5 comments about T-Bone Blues.

1. The sound is a little old-fashioned, but the playing remains of interest. Not as flamboyant as many of the modern players - just good, solid blues that is consistently entertaining. A classic.



2. Most blues fans know that T-Bone was the man. He influenced virtually every blues, jazz, and rock guitar player that came after him, wrote some timeless classics, and had a wonderful, smooth voice. This album consists largely of re-recordings of some of T-Bone's best songs, but don't let this discourage you, because even if you have the sublime originals, this disc is worth every penny and more... and not just for the spectacular tracks unique to the album. His remakes of his own classics are executed with stunning grace and skill. As another reviewer noted, some of these versions are actually the definitive versions, such as "Papa Ain't Salty." The instrumental "two bones and a pick" is a breathtaking duel between three masters, who T-bone, at the very least, gives a heck of a run for their money. Once again, if you have the original captitol/imperial recordings, but don't have this, then your T-bone collection is lacking... this is absolutely essential!



3. My favorite single T-Bone disc. Listen and learn how lead guitar came to be. Incredible groove that never grows old. If I was stranded on an island with 10 CDs this would be one.



4. This is a different kind of blues that is very enjoyable



5. I am appreciating this CD more every time I listen to it.

5 comments about Precious Lord: The Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey.

1. This is truly a classic of that old time spiritual gospel we all grew up on. Every time I hear anything by Dr. Thomas Dorsey, it takes me back to my childhood and going to church with my grandmama in Alabama... a MUST have CD!



2. I first heard of Thomas Dorsey on a PBS program. I was very impressed
   then,and this album has just increased my love of his music. A very good
   CD which has to be heard to be appreciated. Highly recommended!



3. Outstanding, a highly recommended if you are interested or would like to get to know, feel and understand GOD SPEL, please sink your spiritual heart in this and reach deeeeep down to succumb to the meaning by understanding the trials and tribulations of the times. True voices, lyrics, deep in your soul, way back when GOSPEL. The much older generation know Mr. Dorsey, who was/is Gospel. The younger generation know Lift Every Voice and Sing, Thank you.



4. Five stars does not do justice to this classic. Trust me; if you are a fan of true spiritual gospel music, this is the CD for you. A CD for all times that will magnify your collection.
   
   PEACE.



5. Your soul will thank you. One of my all-time favorites. Thomas A. Dorsey is a genius--one of the best American songwriters...ever. As a tunesmith, he is up there with Jagger, Richards, Dylan, Lennon, Waits, Newman, Foster and Ray Charles. What a record.

5 comments about Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume 4 (Edited By Harry Smith).

1. It's hard to imagine that anything could be better than the original Folkways box set (Volumes 1-3), but this album is. Everything I love about V1-3, there is even more of here. The eerie juxtaposition of darkness and jubilation pretty much sums up the whole 20th Century in an hour and a half. Yes, it's short and pricey, but better in my mind to preserve Smith's original vision - after all, he scuttled the original release of this album in order to stay true to that vision.



2. it's an excellent collection. I mean, for about the price of two of these you can almost buy the original 6-CD Anthology. Fortunately, the songs are beautiful, and like the original Anthology, way weird. The Carter Family cuts are scary in their dead-pan beauty; Bukka White's Parchman Farm Blues is one of the saddest blues ever and the Blue Sky Boys' On the Bank of the Ohio is sort of like Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me meets Bill Monroe. A great selection.

   Is it worth the hefty price though?




3. The price is too high and the discs too short. It really does lack the magic of the original mainly due to the lack of Harry Smith's original notes and overall design. What it does have is a brilliant biography of Smith who was an all around oddball and flake (he refused to release this originally because the label wanted to include a pro FDR song!). However he came about compiling this list from his enormous collection (shortly before he sold it the New York Public Library), the result is a brilliant mix of obscure and known tracks from the depression.

   So, if you liked the original, you know you are going to buy this someday (where else can one find such an appreication for jug band music?). If you are a fan of "Race and Hillbilly" like me you'll give blood to get this.




