Accompanied by Panama Francis on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Features music from Flying Down To Rio, Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Roberta, Follow The Fleet, Swing Time, Damsel In Distress, Shall We Dance, Carefree, and The Sky's The Limit. CD

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Features lots of great work from his film appearances! CD

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The genius of Don Byas finally gets its due – served up here in a massive 10CD package that's overflowing with work from some of Byas' most fruitful years as a saxophonist! Byas is one of the sometimes-overlooked giants of his generation – a player with a tone and style that's every bit as distinct as that of Ben Webster and Lester Young. Yet for some reason, Byas has a much more checkered recording history – and one that sometimes doesn't really capture his strengths when he's completely on fire. That's definitely corrected here – as the package features some key recordings by Byas as a leader – then rolls into a stunning array of tenor performances in the groups of others – some originally issued on rare 78s, others never issued until this box – making the whole thing a mindblowing look at these seminal years in Don's career! The labels for some of the tracks include King, Manor, Jam, Savoy National, and HNS – and Byas blows as a leader in a few groups, and with other leaders who Hot Lips Page, Hank D'Amico, Cozy Cole, Earl Bostic, Joe Turner, Timmie Rogers, Oscar Pettiford, and Dizzy Gillespie – a really varied lot, which demonstrates the versatility that Byas could have as a performer. The box has 193 tracks in all, and a hugely detailed set of notes – a really ear-opening listen to this great tenorist! CD

Massive work from Isaac Hayes – a hard and heavy soundtrack that we like even more than his classic work on Shaft! Unlike Shaft, Ike actually starred in the film Truck Turner – which may be one reason why he brought his full game to the table for the record – and scored a batch of badass tunes that still stand with some of the best funky soundtrack work of the 70s! The rhythm's especially hard on the best cuts – really crackling with a lot of intensity, and a stark, hard funky sound that's made the record a favorite of beatheads for years! Ike kicks it hard on cuts like "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile", "House Full Of Girls", "Drinking", "Give It To Me", "Now We're One", "Breakthrough", "House of Beauty", and the massive title cut "Truck Turner". LP, Vinyl record album

Big Top Records may not be as well-remembered as other key indies from the early soul years, but back at the start of the 60s the company was really hitting on all burners – with a top-shelf blend of rock, soul, and R&B! This package takes a nice dip into the best Big Top singles from the label's run – a key batch of work that really helped define not only the Brill Building sound of the time, but also set the scene for the uptown soul style that would mark so many New York classics of the 60s. And although Big Top handled a few pop acts, this package is really more skewed to soul than any other style – as even some of the rocking tunes have a colorblind quality that makes them cross over nicely. 26 tracks in all – with titles that include "Flashback" by The VIPs, "Sun Glasses" by The Shades, "He Knows I Love Him Too Much" by Arlene Smith, "Steady Kind" by Mickey Denton, "Misery" by The Dynamics, "The Fool" by Jamie Coe, "What's Your Name" by Don & Juan, "The Snake" by Maximillian, "Lavender Blue" by Sammy Turner, "Air Mail Special Delivery" by Karen Lake, "Always Something There To Remind Me" by Lou Johnson, and "Lipstick & High Heel Shoes" by Valentine & The Sweethearts. CD

Massive work from Isaac Hayes – a hard and heavy soundtrack that we like even more than his classic work on Shaft! Unlike Shaft, Ike actually starred in the film Truck Turner – which may be one reason why he brought his full game to the table for the record – and scored a batch of badass tunes that still stand with some of the best funky soundtrack work of the 70s! The rhythm's especially hard on the best cuts – really crackling with a lot of intensity, and a stark, hard funky sound that's made the record a favorite of beatheads for years! Ike kicks it hard on cuts like "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile", "House Full Of Girls", "Drinking", "Give It To Me", "Now We're One", "Breakthrough", "House of Beauty", and the massive title cut "Truck Turner". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey, Barbecue Bob, Jim Jackson, Henry Thomas, leroy Carr, Charley Patton, Walter Davis, Carl Martin, Joe Turner, Bukka White, John Lee Hooker, Tampa Red, Muddy Waters, Bobby Blue Bland, Henry Johnson & more. CD

