V.A. - Roots of Rock N' Roll, Vol. 2: 1938-1946 (1997)

This CD is volume two in a series produced by Frenchman Bernard Frémeaux and his associates that explores the roots of rock & roll in the blues and rhythm & blues of the late '30s, the '40s, and the early '50s. The songs of that era were sung by primarily African American musical artists and became the inspiration for the phenomenon known as rock & roll. The music features hard-driving rhythms, as well as a sensuousness in both style and lyrics. Many of the early rock & roll stars, notably Elvis Presley, drew on this rich tradition. Unlike the King, most of these musicians received little notice or remuneration from the white audiences that devoured rock & roll music from the '50s on. In this volume of the collection, the music comes from as early as 1938 and carries up through 1946. Selections from a wide array of singers and musicians give the listener an appreciation for the complex range of these harbingers of the coming tsunami known as rock & roll. The Shelton Brothers, Albert Ammons, Adolph Hofner, Amos Milburn, Hank Penny, and Moon Mullican are not exactly household names in mainstream America. Yet, they contributed their considerable talents to the genre, along with more recognizable artists, such as Louis Jordan, Big Bill Broonzy, Ernest Tubb, Merle Travis, Champion Jack Dupree, and T-Bone Walker. They and many other artists can all be heard here on such tunes as Wynonie Harris' classic shout "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well," "Mississippi Muddle" by the Radio Cowboys, and a sultry Peggy Lee on "Everything's Movin' Too Fast."

Tracklist

CD 1

01. Shelton Brothers - Aura Lee (Love Me Tender)
02. Casey Bill Weldon - You Gotta Do Your Duty
03. Big Joe Turner & Pete Johnson - Roll 'Em Pete
04. Claude Casey & Pine State Playboys - Pine State Honky Tonk
05. Albert Ammons - Shot For Joy
06. Shelton Brothers - On The Owl Hoot Trail
07. Big Joe Turner & Pete Johnson - Baby Look At You
08. Radio Cow Boys - Mississippi Muddle
09. Adolph Hofner - Joe Turner Blues
10. Moon Mullican - Pipeliner's Blues
11. Gene Autry - Blueberry Hill
12. Big Bill Bronzy - Rocking Chair Blues
13. Washboard Sam - Come On Back
14. Ernest Tubb - You Nearly Lose Your Mind
15. Jazz Gillum - Tell Me Mama
16. Wynonie Harris - Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well
17. Louis Jordan - Cal'donia Boogie
18. Bob Wills - Roly Poly

CD 2

01. Bill Monroe - Rocky Road Blues
02. Clyde Moody - Two Timin' Blues
03. T-Bone Walker - T-Bone Boogie
04. Champion Jack Dupree - Let's Have A Ball
05. Arthur Smith - Guitar Boogie
06. Roy Milton - Milton's Boogie
07. Delmore Brothers - Hillbilly Boogie
08. Armstrong Twins - Mandolin Boogie
09. Hank Penny - Steel Guitar Stomp
10. Louis Jordan - Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
11. Delmore Brothers - Boogie Woogie Baby
12. Merle Travis - Cincinnati Lou
13. Spade Cooley - Oklahoma Stomp
14. Tex Williams - I Got Texas In My Soul
15. Spade Cooley - Three Way Boogie
16. Arthur Crudup - That's All Right
17. Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece
18. Peggy Lee - Everything's Moving Too Fast