http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H122QH7G

01 - High Heels (Doggett)
02 - Honey (Gillespie, Simons, Whiting)
03 - Afternoon Jump (Ellis)
04 - Old Fool (Glover)
05 - What Will I Tell My Heart (Lawrence, Tinturin)
06 - I’ll Never Say No (Glover)
07 - At Last (Gordon, Warren)
08 - Alone (Brown, Freed)
09 - As Time Goes By (Hupfeld)
10 - Dedicated to You (Cahn, Chaplin, Zaret)
11 - Dream (Mercer)
12 - Sweet and Lovely (Arnheim, Daniels, Tobias)
13 - Don’t Blame Me (Fields, McHugh)
14 - Poor Butterfly (Golden, Hubbell)
15 - This Love of Mine (Parker, Sanicola, Sinatra)
16 - Fools Rush In (Bloom, Mercer)
17 - White Christmas (Berlin)
18 - Christmas Song (Morris)
19 - Jingle Bells (Traditional)
20 - Silent Night (Traditional)
21 - I Was Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Harman)
22 - Winter Wonderland (Bergman, Conn, Vocco)

Review by arwulf arwulf, All Music

Bill Doggett and Wild Bill Davis popularized the organ in jazz and R&B during the 1950s, continuing a tradition begun by Fats Waller in the 1920s and paving the way for Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff in the 1960s. Doggett’s career began in Philadelphia during the 1930s when he led a teenage band called the Five Majors and developed his chops playing piano with bandleader Jimmy Gorham. Doggett was an essential component in the Lucky Millinder Orchestra; he also wrote arrangements for and served as accompanist for the Ink Spots, Helen Humes, and Ella Fitzgerald. After working for several years with Louis Jordan, Doggett followed in the footsteps of Earl Bostic and began making records for the King label, now using a Hammond organ with rhythm accompaniment and saxophone. Classics 5175 focuses upon everything that Doggett recorded during six days in May of 1954. Three titles cut on May 19th feature tenor man Irving “Skinny” Brown—the best of these is “Honey,” an attractive melody by Richard Whiting that dates back to 1929. While the producers of this compilation are to be commended for their diligence, a strict chronology of this particular week in Doggett’s life does not yield a whole lot of memorable music. Four titles featuring vocalist Val Martinez, for example, will appeal mostly to those who crave the sounds of ostentatiously emotive, heart-on-sleeve mid-‘50s crooning. The presence of Slide Hampton alongside Skinny Brown in the band is overshadowed by the rather overbearing, heartsick vocals. Doggett is believed to have been struggling to achieve commercial success in the face of economic hardship during 1954, which might explain nine soporific organ ballads and six Christmas favorites, most of which seem to be suspended in heavy syrup. Three of these—“Jingle Bells,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” and “Winter Wonderland”—actually gather enough energy to rise up out of the aspic and swing a little. But this is a far cry from the sultry, cool majesty of the three opening tracks.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H3IG4XEP

01 - Wandering Gal Blues (Lauderdale)
02 - Hey Mr. Landlord (Witherspoon)
03 - Cain River Blues (Alexander, Southern)
04 - How I Hate to See Xmas Come Around (Christmas Blues) (Witherspoon)
05 - Third Floor Blues (Witherspoon)
06 - Money’s Gettin’ Cheaper (McShann, Witherspoon)
07 - Skid Row Blues (Witherspoon)
08 - How Long Blues (Carr)
09 - TAin’t Nobody’s Business, Pt. 1 (Grainger, Prince, Williams)
10 - Ain’t Nobody’s Business, Pt. 2 (Grainger, Robbins)
11 - Backwater Blues (Smith)
12 - Frogimore Blues (Morton)
13 - In the Evening (Carr)
14 - Wee Baby Blues (Early Morning Blues) (Boyd)
15 - Six-Foot-Two Blues (Tate, Witherspoon)
16 - How You Gonna Act (Henry)
17 - Money Eyes Woman (Henry)
18 - Spoon Calls Hootie (Witherspoon)
19 - Destruction Blues (Witherspoon)
20 - Call My Baby (Witherspoon)
21 - The New Look (Witherspoon)
22 - Big Heart (Witherspoon)
23 - Drunk, Broke and Hungry (Witherspoon)

Jimmy Witherspoon
Born:  James Witherspoon on Aug 8, 1920 in Gurdon, AR
Died:  Sep 18, 1997 in Los Angeles, CA

Biography by Bob Porter, Scott Yanow & Al Campbell, All Music
One of the great blues singers of the post-World War II period, Jimmy Witherspoon was also versatile enough to fit comfortably into the jazz world. Witherspoon was born on August 8, 1920, in Gurdon, AR. As a child, he sang in a church choir, and made his debut recordings with Jay McShann for Philo and Mercury in 1945 and 1946. His own first recordings, using McShann’s band, resulted in a number one R&B hit in 1949 with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business, Pts. 1 & 2” on Supreme Records. Live performances of “No Rollin’ Blues” and “Big Fine Girl” provided ‘Spoon with two more hits in 1950.

