One of the holy grails of 1950s American popular music has been rescued, dusted down and polished, for fans of blues both raunchy and smooth, street corner harmony, and bittersweet soul. The legendary Music City Records of Berkeley, California was one of the longest-lived, most fiercely independent black-owned record companies of the era.
Over the course of two decades, owner Ray Dobard's release schedule reflected the evolution of black popular music, from smooth blues in the early 1950s, through R&B, instrumentals, rock 'n' roll through to the end of the decade, proto-soul in the early 60s and into funk and modern soul in the 1970s. But it is the rich seam of Bay Area vocal groups that Music City mined, that collectors associate with the label. Dobard had only a couple of minor hits - the Four Deuces' popular W-P-L-J, Johnny Heartsman's raucous Johnny's House Party - but released over fifty 45 rpm singles and taped much, much more.
The Music City Story is an unprecedented survey of the label's riches, the tapes to which have miraculously survived to provide an intimate portrait of this unique operation. The 3-disc set acts as an excellent primer for Ace's forthcoming genre-and artist-based compilations of Music City material, telling the story with both many rare gems from the catalogue, and a surfeit of previously unissued goodies.
Among this set's 78 tracks are names familiar to doo wop and blues collectors - the Crescendos, Gaylarks, Rovers, 5 Lyrics, Alvin Smith etc - while behind several others lurk famous names (James Brown, Lou Rawls) or others soon to be famous (Sugar Pie Desanto, members of Sly & The Family Stone). While Music City recorded many genres, from jazz to surf, the emphasis in The Music City Story is upon the black vocal group, be it 50s, 60s or 70s vintage.
Over the course of two decades, owner Ray Dobard's release schedule reflected the evolution of black popular music, from smooth blues in the early 1950s, through R&B, instrumentals, rock 'n' roll through to the end of the decade, proto-soul in the early 60s and into funk and modern soul in the 1970s. But it is the rich seam of Bay Area vocal groups that Music City mined, that collectors associate with the label. Dobard had only a couple of minor hits - the Four Deuces' popular W-P-L-J, Johnny Heartsman's raucous Johnny's House Party - but released over fifty 45 rpm singles and taped much, much more.
Among this set's 78 tracks are names familiar to doo wop and blues collectors - the Crescendos, Gaylarks, Rovers, 5 Lyrics, Alvin Smith etc - while behind several others lurk famous names (James Brown, Lou Rawls) or others soon to be famous (Sugar Pie Desanto, members of Sly & The Family Stone). While Music City recorded many genres, from jazz to surf, the emphasis in The Music City Story is upon the black vocal group, be it 50s, 60s or 70s vintage.
Album: The Music City Story, Disc 1
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:33
Size: 155.6 MB
Styles: R&B, Doowop
Year: 2011
Art: Front
[2:38] 1. 4 Deuces, The - W-P-L-J
[2:43] 2. Que Martyn & His Orchestra/Del Graham - Your Money Ain't Long Enough
[2:42] 3. Golden Boy/Chick Morris & His Band - Keep Me Satisfied, Baby
[3:03] 4. Chick Morris & His Band/Al Joseph Harris - Prayer
[2:47] 5. Sidney Grande - Guitar Blues
[2:41] 6. Alvin Smith - On My Way
[2:36] 7. Mr Undertaker - Here Lies My Love
[2:38] 8. Midnights - Annie Pulled A Hum-Bug
[2:33] 9. Twilighters, The - Late Last Night
[2:35] 10. Rovers, The - Ichi Bon Tami-Dachi
[2:42] 11. Johnny Heartsman - Johnny's Stomp [early Version]
[3:05] 12. Gaylarks, The - Tell Me, Darling