4. Volume 4 fits very well with the previous three. There are a lot of old-time music anthologies out there these days but there's something going on with Mr. Smith's work that seems to be lacking in the others. I find all of the tracks of Vol-4 to be memorable performances. The Leadbelly cut particularly sticks in my mind, but on another day I might single out any of the others as well.

   The accompanying notes are extensive & well-presented although it's black ink on dark brown paper in tiny font, so the reading can be tough. And you are paying for the presentation in the pricetag.

   I was half-expecting to be disappointed by this album because the earlier release was so important to me, but it turns out that this one makes for great listening as well i.e. it has the elusive 'HS-factor' going for it too. If you are the type of person who got changed by the 3-Volume Folkways Anthology, then you will dig Volume 4. Really, it's been a rumor for so long .. it's incredible that it is now generally available.




5. Thanks to John Fahey and The Harry Smith Archives 'The Anthology' has now been respectfully completed (sans Harry's original liner notes and design). Volume 4 is a well qualified supplement to 'Smithsonian Folkways' volumes 1 through 3, and is very close to what Harry originally intended. The Monroe Brothers, The Carter Family, The Memphis Jug Band, Leadbelly, Sleepy John Estes, Bukka White, Uncle Dave Macon, Robert Johnson---the forgotten folk masters who became American icons after Harry shared his record collection with us in 1952---are represented here with outstanding performances. Not to mention the several artists you possibly haven't heard---just revel in the acapella beauty of The Heavenly Gospel Singers 'Mean Old World'. Aside from wondrous historic music 'Volume 4' is another loving tribute to the eccentric genius of the irascible Harry Smith. Without this offering, you certainly don't have the entire 'Anthology', and although the packaging doesn't match the Smithsonian set, it is very nicely done---just don't try to put it in your plastic CD rack. If you're into your folk roots don't miss this one!

   Jim Otterstrom

4 comments about Classic Old-Time Music.

1. I came across this as a 'you might also like' for "O Brother, Where Art Thou"..a fantastic soundtrack you must get. This...is nothing like it. It's more like what Pa Ingalls played for Laura in Little House on the Prarie. Not to say that's bad, but it's not what you would expect. Be sure to listen to samples first, to know what you're getting.



2. Here's another excellent compilation of material that originally appeared on various Folkways albums recorded during the last four decades of the twentieth century, all featuring old-timey country string band performances. The Red Clay Ramblers, The New Lost City Ramblers, Slim and Kirk McGhee, Doc Watson, Mike Seeger, and Clarence Ashley are just a few of the artists on this CD, and fiddles, banjos, and guitars are the instruments of choice. Whether it's Wade Wards wonderful banjo picking on the solo CHILLY WINDS, Mike Seeger's fiddle on BONAPARTE'S RETREAT, or the jubilant singing of Eric Davidson with the Iron Mountain String Band on SUGAR HILL, the music is rich in tradition and delightful to hear. Roots music fans will certainly love this CD, but so will anyone who enjoys old-time music from the southern mountains played to perfection. A most infectious CD, well worth acquiring.



3. This CD contains a superb selection of old-time string music and vocals from an era that currently seems to be overlooked by the country-western crowd, and, to a certain extent,even the bluegrass affcionados. Some of the recordings in the mix are obviously dated and not the highest quality, but these are countered by crystal-clear performances by such greats as the New Lost City Ramblers, Mike Seeger, George Pegram, the Spare Change Boys, Mother Maybelle Carter and Doc Watson. This CD contains fiddle tunes, waltzes, cloggin' tunes, spirituals, instrumentals and vocals that are pure and totally acoustic. I love putting this CD in my truck, rolling down the windows, opening the moon roof, and cranking up the volume, drowning out the hip-hop coming from the hoopdies in the other lane. It's a fantastic selection.



4. In this, the fourth of a series of collections culled from Smithsonian Folkways' massive archives, the focus is on the deep mountain music of masters famous and obscure, and the quality is uniformly high. Another plus is Jeff Place's excellent liner notes, which include informative annotations to each song or tune and performance. All told, this is the sort of thing that ought to make any devotee of Southern roots sounds very, very happy.

