The Front Porch Blues Show
JD Esquire
Rich Blackmarr is hosting another Rockin' In Rhythm Archives edition of the Front Porch Blues Show on KDVS tonight. The focus of the program is blues and bluesy/rockin' R&B from 1956 with an emphasis on women singers (featured on half of the tracks). These include Linda Hopkins, Dakota Staton, Dolly Cooper, Marie Knight, Annie Laurie, Beverly Wright, Gloria Lynne, Anita Tucker, Little Esther, Etta James, Camille Howard, and more. Tonight's FPBS will be balanced with 1956 recordings made by Johnny Otis (on his Dig Records label), Smiley Lewis, Howlin' Wolf, Earl King, Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, Sonny Boy Williamson, and other bluesmen. In the middle of the FPBS we will take a Holiday break to hear the wonderful 1960 version Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol delivered by comedian Lord Buckley (1906-1960) as "Scrooge." Lord Buckley's monologues were a favorite of artists ranging from Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, and Robin Williams to Ken Kesey, Joni Mitchell, and Sly Stone.
Genre
Blues
Missed the Show?
Sunday 12/12/2021 @ 8:00PM - 10:00PM
| Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Otis & His Orchestra | Midnight Creeper Pt. 1 | Johnny Otis - Creepin' With The Cats: The Legendary Dig Masters, Vol. 1 | Ace | 1956 instrumental recording on Otis's Dig label |
| Annie Laurie | You Promised Love | The Essential Annie Laurie - Since I Fell For You | Jasmine | 1956 rec. on Savoy by singer Laurie |
| Smiley Lewis | Please Listen To Me | Smiley Lewis - Rocks | Bear Family | March 1956 rec. at Cosimo's in New Orleans by Lewis (voc) |
| Linda Hopkins | My Loving Baby | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | Federal Rec. by singer Hopkins in NYC |
| Howlin' Wolf | So Glad | Howlin' Wolf - The Wolf Is At Your Door: The Singles As & Bs 1951-1960 | Jasmine 2-cd set | Flip side of Wolf's #8 R&B hit I Asked For Water; Otis Smokey Smothers on gtr. |
| Gloria Lynn with David Clowney Orch. | Cool Daddy | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | Jan. '56 Ember rec. in NYC by singer Lynn |
| Dakota Staton | Don't Mean Maybe | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | 1956 NYC rec. on Capitol by singer Staton |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Camille Howard | Rock 'n' Roll Mama | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | May 1956 Chicago rec. on Vee-Jay by singer Howard |
| Earl King | Is Evrything Alright | Earl King - Let The Good Times Roll: Singles As & Bs 1955-1962 | Jasmine | 1956 New Orleans release on Ace label by King (voc/gtr) with Huey Smith (p) |
| Dolly (Thelma) Cooper | Big Rock Inn | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | Aug. 1956 rec. in LA for Dot by singer Cooper |
| Marie Knight | Grasshopper Baby | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | February 1956 NYC rec. for Mercury by gospel singer Knight |
| Anita Tucker with Big Dave & His Music | Hop, Skip And Jump | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | Jan. 1956 rec. in LA for Capitol by singer Tucker |
| Wynonie Harris | Destination Love | VA - Atlantice Blues: Vocalists | Atlantic | 1956 release on Atco by singer Harris, who owned a restaurant in Brooklyn at the time |
| Beverley Wright & the Students | Shake 'Til I'm Shook | VA - Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females | Fantastic Voyage 3-cd set | March 1956 LA rec. for Groove by singer Wright with Students voc. ensemble |
| Johnny Otis | Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey | Johnny Otis - Creepin' With The Cats: The Legendary Dig Masters, Vol. 1 | Ace | Little Richard was in Otis's Dig rec. studio in South Central LA when Johnny cut this tune |