The mid-‘50s were a lean time, with his style of shouting blues temporarily out of fashion; singles were tried for Federal, Chess, Atco, Vee Jay, and others, with little success. Jimmy Witherspoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival (HiFi Jazz) from 1959 lifted him back into the limelight. Partnerships with Ben Webster or Groove Holmes were recorded, and he toured Europe in 1961 with Buck Clayton, performing overseas many more times in the decades to follow; some memorable music resulted, but Witherspoon’s best 1960s album is Evening Blues (Prestige), which features T-Bone Walker on guitar and Clifford Scott on saxophone. As the ‘70s began, Witherspoon decided to take a short break from live performances, settled in Los Angeles, took a job as a disc jockey, and continued making records. In 1971 Witherspoon teamed up with former Animals vocalist Eric Burdon for the album Guilty. Unfortunately it sold poorly. By 1973 his short retirement from live performances was over. Witherspoon was ready to get back on the road and assembled an amazing band featuring a young Robben Ford on lead guitar. Those live shows had received positive reviews, rejuvenating Witherspoon’s move toward a definite rock/soul sound. He traveled to London in 1974 to record Love Is a Five Letter Word with British blues producer Mike Vernon. Vernon had produced critically acclaimed British blues albums by John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac, and Ten Years After. By the early ‘80s, Witherspoon was diagnosed with throat cancer. Although he remained active and was a popular concert attraction, the effect of the disease on his vocals was obvious. Witherspoon passed away on September 18, 1997, at the age of 77.
 

Review by Thomas Ward, All Music
As an artist who incorporated jazz phrasing into a blues repertoire, Jimmy Witherspoon is an often-underrated titan of post-war music. His formidable back catalog has been neglected for many years, but this release attempts to repair much of the damage. Containing all the cuts from Witherspoon’s first golden era, 1947-1948 is revelatory. Singing in front of Jay McShann’s orchestra, Witherspoon is assured and already a hugely distinctive vocalist. Witherspoon’s own compositions, especially “Spoon Calls Hootie” and the magnificent “Destruction Blues,” are given their definitive readings, and this Classics disc presents them in wonderful fidelity and with excellent, informed liner notes.

01 - Dust My Broom (I Believe My Time Ain’t Long) (James)
02 - Please Find My Baby (James)
03 - Hand in Hand (James, Josea, Ling, Taub)
04 - Long Tall Woman (James)
05 - Rock My Baby Tonight (James, Josea, Ling, Taub)
06 - My Baby’s Gone (James)
07 - One More Drink (James)
08 - Baby, What’s Wrong (James, Taub)
09 - I Believe (James, Taub)
10 - Sinful Women (James, Taub)
11 - I Held My Baby Last Night (James, Taub)
12 - Round House Boogie (Brown)
13 - Kickin’ the Blues Around (Brown)
14 - Sax-Ony Boogie (Brown)
15 - Dumb Woman Blues (Brown)
16 - Country Boogie (Tool Bag Boogie) (James)
17 - My Best Friend (James)
18 - I See My Baby (James)
19 - She Won’t Do Right (Dust My Broom) (James)
20 - Whose Muddy Shoes (James)
21 - Sweet Little Woman (James)
22 - I May Be Wrong (James)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7JC63D5O

Elmore James
Born:  Elmore Brooks on Jan 27, 1918 in Richland, MS
Died:  May 24, 1963 in Chicago, IL

Biography by Cub Kodak, All Music
No two ways about it, the most influential slide guitarist of the postwar period was Elmore James, hands down. Although his early demise from heart failure kept him from enjoying the fruits of the ‘60s blues revival as his contemporaries Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf did, James left a wide influential trail behind him. And that influence continues to the present time—in approach, attitude and tone—in just about every guitar player who puts a slide on his finger and wails the blues. As a guitarist, he wrote the book, his slide style influencing the likes of Hound Dog Taylor, Joe Carter, his cousin Homesick James and J.B. Hutto, while his seldom-heard single-string work had an equally profound effect on B.B. King and Chuck Berry. His signature lick—an electric updating of Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom” and one that Elmore recorded in infinite variations from day one to his last session—is so much a part of the essential blues fabric of guitar licks that no one attempting to play slide guitar can do it without being compared to Elmore James. Others may have had more technique—Robert Nighthawk and Earl Hooker immediately come to mind—but Elmore had the sound and all the feeling.

