Ike Turner - That Kat Sure Could Play!: The Singles 1951-1957 (4 CD)

Ike Turner's life may have been a controversial one, but their can be little doubt of his significant contribution to the blues, rhythm & blues and rock musical worlds. A four CD box, "The Legendary Ike Turner: The Kat Sure Could Play! presents 118 songs (and over 5 hours of music) from singles Turner played on between 1951 to 1957. Some of these recordings include famous recording like "Rocket 88" by Turner and his own band The Kings of Rhythm, and others are backings to recordings by the likes of Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Johnny Ace, Bobby Bland and Elmore James.

There are so many historic recordings here starting with Rocket 88, but also including King's 3 O'Clock Blues, Wolf's How Many More Years, Boyd Gilmore's raucous Rambling On My Mind, and Rosco Gordon's No More Doggin'. There is a terrific delta juke joint band session that produced Drifting Slim's Muddy Waters pastiche Good Morning Baby, and Sunny Blair's house rocket, Step Back Baby. Junior Brooks terrific Gonna Let You Go is a reworking of a Muddy Waters recording with Ike on piano as he is on Elmore's frantic broom dusting on Please Find My Baby. Ike is present on Little Milton's early If You Love Me Baby as well.

Ike also had his own coterie of musicians including Eugene Fox whose Sinner's Dream and the two-part The Dream, are interesting bits of story-telling with Ike's evocative use of tremolo in his guitar noticeable. As The Sly Fox, Eugene Fox had a couple of other gems with his extroverted vocals; Hoo-doo Say (with a solo from Ike) and I'm Tired of Beggin'. Lonnie the Cat's I Ain't Drunk is a choice cover of a Jimmy Liggins tune that Albert Collins made famous. Johnny Wright's The World Is Yours is one of several times Ike adapted lyrics to Guitar Slim's The Things I Used To Do with Wright shouting with considerable vigor as Ike makes effective use of his Fender's whammy bar during his solo.

Some of the latter recordings come from when Turner recorded for Federal and include such gems as Billy Gayles I'm Tore Up, Just One More Time, and Let's Call It A Day; Jackie Brenston's Gonna Wait For My Chance and Clayton Love's She Made My Blood Run Cold and Do You Mean It. Also heard are instrumentals including Cubano Bop and Trail Blazer.

Album: That Kat Sure Could Play!: The Singles 1951-1957
Year: 2011
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:32 + 78:34 + 78:33 + 79:23
Size: 182,6 + 182,6 + 182,7 + 184,9 MB
Styles: R&B, blues
Scans: Full (including two booklets)

CD 1:
1. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats - Rocket 88 (2:49)
2. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats - Come Back Where You Belong (2:44)
3. Ike Turner & His Kings Of Rhythm - I'm Lonesome Baby (3:02)
4. Ike Turner & His Kings Of Rhythm - Heartbroken & Worried (3:03)
5. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats - My Real Gone Rocket (2:30)
6. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats - Independent Woman (2:52)
7. Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years (2:42)
8. Howlin' Wolf - Riding In The Moonlight (3:04)
9. Bobby 'Blue' Bland - Dry Up Baby (2:01)
10. Bobby 'Blue' Bland - Crying All Night Long (3:03)
11. B.B. King - Three O'clock Blues (3:01)
12. B.B. King - Boogie Woogie Woman (2:47)
13. Boyd Gilmore - Ramblin' On My Mind (2:48)
14. Houston Boines - Going Home (2:19)
15. Houston Boines - Relation Blues (2:38)
16. Brother Bell - Whole Heap Of Mama (2:35)
17. Brother Bell - If You Feel Froggish (3:04)
18. Charley Booker - Rabbit Blues (2:21)
19. Charley Booker - No Ridin' Blues (2:53)
20. Roscoe Gordon - No More Doggin' (2:39)
21. Roscoe Gordon - Maria (2:31)
22. Driftin' Slim - Good Morning Baby (2:52)
23. Driftin' Slim - My Sweet Baby (2:55)
24. Sunny Blair - Step Back Baby (2:18)
25. Little Junior Parker - Bad Woman, Bad Whiskey (3:01)
26. Little Junior Parker - You're My Angel (1:58)
27. Bobby 'Blue' Bland w. Ike Turner Orchestra - Good Lovin (2:25)
28. Bobby 'Blue' Bland w. Ike Turner Orchestra - Drifting From Town To Town (3:04)
29. Ike Turner w. Ben Burton & His Orchestra - You're Driving Me Insane (2:22)