   The performances come from both rural and revival artists, but the difference is academic, and the two meld into a seamless whole. Inevitably, a few songs are old, albeit never unwelcome, reliables, such as Dock Boggs's "Country Blues" and Clarence Ashley's "Little Sadie," but there are plenty of surprises, too. One has Maybelle Carter and Sara Carter Bayes reunited in the 1960s to do, interestingly, a song associated with the Delmore Brothers. The wonderful late-1960s LP -- never reissued in its entirety as a CD -- that Cousin Emmy recorded with the New Lost City Ramblers is tapped for an energetic, assured rendition of "Bowling Green" (also memorably sung elsewhere by the revivalist duo the Kossoy Sisters, and not to be confused with the Everly Brothers song of the same name). Roscoe Holcomb's "Trouble in Mind" is almost disorienting in its intensity, transforming a familiar song into something else entirely. There's Wade Ward's rocking banjo instrumental "Chilly Winds" (aka "Going Down This Road Feeling Bad") and Etta Baker and Cora Phillips's gorgeous banjo/guitar duet "Jaybird March." And there's everything else, too. If you're looking for mountain music at its peak, Smithsonian Folkways has -- as usual -- brought you there.

5 comments about American Roots Music [DVD].

1. This DVD answers the question "Where did American Pop Music come from"? It traces the idioms of folk, gospel, jazz, r&b, native American song, and country, and shows their combination in the work of Elvis and others. It includes interviews with people who were there, when possible, and contemporary artists influenced by the past, when it was not. For example, an extensive section on gospel includes interviews with the late Tom Dorsey (gospel, not the big band guy) and insights from Mavis Staples. Narrated by a legend in country music, Kris Kristofferson, American Roots is a testament to the music that shaped our nation and our current pop culture.



2. Its hard to believe someone budgeted a 4-part series that says so little about such a fascinating and important subject. This is truly one of the worst documentaries I've ever seen and in four volumes! The first episode makes no sense, its just bits and pieces of sound clips, film and photos supposedly representing the development of roots music but there's no story that ties it together. For example, gospel music is one of the foundations of roots music. The documentary spends a fair amount of time on the topic but gives no real explanation of what it is or why its so important. You have to already be familiar with the history of american roots music to put together the confusing pieces. Kris Kristoffersen narrates and sounds like he's about to fall asleep. Its very lame, don't waste your money.



3. Some great footage of real music legends edited into obscenely short clips with unenlightening narrative commentary by a bunch of folk-music has-beens and nobodies vieing for the viewers sympathies by maundering on cluelessly about the fabled sufferings of the American underclasses. Lots of bogus romanticization which would be thoroughly unecessasary if they had simply shut up and let the music speak for itself (like i give a crap what KEB MO has to say about any of the great bluesmen!!). The treatment of most of the musical forms is hoplessley brief and slapdash - particularily the cajun and Zydeco segments. Unfortunately, a lot of people will claim to like this simply because they feel like they SHOULD, but this was a concept that had a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered. A waste of time and money.



4. The PBS American Roots Music series - both the 4 part documentary on DVD and 4 CD boxed set - is a commendable work. It is an incredible education in not only popular American music and culture, but history, and should be required viewing and listening in high schools.

   Many of the problems in American Society and its youth today stem from a complete lack of pride and self-awareness. A quick survey of popular music and culture reveal a frightening level of ignorance of America's history, values, and ideals. In short, while the series focusses on America's musical traditions, it does a fantastic job of conveying a sense of America's "roots" in a positive, enriching manner.

   The DVD documentary strikes a perfect balance between glossing over, and becoming bogged down in, the material. Unlike the Ken Burns' projects that exhaust the viewer's interest and collapse under their own weight, the series is informative and educational, yet entertaining. It is not MEANT to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject - and so some reviewers here are missing the point - that would take 40, not 4, episodes. Rather, it is an introduction and a sampler; peaking our curiosity and prompting us to investigate and research further the wonderful heritage of music out there. And in that, it succeeds marvelously.