The genius of Don Byas finally gets its due – served up here in a massive 10CD package that's overflowing with work from some of Byas' most fruitful years as a saxophonist! Byas is one of the sometimes-overlooked giants of his generation – a player with a tone and style that's every bit as distinct as that of Ben Webster and Lester Young. Yet for some reason, Byas has a much more checkered recording history – and one that sometimes doesn't really capture his strengths when he's completely on fire. That's definitely corrected here – as the package features some key recordings by Byas as a leader – then rolls into a stunning array of tenor performances in the groups of others – some originally issued on rare 78s, others never issued until this box – making the whole thing a mindblowing look at these seminal years in Don's career! The labels for some of the tracks include King, Manor, Jam, Savoy National, and HNS – and Byas blows as a leader in a few groups, and with other leaders who Hot Lips Page, Hank D'Amico, Cozy Cole, Earl Bostic, Joe Turner, Timmie Rogers, Oscar Pettiford, and Dizzy Gillespie – a really varied lot, which demonstrates the versatility that Byas could have as a performer. The box has 193 tracks in all, and a hugely detailed set of notes – a really ear-opening listen to this great tenorist! CD

Massive work from Isaac Hayes – a hard and heavy soundtrack that we like even more than his classic work on Shaft! Unlike Shaft, Ike actually starred in the film Truck Turner – which may be one reason why he brought his full game to the table for the record – and scored a batch of badass tunes that still stand with some of the best funky soundtrack work of the 70s! The rhythm's especially hard on the best cuts – really crackling with a lot of intensity, and a stark, hard funky sound that's made the record a favorite of beatheads for years! Ike kicks it hard on cuts like "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile", "House Full Of Girls", "Drinking", "Give It To Me", "Now We're One", "Breakthrough", "House of Beauty", and the massive title cut "Truck Turner". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely pivotal album by Ike & Tina Turner – one that has them still retaining some of the earthiness of earlier years, yet also honing their groove for the crossover audience that was digging them big at the end of the 60s! The best results of this shift is the increasing funk component in their music – a move away from R&B into a tighter 60s groove, one that often featured very strong guitar parts in its best incarnation. The set includes the classic "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "Ooh Poo Pah Doo", "Let It Be", "Goodbye So Long", "You Can Have It", "The Way You Love Me", "Get Back", and "Workin Together". LP, Vinyl record album

A really well-titled album, given that Joe Turner was a key force in the birth of rock and roll in the 50s – not to mention a strong link between jazz, soul, and R&B as well! At the time of these recordings, Turner was already a relatively old singer – at least compared to some of his Atlantic contemporaries – a vocalist with roots in Kansas City jazz of the 30s, but able to really reinvent himself with a raw, rocking sound that was completely out of sight – as hard-hitting on Atlantic as work by Wynonnie Harris over at King Records – and maybe even more important overall, given the number of folks who covered Joe's tunes. Every cut's a classic – and titles include "Flip Flop & Fly", "Honey Hush", "Crawdad Hole", "Chicken & The Hawk", "Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop", "Corrine Corrina", "Well All Right", "Boogie Woogie Country Girl", 'Shake Rattle & Roll", "Feeling Happy", and "Midnight Special". LP, Vinyl record album

Well, they definitely got the "heavy funk and classic breaks" in the title right – as the set is overflowing with both – served up by the Tuff City label, whose mix of early hip hop releases gave them a keen ear for the best break records back in the day! There's plenty of funky drums in the mix – and many of these tracks were sampled by New York hip hop groups back in the 80s, but still remain killer funk tracks on their own – kind of the best of both worlds, served up on on a set of 20 funky 45 gems that include "There's A Storm In The Gulf" by James Black, "My Momma Didn't Lie" by Johnny Mae Mathews, "Impeach The President" by The Honeydrippers, "Gatur Bait" by The Gaturs, "Don't Change Nothin" by Mary Jane Hooper, "Funky Mule" by Ike Turner, "Communication Is Where It's At" by Billy The Baron & His Smokin Challengers, "When You Git Through Wit It Put It Back" by City Council Ltd, "HLIC" by Bob Mr Soul, "We Are The Chosen Few" by The Chosen Few, "I've Got To Space" by Georgianna McCoy & The Classetts, "It's Gotta Be Something Else" by Glenda Dove, and "Sissy Walk" by Sonny Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

