Early June 2018 bopping and rocking fortnight's favorites

Howdy folks ! Hello to newcomers, hi ! to returners. This is the early June 2018 selection of bopping tunes, also some rocking rockabilly blues tunes.

First artist on offer is Elmon Mickle, or over here called MODEL « T » SLIM. His whole story is told in Gérard Herzaft‘ site there : http://jukegh.blogspot.fr/2014/09/. I chose both sides of Magnum 736 cut in 1966 in L.A., « Shake Your Boogie » and « Jackson, Tennessee ». Great so-called Black rockabilly : strong harmonica and vocal for both tracks. Slim/Mickel never deserved the fame he ought have had, considering the quality of his recordings.

“Shake Your Boogie”

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“Jackson, Tennessee”

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As a matter of comparison I include in the podcasts his very first sides cut in N. Little Rock in 1952, « My Little Machine (Modern 849) and « My Sweet Woman » (RPM 370), both recorded under the guidance of Jules Bihari during one of his field recordings in 1951-52. Young Ike Turner was at the piano stool for this session. Great ‘Southern’ post-war Blues ! Verging his first Europe tour where he was very popuar, he succumbed to cancer in 1977.

“My Little Machine”

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“My Sweet Woman”

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Al Dean

Next artist was obviously much younger than Elmore Mickle, and came from a very different area : AL DEAN & His All-Stars were from Texas, more precisely from San-Antonio. He’d begin his career in 1958 on the Warrior label, which was founded in 1957 in Pleasanton, and relocated next year in San Antonio. Dean’s early records are represented by Warrior 506-B, « Fragile Heart », a light rockabilly bopper ; also the very Holly-ish boppers « I Shot Billy Joe » and « Verge Of The Blues » (Warrior 508). Included an unissued Warrior song, which was first issued during the ’70’s, the fine rocker « Queen Of The Rock » (Bop-Tex 8001- reverse side is a reissue of « Fragile Heart ». Later on, Al Dean went on D records, and Manco among others. I will retain only the nice ballad « Sign Of The Times» issued by the Kik-R label # 206.