VA - Rockin' The Groove (2016)

Watching the success of indie labels like Atlantic, Chess, Specialty, Imperial, and others, industry giant RCA decided to re-enter the Rhythm & Blues field. RCA had dominated blues recording during the late 1920s and '30s, but the company dropped most of its blues artists, along with many of its country artists, during wartime raw materials rationing. In 1954, RCA decided to get back in the game, hiring A&R man Danny Kessler away from Columbia's OKeh label. The experiment ended in 1957 after notching up just one major hit, Mickey & Sylvia's Love Is Strange.

Lack of hits didn't mean lack of great music. Recording in New York and in the South, Groove drew on a wide range of artists from top-drawer vocal groups like the Du Droppers to future smooth jazz star George Benson to blues guitar star Roy Gaines to west coast jazz Shorty Rogers calling himself Highpockets Henderson to classic New Orleans barrelhouse pianist Champion Jack Dupree. Even country blues legend Sonny Terry was on the roster. Groove releases were filled out with some great unknowns as well as singular artists like Bertice Reading, who began in R&B but went on to become a cabaret star in England. The bands were always top-notch, including session genius Mickey Baker as well as bandleaders Paul Williams and Buddy Lucas. In an exclusive deal with RCA/Sony in New York, Bear Family acquired access to the entire Groove catalog, restoring the masters to pristine sound and finding rare and unpublished photos. Award-winning R&B historian Bill Dahl wrote the extensive essays.

TRACKLIST

01. Frank Brunson - Charmaine
02. Emmett Hobson - Mattie Bee
03. Zilla Mays - Right Now
04. Paul Williams - Big Foot Mammy
05. Roy Gaines - Hoodoo
06. George Benson - Shout, Holler And Scream
07. Beverly Wright - Blackboard Rock
08. Clayton Love - Bye Bye Baby
09. Sonny Brooks - Champ Ale
10. Johnny Bird Orchestra with Mr. Blue vocals - The Laugh Will Be On You
11. Lil McKenzie - Run A' Long
12. Buddy Lucas - I'm Trapped
13. Big Connie - She's Mine
14. Chris Powell & The Blue Flames - Break It Up
15. Maymie Watts - Quicksand
16. Oscar Black - My Head Goes Round
17. Chris Powell & The Blue Flames - Good-Bye Little Girl
18. Little Tommy Brown - The Thrill Is Gone
19. Sam 'Highpockets' Henderson And His Jumpers - Grab That Thing And Run
20. Bertice Reading - I Gotta Know
21. Johnny Bird Orchestra with Lillian Childs Vocal - 22 Minutes
22. The Du Droppers - That's All I Need
23. Maymie Watts - Doo Ba Dee
24. Emmett Hobson - Where Is Joe?
25. Beverly Wright - Shake Till I'm Shook
26. Frank Brunson - I Believe In You
27. Chris Powell & The Blue Flames - Love Ya Like Crazy
28. Roy Gaines - Alabama Sue
29. The Avalons - Oh! Sweetness
30. Zilla Mays - Since You Went Away
31. The Coronets - Crime Doesn't Pay
32. Paul Williams - Women Are The Root Of All Evil
33. George Benson - A Little Boy's Dream
34. Paul Williams - Humpty Dumpty
35. Maymie Watts - Whell Of Time