A radio repairman by trade, Elmore reworked his guitar amplifiers in his spare time, getting them to produce raw, distorted sounds that wouldn’t resurface until the advent of heavy rock amplification in the late ‘60s. This amp-on-11-approach was hot-wired to one of the strongest emotional approaches to the blues ever recorded. There is never a time when you’re listening to one of his records that you feel—no matter how familiar the structure—that he’s phoning it in just to grab a quick session check. Elmore James always gave it everything he had, everything he could emotionally invest in a number. This commitment of spirit is something that shows up time and again when listening to multiple takes from his session masters. The sheer repetitiveness of the recording process would dim almost anyone’s creative fires, but Elmore always seemed to give it 100 percent every time the red light went on. Few blues singers had a voice that could compete with James’; it was loud, forceful, prone to “catch” or break up in the high registers, almost sounding on the verge of hysteria at certain moments. Evidently the times back in the mid-‘30s when Elmore had first-hand absorption of Robert Johnson as a playing companion had a deep influence on him, not only in his choice of material, but also in his presentation of it.

Backing the twin torrents of Elmore’s guitar and voice was one of the greatest—and earliest—Chicago blues bands. Named after James’ big hit, the Broomdusters featured Little Johnny Jones on piano, J.T. Brown on tenor sax and Elmore’s cousin, Homesick James on rhythm guitar. This talented nucleus was often augmented by a second saxophone on occasion while the drumming stool changed frequently. But this was the band that could go toe to toe in a battle of the blues against the bands of Muddy Waters or Howlin’ Wolf and always hold their own, if not walk with the show. Utilizing a stomping beat, Elmore’s slashing guitar, Jones’ two-fisted piano delivery, Homesick’s rudimentary boogie bass rhythm and Brown’s braying nanny-goat sax leads, the Broomdusters were as loud and powerful and popular as any blues band the Windy City had to offer.

But as urban as their sound was, it all had roots in Elmore’s hometown of Canton, MS. He was born there on January 27, 1918, the illegitimate son of Leola Brooks and later given the surname of his stepfather, Joe Willie James. He adapted to music at an early age, learning to play bottleneck on a homemade instrument fashioned out of a broom handle and a lard can. By the age of 14, he was already a weekend musician, working the various country suppers and juke joints in the area under the names “Cleanhead” or Joe’ Willie James.” Although he confined himself to a home base area around Belzoni, he would join up and work with traveling players coming through like Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. By the late ‘30s he had formed his first band and was working the Southern state area with Sonny Boy until the second world war broke out, spending three years stationed with the Navy in Guam. When he was discharged, he picked off where he left off, moving for a while to Memphis, working in clubs with Eddie Taylor and his cousin Homesick James. Elmore was also one of the first “guest stars” on the popular King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, AL, also doing stints on the Talaho Syrup show on Yazoo City’s WAZF and the Hadacol show on KWEM in West Memphis.

Nervous and unsure of his abilities as a recording artist, Elmore was surreptitiously recorded by Lillian McMurray of Trumpet Records at the tail end of a Sonny Boy session doing his now-signature tune, “Dust My Broom.” Legend has it that James didn’t even stay around long enough to hear the playback, much less record a second side. McMurray stuck a local singer (BoBo “Slim” Thomas) on the flip side and the record became the surprise R&B hit of 1951, making the Top Ten and conversely making a recording star out of Elmore. With a few months left on his Trumpet contract, Elmore was recorded by the Bihari Brothers for their Modern label subsidiaries, Flair and Meteor, but the results were left in the can until James’ contract ran out. In the meantime, Elmore had moved to Chicago and cut a quick session for Chess, which resulted in one single being issued and just as quickly yanked off the market as the Bihari Brothers swooped in to protect their investment. This period of activity found Elmore assembling the nucleus of his great band the Broomdusters and several fine recordings were issued over the next few years on a plethora of the Bihari Brothers’owned labels with several of them charting and most all of them becoming certified blues classics.

By this time James had established a beach-head in the clubs of Chicago as one of the most popular live acts and regularly broadcasting over WPOA under the aegis of disc jockey Big Bill Hill. In 1957, with his contract with the Bihari Brothers at an end, he recorded several successful sides for Mel London’s Chief label, all of them later being issued on the larger Vee-Jay label. His health—always in a fragile state due to a recurring heart condition—would send him back home to Jackson, MS, where he temporarily set aside his playing for work as a disc jockey or radio repair man. He came back to Chicago to record a session for Chess, then just as quickly broke contract to sign with Bobby Robinson’s Fire label, producing the classic “The Sky Is Crying” and numerous others. Running afoul with the Chicago musician’s union, he returned back to Mississippi, doing sessions in New York and New Orleans waiting for Big Bill Hill to sort things out. In May of 1963, Elmore returned to Chicago, ready to resume his on-again off-again playing career—his records were still being regularly issued and reissued on a variety of labels—when he suffered his final heart attack. His wake was attended by over 400 blues luminaries before his body was shipped back to Mississippi. He was elected to the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 1980 and was later elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a seminal influence. Elmore James may not have lived to reap the rewards of the blues revival, but his music and influence continues to resonate.