CD 2:
1. Ike Turner w. Ben Burton & His Orchestra - Trouble And Heartaches (2:36)
2. Boyd Gilmore - All In My Dreams (3:11)
3. Boyd Gilmore - Take A Little Walk With Me (2:32)
4. Charley Booker - Charley's Boogie Woogie (2:30)
5. Bonnie & Ike Turner - My Heart Belongs To You (2:51)
6. Bonnie & Ike Turner - Looking For My Baby (2:30)
7. B.B. King & His Orchestra - You Didn't Want Me (2:32)
8. B.B. King & His Orchestra - You Know I Love You (3:05)
9. Johnny Ace & Earl Forrest - Midnight Hour Journey (3:31)
10. Johnny Ace & Earl Forrest - Trouble And Me (2:58)
11. Mary Sue - Everybody's Talking (2:43)
12. Mary Sue - Love Is A Gamble (3:06)
13. Baby Face Turner - Blue Serenade (2:40)
14. Baby Face Turner - Gonna Let You Go (2:04)
15. Elmore James - Please Find My Baby (3:08)
16. The Prisonaires - Softly & Tenderly (2:33)
17. The Prisonaires - A Prisoner's Prayer (2:42)
18. Little Milton - Beggin' My Baby (2:29)
19. Little Milton - Somebody Told Me (2:59)
20. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - No Teasing Around (3:02)
21. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - If Lovin' Is Believing (2:13)
22. Little Milton - If You Love Me Baby (2:32)
23. Little Milton - Alone And Blue (3:08)
24. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - I'm Not Going Home (3:12)
25. Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - The Woodchuck (3:08)
26. Raymond Hill - Bourbon St. Jump (2:38)
27. Raymond Hill - The Snuggle (2:59)
28. Elmore James - Hand In Hand (2:48)

CD 3:
1. Eugene Fox - Stay At Home (2:43)
2. Eugene Fox - Sinners Dream (3:26)
3. Jesse Knight & His Combo - Nothing But Money (3:08)
4. The Fox - The Dream (Pt. 1 & 2) (4:12)
5. Lover Boy (Ike Turner) - Love Is Scarce (2:18)
6. Lover Boy (Ike Turner) - The Way You Used To Treat Me (2:37)
7. Lonnie 'The Cat' w. Bobby Hines Band - I Ain't Drunk (2:23)
8. Lonnie 'The Cat' - The Road I Travel (2:05)
9. Johnny Wright - Suffocate (2:44)
10. Clayton Love - Why Don't You Believe In Me (2:53)
11. Clayton Love - Wicked Little Baby (2:33)
12. Dennis Binder & His Orchestra - I Miss You So (3:02)
13. Dennis Binder & His Orchestra - Early Times (2:28)
14. Clayton Love Orchestra - Bye Bye Baby (2:28)
15. Clayton Love Orchestra - Mary Lou (2:02)
16. Matt Cockrell - Baby Please (1:59)
17. Matt Cockrell - Gypsy Blues (3:13)
18. Billy Gayles & His Orchestra - Night Howler (2:12)
19. Billy Gayles & His Orchestra - My Heart Is In Your Hands (2:30)
20. Elmore James & His Broomdusters - Sho Nuff I Do (2:52)
21. Elmore James & His Broomdusters - 1839 Blues (3:15)
22. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - Loosely (The Wild One) (2:31)
23. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - Cubano Jump (2:17)
24. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - Cuban Get Away (Bayou Rock) (3:11)
25. The Flairs - Baby Wants (2:29)
26. The Flairs - You Were Untrue (2:44)
27. Elmore James & His Broomdusters - Rock My Baby Right (2:35)
28. The Sly Fox - Hoo-Doo Say (3:01)
29. The Sly Fox - I'm Tired Of Beggin' (2:29)

