An excellent collection of postwar work from those years when Johnny Otis was a key force in R&B on the west coast – both instrumentals and tracks with vocals by Mel Walker, Ada Wilson, Joe Swift, and The Vocaleers! LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Classic Savoy Records 78s from Johnny Otis – with work from his whole large group of performers – including Little Esther, The Robins, Jimmy Rushing, Mel Walker, Preacher Lee Graves, and Redd Lyte! LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring The Robins. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

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". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks omitted from the following Savoy CD releases due to space constraints. Have No Fear Big Joe Turner Is Here, the Original Johnny Otis Show, and the Billy Eckstine album Mister B & The Band. 15 tracks total. CD

Includes 77 tracks on 3 CDs, plus a 45 page booklet with notes, rare photos, and discography. CD

... CD

A fascinating slice of work from the legendary Johnny Otis – the longtime LA bandleader who had such a strong role in the worlds of jazz, soul, and R&B – and who also turns out to be a hell of a writer too! The book is Otis' answer to the Watts riots of 1965 – a mixture of memoir and social action that originally grew out of a letter written to a friend after the riots, expanded here to a book that's a tremendously strong read – a side of Johnny that we never knew before! There's definitely some aspects of the book that resonate strongly with other jazz autobiographies we've read – but Otis has such a strong connection to the LA scene, and really understands its politics – and comes across here with a sense of clarity and mission that are really striking. Book is softcover, 242 pages, and features a new introduction by George Lipsitz. Book

Later work from the great Johnny Otis – but a set that still keeps the vibe of his classic material – with Johnny on vocals, vibes, and piano – plus Shuggie Otis on guitar, and vocals from Barbara Morrison, and Delmar "Mighty Mouth" Evans! LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A great second volume of pivotal episodes of The Johnny Otis Show from Ace Records and a compilation that represents two eras of Johnny Otis! On With The Show starts out by continuing the story of his late 50s and early 60s R&B years – then segues hard into his grittier funk-honed style of the late 60s and early 70s. The first half starts out right where Vol 1 left off – tracing his good-natured, rollicking R&B. Fittingly, this half of the set effectively ends with '61's "Hand Jive One More Time" and the next track, '67's "Keep The Faith", shows a remarkable transition in style to groove heavy soul and funk. It's all great – be it his charismatic riffs on the Bo Diddley beat that so characterized the "Hand Jive" era, to the ribald funk of "Signifying Monkey" and beyond. 24 tracks in all and featuring a great set of notes. Titles include "Good Golly", "The Jelly Roll", "The New Bo Diddley", "Let's Love It Up", "Banana Peels", "The Watts Breakaway", "Cold Shot", "Country Girl", "I Got The Walkin' Blues", "Cuttin' Up", "Jaws", "Bye Bye Baby (Until We Meet Again)" and more. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A blues album, but one with a difference – thanks to some tremendous help from the legendary Johnny Otis and his young son Shuggie! Despite the fact that the leader is billed as Guitar Slim Green, Shuggie actually plays some lead guitar on the record too – adding in some cool, complicated solos that point towards his genius to come as a solo act – and which also get some nicely romping rhythms from Johnny on drums! The Otis family was definitely bringing a lot of funk into their sound at the time, which they share plenty with Slim here – helping to make the record way more than just another late 60s rootsy blues session, and instead a great west coast criss-crossing of modes. Titles include "Shake Em Up", "My Little Angel Child", "5th Street Alley Boogie", "Old Folks Blues", "This War Ain't Right", and "Big Fine Thing". Also features two bonus tracks, both unissued – "My Marie" and "Rock The Nation". CD

An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his first two solo albums, which were kind of bluesy in tone. For this album, though, he shocked the world by moving into a stripped-down mode that pairs his guitar with spare drum machine rhythms, flanged-out deeply soulful vocals, and one of the most laidback conceptions of funk you'll ever hear. The album's a landmark – one of those gems that's unlike anything else you can think of, but which will redefine your concept of what you want in a record for years to come. Every track's a winner – and the whole thing's a perfectly unified batch of tunes that includes instant classics like "Inspiration Information", "Island Letter", "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "XL 30", and "Rainy Day". Plus, this reissue features 4 tracks from Shuggie's Freedom Flight LP – including his original version of "Strawberry Letter 23", and "Sweet Thang", "Freedom Flight", and "Ice Cold Daydream". CD

