Jimmy Liggins – “Drunk” from the album “Jimmy Liggins And His Drops Of Joy”

Jimmy was born in Newby, Oklahoma, United States on 14 October 1922, seven years after his brother, Joe (frontman of Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers).

He was briefly a disc jockey and then a professional boxer fighting under the name ‘Kid Zulu”. He then became a driver for his brother and seeing the money Joe was making decided to start writing songs himself.
Art Rupe signed him to Specialty and he had three smash hits – “I Can’t Stop It”, “Teardrop Blues” and “Cadillac Blues”.
On “Drunk” his voice was recorded twice and overdubbed producing an unusual sound (for then) which they named “3-D Music”. Bear in mind this was the era of mono.
He was an influence on Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.
He died on 18 July 1983, at the age of 60, in Durham, North Carolina.

1. I Can’t Stop It 2. Troubles Goodbye 3. Teardrops Blues 4. Cadilac Boogie 5. Move Out Baby 6. Careful Love 7. Homecoming Blues 8. Baby I Can’t Forget You 9. Don’t Put Me Down10. Nite Life Boogie 11. Mississippi Boogie 12. Come Back Baby 13. Answer To Teardrop Blues 14. That Song Is Gone 15. Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man 16. Shuffle Shuck 17. The Washboard Special 18. That’s What’s knockin’ 19. Hep Cat Boogie 20. I Want My Baby for Christmas 21. Train Blues 22. Baby’s Boogie 23. Drunk 24. Going Away 25. Come Back Home

Little Willie John – “Suffering With The Blues”

It can be found on the album “Sleep – The Singles As & Bs 1955-1961”

Little Willie John

Born William Edward John on November 15, 1937.

He was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. Best known for his popular music chart successes with songs such as, “All Around the World”, “Need Your Love So Bad” and “Fever”.

An important figure in early R&B music, Little Willie John was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. He died in 1968 aged 30.

Chuck Higgins – “Blacksmith Blues”

It can be found on the album “Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues” and, as you can hear, is an absolute stonewall classic.

Charles Williams Higgins was an American tenor saxophonist best known for his first recording, the self-penned “Pachuko Hop”. He mixed elements of Latin Jazz with Blues and recorded in Los Angeles during the mid-fifties. I have the album “Pachuko Hop”, but, sadly, nothing on it can compete with this gem.

Rosco Gordon – “Just A Little Bit”

If “Vee Jay Records: Chicago Hit Factory” is still out of stock it can also be found on the more expansive (and, consequently, more expensive) “Chicago Hit Factory The Vee Jay Story 1958-1966”

Rosco is best known for his 1952 No. 1 R&B hit single, “Booted” and two No. 2 singles “No More Doggin'” and the classic mentioned above, ”Just a Little Bit”.

He was born in Memphis, Tennessee and was a pioneer of the Memphis Blues style.