Willis Jackson - 1950-54

01 - On My Own (Cobb, Kynard)
02 - Chuck’s Chuckles (Jackson)
03 - Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man (Kern)
04 - Dance of the Lady Bug (Cobb, Kynard)
05 - Blow Jackson Blow (Jackson)
06 - More Blues at Midnight (Jackson)
07 - Later for the Gator (Jackson)
08 - Call of the Gators [Pee Wee] (Jackson)
09 - Harlem Nocturne (Hagen)
10 - Street Scene (Newman)
11 - Wine-O-Wine (Ertegun, Ramson, Stone)
12 - Good Gliding (Jackson)
13 - Here in My Heart (Barrelli, Geraro, Levinson)
14 - Estrellita (Ponce)
15 - Rock, Rock, Rock (Mundy)
16 - ‘Gator’s Groove (Jackson)
17 - Walking Home (Jackson)
18 - Shake Dance (Jackson, Nuggy)
19 - Try a Little Tenderness (Campbell, Connelly, Woods)
20 - Howling at Midnight (Jackson)
21 - We’ll Be Together Again (Fisher, Laine)
22 - The Cracker Jack (Jackson)

:arrow: http://www.4shared.com/file/00F0WMHM/Willis_Jackson_1950-54.html

01 - Wild Wig (McNeely)
02 - Sunday Dinner (McNeely)
03 - Deacon’s Groove (Cool Blood) (McNeely)
04 - Man Eater (McNeely)
05 - California Hop (McNeely)
06 - Cherry Smash (McNeely)
07 - The Deacon’s Hop (McNeely)
08 - Artie’s Jump (McNeely)
09 - Midnight Dreams (Blivens, McNeely)
10 - Blow Big Jay (McNeely)
11 - Boogie in Front (McNeely)
12 - Willie the Cool Cat (McNeely)
13 - Gingercake (McNeely)
14 - K & H Boogie (McNeely)
15 - Roadhouse Boogie (McNeely, Shirley)
16 - Hoppin’ With Hunter (McNeely)
17 - Tondelayo (McNeely)
18 - Junie-Flip (Blivens, McNeely)
19 - Jay’s Frantic (McNeely)
20 - Let’s Split (McNeely)
21 - Real Crazy Cool (McNeely)
22 - Deacon’s Blowout (McNeely)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZI8ZBSJ0

Big Jay McNeely
Born:  Cecil James McNeely on Apr 29, 1927 in Watts, CA

Biography by Bill Dahl, All Music
His mighty tenor sax squawking and bleating with wild-eyed abandon, Big Jay McNeely blew up a torrid R&B tornado from every conceivable position—on his knees, on his back, being wheeled down the street on an auto mechanic’s “creeper” like a modern-day pied piper. As one of the titans who made tenor sax the solo instrument of choice during rock’s primordial era, McNeely could peel the paper right off the walls with his sheets of squealing, honking horn riffs.

Cecil McNeely and his older brother Bob (who blew baritone sax lines with Jay in unison precision on some of Jay’s hottest instrumentals) grew up in Los Angeles, where jazz reigned on Watts’ bustling nightlife strip. Inspired by Illinois Jacquet and tutored by Jack McVea, McNeely struck up a friendship with Johnny Otis, co-owner of the popular Barrelhouse nitery. Ralph Bass, a friend of Otis, produced McNeely’s debut date for Savoy Records in 1948 (Savoy boss Herman Lubinsky tagged the saxist Big Jay, in his eyes a more commercial name than Cecil). McNeely’s raucous one-note honking on “The Deacon’s Hop” gave him and Savoy an R&B chart-topper in 1949, and his follow-up, “Wild Wig,” also hit big for the young saxist with the acrobatic stage presence.

From Savoy, McNeely moved to Exclusive in 1949, Imperial in 1950-1951, King’s Federal subsidiary in 1952-1954 (where he cut some of his wildest waxings, including the mind-boggling “3-D”), and Vee-Jay in 1955. McNeely’s live shows were the stuff that legends are made of—he electrified a sweaty throng of thousands packing L.A.‘s Wrigley Field in 1949 by blowing his sax up through the stands and then from home plate to first base on his back! A fluorescently painted sax that glowed in the dark was another of his showstopping gambits.