   What also impressed me was the documentary's remarkable objectivity. While it eschews political correctness, it doesn't necessarily candy coat anything either. What it does do is present the material in a respectful, thoughtful, intelligent, and unbiased manner - something so lacking in today's political and social discourse. So in this sense, folks looking for something with an "agenda" - conspiracies, skeletons in the closet, and historical revisionism - may be disappointed by the documentary.

   The CD boxed set is equally well-done: a fantastic booklet, thorough liner notes, and collection of songs that is a music lover's dream. Again, it is intended to be a sampler - great songs by landmark artists - not an exhaustive account of American Roots music. And also like the documentary, its meant to be a enriching, uplifting - not deconstructing - experience.

   If the series has a shortcoming, it is the absence of one of the major "roots" - Jazz - which was no doubt and most unfortunately excluded, because of the recent Ken Burns' PBS documentary. But to exclude Jazz from the discussion of American Roots music, means we do not have the entire picture. And so in that sense, the series is somewhat flawed.

   Still, its hard to find any other fault with the series. This is a work that TRULY embraces and celebrates America's cultural diversity. Entertaining and enlightening, I would heartily recommend owning the box set and DVD for one's own edification as well as a way to help introduce friends and family to REAL American music - in all its forms.




5. When I saw this picture of BB King on the cover of the DVD , I thought I was in for a real historic musical treat. When I read the back of the box and saw that they had rare footage and that they actually had a chapter on Zydeco, I got even more excited. I immediately rushed to the sales counter at Tower Records and gave them my hard earned 40 dollars plus tax. When I got home, I put the DVD in the player and main menu appeared. I selected the chapter on Zydeco, because it is a music that my family in Southwest Louisiana was instrumental in creating. When the video began to play, my excitement turned to disgust, for they attempted to present this very Black Louisiana Creole music as a spin off of so-called "Cajun" music. Other than the brief footage on Clifton Chenier, the video didn't interview or expose the viewers to not one Black Creole creator of the music. Instead they interviewed various white folks, who even if they considered themselves experts, are at best outsiders of the Black Creole culture, and judging from what they shared on the video they didn't know that much about the music.

   In the chapter covering Zydeco I would have loved to see some rare footage or mention of the "juré" music of the Black Southwest Louisiana Creoles that later became what is called Zydeco. I would have loved to hear stories from the common folk around Opelousas, Ville Platte, Mamou, Eunice and Plasiance telling about the racism of the Cajuns toward the Black Creoles of the area, and how this racism reinforced the seprate musical worlds of the Cajuns from that of the Black Creoles. Instead this video painted a very false picture of cultural homogeneity between two very distinct people who have been at odds for over two centuries. While it is true that the Black Creoles of Southwest Louisiana had French folk songs in their repetoire, Black Creole music ( including so-called "Zydeco") is no spin off of Cajun music. To the contrary, Cajun musicians are borrowing from Black Creole music at an alarming rate. In fact the only other musicians covered in the Zydeco segment is a band of white folks who according to the video are "blending elements of Cajun music, Zydeco and Swamp Pop". The makers of this video should have dug a little deeper into American soil and touched the deepest roots before projecting such an influential film into the market place of ideas. This DVD is sure to mislead at lease a million people. People should watch this video with caution.

   (reprinted with permission from blackdotcafe magazine oct/nov 2002 issue)

3 comments about D.C. Blues: Library of Congress Recordings.

1. While it isn't listed on the notes or anywhere else, CD#1 actually has 18 tracks, not 17. Not only that, this 18th track is the best of the entire 36: It is called "Nobody's Dirty Business" and is stellar to say the least. Put this 2cd set in your car's cd player, and you can drive from Boston to East Boise and still not get tired of it.



2. It's always wise to be thankful for little miracles. That Mississippi John Hurt was "rediscovered" living only a mile away from the crossroads hamlet of Avalon, MS, deduced from the title of a 78-rpm recording he'd made in 1928, by a young guitar player from Washington, DC, named Tom Hoskins, is a miracle we all should be grateful for. That Hurt could still play and sing as well in 1963 when Hoskins found him as he did in 1928 is another praiseworthy miracle. Finally, that the Library of Congress showed the interest and was able to induce Hurt to come to the Coolidge Auditorium in DC in July of 1963 and record dozens of songs as the crowning achievement of his legacy is perhaps the biggest miracle of all, capped off with the fact that all of us now can enjoy those recorded gems with this double-CD set.
   
