Jasmine's commitment to anthologising 1950s R&B continues unabated! We recently brought you the complete 1950s and early 60s recordings of pioneering Nashville soul man Gene Allison. This month we're lingering a little longer in Music City for a double scoop of two of Gene's fellow Nashvillians, one considerably more famous than the other but both worthy entrants in this short 'series within a series'. The smooth voice of Earl Gaines set the standard for Nashville R&B and soul for almost half a century - when he wasn't busy driving his 18 wheel truck from coast to coast, that is! He hit the jackpot with his first release, the much-recorded (including three times by Earl) '(It's Love Baby) 24 Hours A Day' and although he never had another hit of similar magnitude it gave him the foundation on which to build a career that sustained into the 21st century. Earl's recordings for the Excello label offer a small but perfectly formed body of work, fully representative of what made Nashville such an important centre for black American music in the 1950s. Earl is paired here with his fellow Music City resident, the far less well known Thomas 'Shy Guy' Douglas, whose recording career was coming to it's end about the same time that Earl's was taking off. Earl's discoverer and long-time mentor Ted Jarrett also produced Shy Guy on many of the tracks featured here, but they are of a different, more down home-y nature in comparison with those of his CD companion here (albeit no less essential!). These two great artists have long been overdue an anthology like this, full of tough, uncompromising rhythm & blues that never goes out of style.

Track List

1. It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day) - Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
2. Can't Keep from Cryin' - Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
3. Baby Baby What's Wrong - Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
4. Please Understand - Earl Gaines with Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
5. I Don't Need You Now - Earl Gaines with Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
6. Gonna Stop Foolin' Myself - Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
7. Don't You Know - Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers
8. Now Do You Hear - Earl Gaines with Jimmy Back and Orchestra
9. Best of Luck Baby - Earl Gaines with Jimmy Back and Orchestra
10. White Rose - Earl Gaines with Freddy Robinson Orchestra
11. White Rose (Theme) - Earl Gaines with Freddy Robinson Orchestra
12. Hold Back My Tears - Earl Gaines
13. Three Times Seven - Earl Gaines
14. Let Me Down Easy - Earl Gaines
15. Show Me Something - Earl Gaines
16. It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day - Remake) - Earl Gaines
17. Please Love Me - Earl Gaines
18. You Are My Sunshine - Leroy Jones
19. Detroit Arrow - Shy Guy Douglas
20. New Memphis Blues - Shy Guy Douglas
21. I'm Your Country Man - Shy Guy Douglas
22. Wasted Time - Shy Guy Douglas
23. No Place Like Home - Shy Guy Douglas
24. She's My Kinda Girl - Shy Guy Douglas
25. Yankee Doodle (I Lost My Noodle) - Shy Guy Douglas
26. Harvest Moon (Bring Her Back to Me) - Shy Guy Douglas
27. Let's Rock and Roll - Little Shy Guy and the Hot Rods
28. My Little Baby - Little Shy Guy and the Hot Rods

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