In 1958, McNeely cut his last hit in a considerably less frantic mode with singer Little Sonny Warner. The bluesy “There Is Something on Your Mind” was committed to tape in Seattle but came out on disc jockey Hunter Hancock’s Swingin’ imprint the next year. McNeely’s original was a huge smash, but it was eclipsed the following year by New Orleans singer Bobby Marchan’s dramatic R&B chart-topping version for Fire. Since then, it’s been covered countless times, including a fine rendition by Conway Twitty!

Honking saxists had fallen from favor by the dawn of the ‘60s, so McNeely eventually became a mailman and joined Jehovah’s Witnesses (no, that’s not the name of a combo). Happily, his horn came back out of the closet during the early ‘80s. McNeely went on to record for his own little label and tour the country and overseas regularly.

Review by arwulf arwulf, All Music
It is somehow fitting that a musician responsible for such gutsy, uncompromising music was born and raised in the Watts district of Los Angeles, CA. “Deacon” Big Jay McNeely helped establish rock & roll by hammering out a stream of jump records that were perfect for dancing and carousing purposes. Most of these tunes are grandstand blowouts, tempered with occasional slow and substantial essays in blue like “Deacon’s Groove (Cool Blood).” Between the rips and roars it’s interesting to examine the personnel involved in all of these dynamite recordings. John Anderson seems to have been McNeely’s primary trumpeter, while the trombones were handled by either Earl Hines alumnus John “Streamline” Ewing or the mighty Britt Woodman, a musician greatly admired by Charles Mingus. The combination of Woodman’s trombone and Jay’s brother Bob McNeely’s baritone sax is powerful, creating a vertigo effect during “The Deacon’s Hop.” Beginning with the Exclusive Records session of February 1949, Leonard “Tight” Hardiman was established as the drummer, with Charles McNiles socking the bongos on “Blow Big Jay” and the relatively laid-back “Tondelayo.” Jimmy O’Brien plays exceptionally fine piano behind Clifford Blivens’ blues shouting on “Midnight Dreams” and “Junie Flip.” He is featured on “K & H Boogie” and adds spice to the mix throughout this exciting collection. Bassist Ted Shirley sings gruffly on “Roadhouse Boogie.” McNeely’s debut session for Aladdin Records provided him with greater exposure and apparently inspired him to blow hotter than ever, while his brother roared almost demonically behind him on the baritone. “Let’s Split” sounds almost identical to the 1950 Johnny Otis hit “Turkey Hop.” Its apparent sequel, “Real Crazy Cool,” seems downright demented! Generally speaking, this is good time music that won’t quit.

01 - Heartbroken and Worried (Turner)
02 - I’m Lonesome Baby (Turner)
03 - You’re Driving Me Insane (Bihari, Turner)
04 - Troubles and Heartaches (Taub, Turner)
05 - Everybody’s Talking (Lee, Turner)
06 - Love Is a Gamble (Lee, Turner)
07 - My Heart Belongs to You (Stidham)
08 - Looking for My Baby (Baron, Taub, Turner)
09 - Way Down in the Congo (Turner)
10 - Old Brother Jack (Turner)
11 - Love Is a Gamble (Lee, Turner)
12 - Love Is Scarce (Turner)
13 - The Way You Used to Treat Me ()
14 - Nobody Wants Me (Turner)
15 - Nobody Seems to Want Me (Turner)
16 - Why Did You Leave Me ()
17 - Cubano Jump (Hey Miss Tina) (Turner)
18 - Loosely (The Wild One) (Turner)
19 - Cuban Get Away (Bayou Rock) (Josea)
20 - Go to It (Stringin’ Along) (Josea)
21 - All the Blues, All the Time (Dixon, Hooker, Jackson, James, Johnson, King, Ling, Parker)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CR9YPRLH

Ike Turner
Born:  Izear Luster Turner Jnr.  on Nov 5, 1931 in Clarksdale, MS
Died: Dec 12, 2007 in San Marcos, CA

Review by Tim Sendra, All Music
Classics’ 1951-1954 collects 21 sides from the early days of Ike Turner’s long and winding career. The songs were originally released on a variety of top labels like Chess, PRM, Modern, Sun, and Flair and feature Turner in a variety of settings: in Kings of Rhythm with Jackie Brenston on vocals, fronting a big band, backing and duetting with Bonnie Turner, and playing with Lover Boy. The songs are a mix of bluesy ballads and hot-wired jump blues with Turner’s piano bopping like soda pop and the beats pretty darn close to rock & roll. The duets with Bonnie Turner are the most fun; her innocent and perky vocals sound like a kitten about to be eaten by Turner’s wolf. They also feature him on guitar for the first time, and showcase his primitive and fierce style. The instrumentals cut for Flair in 1954 are also lots of fun, as Turner gets loose on some wild rockers like “Cubano Jump” and “Go to It.” Topping it off is 1954’s very cool “All Blues, All the Time,” which features him soloing in the style of blues masters like Elmore James, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and B.B. King. 1951-1954 is just one of many collections that showcase the young Turner’s skills; it is also one of the best.