Although he doesn't always get the same sort of coverage as Otis Clay, Johnny Sayles was another one of the great underground deep soul singers of the Chicago scene of the 60's. This excellent single on Mar V Lus features two nice ones – the bluesy "You Told A Lie", with screaming that would put Screamin' Jay to shame; and the excellent uptempo "Don't Turn Your Back On Me", which has a good mid 60's James Brown sort of groove. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A classic album of bluesy funk – one that features the guitar of Johnny Otis' young son Shuggie, in a slightly tighter setting than he'd been getting on some of Johnny's own LPs! Shuggie here is still very much under the guidance of his dad – working in a mode that really emphasizes the fuzzier side of his guitar, in a style that was clearly an attempt to hook Shuggie up with the Hendrix audience. Not that that's a problem, though – as the record also features some stone funky playing too, as well as organ work by Leon Haywood, sax by Preston Love, and some other great studio work by members of The Crusaders! Tracks include "Hurricane", "Shuggie's Boogie", "Bootie Cooler", "Funky Thithee" and "The Hawks". LP, Vinyl record album

The first 2 Shuggie Otis albums on one CD – and with bonus material, too! Shuggie's well known for his trippy guitar work and vocals on the famous album Inspiration Information, and both of these sets predate that one – showing Shuggie in his formative years, stepping off some early work with his father Johnny Otis, and forging a messed-up mixture of soul, funk, and blues that forever made him one of the odder talents of his generation! Here Comes Shuggie Otis is more of a blues-driven effort, but still has some great guitar work from young Shuggie – but on Freedom Flight, he really takes off. The album's really the birthplace of Otis' psychedelic funky style, and is filled with cool little tracks that groove in a cosmically trippy way! The CD features the tracks "Oxford Gray", "Ice Cold Daydream", "Strawberry Letter 23", "Freedom Flight", "Purple", "Someone's Always Singing", "Sweet Thang", "Me & My Woman", "Funky Thithee", and "The Hawks" – plus the bonus cut "One Room Country Shack". CD

An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his first two solo albums, which were kind of bluesy in tone. For this album, though, he shocked the world by moving into a stripped-down mode that pairs his guitar with spare drum machine rhythms, flanged-out deeply soulful vocals, and one of the most laidback conceptions of funk you'll ever hear. The album's a landmark – one of those gems that's unlike anything else you can think of, but which will redefine your concept of what you want in a record for years to come. Every track's a winner – and the whole thing's a perfectly unified batch of tunes that includes instant classics like "Inspiration Information", "Island Letter", "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "XL 30", and "Rainy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his first two solo albums, which were kind of bluesy in tone. For this album, though, he shocked the world by moving into a stripped-down mode that pairs his guitar with spare drum machine rhythms, flanged-out deeply soulful vocals, and one of the most laidback conceptions of funk you'll ever hear. The album's a landmark – one of those gems that's unlike anything else you can think of, but which will redefine your concept of what you want in a record for years to come. Every track's a winner – and the whole thing's a perfectly unified batch of tunes that includes instant classics like "Inspiration Information", "Island Letter", "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "XL 30", and "Rainy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool Chicago set – produced by Mike Vernon, but in the Ter-Mar Studios – with a small combo that features Johnny Shines on guitar and vocals, Walter Horton on harmonica, Willie Dixon on bass, and Clifton James on drums – plus guest piano from Otis Spann on one track. LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent early work from Little Johnny Taylor – not to be confused with the bigger-name singer on Stax! The title's a bit of a misnomer, given that Little Johnny Taylor wasn't the biggest hitmaker of the 60s – but the album's a killer batch of his best work for the Galaxy label – work that's definitely the "soul full of blues" promised in the title! The style here's a bit like Bobby Blue Bland at his best – bluesy, but with a much more sophisticated feel overall, and certainly some jazz phrasing that comes in from time to time – all to push Johnny much more into the soul side of the spectrum for the 60s. There's almost an Otis Redding feel at times – and the backings by Ray Shanklin certainly show a Memphis influence. Titles include "Part Time Love", "Help Yourself", "If You Love Me Like You Say", "One More Chance", "I Smell Trouble", and "Somebody's Got To Pay". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely gritty little set – recorded with a small combo in LA – featuring Johnny Walker on piano, organ, and vocals – plus Earl Hooker on guitar, Otis Hale on electric tenor sax, and Paul Humprhey on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