   Hurt was one of the most lyrical country blues artists who ever lived. He was born and lived his whole life in the Delta, yet he was untouched and uninfluenced by the great Delta musicians (Patton, Johnson, Skip James, et.al.) and their gruff, extroverted singing and string-busting guitar-playing tradition. Hurt sang in a deep, quiet voice and played intricate, even delicate, patterns on his guitar. The masterpieces from'27 (CANDY MAN, STACKOLEE, LOUIS COLLINS, NOBODY'S DIRTY BUSINESS, and, of course, AVALON BLUES) are all revived here and sound just as good as they did back in '28 (the sound, of course, is much better). There are 35 titles in this 2-CD set and every one is a beauty. John Hurt is a national treasure and these LoC recordings are a testament to his genius. Definitely grab these CDs (hopefully Fuel will issue the remaining unissued sides in Volume 2) and then get the 1928 Okeh recordings (on a Columbia CD) and, finally, check out Hurt's Newport and other post-rediscovery albums on Vanguard (on a nice 3-CD set). You will not be disappointed - the man was amazing.



3. These recordings have long been some of the most difficult to find in the Mississippi John Hurt catalogue. This is ironic in that they are among the finest recordings Hurt ever made. Recorded during two marathon recording sessions in the summer of 1963, this is the second batch of material Hurt recorded after his rediscovery. The first batch was recorded in April of that same year. I can't say enough about these Library of Congress recordings or about Mississippi John Hurt, in general. These sessions, in particular, have a warmth and intimacy about them that I really enjoy. Hurt plays many of these cuts in the C positioning on his guitar with the strings tuned down one or two steps. This really brings out the warmth of his voice. Consider, for example, his rendition of "Corrina Corrina". This may be the lowest I've ever heard him sing. His voice and guitar are so up close that they positively tickle your ear. There would be such a void in recorded blues music, without the lovely contributions of Mississippi John Hurt. For my money, no other blues singer sings and plays with such gentleness, grace, and beauty. He's truly in a category all his own, which is why many people in the past have argued that Hurt's not a blues singer at all, but a songster. We are so lucky that Hurt was discovered and recorded, first in '28 and then later during the blues revival of the 60s. It really makes you wonder about all those blues singers that never recorded and died unnoticed. By the time I was born, Mississippi John Hurt had already passed on. I'm really glad his music lives on.

5 comments about Come on In.

1. The Eelectric Blues never sounded so good. R.L. Burnside is very talented and Tract 3 "Let my Baby Ride" is one of my frvorite songs EVER.
   
   This album was produced, engineered and mixed by Tom Rothrock and I enjoyed it all the way through. This is an excelent album!



2. This is bad bad bad. I am certainly a purist and hate to see cultural icons and forms such as this melded so poorly. It doesn't work. I love R.L.'s pure blues. They are top notch and tough to find better but electronica and blues doesn't cut it. I am a Depeche Mode fan as well but some things are best left alone. I will be selling this back to a CD store.



3. Thank you Sirius Radeo and Amazon for bringing us RL Burside. Too bad the local "music (??)" Channels and stores still haven't got a clue in what great music really is.
   Its easy to see why "It's Bad You Know" is the most requested song on Sirius Blues.



4. This album is kind of like wasabi: it takes some getting used to but if you do, you have a friend for life. You're in for a big surprise if you're expecting traditional blues from this old bluesman. This is techno remix blues, which obviously won't please some, but he pulls it off. Best-known and probably the best tune is "It's Bad You Know", played on WXRT in Chicago, who turned me on to the album. Most of the cuts are musical loops, not all of which work, but overall pretty solid and recommended for anyone wanting something different. Die-hard blues purists need not apply.