01 - Insect Ball (Mayhand, McNeely)
02 - Sad Story
03 - All That Wine Is Gone (Huff)
04 - Don’t Cry Baby (Bernie, Huff, Johnson, Smith, Unger)
05 - Let’s Do It (Lewis, McNeely, Phillips, Porter)
06 - I’ll Never Love Again (McNeely, Phillips)
07 - Love From the Heart
08 - Old Black Mule
09 - The Deacon Blows for Ray (McNeely)
10 - Tall, Brown Woman (Bartley, Hickman)
11 - Deacon Rides Again (McNeely)
12 - Blow, Blow, Blow (Bruner, McNeely)
13 - Jay Walk (McNeely)
14 - Night Ride (McNeely)
15 - Jet Fury (McNeely)
16 - Deacon’s Express (McNeely)
17 - The Goof (McNeely)
18 - Penthouse Serenade (When We’re Alone) (Burton, Jason)
19 - Just Crazy (McNeely)
20 - Big Jay Shuffle (McNeely)

[spoiler2]http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3OPETLG7[/spoiler2]

Biography by Bill Dahl, All Music
His mighty tenor sax squawking and bleating with wild-eyed abandon, Big Jay McNeely blew up a torrid R&B tornado from every conceivable position—on his knees, on his back, being wheeled down the street on an auto mechanic’s “creeper” like a modern-day pied piper. As one of the titans who made tenor sax the solo instrument of choice during rock’s primordial era, McNeely could peel the paper right off the walls with his sheets of squealing, honking horn riffs.

Cecil McNeely and his older brother Bob (who blew baritone sax lines with Jay in unison precision on some of Jay’s hottest instrumentals) grew up in Los Angeles, where jazz reigned on Watts’ bustling nightlife strip. Inspired by Illinois Jacquet and tutored by Jack McVea, McNeely struck up a friendship with Johnny Otis, co-owner of the popular Barrelhouse nitery. Ralph Bass, a friend of Otis, produced McNeely’s debut date for Savoy Records in 1948 (Savoy boss Herman Lubinsky tagged the saxist Big Jay, in his eyes a more commercial name than Cecil). McNeely’s raucous one-note honking on “The Deacon’s Hop” gave him and Savoy an R&B chart-topper in 1949, and his follow-up, “Wild Wig,” also hit big for the young saxist with the acrobatic stage presence.

From Savoy, McNeely moved to Exclusive in 1949, Imperial in 1950-1951, King’s Federal subsidiary in 1952-1954 (where he cut some of his wildest waxings, including the mind-boggling “3-D”), and Vee-Jay in 1955. McNeely’s live shows were the stuff that legends are made of—he electrified a sweaty throng of thousands packing L.A.‘s Wrigley Field in 1949 by blowing his sax up through the stands and then from home plate to first base on his back! A fluorescently painted sax that glowed in the dark was another of his showstopping gambits.

In 1958, McNeely cut his last hit in a considerably less frantic mode with singer Little Sonny Warner. The bluesy “There Is Something on Your Mind” was committed to tape in Seattle but came out on disc jockey Hunter Hancock’s Swingin’ imprint the next year. McNeely’s original was a huge smash, but it was eclipsed the following year by New Orleans singer Bobby Marchan’s dramatic R&B chart-topping version for Fire. Since then, it’s been covered countless times, including a fine rendition by Conway Twitty!

Honking saxists had fallen from favor by the dawn of the ‘60s, so McNeely eventually became a mailman and joined Jehovah’s Witnesses (no, that’s not the name of a combo). Happily, his horn came back out of the closet during the early ‘80s. McNeely went on to record for his own little label and tour the country and overseas regularly.