The film may not have been a classic, but the soundtrack is a cinematic gem from Quincy Jones – a record that's full of great soul and jazz touches – with vocal work from Nate Turner, The Mirettes, Ernestine Anderson, The Pree Sisters, and Venetta Fields! The set's maybe best remembered for the funky instrumental cut "Main Squeeze" – alongside other instrumentals that include "Slum Creeper" and "Up Against the Wall" – plus vocal cuts "Try Try Try", "He'll Wash You Whiter Than Snow", "He Says He Loves Me", "Rap Run It On Down", and "Sweet Soul Sisters". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive batch of mixes from dancefloor maestro John Luongo – a set that's heavy on cuts from the 80s in many styles, and which has some other surprises in the mix as well! Luongo was one of those talents who did a great job of bringing underground dancefloor modes to a more mainstream audience – and he finds grooves in cuts that might not normally have gotten such strong club treatment on their own, or in the hands of another remix talent! This 2LP set features some of the best work that Luongo did back in the day – titles that include "The Best (ext mighty mix)" by Tina Turner, "Suspicious Minds (suspicious mix)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "The Chinese Way (New York rmx)" by Level 42, "Out In The Night (12" version)" by Serge Ponsar, "Give It Up (12" version)" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "Missing You (ext version)" by John Waite, "Eyes Without A Face (full length version)" by Billy Idol, "Look Of Love (part 3 – dance version)" by ABC, "Fade To Grey (US 12" version)" by Visage, "Blind Vision (ext version)" by Blancmange, "Shy Boy (US ext version)" by Bananarama, "Tarzan Boy (ext dance version)" by Baltimora, "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)" by Dan Hartman with Loleatta Holloway, "You Stepped Into My Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Melba Moore, and "Music Is My Way Of Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Patti Labelle – plus more from Soft Cell, Bill Nelson, Sharon Ridley, Fantasy, Material, Cabaret Voltaire, Cher, ZZ Top, Gonzalez, Marlena Shaw, Jackie Moore, and others. 4CD set features 43 tracks in all – and includes a 32 page booklet, with rare photos, track annotations, and an essay on Luongo's music! CD

A pair of late Ike & Tina albums in a single package! Workin' Together is a pivotal album – one that has them still retaining some of the earthiness of earlier years, yet also honing their groove for the crossover audience that was digging them big at the end of the 60s! The best results of this shift is the increasing funk component in their music – a move away from R&B into a tighter 60s groove, one that often featured very strong guitar parts in its best incarnation. The set includes the classic "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "Ooh Poo Pah Doo", "Let It Be", "Goodbye So Long", "You Can Have It", "The Way You Love Me", "Get Back", and "Workin Together". Let Me Touch Your Mind is a fairly loose set of diverse material from the tumultuous duo, from the tender, lovely chorus backed and string accented grit of the title track to more stripped down, kinda country funk accented number. Includes "Annie Had A Baby", "Don't Believe Her", "Early One Morning", "Up On The Roof", "Heaven Help Us All" and more. CD