5. Dear Mr. Yates: Are you one of those turtle-neck wearing folks with plenty of money and a nose in the air? Are you one of those that believe that the Blues must adhere to some unforgiving rules that you made up? Get off yo' high horse and put down that pipe! The Blues have always been a "blasphemy", a walk downtown, a soulful melody, a harsh reality.... etc... The Blues NEVER did adhere to any rules of musical education. The Blues is the Blues because of a feeling, an attitude. This album has all of that attitude, irreverent as it is. Take off that turtle-neck sweater and listen to these grooves. Blues grooves. The only other artist to take the Blues to this level this decade has been G. Love. No, it's not your daddy's Blues.... but it is Blues.... fun Blues.... New Orleans Blues... Blues the way it was supposed to be: Fun, Exciting, Soulful and NOT standard! Blues with a capital "B".

5 comments about Blues Masters, Vol. 4: Harmonica Classics.

1. Another excellent collection of blues harp playing. Buy this and you won't be disappointed!



2. pretty much all the songs on here are actually good, unlike with a lot of compilations. a good buy.



3. cd was as advertised and arrived in good condition, in a timely fashion. this is the first used product i have purchased on the net and i am very satisfied with the results



4. Wow! A friend recommended this CD to me (as I am beginning to play), and what a treat this was. Terrific variety in style, and superb playing all around. Especially helpful were the extensive liner notes to the CD, listing each artist and going into their background as well as details about the songs. Really enjoyable reading. I just can't say enough about it if you are looking for a good sampling of harp songs. :)



5. Rhino's "Blues Masters" series is the best of its kind, and while this one disc obviously only scratches the surface of blues harmonica playing, it does feature a lot of good music.
   
   Most longtime blues fans will own the lion's share of this material already, but "Harmonica Classics" also features several lesser-known songs like Jerry McCain's "Steady", Lazy Lester's superbly groovy "Sugar Coated Love", "Boogie Twist" by Snooky Pryor, and "Easy" by the greatest blues harmonica player of them all, the great Walter Horton (that's the song credited to "Jimmy and Walter").
   
   Howlin' Wolf is here as well, Billy Boy Arnold is here, Little Walter Jacobs is here with his instrumental classic "Juke", and Jimmy Reed is here, doing the loping "Ends And Odds" in his lazy, minimalistic style. Other highlights include Junior Wells' tough "Messin' With The Kid" and Sonny Boy Williamson (II)'s "Help Me".
   
   These songs don't necessarily rank among the artists' very best, since they were chosen primarily for the harp playing, and that may be seen as a little bit of a drawback. But that's not to say that these songs are generally below par, however, and this collection does focus on blues harmonica after all.
   And there is some impressive instrumental prowess on display here, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds' lyrical "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White", "Last Night" by George "Harmonica" Smith, and the one-armed John Wrencher's rendition "Take A Little Walk With Me".
   
   As I said, this is not excactly the defintive word on blues harmonica, or on the artists represented here, but "Harmonica Classics" and its companion volume (excitingly titled "More Harmonica Classics") are still a fine purchase for casual and "mid-level" blues listeners.
   Lots of great music here.

5 comments about Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers.

1. WOW! Listening to Sam with the Soul Stirrers really made me appreciate just how great he really was. If you love Sam Cooke (and you should), then you should listen to this. If you love Gospel music, you need this.



2. Probablely the best gospel group of the fifties and sixties. I love this CD.



3. Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirres is one of most inspiring and heartfilling experiences of all times. It really touch my soul,a cd of real downhome gospel music.I'll gladly give it 5 stars being the best.



4. you do not need to be religious or a gospel fan to enjoy this great music. this is not the commercial pop/blues of sam cooke's later solo career, which is still good music. this is his roots, and in my opinion his greatest work by far.



5. You don't get a deserved reputation for singing with passion, fire, and energy as Sam Cooke did without having some proving ground, some mode of training for developing talent that, once discovered, catapulted him to the forefront of the emerging American R&B music scene. No matter what kind of song Sam would sing later, whether "Chain Gang," "You Send Me," or "Cupid," the raw, unbridled strength of his vocals had their beginnings first in church, and then recording and touring with the Soul Stirrers, one of the top gospel groups of the time.
   
