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Audio Samples
Mr. Bear Comes to Town - Mr. Bear & The BearcatsDown to the Bottom - Larry DaleI'm Alone - Bertice ReadingShe Makes Me Mad - George BensonThat's Why I Cry - Varetta DillardGreat Googa Mooga - Big Al SearsMy Heart's Delight - Eartha KittDay Old Bread - Milt TrenierI'll Gladly Do It Again - Bertice ReadingFlat Foot Boogie - The Jackson BrothersThere's No Other Way - Jackson BrothersMary Lou - Clayton LoveMumbles Blues - Big ConnieSweet Goody - Bertice ReadingMidnight Hours - Larry DaleCountry Boy - Tiny KennedyI'm Gonna Keep My Good Eye on You - Mr. Bear & The BearcatsRock-A-Bye Baby - King CurtisTears of Joy - Bertice ReadingI'm Tired - Big Red McHouston OrchestraCome Back to Me - Zilla MayesAll My Life - Roy GainesI'm Goin' Home - Mickey & SylviaJudgement of Love, The - Bertice ReadingPlease Tell Me - Larry DaleWhere Is My Honey - Mickey & SylviaChicken Back - Louis JordanRock & Roll Ball - Big Al SearsTrack List
Mr. Bear Comes to Town - Mr. Bear & The BearcatsDown to the Bottom - Larry DaleI'm Alone - Bertice ReadingShe Makes Me Mad - George BensonThat's Why I Cry - Varetta DillardGreat Googa Mooga - Big Al SearsMy Heart's Delight - Eartha KittDay Old Bread - Milt TrenierI'll Gladly Do It Again - Bertice ReadingFlat Foot Boogie - The Jackson BrothersThere's No Other Way - Jackson BrothersMary Lou - Clayton LoveMumbles Blues - Big ConnieSweet Goody - Bertice ReadingMidnight Hours - Larry DaleCountry Boy - Tiny KennedyI'm Gonna Keep My Good Eye on You - Mr. Bear & The BearcatsRock-A-Bye Baby - King CurtisTears of Joy - Bertice ReadingI'm Tired - Big Red McHouston OrchestraCome Back to Me - Zilla MayesAll My Life - Roy GainesI'm Goin' Home - Mickey & SylviaJudgement of Love, The - Bertice ReadingPlease Tell Me - Larry DaleWhere Is My Honey - Mickey & SylviaChicken Back - Louis JordanRock & Roll Ball - Big Al SearsAlbum Remarks & Appraisals:
"This music is bright and original, cheerful, with memorable melody lines...The performances here are wonderful--crisp, assured, energetic. The Orchestra Van Wassenaer...players...have all been influenced to one degree or another by the style of Sigiswald Kuijken...Watch out for these people, because they're good..." -Crawford, ARG
Album Notes
Performers include: King Curtis, George Benson, Mickey & Sylvia, Arthur Crudup, Otis Blackwell, The Five Keys, Eartha Kitt.
Contains 30 tracks.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Eartha Kitt; George Benson ; King Curtis; Mickey & Sylvia; Otis Blackwell; Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup; The Five Keys.
RCA Victor was one of the very few majors who actually had an R&B division that could keep pace with labels like Chess, Modern, Savoy, Atlantic, King and others. This opening volume of an ongoing series comes up with 28 terrific performances illustrating that the corporate giant at least had their pulse on what actually constituted rhythm & blues in the early 1950s, and then some. From the out-and-out wildness of Mr. Bear and the Bearcats' "Mr. Bear Comes to Town," Big Al Sears' "Great Googa Mooga," Milt Trenier's "Day Old Bread" and the Jackson Brothers' "There's No Other Way," this collection also plumbs some deep blues with the unissued Larry Dale tracks "Midnight Hours," "Please Tell Me" and "Down to the Bottom," all three featuring some stellar guitar work from Mickey Baker. Other highlights include Louis Jordan's "Chicken Back," Big Al Sears' "Rock'n'Roll Ball," Beatrice Reading's bluesy "I"ll Do It All Again," an 11-year-old George Benson's first record ("She Makes Me Mad"), Eartha Kitt's uncharacteristic R&B outing "My Heart's Delight," and Big Connie's "Mumbles Blues." A nice chunk of seldom-anthologized American music. ~ Cub Koda
