Various Artists - Diddy Wah Diddy .....Ain`t a Town, Ain`t a City [6/28]

Artist:

Various Artists

UPC:

790051674823

Description:

Liner Note Author: Martin Hawkins.
Recording information: Delta Recording Studio, Jackson, MS (1957-1964).
Illustrator: Bobby Joe Swilley.
Photographer: Bobby Joe Swilley.
Jimmie Ammons was a Jackson, Mississippi machinist and tool and die maker who developed an interest in recording in the early `50s. He started out recording weddings, church choirs, and the like, and eventually built a small recording studio in his garage, branching out into doing demos for local musicians. In time he began locally releasing some of these demos on his own Delta Records imprint, which he started around 1952. He kept the studio going until 1977 and ended up working with a wide variety of Mississippi musicians, including local blues and R&B players, hillbilly bands, and -- when rock & roll first broke -- a host of rockabilly artists and nascent rockers. What his recordings lacked in clarity and precision they more than made up for with a certain loose, raw, and immediate energy. This set from Bear Family Records collects 30 of Ammons` rockabilly, R&B, and rock & roll releases recorded between 1956 and 1964, none of which ever generated more than local success, and none of which have previously been available in the digital realm. It`s a fun set, full of verve and playfulness, and it`s a treasure trove of rare, raucous rockabilly featuring slightly unhinged gems like Rick Richardson`s "It Didn`t Satisfy My Soul," the Red Counts` loose, horn-led version of "Slow Down," Warner Mack`s "Ubangi Stomp," Andy Anderson`s "Johnny Valentine," and an almost polished duet by Rick Richardson and Murray Kellum on "The Trouble with Me Is You." None of these sides would have changed the history of pop music any had they somehow managed to break into the national charts, but combined like this, these rare tracks show how rock & roll was building through the 1950s in scores of small, independent studios just like Ammons built in Mississippi. This set is both a history lesson and a whole lot of fun. ~ Steve Leggett

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Rock Me, Yeah Yeah
2. Gonna Rip It Up
3. I Got Me a Woman
4. Johnny Valentine
5. Roll Over and Shake It
6. Ubangi Stomp - Warner Mack
7. Baby Let`s Play House
8. Red Hot - Rick Richardson
9. Woman Can Sure Make a Man Feel Blue, A
10. It Didn`t Satisfy My Soul - Rick Richardson
11. Poor Little Fool
12. Slow Down
13. Rock and Rollin` Cadillac
14. Would You Mind - Alton Lott
15. Goofin` Around
16. I Love You
17. (The Feller That`s Dressed In) the White Sport Coat
18. Baby Please Turn It On
19. Rock-a-Chicka
20. You Just Won`t Say I Do
21. Rockin` With the Cha Cha
22. Rockin` At the Hop
23. I Only Cry To Hear Me Say Your Name
24. Trouble With Me is You, The - Murray Kellum
25. Drivin` Me Wild With Your Style - The Insiders
26. Hr 7152 - Magnolia Quartet
27. Happy Rhythm In My Soul - Magnolia Quartet
28. Rock Baby Rock
29. Her Name Was Devilish Mary - Unidentified
30. It Must Be the Wine

Album Information

Release Date:

06/28/2011

Type:

Collection

Genre:

Oldies

Subgenre:

Rock `N` Roll

Label:

Bear Family Records (Germany)

Producer:

Jimmie Ammons; Martin Hawkins (Reissue)

Catalog Number:

BCD16748AR

Original Release Year:

2011

# of Discs:

1

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

65 : 39

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