A great little set, even if it's not what you might expect – not the kind of cuts that heralded the early years of country soul –
and instead an even cooler batch of tracks from those years when R&B
and hillbilly records often crossed paths on the postwar scene! Many of the small indie labels of the 50s recorded both country
and blues, sometimes even having different artists take on the same songs, but in different ways – which meant that there was often a lot of cross-pollination going on in the farther reaches of the music business! The cuts here definitely show that approach – as a good many of them were originally country hits for other singers, but sound great
and very different in the hands of R&B artists –
and are mixed with a few others that follow similar themes,
and really fit into the set in a great way. As always with Bear Family, the whole thing is presented with great notes
and details on the music – in a set list of 29 tracks that include "Steel Guitar Rag" by Earl
Hooker, "Sixteen Tons" by BB King, "Lovesick Blues" by Sonny Knight, "Big Mamou" by Smiley Lewis, "Ghost Riders In The Sky" by Scatman Crothers, "It'd Surprise You" by The Griffin Brothers with Margie Day, "Indian Love Call" by Hal Singer, "No Help Wanted" by Bob Gaddy & His Alley cats, "Cherokee
Boogie" by Moose Jackson, "It Makes No Difference Now" by Piano Red,
and "You Can't Stay Here" by Pearl Reaves & The Concords.