A massive batch of mixes from dancefloor maestro John Luongo – a set that's heavy on cuts from the 80s in many styles, and which has some other surprises in the mix as well! Luongo was one of those talents who did a great job of bringing underground dancefloor modes to a more mainstream audience – and he finds grooves in cuts that might not normally have gotten such strong club treatment on their own, or in the hands of another remix talent! This 2LP set features some of the best work that Luongo did back in the day – titles that include "The Best (ext mighty mix)" by Tina Turner, "Suspicious Minds (suspicious mix)" by Fine Young Cannibals, "The Chinese Way (New York rmx)" by Level 42, "Out In The Night (12" version)" by Serge Ponsar, "Give It Up (12" version)" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "Missing You (ext version)" by John Waite, "Eyes Without A Face (full length version)" by Billy Idol, "Look Of Love (part 3 – dance version)" by ABC, "Fade To Grey (US 12" version)" by Visage, "Blind Vision (ext version)" by Blancmange, "Shy Boy (US ext version)" by Bananarama, "Tarzan Boy (ext dance version)" by Baltimora, "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)" by Dan Hartman with Loleatta Holloway, "You Stepped Into My Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Melba Moore, and "Music Is My Way Of Life (John Luongo rmx)" by Patti Labelle. 2LP set features 16 tracks – and includes rare photos and an essay on Luongo's music! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of British soul by PP Arnold – LA native, and a onetime member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue who ended up staying behind in the UK after a mid 60s tour! The album's got a very interesting approach that's quite a bit more sophisticated than the sound of the Ike Turner group – with production by Andrew Loog Oldham, and rich arrangements by Tony Meehan that float in bits of Brit easy, and full-styled 60s pop orchestrations, alongside more righteous straighter soul backings – all for a mix that's great, and which makes this mod treasure a very different album than American soul of the period! Titles include "Letter To Bill", "Dreamin", "Eleanor Rigby", "As Tears Go By", "To Love Somebody", and a great version of "God Only Knows". CD

A mindblowing album, and a record that was an instant classic from the moment it was released – and then has gone on to become even more legendary over the years! The set virtually invented the genre of space rock – but has also touched on the worlds of prog, Krautrock, and even hard rock and metal with everything that's going on inside – lots of tracks that definitely live up to the space promise of the title, but which also find a way to jam as well – mixing heady guitar lines with cool electronics and effects – and even a bit of alto and flute from the group's great Nik Turner! The whole thing's fantastic – essential listening throughout – and titles include "Adjust Me", "Children Of The Sun", "Master Of The Universe", "We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago", "You Know You're Only Dreaming", and the 15 minute classic "You Shouldn't Do That". This expanded package is overflowing with greatness – and features the album in both a remaster of the original stereo mix, and a new stereo mix by Stephen W Tayler – with bonus tracks that include "Hog Farm", "Kiss Of The Velvet Whip", "Seven By Seven", and "Silver Machine" – presented in both mixes too. There's also a DVD with 96 khz/24-bit 5.1 Surround & Stereo mixes by Tayler, and the original stereo mix – plus a 1972 Silver Machine promotional film too! CD

A mindblowing album, and a record that was an instant classic from the moment it was released – and then has gone on to become even more legendary over the years! The set virtually invented the genre of space rock – but has also touched on the worlds of prog, Krautrock, and even hard rock and metal with everything that's going on inside – lots of tracks that definitely live up to the space promise of the title, but which also find a way to jam as well – mixing heady guitar lines with cool electronics and effects – and even a bit of alto and flute from the group's great Nik Turner! The whole thing's fantastic – essential listening throughout – and titles include "Adjust Me", "Children Of The Sun", "Master Of The Universe", "We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago", "You Know You're Only Dreaming", and the 15 minute classic "You Shouldn't Do That". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary music of Maxayn – finally given its due, and presented here in a great 3CD box, with all albums in tiny LP-styled sleeves! First up is Maxayn – the debut album from a funky female talent who deserves to be mentioned in the same territory as Betty Davis and Yvonne Fair! Like both of those artists, Maxayn isn't afraid to use an electric guitar when she wants – which puts her music somewhere in the territory of groups like The Bar-Kays and Black Nasty, and the way they could blend rock influences with funk and soul! No surprise, Maxayn's bandmates here include two members of Buddy Miles' group – who really help keep things deep – providing a massive foundation for the lady's incredible vocals. Titles include covers of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Gimme Shelter" – plus the original tunes "Trying For Days", "Jam For Jack", "Song", and "Doing Nothing Nothing Doing". Next up is Mindful – a classic album of funky female soul – and part of the overlooked legacy of the mighty Maxayn Lewis! The set's a wicked blend of funk and rock, served up with help from Buddy Miles' bandmates Andrew Lewis on keyboards and bass, and Marlo Henderson on guitar – an instrument that's played in the same soul-drenched style you'd know from Buddy Miles' albums, which makes for a wonderful blend with the mindblowing vocals of Maxayn! The singer got her start working with Ike Turner – and definitely has the voice to match that legacy – and she's really set free here on material that was years ahead of its time, and which only today is finally getting its due. The album features lots of original tracks – including "Travelin", "The Answer", "Moan to the Music", "Stone Crazy", "Feelin'", and "Good Things" – plus a version of Curtis Mayfield's "Check Out Your Mind". Last up is Bail Out For Fun – a set that was the last in her initial run of the 70s, and maybe the grooviest of the bunch! The keyboards here are more center stage than the guitars of Maxayn's previous records – and they only seem to increase the funky feel of the record, especially as they're folded up with the vocals in this cool flanged-out production style – a mode that almost seems to echo Sly Stone, which might be no surprise – as the blend of funk, soul, and rock in the music definitely owes something to Sly! Yet Maxayn's very much her own woman – singing with full righteous energy on tunes that include some great originals, plus tracks by Buddy Miles and DJ Rogers too. Titles include the great moogy cut "Moonfunk", plus "Bail Out", "Fun", "You Don't Have To Be Lonely", "Trying For Days", and "Life is What You Make It". CD