2 excellent tracks from Johnny's mellow mid 70s soul period! "It's Too Late" has a beautiful mellow groove, and a riff that's ripped right off of Jon Lucien's Rashida album – sliding along with Johnny's vocals stepping next to guitar, under strings, and sounding super-super-dope! "Tripping" has a nice spacey feel, with cool electric keyboards, and a bit of a Shuggie Otis sound. 7-inch, Vinyl record

2 of Johnny Guitar Watson's best albums ever – back to back on a single CD! First up is Listen – quite possibly the rarest of all Johnny Guitar Watson albums – and his first from the 70s – a mindblowing batch of trippy soul tunes that sounds far different than much of his later work! Johnny's not yet in the funky mode here – and he's working in a very cool flanged-out approach that has his vocals tripping lightly with his guitar – in a spacious soul mode that captures some of the energy of Shuggie Otis at the time. The overall sound is incredibly righteous – and the album's a delight throughout! Titles include "Lovin You", "If I Had The Power", "You Bring Love", "I Get A Feeling", and "You're The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Had". I Don't Want To Be Alone Stranger is sublime mid 70s work from Johnny Guitar Watson – a Bay Area blend of soulful production, jazzy playing, and bits of bluesy phrasing, with a hard-to-match quality that we'd put in the same camp as work by Shuggie Otis from the time. Johnny's vocals and guitar are amazing – very laidback and trippy, without all the silly stuff that you sometimes get on later records. "I Don't Want To Be A Lone Ranger" is a great stepper with a jazzy finish and a really catchy hook – and other good cuts include "Lonely Man's Prayer", "You Make My Heart Want To Sing", "Tripping", "Strong Vibrations", and "It's Way Too Late", a reworking (and real steal) of a song from Jon Lucien's great "Rashieda" album! CD

Funky funky Philly! Not only is this single one of the most obscure on Philadelphia International, it's also one of the hardest – as Johnny sounds more like a Memphis or Macon soul singer than anyone who ever recorded in the city of Brotherly Love. "Slow Motion" begins with pounding tribal drums, and Johnny shouting out in kind of an Otis Redding mode – before organ and horns come in and make the whole groove nice and funky. Really nice stuff – and we wish we knew more about him! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The great Otis Spann plays piano and organ – and gets a bit of help from Jimmy Cotton on harmonica and Johnny Young on guitar! CD

Blue belles with attitude, and plenty of soul as well – a sweet collection of west coast female R&B from the postwar years – put together with the usual top-shelf standard we expect from Ace Records! And although R&B, the tunes here almost have an early soul sound at points – deep, heartfelt vocals that definitely lay the groundwork for southern soul and other styles to come in the 60s. All the work here comes from the vaults of Modern/RPM Records – and in addition to some key sides from the late 40s and 1950s, the package also features some unreleased treasures that easily stand head-to-head with the commercially released tracks on the set. The CD features 28 tracks in all – 23 on this format for the first time ever – and as usual with Ace, the booklet's a wealth of information, label scans, and vintage photos. Titles include "Mr T 99" by Del Graham, "Two Years Of Torture" by Edna Broughton, "I Ain't In The Mood" by Helen Humes, "I'm Tellin You Baby" by The Nic Nacs, "That's Fat Jack" by Jimmy Lee & Artis, "Nightmare Blues"by Mari Jones, "Be Bop Boogie" by Effie Smith, "Lonely Girl" by Cordella De Milo, "Mean Ole Gal" by Esther Jones with Johnny Otis, and "Vivianne's Boogie" by Vivianne Green. CD

