
Totally great sounds for the Halloween season – a mad mix of instrumentals, vocals, and offbeat singles from the late 50s and early 60s – exactly the kind of music that keeps things weird and wild on the last day of October! Some of these gems are in the best novelty mode of the time, ... (Halloween) read moreCD
Keep the spirit of winter going well into the summer – thanks to this massive batch of winter-themed tracks from the postwar years – served up in a nice mix of modes, in a variety of different styles! The spirit's a bit like a Christmas collection, but with a sound that fits well in ... (Rock) read moreCD
An amazing document of the sound of protest in the years before the folk boom of the 60s – with songs on labor, wartime, race issues, and lots lots more – packaged with a fantastic hardcover book – full of notes and images! The kind of music that never goes out of style – ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD
A whole host of tunes that will help you say goodbye to winter and hello to spring – a light and lively mix of postwar cuts in a variety of styles – from early rockers, to instrumentals, radio pop gems, and even a bit of R&B – all put together with a very playful vibe! The ... (Rock) read moreCD
Few things go together as well as outer space and rock and roll – and while the world of postwar sci fi likely got the whole thing going, there was a special spike in the genre once the Soviets launched their Sputnik satellite in the late 50s! As you'll guess from the title, many of the cuts ... (Rock) read moreCD
The sweet sounds of summer – served up in ways that sparkle nicely with the best pop paradise touches of the postwar years! The music here is a catchy mix of pop, rock, and vocal numbers – plus a few surprises from other styles too – and as in other titles in this series from ... (Rock) read moreCD
A mighty deep look at one of the hippest labels on the rockabilly scene – and one that was quite a surprise, too – given that Dot Records not only served up a fair bit of instrumental pop, but also recorded some of the "fake" rockers of the time as well! Yet all the work here ... (Rock) read moreCD
The legendary King Records is known as an important label for R&B and hillbilly music – but the label also has a surprisingly strong legacy in the early years of rock as well – maybe in part because it did such a good job of keeping its ear to the ground with those other important ... (Rock) read moreCD
Killer cuts from the glory days of King Records – material from that second generation of the label, when their earlier blend of hillbilly and R&B made King a perfect platform for the new sounds of rockabilly and rock and roll! The package does a great job of digging in deep to the King ... (Rock) read moreCD
The legendary Chess Records is best known as a home to important blues, soul, and gospel records from the postwar years – but back in the 50s, the label also did a pretty great job with the harder side of the rock and roll spectrum too! Maybe that's no surprise, given that the Chess Brothers ... (Rock) read moreCD
The great Wanda Jackson is often hailed as a unique early figure in both rock and country music – yet back in the day, Wanda's work didn't occur in a vacuum – as you'll hear in this wonderful collection of cuts! As the title indicates, the set brings together both work that inspired ... (Folk/Country) read moreCD