Her 1956 Atlantic debut, key to the splitting of jazz singing into rhythm and blues and soul. Lavern was Memphis Minnie’s niece. Her stage-name in her teens was ‘Miss Sharecropper’.

Sensational Texan guitar blues. Gatemouth comes out of T-Bone Walker. Don Robey started the Peacock label, just to put his records out. Without Clarence there is no Johnny Guitar Watson. Killer, killer, killer.

‘Venomous Tex-Mex R&B and early rock n’roll from San Antonio’s West Side scene. From 1961-67, Bexar county kingmaker Abe Epstein cut every teen combo to grace the Patio Andaluz stage, launching the careers of Doug Sahm, The Royal Jesters, Sonny Ace, The Dreamliners, and hundreds more throughout the decade.’

Jazz, soul and rhythm and blues by this pivotal figure, from the LPs Live At The Flamingo, and Sound Venture, with the cream of UK jazzmen. Swinging Soho does Stax, Latin, Stevie, Louis Jordan, Mose, Oscar Brown…

A second helping as sublimely pleasurable as the first, with Prince Buster, Rupie Edwards, Derrick Harriott, Dobby Dobson and Joe Higgs amongst the singers.
‘Enthralling to anyone,’ according to The Guardian.

An anti-war garage-punk onslaught from 1966, doing Bo Diddley proud.
Backed here by The Leaves (plus drummer Don Conka from Love), BJ knocked around with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Frank Zappa.
Anyway… they brought it to Jerome.

‘Classic Louisiana swamp soul / R&B, recorded in the early to mid 1960s. Includes the popular dancefloor fillers I Got Loaded and Stop, as well as some real beautiful obscurities. Ballads and stompers to make life better. Old school tip-on cover.’

Hot, party-hearty zydeco. In the great Clifton Chenier tradition — except for the killer Chic version, wrapping things up! ‘The Jackson 5 of Zydeco’ — aged 11 to 17.

Their 1961 Sue Records debut, including I Idolize You and A Fool In Love, plus ten more sides from the same period.

The 45 reissue of a Tune Town 78, and a scorcher of a CD generously covering various late-fifties Ike Turner projects.

The former Flair and Leiber and Stoller go-to is a rock ‘n’ roll hero. A charged, witty, extrovert guide to its glory days — from doo wop through blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll… into soul. Terrific stuff.