Cornbread Vinyl, CD & Tape 36 Artikel

The inimitable Big Maybelle, born, Mabel Louise Smith, had worked for nearly 2 decades in the music business before even releasing her first single, “Gabbin’ Blues” in 1952, although, to be fair, she started at the age of 12. The 1958 LP Blues, Candy & Big Maybelle, collects singles from the mid-50s on, including one of her biggest hits, “Candy”. Killer jump blues and R&B from one of the finest, Jackson, Tennessee’s own Big Maybelle. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code and 2 bonus tracks.

At age 28, prior to her fame as a poet and author, Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Annie Johnson) was performing modern dance and singing calypso tunes in San Francisco nightclubs. Harry Belafonte had just hit the big time and made calypso a household name, and Angelou followed suit in 1956 with a record of her own, her first and only attempt to hit the big time in the music business. By 1959 she had moved to NYC and joined the Harlem Writers Guild and the rest, as they say, is history. That, however, is not to dismiss this record as merely a footnote in her history, it is in fact a fine piece of exotica, a killer LP of pop calypso that should appeal not only to fans of her writing, and lovers of 50s kitsch exotica, but calypso fans in general. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code.

Randy Weston’s Uhuru Afrika is one of the earliest examples of the blending of African rhythms and progressive socially conscious jazz, and is a truly landmark album for 1960. Featuring a 24 piece big band and lyrical content from none other than Langston Hughes, Uhuru Afrika belongs on the shelf next to Max Roach’s We Insist! Freedom Now Suite and Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um. Banned from apartheid South Africa, this is Randy Weston’s magnum opus, reissued on 180 gram LP with download card.

Tony Sheridan may be famous for only one thing at this point in time: performing with The Beatles in their earliest incarnation. But, at the time, in 1961-1962, he was a top beat performer and a charismatic singer in his own right. Featuring several tracks backed by The Beatles, My Bonnie is classic early-60s European beat and early rock and roll. Essential for any Beatles collector and any fan of early-60s Euro-beat. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download card and five bonus tracks.

Max Roach's 1960 masterwork,We Insist!, is a suite based on the Civil Rights Movement, and involves variations on the theme of the struggle for African Americans to achieve equality in the United States, a struggle that is still all too relevant still. Roach began composing with lyricst Oscar Brown Jr. in 1959, with the initial intention of having the suite performed in 1963, on the 100th anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation. Featuring the wonderful Abbey Lincoln on vocals, as well as Booker Little,Julian Priester, Coleman Hawkins, Olatunji, and more,We Insist!is a truly stunning album, one that knows no equal from that time or since, reissued on 180 gram LP with download code.

1963'sThe Phil Spector Christmas Albumis one of the quintessential Christmas records of all-time. Featuring the full stable of Spector's fantastic artists, from Darlene Love, to The Crystals, to The Ronettes, and including the full killer Phillies studio band that included the recently departed Leon Russell, and arrangements from the great Jack Nitzsche, this LP is a perfect holiday gift now on 180 gram LP + download card.

Snaketime Series is one of the earliest and rarest of Moondog’s recordings, originally released in 1956. “Snaketime” is what Moondog himself referred to as his unique sense of time in music, what he called “a slithery rhythm”. And indeed, almost nobody else was making music as unique as this in the 1950s, drawing influence from city sounds, and working on many of his own instrumental invitations, Snaketime Series is truly cutting edge American avant-garde. Reissued on 180 gram LP with deluxe jacket, and a download card.

The seventh studio album from the godfather of soul, Mr. Dynamite himself, the hardest working man in show business, James Brown. Prisoner Of Love is pure R&B and soul mid-tempo pain and pleading. Featuring his first big pop hit in the title track, Prison Of Love is another classic piece of early 60s R&B reissued by Cornbread on 180 gram LP with download card.

The Unique Thelonious Monk, recorded in 1956, is the pianist’s second LP of standards. Though the recording was his label’s attempt at reaching a larger audience, this is in no way watered down; Monk takes his unique interpretive approach to tracks from the likes of the Gershwins, and Rodgers & Hart. With the help of a crack rhythm section of Blakey and Pettiford, this is one of Monk’s early career highlights and a truly unique piece of 50s piano trio jazz, back in print on 180 gram LP with download card.

