Caterina Valente - C’est si Bon (c.1958)
Jesse Belvin - Let’s Try Romance
Every time I hear your name
My heart is bippin’ and boppin’, oh bippin’ in vain.
Louis Prima - Medley: On The Sunny Side Of The Street/Exactly Like You (c.1958)
…Though I’m a big Louis Prima fan, I’m not usually a fan of live albums. This one is an exception for it documents a unique group at the height of its power.
This is from the third straight classic album by trumpeter-singer Louis Prima with his wife-singer Keely Smith and the spirited R&B tenor-saxophonist Sam Butera; it is as exciting as the first two. Recorded live in Lake Tahoe, the band romps through four medleys (including “On the Sunny Side of the Street/Exactly Like You” and “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me/I’m in the Mood for Love”), Keely’s feature on “A Foggy Day,” Butera’s showcase on “Come Back to Sorrento” and trombonist Red Blount’s extroverted rendition of “How High the Moon.” Toss in a few vocal duets and the results are quite memorable. All of Prima’s first three Capitol records (which have thus far only been reissued on CD in samplers) are highly recommended for they document a unique group at the height of its power. - allmusic.com
Clyde McPhatter - That’s Enough For Me (c.1958)
“If there is one voice through which the glories of R&B ran their course in the 1950’s,” wrote Nick Tosches, “it may very well be Clyde McPhatter’s.” That’s high praise for a man born in Durham, NC who sang with the Dominoes (including their recording of “Sixty Minute Man”), was the first lead singer for the Drifters and then went onto a great solo career. Smokey Robinson said that when he was growing up, Clyde was “The Man”, and everyone knew it…here’s “The Man” in a somewhat rare recording from January of 1958, “That’s Enough For Me”.
Johnny Cash - Get Rhythm
“Get Rhythm” was released in 1956 as the B-side to Cash’s first Number One hit, “I Walk the Line.” In 1969, the original recording of “Get Rhythm” was released as a single itself, with sound effects dubbed in to simulate the sound of a live recording.[1] This rerelease went to #23 on the country charts.