[3:22] 13. 5 Lyrics, The - I'm A Workin' Man
[2:12] 14. Morrine/5 Campbells, The - Morrine
[3:14] 15. Gloria Jean Pitts/Gloria Jean - I Don't Stand No Quittin'
[1:53] 16. Dreamers, The/Dreamers, The - Crossing The River
[2:43] 17. Golden West Singers, The - This Wicked Race
[2:25] 18. 3 Dons & Donna, The - Jerry
[1:50] 19. 5 Swans, The - Lil Tipa-Tina
[2:18] 20. Jimmy Nelson - Wheel
[2:27] 21. Jasper Evans - Wrong Doing Woman
[2:22] 22. Gayteens, The - Ding Dong
[2:59] 23. Leon Pryor - From The Bottom Of My Heart
[2:18] 24. Al Bennett/Country Travellers, The - Bury Me In The South
[2:46] 25. Unknown Duo - Wallflower
[0:47] 26. Unknown Duo - Big Six Radio Ad
The Music City Story, Disc 1 mc
The Music City Story, Disc 1 zippy
Album: The Music City Story, Disc 2
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:29
Size: 155.4 MB
Styles: R&B, Doowop
Year: 2011
[5:05] 1. Johnny Heartsman - Johnny's House Party Pts. 1 & 2
[2:32] 2. 3 Honeydrops - Rockin' Satellite
[2:39] 3. Lord Luther - Just One More Chance
[2:31] 4. Fi-Dels, The - Love Me Tender
[2:39] 5. Gene Lee/Blue Rockers, The - Gonna Blow Out The Lamp
[2:19] 6. Wally & Theresa - Are You My Boyfriend
[2:03] 7. Marcels, The - Indian Jane
[2:28] 8. Robbie Meldano - I Need You Baby
[2:15] 9. Pee Wee Kingsley - Flippin And A Floppin
[2:58] 10. Holidays, The - Station L-O-V-E
[2:14] 11. Jimmy Raney - Blues All Around My Bed
[2:33] 12. Klixs, The - Elaine
[2:48] 13. Johnny George - Music City Hop
[2:04] 14. 5 Crystels, The - Heaven's Own Choir
[2:35] 15. Kary Lynn - Dynamite
[2:29] 16. Pagans, The - Lover's Plea
[2:56] 17. Willie Moore - The Slopp
[2:25] 18. Joe Blackwell/Individuals - Beverly My Darling
[2:28] 19. Satellite Band - Party At Vern's
[2:25] 20. Crescendos, The - My Heart's Desire
[2:26] 21. Lee Durrell/Tamaras - You Gave Me Love
[2:07] 22. Little Lynn - I Walk In Circles
[2:49] 23. Bob & Jessie - Church On The Hill
[2:57] 24. Little Willie Littlefield - Love You All Night Long
[2:39] 25. Nightcaps, The - Mirage
[0:54] 26. Nightcaps, The - Magnificent Montague Radio Spot
The Music City Story, Disc 2 mc
The Music City Story, Disc 2 zippy
Album: The Music City Story, Disc 3
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:21
Size: 164.3 MB
Styles: R&B, Doowop
Year: 2011
[2:10] 1. Wanda Burt/Crescendos, The - Scheming
[1:45] 2. Vermettya Royster - All Around The World
[2:53] 3. San Franciscans - Ocean Of Love
[1:57] 4. D'vonya White - The Kasavubu Waltz
[2:33] 5. 4 Rivers, The - Nature Boy
[2:04] 6. Derbys, The - Lonely One
[2:52] 7. Jackie Day - Don't Fence Me In
[2:42] 8. Italics, The - I Feel So Blue
[3:17] 9. Fantastics, The - I'm Waiting
[2:12] 10. Swingin' Brothers, The - What To Do
[2:31] 11. Powell Brothers, The - You Are My Lover Girl
[2:31] 12. Johnnie Marie Thorne - I Can't Take Any More
[2:38] 13. Music City Soul Brothers, The - Something In My Eye
[2:44] 14. Music City Swingers - Passing Thru Music City
[2:53] 15. Music City All Stars, The - Do The Philly
[2:21] 16. Lou Rawls - Too Late To Cry
[2:52] 17. Wanda Burt - Feeling Fine, Feeling Good
[2:06] 18. Soul Brothers, The - She's Coming Back
[3:07] 19. Heavenly Tones - He's All Right
[2:33] 20. Two Things In One, The - Stop Telling Me
[3:43] 21. Soul Sensations, The - A Man That Is Not Free
[3:28] 22. Darondo - Didn't I
[3:06] 23. Ballad's, The - Loving You Isn't Enough
[5:00] 24. Teardrop Tears, The - When We Get Married Pt. 2
[3:50] 25. Performers, The - Farewell, Goodbye My Love
[0:20] 26. Performers, The - Kya Newsbeat Spot
The Music City Story, Disc 3 mc
The Music City Story, Disc 3 zippy
s c a n s (includes 48-page booklet)