Recorded on the 1st of January, 1962, in London, this is maybe the most famous audition tape in popular music history, an audition that altered the course of 20th century rock music. The Beatles, in their Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Best incarnation, recorded these 12 rollicking covers for the Decca label in just under an hour. They were eventually rejected by the label and went on to sign with EMI subsidiary, Parlophone, and the rest, as they say, is history. Had they signed with the label in the winter of 1962, would they have become the band that changed the world? Who knows... but what is clear is that this was a great band, even in infancy, and these great rock and roll covers not only show their potential, they're a damn fun listen in their own right. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download card.

Led by Charles Mingus and Max Roach, this 1960 recording was made, in some regard, in protest. Growing increasingly annoyed by the booking policy of the Newport Jazz Festival, which he found to be too conservative and lacking in foresight, Mingus formed this group with the such future leaning artists as Eric Dolphy and Max Roach, and the vocalist Abbey Lincoln. Recorded over only two sessions at New York’s Nola Penthouse Studios, this Newport Rebels group put together a fine piece of post-bop that, despite its rather bitter beginnings, deserves to be more well known. Reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

By far one of the most outrageous performers of the early years of rock, prone to emerging from coffins on stage, with a flaming skull named Henry as his constant companion, Screamin' Jay was an insanely theatrical figure long before it was even remotely acceptable. His 1958 debut, At Home, featuring his legendary 'I Put A Spell On You,' along with surreal hits like 'Hong Kong,' 'Take Me Back To The Boot And Saddle,' or his wild-ass reinventions of old standards like 'I Love Paris' and 'Deep Purple' is a carefully arranged yet gritty, Ray Charles-gone-crazy styled, full band rhythm and blues masterpiece, filled with enough howls and groans to send chills down your spine. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code.

Following up Tonight's The Night was a difficult thing to do for New Jersey girl-group The Shirelles, but they did it the very same year with great The Shirelles Sing To Trumpets And Strings. Featuring further songwriting from Luther Dixon - who had previously written for Elvis, and more, and wrote the great "16 Candles" by The Crests - The Shirelles Sing... includes his all-time classic "Mama Said" which marched to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. More amazing girl-group from The Shirelles reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code and a bonus track.

The pride of Passaic, New Jersey, the girl group The Shirelles was formed in 1957 by four friends from high school. After some early singles with chart success, they released their debut album in 1961, Tonight's The Night. Blending pop with doo-wop and R&B sensibilities, and with songwriting from the classic team of Goffin/King, Tonight's The Night is notable for "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", the very first Billboard #1 hit pop single from an African-American girl group, making this a truly groundbreaking record. Essential girl-group pop from one of the genre's true innovators, reissued on 180 gram LP with download code and 2 bonus tracks.

Though she had been performing professionally since the late 1920s, as a teenager in Harlem, during its Renaissance, the immortal Billie Holiday didn't play a single night on the European continent until 1954. It was in that year that the great journalist and musician Leonard Feather, and a Swedish promoter organized the Jazz Club U.S.A. tour, named after Feather's wildly popular radio program. Featuring Red Norvo, Sonny Clark, and more, the centerpiece of Jazz Club U.S.A. was, undoubtedly, Lady Day. Recorded at various dates across the tour,Lady Loveshows Holiday still had it, despite the turmoil, and drug and alcohol abuse, her voice remained strong, a stunning document of one of America's greatest treasures on her first ever tour of Europe. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code, with 5 bonus tracks.

Known alternately as Good, Good, Twistin' With James Brown, Shout And Shimmy, and Excitement "Mr. Dynamite", and a myriad other titles, it doesn’t really matter what you call it, this is classic early James Brown recordings from the early 60s that are guaranteed to keep the dance party cooking. Nobody, absolutely nobody, was a bigger star or a more talented R&B artist in the 60s than James Brown and this album is stone cold proof of that. Reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

A truly legendary release, the second ever album from the immortal Staple Singers, Will The Circle Be Unbroken? was originally released in 1961. Featuring Pop Staples’ instantly recognizable tremelo’d guitar, and the vocals of Mavis and co., this album might contain the definitive version of the title track, a gospel standard that dates back to 1907 and has been covered countless time, so that’s no short order. This is the group, along with the Soul Stirrers, to influence an entire generation of future gospel performers, and this LP is one of their absolute peaks. Reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

Recorded in 1956 in Chicago,Super-sonic Jazzis one of the earliest and most sought after titles from the Arkestra. Featuring Arkestra mainstays like Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, and Julian Priester, the album is, like Ra always was, years ahead of its time. Reissued on 180 gram LP with deluxe jacket, and a download card.