Review by arwulf arwulf, All Music
It is somehow fitting that a musician responsible for such gutsy, uncompromising music was born and raised in the Watts district of Los Angeles, CA. “Deacon” Big Jay McNeely helped establish rock & roll by hammering out a stream of jump records that were perfect for dancing and carousing purposes. Most of these tunes are grandstand blowouts, tempered with occasional slow and substantial essays in blue like “Deacon’s Groove (Cool Blood).” Between the rips and roars it’s interesting to examine the personnel involved in all of these dynamite recordings. John Anderson seems to have been McNeely’s primary trumpeter, while the trombones were handled by either Earl Hines alumnus John “Streamline” Ewing or the mighty Britt Woodman, a musician greatly admired by Charles Mingus. The combination of Woodman’s trombone and Jay’s brother Bob McNeely’s baritone sax is powerful, creating a vertigo effect during “The Deacon’s Hop.” Beginning with the Exclusive Records session of February 1949, Leonard “Tight” Hardiman was established as the drummer, with Charles McNiles socking the bongos on “Blow Big Jay” and the relatively laid-back “Tondelayo.” Jimmy O’Brien plays exceptionally fine piano behind Clifford Blivens’ blues shouting on “Midnight Dreams” and “Junie Flip.” He is featured on “K & H Boogie” and adds spice to the mix throughout this exciting collection. Bassist Ted Shirley sings gruffly on “Roadhouse Boogie.” McNeely’s debut session for Aladdin Records provided him with greater exposure and apparently inspired him to blow hotter than ever, while his brother roared almost demonically behind him on the baritone. “Let’s Split” sounds almost identical to the 1950 Johnny Otis hit “Turkey Hop.” Its apparent sequel, “Real Crazy Cool,” seems downright demented! Generally speaking, this is good time music that won’t quit.

01 - Sparrow’s Flight (Sparrow)
02 - Saratoga Rock
03 - Blue Sparrow
04 - Drumming Up the Works
05 - Michael’s Cycle (Sparrow)
06 - Serenade to Twins (Sparrow)
07 - Word From Deacon Bird (Sparrow)
08 - Who Owns the Joint (Sparrow)
09 - When Your Lover Has Gone (Swan)
10 - Sparrow in the Barrel (Sparrow)
11 - Boudoir Boogie
12 - Sparrow’s Fight N°2 (Sparrow)
13 - Am I Blue? (Akst, Clarke)
14 - Serenade to Satchmo
15 - Yesterdays (Harbach, Kern)
16 - Always (Berlin)
17 - Paradise Rock (Sparrow)
18 - Lover, Come Back to Me (Jones, Kahn)
19 - I’ll See You in My Dreams (Jones, Kahn)
20 - Jump Steady
21 - Indiana (Hanley, MacDonald)
22 - What’s New? (Burke, Haggart)
23 - Keyhole Special (Nyack)
24 - Sparrow’s Nest (Nyack)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4VR1N63C

B.B. King - 1949-52

01 - Miss Martha King (King)
02 - When Your Baby Packs Up and Goes (King)
03 - Got the Blues (King)
04 - Take a Swing with Me (King)
05 - Mistreated Woman (King, Taub)
06 - B.B. Boogie (King, Taub)
07 - The Other Night Blues (Bihari, King)
08 - Walkin’ and Cryin’ (King, Ling)
09 - My Baby’s Gone (King, Taub)
10 - Don’t You Want a Man Like Me (Taub)
11 - Questionnaire Blues (Josea, King)
12 - B.B. Blues (King, Taub)
13 - A New Way of Driving (Bihari, King)
14 - Fine Lookin’ Woman (King)
15 - She’s Dynamite (Whittaker)
16 - She’s a Mean Woman (King, Taub)
17 - Hard Workin’ Woman (King, Taub)
18 - Pray for You (King)
19 - 3 O’Clock Blues (King, Taub)
20 - That Ain’t the Way to Do It (King, Taub)
21 - She Don’t Move Me No More (King)
22 - Shake It Up and Go (King, Taub)
23 - It’s My Own Fault (King, Taub)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FCBQK1WM

B.B. King - 1952-53

01 - Gotta Find My Baby (King)
02 - Low Down Dirty Baby (King)
03 - I’m So Glad (King)
04 - I Got a Gal (King)
05 - Some Day Some Where (King)
06 - You Didn’t Want Me (King)
07 - You Know I Love You (King)
08 - Story from My Heart and Soul (King, Taub)
09 - Boogie Woogie Woman (King, Taub) 
10 - Woke Up This Morning (King, Taub)
11 - Blind Love (King, Taub)
12 - Don’t Have to Cry (Past Day) (King, Taub)
13 - Please Love Me (King, Taub)
14 - Highway Bound (King, Taub)
15 - Bye! Bye! Baby (King)
16 - Can’t We Talk It Over (Come Back Baby) (Davis)
17 - Neighborhood Affair (Thomas)
18 - Please Hurry Home (King, Taub)
19 - Why Did You Leave Me (King, Taub)
20 - Praying to the Lord (King, Taub)
21 - Please Help Me (King, Taub)
22 - Please Remember Me (King, Taub)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2BH4JJSF

Big Mama Thornton - 1950-53 (BRCC 5088)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WY72V5MQ

Big Mama Thornton
Born: Willie Mae Thornton on Dec 11, 1926 in Montgomery, AL
Died: Jul 25, 1984 in Los Angeles, CA

Biography by Bill Dahl, All Music
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton only notched one national hit in her lifetime, but it was a true monster. “Hound Dog” held down the top slot on Billboard’s R&B charts for seven long weeks in 1953. Alas, Elvis Presley’s rocking 1956 cover was even bigger, effectively obscuring Thornton’s chief claim to immortality.