CD 4:
1. The Sly Fox - My Four Women (3:07)
2. Little Milton - Looking For My Baby (2:54)
3. Little Milton - Homesick For My Baby (2:20)
4. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - Go To It (2:22)
5. Johnny Wright w. Ike Turner's Orchestra - The World Is Yours (2:51)
6. The Trojans - As Long As I Have You (3:00)
7. The Trojans - I Wanna Make Love To You (1:58)
8. Willie King w. Ike Turner Feat. Billy Gayles - Peg Leg Woman (2:33)
9. Willie King w. Ike Turner Feat. Billy Gayles - Mistreating Me (3:08)
10. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Rhythm Rockers - I'm Tore Up (2:22)
11. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Rhythm Rockers - If I Had Never Known You (2:31)
12. The Rockers - What Am I To Do (2:15)
13. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Let's Call It A Day (2:28)
14. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Take Your Fine Frame Home (2:25)
15. The Rockers - Why Don't You Believe (2:22)
16. The Rockers - Down In The Bottom (2:24)
17. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - No Coming Back (2:42)
18. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Do Right Baby (2:09)
19. Jackie Brenston w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - What Can It Be (2:24)
20. Jackie Brenston w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Gonna Wait For My Chance (2:04)
21. The Gardenias - Flaming Love (2:25)
22. The Gardenias - My Baby's Tops (2:26)
23. The Starrs - Ain't Got No Home (2:36)
24. The Starrs - Crying Over You (2:33)
25. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Sad As A Man Can Be (2:08)
26. Billy Gayles w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Just One More Time (2:41)
27. Jackie Brenston w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - Much Later (2:15)
28. Jackie Brenston w. Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm - The Mistreater (2:14)
29. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - Do You Mean It (2:19)
30. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - She Made My Blood Run Cold (2:20)
31. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - The Big Question (2:20)
32. Ike Turner & His Orchestra - Trail Blazer (2:32)

That Kat Sure Could Play!: The Singles 1951-1957 (4 CD) Part 1 mc
That Kat Sure Could Play!: The Singles 1951-1957 (4 CD) Part 1 zippy

That Kat Sure Could Play!: The Singles 1951-1957 (4 CD) Part 2 mc
That Kat Sure Could Play!: The Singles 1951-1957 (4 CD) Part 2 zippy

---

Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - The Legendary Sun Classics

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 38:01
Size: 87.1 MB
Styles: R&B, Electric blues
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:58] 1. No Teasing Around
[2:11] 2. If Lovin' Is Believing
[2:17] 3. Hey Little Girl
[3:10] 4. I'm Not Going Home
[3:05] 5. The Woodchuck
[2:52] 6. When My Baby Quit Me
[3:03] 7. When It Rains It Pours
[2:39] 8. Move, Baby, Move
[2:52] 9. No Greater Love
[2:30] 10. Little Fine Healthy Thing
[2:42] 11. Something For Nothing
[2:53] 12. Cherry Pie
[2:11] 13. Satisfied
[2:32] 14. Red Hot

Slashing blues, infectious R&B, formulaic rock & roll, moving gospel -- keyboardist Billy "The Kid" Emerson played all those interrelated styles during a lengthy career that began in Florida and later transported him up to Memphis and Chicago.

Emerson had already learned his way around a piano when he entered the Navy in 1943. After the war, he began playing around Tarpon Springs, attending Florida A&M during the late '40s and early '50s. He picked up his nickname while playing a joint in St. Petersburg; the club owner dressed the band up in cowboy duds that begged comparison with a certain murderous outlaw. A 1952-53 stint in the Air Force found Emerson stationed in Greenville, MS. That's where he met young bandleader Ike Turner, who whipped Emerson into shape as an entertainer while he sang with Turner's Kings of Rhythm. Turner also got Emerson through the door at Sun Records in 1954, playing guitar on the Kid's debut waxing "No Teasing Around."