Featuring the early classic Arkestra lineup that included Pat Patrick, Ronnie Boykins, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, James Spaulding, and more,The Nubians Of Plutoniais one of the best and most sought after of early Ra titles. Recorded in the late 50s in Chicago, this LP is a top-tier landmark in a career that was filled with them. Essential Sun Ra reissued on 180 gram vinyl with a download code.

Ellas McDaniel, better known to the world as Bo Diddley, was born in 1928 inMcComb, Mississippi, but like so many electric blues legends, was raised on the south side of Chicago. After performing on street corners for years on the south side, Diddley finally cut his first records in 1955, for Chicago's own Checker label.Have Guitar Will Travelis his 3rd LP for Checker and a classic of electric guitar driven blues and R&B. Reissued here with bonus tracks on 180 gram vinyl with a download code.

Los Angeles high school buddies, The Olympics, first hit it big in 1958 with the classic single, "Western Movies". Soon after that they started a dance craze with "(Baby) Hully Gully", the inspiration for the title of this LP. "Big Boy Pete" was also a big single and a huge influence on pacific northwest garage rock group, The Kingsmen. Included here are many of those classic early singles, with bonus tracks, on 180 gram vinyl with a download code.

The first female singer of the early rock and roll era, Wanda was encouraged to try rock and roll by Elvis Presley himself. It was 1955 when Wanda met Elvis during the 'Ozark Jubilee,' a country tour through the south. She didn't think she had the voice for it, but he disagreed. He even recommended some songs for her. At first she was reluctant, but she signed a recording contract with Capitol and decided to give it a try. During the next few years, Wanda produced numerous examples of raw, prototypical rock & roll. The most distinctive aspect was her voice. She developed a wild, growling sound that at times sounds possessed or strangely alien, capable of going from sweet innocence to hellcat at the push of a button. Originally released in 1959 during the 'Queen of Rockabilly's' prime at Capitol Records, There's A Party Goin' On features a solid collection of songs in tune with the title track as well as covers of a handful of early rock hits such as 'Tweedlee Dee' and 'Kansas City.' The set is highlighted by the staggering guitar playing of Roy Clark as exemplified on the standout cut 'Hard Headed Woman’. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download card and 2 bonus tracks.

Collecting material recorded between 1955 and 1959 in the de facto capitol of the blues, Chicago, this is John Lee Hooker at his absolutely finest. Already some 40+ years old at the time of recording, Hooker was a veteran of the blues and a man that had seen his fair share of pain and suffering, the son of a Mississippi sharecropper, and these are some of his most evocative recordings ever. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code.

One of the originators of Zydeco music, Creole and Cajun music born out of the Southwest Louisiana swamplands, Clifton Chenier began his career in the mid-50s, recording for Art Rupe’s legendary R&B label, Specialty. Compiling most of that classic material into one place, Bayou Blues is back in print here on 180 gram LP with download code.

Recorded at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, CA, on September 13, 1953, this is a historic recording for many reasons, and one of the earliest meetings of East and West Coast jazz artists. While Miles Davis and Chet Baker need no introduction, Harold Rumsey might. He was a West Coast jazz bassist who formed the Lighthouse All Stars in 1949, a long standing group that performed at the Hermosa Beach club every Sunday night for nearly a decade. Though he might not be a household name, his group featured such alumnus as Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers, Max Roach, Bud Shank, Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, Shelly Manne, and more. Featuring rousing renditions of “’Round Midnight”, “Night In Tunisia”, “At Last”, and the killer drum solo from Roach, “Drum Conversation”, this is a brilliant window into the 1950s LA scene, and Miles’ particular ability to fit into nearly any jazz setting with ease. Reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

Following the recordings in 1949 and 1950 that would comprise Birth Of The Cool and help create the sub-genre of Cool Jazz, Miles had already moved on to the next thing, because that's what an innovator does. By 1951 he was recording hard-bop of the highest order on a variety of formats, including 10" and 7". This LP compiles a number of those recordings into one 12" LP, and the fact that the entire record was recorded on one day, October 5, 1951, would be surprising if it weren't the one and only Miles Davis. Featuring a crack band that included Art Blakey, and Jackie McLean in his very first recording session, this is classic 50s Miles hard-bop of the highest order. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code.

Originally released in 1962, this compilation is the definitive collection of Wanda Jackson’s rocking, rockabilly sides. Featuring her finest singles, including "Fujiyama Mama," "Mean Mean Man," and "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," this is Wanda at her lascivious, snarling best. Often referred to as “The Queen Of Rockabilly” if ever there was a need to prove that title for Wanda Jackson, this compilation is Exhibit A. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code and 4 bonus tracks.