A great little Shirley Scott album – perhaps her best for Cadet! Unlike the others, which have a complicated set of arrangements, this one has a stripped-down jazz funk feel that reminds us a lot of the classic early 70s groovers on Prestige Records. Shirley plays some very nice lines on the organ, over tight drums from Idris Muhammad that hit that tasty breakbeat sound on the best cuts! The standout numbers are the album's versions of "Lean On Me" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", both strong sample tracks with nice drums. The rest of the group includes George Coleman, Roland Prince, and J. Daniel Turner – and tracks include Carla's Dance", "Funky Blues", and "Royal Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Nick Tosches has given us plenty of great books about music – his groundbreaking Country volume from the 70s, and his no-holds-barred portraits of Jerry Lee Lewis and Dean Martin – plus plenty of fantastic essays and articles over the years too! And Tosches always seems to write about the music business the way that most folks write about gangsters and crime – which is definitely the case here, in a book that's an expanded version of an earlier project titled Hipsters & Hoodlums – which really digs deep into the shadier side of the music business, filled with the kind of details that Nick's uncovered in his years of writing on music, woven into the kind of prose that would befit a classic pulp novel. 120 pages – and a page-turner throughout! Book

A bit of a gimmick – but a good one! The title track to the album is a famous 6 minute version of "Stand By Me" – one that has Spyder singing the track in styles that imitate Eddie Kendricks, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Billy Stewart, and others. The rest of the album continues in a similar mode – as Spyder does a fantastic job with famous soul tunes, and a few obscure ones, not always singing in an imitative style, but always doing a great job, in a mode that's sure to please anyone that's a fan of Detroit 60s Northern soul. Titles include "I Can't Make It Anymore", "I'm Alive With A Lovin Feeling", "I Don't Want To Cry", "I Can't Wait To See My Baby's Face", "Morning Morning", and "Don't Hold Back". CD

Monster funk from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson – an album of hard-burning, bad-walking tunes that are a fair bit different than most of his other work! Although Wilson recorded some pretty traditional organ jazz for the Blue Note and Groove Merchant labels, this album has him working with his "Cost Of Living" group – a combo who only recorded this one album, and which includes Richard Tee on keyboards, Bad Bascomb on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and both Houston Person and Pee Wee Ellis on tenor sax! Most cuts have some sort of vocals – sung by either Sammy Turner or Kenny Williams, both of whom really fit the badass spirit of the record, and bring in a nice range of deeper themes from the 70s. There's almost a blacksploitation funk feel to the record at times, although the set's also got more of a soul album focus too – a rare move for Reuben, but one that's made the album a favorite for years! Tracks include the rare groove classics "Got To Get Your Own" and "Tight Money" – plus "Together", "Stoned Out Of My Mind", "What The People Gon Say", "Back Rub", and "In The Booth In The Back In The Corner In The Dark". CD

