Skidy Woe

mp3: Nappy Brown - Skidy Woe

Here is a joyous rollicking R&B mambo tune. Released in 1958 on Savoy, Skidy Woe finds Nappy Brown at the height of his powers. Brown, a vocalist from North Carolina, was a considerable force in the world of '50s R&B. In fact, even though he's no longer with us, he is still a big star amongst those of us whose attention is focused in that direction. His big hit came in '55 with Don't Be Angry, which climbed to #2 on the R&B chart and #25 on the Billboard chart -- that constitutes a crossover hit. He was part of the vanguard of African-American artists to do this with what was the popular 'pop' music of the time. I have no idea what Skidy Woe means but I love singing along with this record.

Rene Hall's Bullfrog

mp3: Johnny Moore And His New Blazers - Bullfrog

Just a month after after finding out that a record for which I paid two figures was worth four figures (an unsubstantiated claim and, yes, I would happily part with it...), I have smashed my spending ceiling and paid three figures for a 45. Of course, it's a little crass to talk about cash, but I thought you might be interested to know what kind of sounds I reckon it's worth shelling out the big bucks on.

Johnny Moore headed up one of the most influential R&B combos in late '40s early '50s LA. His original Blazers featured legendary vocalist Charles Brown. However, I suspect the key name on this record is Rene Hall, who's credited as Bullfrog's arranger and whose wife, Sugar Hall, is credited as the writer. Based on its heavy rhythms and the label it was recorded for, my guess is that the Rendezvous Records house band were the prime creative force behind this 1960 instrumental monster. Along with Hall's distinctive guitar, that would be Ernie Freeman on piano, Earl Palmer on drums and Plas Johnson on sax. These guys often recorded as the Ernie Fields Orchestra. They were also the session guns responsible for several rock'n'roll reinterpretations of classical favourites as B. Bumble and the Stingers. I've harped on about them all so much you are probably sick of it by now. The main thing is that today's offering is a straight-out killer tune. One that will bring joy to the late-night dancers at my gigs for a while yet and hopefully to you too.

Stompin' At The Savoy

mp3: Sammy Cotton - Nobody

A little while ago, I received a message asking me to identify a particular tune featured in a recording I posted a little while back of DJ Andy Smith and myself rockin' the spot. The emailer described the song as one probably called Nobody Loves You The Way I Do. I knew the tune, but couldn't for the life of me remember who it was. You see, I was away from my records at the time, so I couldn't just flick through and check. I even resorted to Google, mistakenly thinking that it may have been a record I purchased to play at a night inspired by the filmmaker John Waters. When I returned to within arms length of my vinyl, one of the first things I did was dive in my record boxes and fish out today's selection. It came back to me that the artist in question was Sammy Cotton. Nobody, which was released on the Savoy label in 1961, can be found on a great compilation called Stompin' At The Savoy. Cotton hailed from New Orleans and recorded for the Derby, DeLuxe and Regal record labels, but there's not a whole lot currently written about him on the internet, except for a couple of Allmusic paragraphs that are duplicated all over the shop.

Rockin' With The Plas

mp3: Plas Johnson - Blue Jean Shuffle

And now for another swinging instrumental from Louisiana-born hard-bop tenor sax man, Plas Johnson. Blue Jean Shuffle was released in 1956 on Hollywood's Tampa Records. I think this is one of Johnson's better known numbers, at least on London's 1950s R&B 45rpm DJ scene. I'll be testing my copy out on the jumpin' jivers at Joe's this Thursday.

Going Back Home

mp3: Howlin' Wolf - Going Back Home

Going Back Home is the side with which I start my latest travelling-themed NTS radio show. It was recorded on a cold 1956 December day in Chicago. Howlin' Wolf sings about leaving the city and returning to the country. Like many others, he had migrated from Mississippi to Chicago during the 1950s. It features the guitar sounds of two other bluesmen who made the same journey North, Willie Johnson and Otis 'Smokey' Smothers. Johnson is remembered as an electric guitar pioneer. He would turn the gain right up to produce a distorted sound, one of the first to do so, but it doesn't sound like that technique was employed on today's selection. The standout instrument is really the Wolf's harmonica and his timeless, guttural, gravel-road, whiskey-soaked vocals. I try not to over indulge in the fantasy of experiencing live the performances of those who are long gone, but for Howlin' Wolf I make an understandable exception.

Hoppin' Mad

mp3: Plas Johnson - Hoppin' Mad

Recorded late in 1957 and released in '58, Hoppin' Mad is a swinging rocker from saxophonist extraordinaire, Plas Johnson. Johnson cut his teeth in New Orleans before moving to LA to become a super successful session man. He's probably best known for playing the unforgettable tenor sax solo on Mancini's The Pink Panther Theme.