| Little Richard | Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey | Little Richard - The Georgia Peach | Specialty | Shortly after Johnny Otis recorded this song title incl. the phrase Goin' back to Kansas City", Richard made his version with "Goin' back to Birmingham" |
| Smiley Lewis | She's Got Me Hook, Line And Sinker | Smiley Lewis - Rocks | Bear Family | bonus track |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Lord (Richard) Buckley | Scrooge | Lord Buckley - Bad Rapping Of The Marquis De Sade | World Pacific | Humorist Buckley's telling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol rec. at World Pacific studios in LA in 1960 |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Johnny Otis | Driftin' Blues | Johnny Otis - Creepin' With The Cats: The Legendary Dig Masters, Vol. 1 | Ace | Otis rec. this version of the Charles Brown classic on his Dig label in 1956 |
| Priscilla Bowman with Jay McShann Orch. | My Darkest Night | Jay McShann & Priscilla Bowman - A Rockin' Good Way | Jasmine | Jan. 1956 Vee-Jay rec. in Chicago by singer Bowman backed by veteran KC pianist/bandleader McShann & septet |
| Varetta Dillard | I Can't Help Myself | Varetta Dillard - Mercy, Mr. Percy | Great Voices of the Century 2-cd set | 1956 NYC rec. for Groove label by singer Dillard |
| B.B. 'Blues Boy' King & His Orch. | Bad Luck | B.B. King - The Complete Singles As & Bs 1949-62 | Acrobat 5-cd box set | Billboard #3 R&B |
| Etta 'Miss Peaches' James | I'm A Fool | Etta James - R&B Dynamite | Virgin/Flair | 1956 Modern label rec. by singer James; tune written by Richard Berry |
| Peppermint Harris | I Don't Care | The Very Best Of Peppermint Harris - I Got Loaded 1948-1959 | Jasmine 2-cd set | 1956 Combo label rec. in LA by singer Harrison Nelson Jr. |
| Roy Brown | The Tick Of The Clock | Roy Brown - The Complete Imperial Recordings | Capitol | Sept. 1956 New Orleans rec. for Imperial by singer Brown backed by septet incl. Lee Allen, Herb Hardesty, and Justin Adams |
| Ella Johnson w/ Buddy Johnson Orch. | Bring It Home To Me | Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra - Rockin' N' Rollin': Featuring Ella Johnson | Collectables | 1956 Top Ten R&B hit on Mercury by singer Ella Johnson backed by brother Buddy's band |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Lloyd Glenn | Chick-A-Boo | The Chronological Lloyd Glenn 1954-1957 | Classics Blues & Rhythm Series | Veteran pianist Glenn's 1956 version of 1950 #1 R&B hit (Swing Time) cut for Aladdin and released on Score LP |
| Willie Mabon | Knock On Wood | Willie Mabon - Willie's Blues: The Greatest Hits 1952-1957 | Jasmine | From pianist/singer Mabon's final rec. session for Chess Records |
| Little Walter | Who | Little Walter - Boom Boom: The Singles As & Bs 1952-1960 | Jasmine 2-cd set | Dec. 1955 Chicago rec. for Checker by Walter (voc/hca) backed by Luther Tucker & Robert Lockwood Jr (gtrs), Willie Dixon (b), Fred Below (d); Billboard #7 R&B hit |
| Big Maybelle | Tell Me Who | Big Maybelle - Candy!: Savoy Blues Legends | Savoy Jazz 2-cd set | July 1956 NYC rec. for Savoy by singer Maybelle Smith backed by studio band incl. Dave McRae, Buddy Lucas, Mickey Baker |
| Little Esther | Tain't Whatcha Say, It's Whatcha Do | Esther Phillips - Release Me: The Early Years 1950-1962 | Reel To Reel 4-cd box set | 1956 Savoy rec. by singer Esther Phillips |
| Sonny Boy Williamson | Let Me Explain | The Essential Sonny Boy Williamson | MCA/Chess 2-cd set | Jan. 1956 Chicago rec. for Checker by Sonny Boy (voc/hca) backed by Oris Spann, Robert Lockwood, Luther Tucker, Willie Dixon, Fred Below |
| Airbreak | ||||
| Johnny Otis | Dog Face Boy, Pt. 1 | Johnny Otis - Creepin' With The Cats: The Legendary Dig Masters, Vol. 1 | Ace | bonus instrumental track |
| Lloyd Glenn | Old Time Shuffle | The Chronological Lloyd Glenn 1954-1957 | Classics Blues & Rhythm Series | bonus instrumental track |