Monster funk from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson – an album of hard-burning, bad-walking tunes that are a fair bit different than most of his other work! Although Wilson recorded some pretty traditional organ jazz for the Blue Note and Groove Merchant labels, this album has him working with his "Cost Of Living" group – a combo who only recorded this one album, and which includes Richard Tee on keyboards, Bad Bascomb on bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and both Houston Person and Pee Wee Ellis on tenor sax! Most cuts have some sort of vocals – sung by either Sammy Turner or Kenny Williams, both of whom really fit the badass spirit of the record, and bring in a nice range of deeper themes from the 70s. There's almost a blacksploitation funk feel to the record at times, although the set's also got more of a soul album focus too – a rare move for Reuben, but one that's made the album a favorite for years! Tracks include the rare groove classics "Got To Get Your Own" and "Tight Money" – plus "Together", "Stoned Out Of My Mind", "What The People Gon Say", "Back Rub", and "In The Booth In The Back In The Corner In The Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the "rare" in the title – and just go for the "soul" – because hard to find or not, these cuts are all pretty darn great! The package is the sort that's designed to appeal to the pocketbook-busting soul collector crowd – but don't let that intimidate you if you're the type that just digs the music overall – because the set's overflowing with great tunes, and at a price that anyone can afford! And sure, lots of this stuff is nearly impossible to find in the original – but the real appeal here is the music, and the music is great! Tracks are mostly in an uptempo Northern Soul mode – and titles include "The Winds Kept Laughing" by Better Turner & The Chevelles, "You Need Love" by The Blendels, "She's Fire" by CODs, "Hey You Little Girl" by The Tropics, "So Glad That I Found You" by The Classics, "Feminine Ingenuity" by Ruby, "A Thousands Miles Apart" by Tony Sams & The Lala Wilson Band, "Just Fun" by Soul Partners, "Are You Gonna Leave Me" by Jessie James, "Sad Town" by Jimmy Elledge, "Just Your Fool" by Eddie Whitehead, and "I'm Coming In" by Romey Rand. CD

A fantastic collection of rare sweet soul from the late 60s and early 70s – one with a strong focus on male vocals and harmony tunes, all put together with a great late nite sort of feel! The quality level of this one is way above lots of other dodgy sets on the market – and the folks at Latin Soul have chosen a beautiful batch of deep-burning tunes – recorded in a variety of different scenes at the time, but picked with an especial ear for the kind of tracks that play big for the west coast sweet soul crowd! The whole thing's got a real super-dope feel – one in which "sweet" means "heartbreaking" and "personal" – not cloying and child-like. 21 tracks in all – with titles that include "I'm Not Like The Others" by Little Jimmy Gandy, "Untrue Woman" by Debonaires, "True Love Will Never Die" by Apple & The Three Oranges, "Shady Side Of Town" by Talisman, "Send Me Some Sugar Baby" by Duke Turner, "Keep On Walking" by Main Attraction, "Leave It Like It Is" by The Steelers, "Story Of My Life" by Emulations, "Break Your Promise" by Chicago Gangsters, and "Things That A Lady Ain't Supposed To Do" by Four Dynamics. CD

Includes tracks by Gil Scott-Heron, Curtis Mayfield, Ike & Tina Turner, Ohio Players, and more – 45 tracks over 3 discs! CD

One of the best collections of female soul we've ever heard! The set is super-hip, and pushes way past the usual Aretha/Tina Turner type stuff that the majors would have you believe is the rawest of diva soul. Instead, the folks at Harmless did a great job of digging up some hard to find funky soul gems from rare 45s and long out-of-print LP sources – including many we're hard pressed to find even here at Dusty Groove! There's a total of 14 cuts in all – all great – including "Hang On In There" by The Stovall Sisters, "Your Thing Ain't No Good Without My Thing" by Queenie Lyons, "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" by Lyn Collins, "Make Me Believe In You" by Patti Jo, "Crumbs Off The Table" by Laura Lee, "You Gotta Push" by Jodi Gales, "It's My Thing" by Betty Moorer, "But I Ain't No More" by Vera Hamilton, "I'm A Good Woman" by Cold Blood, "Watchdog" by Ann Winley, and "Anti Love Song" by Betty Davis. CD