Released in 1962, See See Rider is one of Baker's finest jump blues LPs, a killer collection of stomping tunes including the title track, a classic 12-bar blues originally recorded by Ma Rainey way back in the 1920s. Born in Chicago, LaVern Baker got her start in the vibrant south side blues scene of the post-war era, before moving on to New York City to record for the famed Atlantic Records, the home of the biggest stars in R&B of the time. This collection of singles is one of her finest sets of recordings and absolutely essential pre-soul R&B from one of the masters. Reissued on 180 gram LP + download card with 2 bonus tracks.

Abbey Lincoln was perhaps the most talented in a series of jazz singers to quickly follow in the footsteps of Billie Holiday. She released her debut album in 1957, and followed soon after with a series of hit jazz titles, in addition to singing on Max Roach’s landmark protest album, We Insist!, in 1960. Lincoln was also deeply involved in the civil rights movement, and her songs were often a reflection of that struggle. Abbey Is Blue is perhaps her most well known solo work and it’s reissued here on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

Dion, “The Wanderer” himself, came back in 1962 with a follow-up to that historic tune, another massive hit entitled “Lovers Who Wander”, which reached #3 on the charts. Featuring Dion DiMucci’s unforgettable voice, and his classic NYC R&B/doo-wop backing, this is the sound of the Bronx circa 1962. Though one might dismiss Dion as merely teeny-bopper fare, he’s a massively talented songwriter which is born out by his introspective work from the mid to late 60s. Reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans’ star burned hot and fast, they were together only two short years, and recorded just this lone LP, but the group of Bobby Sheen, Darlene Love (of The Crystals fame), and Fanita James, are responsible for one of the most immortal hits of Phil Spector’s career, the teen anthem “Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Heart”. Rounded out with 11 more tracks that feature the unbelievably talented team of Phil Spector production, Jack Nitzsche arrangements, and Billy Strange and Glen Campbell on guitar. A Spector classic reissued by Cornbread on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

The 3rd studio album from James Brown and The Famous Flames, originally released in 1960. Though the title track was a cover of The “5” Royales, it’s guaranteed that James Brown is who everyone on the planet now associates the song with. Absolutely essential early R&B from the Godfather himself, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. Reissued on 180 gram LP with deluxe jacket, two bonus tracks, and a download card.

Released on the heels of the immortal hit title track which went to #1 on the charts in 1962, He’s A Rebel is the second album from one of the greatest girl groups of all-time, The Crystals. Lead by legendary vocalist Darlene Love, and produced by Phil Spector, this record IS the sound of baby boomer teenagers. Nobody alive in the early 60s could avoid the infectious dance pop of The Crystals and the sound has held up and been emulated by retro-girl-groups for decades since. But nothing can top Phil Spector and The Crystals. Essential early 60s pop reissued on 180 gram LP with deluxe jacket, two bonus tracks, and a download card.

Featuring some of his earliest recordings out of Detroit with The Falcons, and very early solo material, this collection shows the legend of soul music when he was just getting started. Though these are early recordings, Pickett’s voice is fully formed and some of these tracks are the equals of later hits like “In The Midnight Hour”, and “Ninety-Nine and a Half”. If you’re a fan of American soul music, this collection is absolutely necessary. Reissued on 180 gram LP with deluxe jacket, and a download card.

Probably the best and most popular female artist of the 1950s jump blues and R&B scene, Ruth Brown was a powerhouse vocalist, and Late Date With Ruth Brown is a perfect example of her husky, smokey, raunchy presence. Before Aretha and Wilson, even before Ray, Ruth Brown was the R&B star of Atlantic Records (there's a reason Atlantic was often referred to as "the house that Ruth built", a nod to another NYC institution, Yankee Stadium). Essential 1950s R&B from a absolute legend, reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.

Erma Franklin was born in 1938 in Shelby, MS, but was raised - with her sisters, Aretha and Carolyn - in Detroit, MI. The son of the legendary preacher, gospel musician, and civil rights activist Rev. C.L. Franklin, Erma grew up singing in the church, like so many other R&B and soul greats of the time. After recording backing vocals with her sister, Erma got the chance in 1962 to cut her debut LP. Though she would only record one more LP and retire from music entirely in the 1970s, this debut shows a singer just as talented as her more famous sister. A husky, soul belter of a voice is showcased here, with all the tracks from the original LP plus MORE! Reissued on 180 gram vinyl with download code.