Emerson's songwriting skills made him a valuable commodity around Sun -- but more as a source for other performers' material later on. His bluesy 1955 outing "When It Rains It Pours" elicited a cover from Elvis a few years later at RCA, while Emerson's "Red Hot" (a takeoff on an old cheerleader's chant from Emerson's school days) became a savage rockabilly anthem revived by Billy Lee Riley for Sun and Bob Luman on Imperial. After his "Little Fine Healthy Thing" failed to sell, Emerson exited Sun to sign with Chicago's Vee-Jay Records in late 1955. Despite first-rate offerings such as the jumping "Every Woman I Know (Crazy 'Bout Automobiles)" and a sophisticated "Don't Start Me to Lying," national recognition eluded Emerson at Vee-Jay too. It was on to Chess in 1958, recording "Holy Mackerel Baby" and the unusual novelty "Woodchuck" (a remake of an earlier Sun single) during his year or so there. 45s for Mad, USA, M-Pac! (where he waxed the dance workout "The Whip"), and Constellation preceded the formation of Emerson's own logo, Tarpon, in 1966. In addition to Emerson's own stuff, Tarpon issued Denise LaSalle's debut single.

A prolific writer, Emerson penned songs for Junior Wells, Willie Mabon, Wynonie Harris, and Buddy Guy during the early '60s, often in conjunction with Willie Dixon. When recording opportunities slowed, Emerson played jazzy R&B in lounges and supper clubs (guitarist Lacy Gibson was a member of his trio for a while). Emerson took Europe by surprise with a dynamic segment on the American Blues Legends 1979 tour. More recently, he's rumored to have reverted to playing gospel in his native state of Florida. A generous 33-track collection, Red Hot: The Sun Years, centered on Emerson's Sun years, but also including tracks from his stay at the Vee Jay and Chess labels, was released by Bear Family Records in 2009. ~bio by Bill Dahl

The Legendary Sun Classics

---

Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - Move, Baby, Move: Sun Sessions

Size: 176,2 MB
Time: 76:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, R&B, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. No Teasin' Around (3:01)
02. If Lovin' Is Believing (2:13)
03. Hey, Little Girl (2:19)
04. I'm Not Going Home (3:12)
05. The Woodchuck (3:07)
06. When My Baby Quit Me (Version 1) (2:55)
07. When It Rains It Pours (3:06)
08. Move, Baby, Move (2:42)
09. No Greater Love (2:54)
10. Little Fine Healthy Thing (2:33)
11. Something For Nothing (2:45)
12. Cherry Pie (2:56)
13. Satisfied (2:13)
14. Red Hot (2:34)
15. Shim Sham Shimmy (2:23)
16. Every Woman I Know (Crazy 'bout An Automobile) (2:42)
17. Tomorrow Never Comes (2:45)
18. Don't Start Me Lyin' (2:44)
19. If You Won't Stay Home (1:38)
20. Don't Be Careless (2:37)
21. (Do The) Chicken (2:44)
22. Somebody Show Me (2:40)
23. The Pleasure Is All Mine (2:40)
24. Do Yourself A Favor (2:32)
25. You'll Never Miss Your Water (2:22)
26. When My Baby Quit Me (Version 2) (2:42)
27. Red Hot (Alt. Take) (1:43)
28. Shim Sham Shimmy (Alt. Take) (2:23)
29. No Greater Love (Alt. Take) (2:52)

This features 29 tracks from Billy's stays at both Sun and Vee-Jay Records in the 1950s, pretty much covering the major portion of his recording career. The early Sun sides feature Ike Turner on blazing lead guitar with his Kings of Rhythm band in fine support on tracks like "If Lovin' Is Believin'," "No Teasin' Around," "I'm Not Going Home," "The Woodchuck" and the previously unissued "Hey Little Girl" and "When My Baby Quit Me." Elven Parr's In The Groove Boys provide the backing for the classic "When It Rains It Pours," "Move Baby Move" and "Shim Sham Shimmy," while a combo led by Phineas Newborn provides the backdrop for "No Greater Love" and Emerson's classic "Red Hot," heard here in a delightful alternate take that nonetheless keeps this set for being complete. Three unissued Sun tracks include "Satisfied" plus alternate takes of "No Greater Love" and the similarly titled but differently structured "When My Baby Quit Me." The following ten tracks all come from Emerson's stay at Vee-Jay starting in 1957 and include "Every Woman I Know (Crazy 'Bout Automobiles)," "Don't Start Me to Lying," "Do the Chicken" and "You Never Miss Your Water" as highlights. Although you'll have to look elsewhere for the issued take of his most famous song, this otherwise is the definitive Billy "The Kid" Emerson collection and a marvelous introduction to this artist. ~Review by Cub Koda

Thanks to Marc.
Move, Baby, Move: Sun Sessions

---