Music from Private Cecil Gant, Cootie Williams & his Orchestra, Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's All-Stars, Erskine Hawkins & his Orchestra, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, the Four Clefs, Lucky Millinder & his Orchestra, Louis Jordan & his Tympany Five, Five Red Caps, Buddy Johnson & his Orchestra, Golden Gate Quartet, Joe Liggins & his Honeydrippers, and more - 26 songs in all. CD

Vintage work from some steel guitar pioneers – including Lemuel Turner, Jimmy Tarlton, Jenks Carman, Jimmie Davis, Roy Acuff, and Cliff Carlisle! LP, Vinyl record album

A second dip into the fantastic legacy of Manhunt magazine – easily one of the best publications for crime fiction in the middle of the 20th Century – a legendary spot that offered a great showcase to existing giants of the paperback field, and one that also helped launch the careers of many others! The work here is a nice change from the 40s writers who gave Hollywood some of the tales that became film noir classics – maybe more down to earth, and because they're short stories, geared more towards twist endings – of the sort that would later show up on the Alfred Hitchcock show. This volume has a great history on the magazine by Robert Turner, and features over 400 pages of stories reprinted from the magazine – by writers who include Donald Westlake, Jonathan Craig, Wade Miller, Jack Ritchie, Stephen Marlowe, Richard Deming, Earle Stanley Gardner, Michael Zuroy, Bryce Walton, and dozens of others! Book

A set that's heavy on classics from the legendary LA powerhouse of Crown/Modern/RPM/Kent Records – a family of labels who really helped drive the sound of R&B in the postwar years! The company opened the doors early to jump blues music, and later helped set the scene for 60s soul – and here, you'll hear them going at full steam, with a tremendous amount of hard-burning gems! There's 22 tracks in all – and titles include "Night Howler" by Billy Gale, "Baby Please" by Matt Cockrell, "People Are Wonderin" by Baby Pee Wee Parham, "You Better Hold Me" by James Reed, "Hey Dr Kinsey" by Big Duke Henderson, "Cuban Getaway" by Ike Turner, "Send Him Back" by Shirley Gunter, "Let's Make With Some Love" by The Flairs, "Chop House" by Blinky Allen, Hard Times" by Johnny Fuller, "Quit Hangin Around Me" by Saunders King, "My Baby Left Down" by Dixie Blues Boys, and "Bye Bye" by The Dreamers. CD

Piano solos and with Edmond Hall, Pee Wee Russell, Benny Morton, Danny Polo, Joe Turner, Zutty Singleton, and Ed Anderson. CD

One of the most important indie labels of the postwar years – heard here in a flurry of great tracks that really show them at their finest! This excellent double-length set brings together magical moments from a time when the Flair imprint was really hitting on all burners – recording key vocal, instrumental, blues, and doo wop tracks that would go onto have a huge impact on generations to come – mixed here with a host of titles that haven't been on CD before! The package digs deeper than any look at Flair we've ever seen – and that's saying a lot, given that Ace Records was already giving the label their due a few decades before – and all the new material sits strongly next to classics that make the 50 track collection one of the best R&B collections from the 78rpm era that we've heard in a long long time. Titles include "She Wants To Rock" and "Getting High" by The Flairs, "Loosely" and "Cuban Get Away" by Ike Turner, "Chop House" by Blinky Allen, "Quit Hangin Around Me" by Saunders King, "Early In The Morning" and "Can't Stop Lovin" by Elmore James, "Hello Baby" and "Baby Beat It" by Big Duke, "Midnight Hours Journey" by Johnny Ace, "Night Howler" by Billy Gale, "You Better Hold Me" by James Reed, "I've Got The Feeling" by Baby Parham, "This Time It's Real" by Ricky & Jennell, "Send Him Back" by Shirley Gunter, "An Angel Cried" by Anna Marie, "Blue Mambo" by Bobby Rey, and "Love Me Love Me Love Me" by The Chimes. CD