R&B Hipshakers Vol. 4 - Bossa Nova And Grits

Hold it, hold it - this ain't over yet! I know: The passage of three long years since we last met may have led you to worry I'd abandoned my noble endeavor to unearth all of the mind-bending rhythm and blues in the nearly bottomless King and Federal vaults. But fear not. To paraphrase the immortal words of Titus Turner in 'Hold Your Loving', I'm gonna keep at it till the meatballs bounce!

I'm delighted to report that "Bossa Nova And Grits" features some showstopping acts new to the R&B Hipshakers series: There's 18-year-old Little Esther Phillips and her indelibly nasal voice, which would make her a star for decades to come; her fierce, piano-pounding fellow Texan Camille Howard, pushing 40 by the time she growled "You mole, you!"; Los Angelenos The Lamplighters, led by a young Thurston Harris (doin' sixty-what'd-they-say?!); the otherworldly singer's singer Jimmy Scott, just before a sad 20-year lull in his recording career that would be followed by a fresh round of well-deserved accolades in the 1990s. And then there's our first dip into the ouevre of guitar god Jimmy Nolen, who would basically invent funk guitar playing a decade later as a member of James Brown's band but is already wielding a pretty expressive instrument in 'The Way You Do'. Some old favorites are back, too: It wouldn't be a Hipshakers box, after all, without brilliant new entries from Little Willie John, The 5 Royales, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Johnny Watson and Freddy King - he in a rousing dance-floor duet with series stalwart Lula Reed.

Non-bouncing meatballs? We've got 'em. Slinky mambo beats? They're here. Back-toback odes to vino? Yep. Wailing instrumentals? But of course. Twin blast-offs to outer space? Check. Now just put the needle on the first record and prepare to taste the sound of these boss grits.

Mr Fine Wine


Tracklist:
1. Bossa Nova And Grits - Lil Joe Washington
2. The Way You Do - Jimmy Nolen
3. Cherry Wine - Little Esther
4. Be-Bop Wino - The Lamplighters
5. Hold Your Loving - Titus Turner
6. Stop Knockin' - Juanita Nixon
7. We'll Never Meet Again - The Midnighters
8. Somewhere Down The Line - Jimmy Scott
9. You're Lower Than A Mole - Camille Howard
10. Good Mambo Tonight - Wynonie Harris
11. She's Gone Too Long - Roy Brown And His Mighty Mighty Men
12. Syam's Blues - King Syam
13. Love Love Love D-R-E-A-M - Gene Wilson & His Genies
14. Same Old Thing - Amos Milburn
15. You Can't Hide - Lula Reed & Feddy King
16. Back On The Block - Sam Anderson & The Telstars
17. Baby Don't You Leave Poor Me - Clarence Paul
18. Don't Be Ashamed - The 5 Royales
19. Mister Glenn - Little Willie John
20. Space Guitar - Young John Watson


Fourth volume of our "R&B Hipshakers" series, featuring rockin' R&B and early soul from the King and Federal catalogues. A compilation of tracks from 1953 to 1967 by essential artists such as Little Willie John, The 5 Royales, Little Esther, Wynonie Harris, Lula Reed, Freddy King. 20 terrific dance cuts selected by genre expert Mr Fine Wine, from WFMU's Downtown Soulville. Several titles reissued for the first time.