One of our favorite compilations of all time – a smoking batch of soulful jazz from the 60s, with a slight bit of funk and blues thrown in as well! The set's exactly what's promised in the title – jazz cuts, but with an ultra-cool mod vibe – the kind of soulful sounds that played big with the younger London crowd digging American music in the mid 60s – and also the kind of music you'd be likely to find blasting out of a backroom jukebox on the west side of Chicago! There's loads of rare single mixes of LP tracks on the set, and a number of smoking 45s from artists you might know better from more mainstream work – really hitting hard here, alongside a few special numbers from the indie underground too. Tracks are cool enough for old school hipsters – but appealing enough to bring in a new listener too – and as proof of that, we've given this one away for many years as a Christmas present. The collection features 25 tracks in all – non-stop pleasure throughout – with titles that include "Soul Shoutin" by Shirley Scott, "Tengo Tango" by Cannonball Adderley Sextet, "Whip It On Me" by Billy Hawks, "Yeh Yeh" by Mongo Santamaria, "Black Talk" by Charles Earland, "I'm Ready" by Otis Spann, "Mama Rufus" by Merced Blue Notes, "Theme From NYPD" by Johnny Hammond, "Step Out & Get It" by The Nomos, "Why Don't You Do Right" by Mark Murphy, "Collard Greens" by Freddie McCoy, "Theme From The Carpetbaggers" by Jack McDuff, "Filthy McNasty" by Eddie Jefferson, "Evil Ways" by Cal Tjader, "Kenny's Theme" by Kenny Burrell, and "Games" by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Bobby Freeman, The Clovers, Fats Domino, The Rivingtons, Johnny Darrow, The Everglades, Robert Parker, Human Beinz, The Beach Boys, The Silhouettes, The Five Keys, The Roller, The Senors, Johnny Otis, and The Larks. LP, Vinyl record album

A funky party all the way through – and the one and only album we've ever seen from Johnny Otis main tenor player in the 60s! The set's got a vibe that's much funkier than some of Johnny's own records of previous years – and really shows that looser, more open style he was bringing to his ensemble at the time – and in addition to Preston's tenor, the set's also got work by a young Shuggie Otis – who's really wailing with some trippy licks on guitar! The overall feel is very much in the funky 45 mode – and most cuts are instrumentals, occasionally with a bluesy twist – and one number – "Cool Ade" – has a hip call-response vocal that's mighty nice! Other titles are equally sweet – and include "Hoe Cakes & Sorghum", "Cream Dream", "Neck Bones", "Chili Mac", and "Pot Likker". LP, Vinyl record album

Warren S Richardson Jr may not be the most catchy name for a rocker, but the record really knocks it out of the park from the very first note of fuzz – thanks to an all-out, super-ballsy sound! The set's one of those that might have been called "blues rock" at the time, but is hardly a blues record at all – as it's already taken those core influences and fused them into something harder and heavier – ala James Gang or maybe Johnny Winter, with lots of funky drums at the bottom, and plenty of super-wicked guitar! Richardson handles both that lead instrument and the vocals – and is actually Bill Spooner, of later Tubes fame – working here with Joseph Ray Trainer and Otis Eugene Hale on tenor saxes, and Richard Lewis on organ and trumpet. Mickey McGee handles the heavy drums – and titles include "Shady Lady", "Easy Rider", "Reputation", "Goin Home", "Stella", and "Wind & Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

With Count Basie, Howard McGhee, Dodo Marmarosa, Johnny Otis, Sid Catlett, Johnny Guarnieri, Vic Dickenson, and Earle Warren. CD

Includes 19 tracks from the Jimmy Cotton Blues Quartet, Otis Spann's South Side Piano, Buddy Guy, Hutto & his Hawks, Junior Wells, and Johnny Young's South Side Blues Band. CD