Greetings from a sweaty Camden Town…

For this week’s newsletter, we thought we’d take a little sift through some of the fantastic Blues Bop 45s we have in stock. Now we’re not much for turning dance styles into musical genres but we reckon this is probably the best description for this style of the blues. For these six slices of blues bop action, we’ve dug out some stone-cold classics but also pulled out a few overlooked gems that we particularly love. Before we get to the nitty-gritty, a word of caution – bopping in hot weather can ruin a good shirt so just tapping your foot along to these tunes is more than enough effort in this humidity. Here in Camden, we’re getting a sweat on just flipping the records over…

Square Walton – Bad Hangover / Sonny Boy Williamson – Bring Another Half A Pint – RCA 45 RE

A boozy bluesy boppin’ two-sider. Poor old Mr Walton is suffering from overindulgence but not Sonny Boy, who’s gonna have another half a pint…yeah, I know, just a half-pint? Well, to be fair, it is half a pint of whisky and I’m doubting that he’s topped it up with diet coke. 

Square Walton – Bad Hangover

Sonny Boy Williamson – Bring Another Half A Pint

Bo Diddley – Dearest Darling / Hush Your Mouth – Checker 45 RE

You can’t go wrong with Bo, it’s a fact. Both sides are a maraca lovers dream.

Dearest Darling

Hush Your Mouth

Washboard Sam – Diggin’ My Potatoes + 3 more – El Toro EP 45

Whoa, Nellie! This four-tracker is hard to beat. A deadly quartet of slappin’ bass blues bop with Big Bill Broonzy on guitar and Ernest Crawford on bass.

GL Crockett – Look Out Mabel / Did You Ever Love Somebody – Chief 45 RE

Now here’s a stone cold blues bop classic. This tuff Chi-Town rocker has been a staple on dance floors in Rockabilly clubs for as long as we can remember.  

Look Out Mabel

Did You Ever Love Somebody

Hop Wilson – Rockin’ In The Cocanut Top / Chicken Stuff – Goldband 45 RE

Raw stompin’ Louisiana blues boppers with Hop Wilson’s trademark swampy steel guitar sound. Monkey and Chicken records are a shop favourite and this two-sider ticks both boxes.

Rockin’ In The Cocanut

Chicken Stuff

Dixie Doodlers – Best Of Friends / She Was All I Had – Excello 45 RE

This is one of those overlooked gems we mentioned earlier. Quite why Excello thought it was a good idea to release this chaotic jug band throwback thumper in 1953 is beyond us and if sales got into double figures we’d be surprised. This is not your usual blues bop fare but give it a listen, we love it and we think that maybe a few of you lot might, just might, like it too.

Best Of Friends

She Was All I Had

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