Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 08/17/2004
With his
gospel-inflected vocals, full of melismatic swoops and sighs, and a penchant for speeded-up
jump blues songs with strong sax lines,
Roy Brown created the very template for early
rock & roll in the late '40s and early '50s. His first single, an easy, natural reading of
"Good Rockin' Tonight" on
DeLuxe Records (which
Wynonie Harris turned into a huge hit with a cover version) is arguably the first true
rock & roll record, and although
Brown influenced countless singers, including
Little Richard,
James Brown,
Fats Domino, and many others, he is little known today. This fine collection includes
"Good Rockin' Tonight" and its flip side,
"Lollipop Mama," both issued by
DeLuxe in 1947.
DeLuxe was then purchased by Cincinnati-based
King Records, which continued to issue sides from
Brown under the
DeLuxe imprint until 1952, when his records were released officially on
King.
Brown left for an unsuccessful stint with
Imperial Records in 1955, returning to
King in 1959 to record
"Good Lookin' and Foxy Too," his last work for the
Federal/
King label family. Everything from the
DeLuxe/
King years is here, and it is wonderful and indispensable stuff, making this the perfect starter collection. Highlights include the loose-as-a-goose saxophone raver
"Boogie at Midnight," "Cadillac Baby" (
Chuck Berry, anyone?), the gorgeous
"Sweet Peach," "Big Town," and the quasi-
experimental "Mr. Hound Dog's in Town," a sweetly atmospheric rocker that jettisons the horn section for some nice
jazz guitar work from
Bill Jennings.
Brown wrote nearly all of his material, and the nascent roots of
rock & roll are clearly outlined in his songs. That he is so little known to the public at large is a complete shame. The
Rhino collection
Good Rockin' Tonight is another nice place to start to get a taste of this marvelous musician, but
The Very Best of Roy Brown has half a dozen more tracks, and although
Brown recorded for other labels after he left
King, his certainty seemed to suffer, and the absolutely essential stuff is here.
~Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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