Getting back into our groove this month, we have some brand new 45s for you. A great selection of Rock n Roll, Rhythm and Blues, Rockabilly and crazy instrumentals.
We have also received a restock of lots of popular 45s that sold out and a few that have been out of print for some time. Take your time and look through the website. Tons of great stuff. We have also had some fine new CDs that will appear on the website over the next few days.
We are getting into the swing of this online thing, but also popping up at various record fairs. We will be at the North London Record Fair on March 22 and at the big one, The Rockabilly Rave, for the whole weekend March 27-31. Please come and say hi if you are there.
Another thing, we are ploughing through a lot of people’s wants lists and helping to fill gaps as we still have tons of one-off items not listed on the website. So if you have a want’s list, please send it to us.
Ray Smith – Johnny The Hummer / Tony Douglas –Thunder And Lightning – Maverick
Two great and sought after sides that started filling dance floors a few years ago.
Johnny the Hummer is a popular jive track with super growling vocals from Ray and a terrific, tight backing band. Ray Smith is of course best known for his blazing Rockabilly Sun Singles, including You Made a Hit / Why Why Why (some of which we have here in stock.). Staying with Sam Phillips, he had a hit on the Sun sub Judd with Rockin Little Angel. This 1962 track originally appeared on the Infinity label based in California soon after Johnny had left Sam.
Thunder and Lightning is a Hillbilly bop number that seemed to elude the compilers for many years, but through DJ spins has become very popular. With ethereal fiddling carrying most of the tune, we are also treated to steel guitar and Tony’s lovely voice. This all combines to form a light lonesome sound bopper. This track originally was issued in 1960 on the famed D label of Texas, which of course was started by Papy Daily after he left Starday records. He continued issuing fantastic country, rockabilly and even some rock n roll.
A double spin for all occasions.
Ray Smith – Johnny the Hummer
Tony Douglas –Thunder and Lightning
Mac Simms – Drivin’ Wheel – Palos
Harmonica player Mack Simmons ditches the mouth harp for vocal duties on this tough blues rocker that careens along throwing in everything, crazy loud opening, screaming vocals, shredding guitar, tripling piano, and blasting sax. An absolute killer and pretty obscure. The flip side is a rollin’, New Orleans sound Blues, that just asks to be played again and again.
Mack was a staple on the Chicago Blues scene for many years with residencies in clubs and recording across the range of the cities labels from the tiny like this one, to the world famed like Chess. He really can stand alongside many of the better known bluesmen, but just never seemed to break through. Another artist who should have stuck to one name. This could have been a surprise hit, but the font on the name does not help anyone.
Mac Simms – Drivin’ Wheel
Johnnie Cook – Try Your Love / Clarence Henry – Come On And Dance – Jumpin’
You know, the Jumpin’ label is for tracks that were popular in Jamaica, sometimes a few years after initial release. This means you get tracks from the totally obscure, like Johnny and the super hit makers, like Clarence. But the link is two delicious dance numbers on each 45.
Clarence of course had the worldwide hits with Ain’t Got No Home and I Don’t Know Why… These Rock n Roll classics that still echo around the world, did not happen by chance. Clarence had an extraordinary voice, and, once he had that first hit he had the pick of the players, producers and writers New Orleans, one of the most important music hubs in the world.
Johnnie Cook – Ehhhhh, nothing. One 45 issued on tiny Ro Nan records of New York picked up by Fargo, but it seems to have fallen from the press straight into a black hole.
So finally, the connection? Two tracks that get you moving.
Come On And Dance sounds like a party. It captures the fantastic New Orleans spirit that has had people soul shakin’ all over the world since the 1960s. Yep, issued on a Chicago label, but that is the business side, not the art.
Try Your Love is a straight ahead Rock n Roll stomper from New York. Often a tiny label would take a singer or band into a rented studio with a rented band that would run through a number with no real enthusiasm. There is no hint of that here. Johnnie has a remarkably textured voice and the band create a wonderful groove jumping out with perfect breaks as if they had all played together for years. Maybe they did, but it seems unlikely.
Clarence Henry – Come on and Dance
Johnnie Cook – Try My Love
Little Shy Guy – Lets Rock N Roll / My Little Baby – Calvert
Well this guy has nothing to be shy about. Two brilliant sides in two real different styles on display here.
Official top side is Lets Rock n Roll, a call-and-response sparse blues shuffle that, nevertheless, is overflowing with pizzazz. How can something that seems so simple be so right?
The flip has a lot more going on. Shy Guy is still there on vocals, but we have a what sounds like a bunch of mates joining in with guitar, drums, bongos, and general fun atmosphere.
This may well have been JD Miller’s studio as it has Excello fingerprints all over it with input from Arthur Gunter and other luminaries.
Let’s Rock n Roll
My Little Baby
Dottie Jones – Honey Honey / Let Not Temptation – TNT
Pure rockabilly. Recorded in Texas 1956. I predict this is going to become a firm club and home favourite very quickly.
I guess a lot of people know the track. It has been appearing on albums called Hot Rockin’ Girls, Rockabilly Queens etc for ages, but there is zero info about it. Sometimes you just have to be grateful that these lightning in a bottle performances were captured on vinyl for posterity.
Flip side is uncomp’d and not online and is a lovely country number.
Honey Honey
Various – Crazy Drums – Del Scorcho / Kaiser Pan / Thunder / Guitar In Orbit – It’s A Panic
Four slices of savage instrumental wildness appearing for the first time on 45 featuring:
- The Quiet Three (featuring Brian Nevill) – Del Schorcho
- The Panasonics – Kaiser Pan
- Eddie Angel’s Guitar – Thunder
- Deke Dickerson & The Ecco-fonics – Guitar In Orbit Pt. 37
Crazy Rock n Roll instrumentals featuring not only the named artists above but featuring Bruce Brand, Matt Radford, Mr Pan, Malcolm Chapman Carl Sonny Leyland and Brent Harding.
Super limited pressing in Red, Pink and White Vinyl. Sorry, no audio online yet.
Also arrived this week, these two 45s that have been out of press for quite a while.
The Searchers – Wow-Wow Baby / Ooo Wee – Class 45
Harold Jackson – Freedom Riders / Travelin’ – Edsel
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