   Sam Cooke joined when he was only 19 years old, but he quickly became the co-lead singer, following the group's long-standing format of having two co-lead vocalists. But after a while, Sam's voice so overshadowed the others that the group eventually became known as Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers.
   
   This collection of some of the Soul Stirrers' greatest hits with Cooke as a vocalist features some of his best recorded gospel performances. Songs like "Be With me Jesus," "I'm so Glad Trouble Don't Last Always," "That's Heaven To Me," and the classic, timeless "Touch The Hem of His Garment" brim over with the richness and power that was Sam Cooke's voice. Another great talent lost too soon, but also another talent that we were fortunate to have for at least a little while.
   
   If you love Sam Cooke or traditional gospel music, this CD is a must for your collection.

5 comments about The Best of Etta James.

1. When songwriters Harry Warren and Mack Gordon had their composition At Last become the B-side to the 1942 Glenn Miller # 1 hit (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo, they probably thought they had died and gone to Heaven. Especially when it too charted at a respectable # 14 with Ray Eberle doing the vocals. A decade later they struck paydirt again when the song was resurrected in the movie Orchestra Wives and then taken to # 2 by Ray Anthony & his orchestra, with Tommy Mercer doing the vocal.
   
   But in my humble opinion the best was yet to come, and when a 23-year-old from Los Angeles by the name of Jamesetta Hawkins decided to record it in 1961 under her stage name Etta James, from that point on it became HER song. It may not have done as well on the Billboard pop charts as the earlier versions [# 47 Hot 100] but it did become a # 2 R&B and is, by any standard, the best version of that enduring love song.
   
   Her career had actually commenced in 1955 when, at age 17, she recorded an "answer" song to the 1954 # 1 R&B hit Work With Me Annie by The Midnighters [Hank Ballard and crew]. Also known as Roll With Me Henry, and with Richard Berry providing the bass male vocal, it too reached # 1 R&B early in 1955 as The Wallflower, billed to Etta James and "The Peaches" [hence the later nickname]. That same year Georgia Gibbs would have a # 1 Billboard Pop Top 100 with it as Dance With Me Henry.
   
   Later that year she would have her second hit single when Good Rockin' Daddy climbed to # 8 R&B with the backing of The Dreamers, a group that included the great Jesse Belvin, and Maxwell Davis & His Orchestra.
   
   Personal problems then set in, and Etta would be off the charts until early 1960 when she returned with the stirring ballad All I Could Do Was Cry, which scored on both the R&B [# 2] and Billboard Pop Hot 100 [# 33] charts. And from there right through to 1976 she would seldom be off the charts, racking up another 27 R&B hits and putting 26 more on the Hot 100 and one - Two Sides (To Every Story) - to # 16 on the Adult Contemporary charts. which weren't introduced until 1961. That great song, which is at track 11, also made it to # 63 Hot 100 in late 1963 and, except for the fact that the R&B charts had been suspended from late 1963 and for all of 1964, it would have been a major hit there.
   
   This CD gives you the best of her many hits along with nine pages of liner notes by Peter Grendysa of Words On Music Ltd., a partial discography of the contents [no chart information], and two more nice photographs of Etta, who was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1993, and to the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2001.
   
   Now just 69 years old, Etta is still wowing them in personal appearances. This is a must-have compilation for any true R&B fan.



2. I liked this cd there are a few good songs. Everyone knows the classic At Last and there are a couple others that are similar to that sound. If you like a bluesy soulful sound you will like this cd.



3. now i prefer her earlier stuff, but a lot of that later stuff is pretty enjoyable to listen to. if you wanna get into what etta did, i would recommend this one. however, if it was me, i would go for either her early albums when she was starting out and was hungry (ROLL WITH HENRY). however, if you become an instant fan by her more recent stuff, then check this out and see why people see her as an icon (who should get more credit along with ruth brown and baby washington).



4. probably the best album from Etta. She is a legend



5. Etta is in a class of her own and she tells a story with her music
   Loved it
   
   Nan