That’s a damned shame, because Thornton’s menacing growl was indeed something special. The hefty belter first opened her pipes in church but soon embraced the blues. She toured with Sammy Green’s Hot Harlem Revue during the 1940s. Thornton was ensconced on the Houston circuit when Peacock Records boss Don Robey signed her in 1951. She debuted on Peacock with “Partnership Blues” that year, backed by trumpeter Joe Scott’s band.

But it was her third Peacock date with Johnny Otis’s band that proved the winner. With Pete Lewis laying down some truly nasty guitar behind her, Big Mama shouted “Hound Dog,” a tune whose authorship remains a bone of contention to this day (both Otis and the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller claim responsibility) and soon hit the road a star.

But it was an isolated incident. Though Thornton cut some fine Peacock follow-ups—“I Smell a Rat,” “Stop Hoppin’ on Me,” “The Fish,” “Just like a Dog”—through 1957, she never again reached the hit parade. Even Elvis was apparently unaware of her; he was handed “Hound Dog” by Freddie Bell, a Vegas lounge rocker. Early-‘60s 45s for Irma, Bay-Tone, Kent, and Sotoplay did little to revive her sagging fortunes, but a series of dates for Arhoolie that included her first vinyl rendition of “Ball and Chain” in 1968 and two albums for Mercury in 1969-70 put her back in circulation (Janis Joplin’s overwrought but well-intentioned cover of “Ball and Chain” didn’t hurt either). Along with her imposing vocals, Thornton began to emphasize her harmonica skills during the 1960s.

Thornton was a tough cookie. She dressed like a man and took no guff from anyone, even as the pounds fell off her once-ample frame and she became downright scrawny during the last years of her life. Medical personnel found her lifeless body in an L.A. rooming house in 1984.

Wynonie Harris 1945-47

01 - Good Morning Corrine (Hampton) 1
02 - Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop, Pt. 1 (Hamner, Hampton)
03 - Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop, Pt. 2 (Hamner, Hampton)
04 - In the Evenin’ Blues (Hampton)
05 - Dig This Boogie (Harris)
06 - Lightning Struck the Poor House (Harris)
07 - My Baby’s Barrel House (Harris)
08 - Drinkin’ by Myself (Harris)
09 - Mr. Blues Jumped the Rabbit (Harris)
10 - Rugged Road (Harris)
11 - Come Back, Baby (Hedges, Palmer)
12 - Whiskey and Jelly-Roll Blues (Williams)
13 - You Got to Get Yourself a Job, Girl (Barker)
14 - Hard Ridin’ Mama (Theard, Toombs)
15 - Big City Blues (Harris)
16 - I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You (Crosby, Washington, Young)
17 - Battle of the Blues, Pt. 1 (Harris, Turner)
18 - Battle of the Blues, Pt. 2 (Harris, Turner)
19 - Goin’ Home (Turner)
20 - Blues (Harris, Turner)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PLURW832

Wynonie Harris 1947-49

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YM494FF9

Wynonie Harris 1950-52

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6X8VREPM

1. Vooey, Vooey Vay
2. After School Blues
3. Numbers Boogie
4. Caldonia
5. Say, Little Girl
6. Bouncing Ball Boogie
7. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
8. Christmas Boogie
9. Sticks And Stones
10. The Bases Were Loaded
11. Broken-Down Piano
12. I’ll Eat My Spinach
13. Baby Blues
14. The Donkey Song
15. The Hunkie Man
16.The Green Grass Grows All Around
17.Whop, Whop.mp3
18.Lazy Boy’s Boogie.mp3
19.Frustration Boogie.mp3
20.Go, Boy, Go.mp3
21.Detroit Rag.mp3
22.St. Louis Blues.mp3
23.Yancey Special.mp3
24.Hum-Drum Boogie.mp3

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8EJSB9DH

Frank “Sugar Chile” Robinson, born 1938, is a blues and boogie-woogie pianist, singer, and psychologist from Detroit, Michigan. At an early age Robinson showed unusual gifts singing the blues and accompanying himself on the piano. As a child prodigy, he appeared with Count Basie on television, performed with Lionel Hampton and played for President Harry S. Truman at the White House. He appeared in the 1946 Hollywood feature film No Leave, No Love with Van Johnson and Keenan Wynn and in the 1950 short film ‘Sugar Chile’ Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. Robinson continued to tour Europe and America until the mid-1950s when he opted to pursue an academic career. He earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Michigan. Remaining in musical obscurity throughout the latter 20th century, he surfaced in the early 2000s, and has made a comeback with the help of the American Music Research Foundation.