Label: Route 66 Records.
Release Date: 1978.
Recording Time: 43 minutes.
Recording Date: July, 1947 - September, 1954.
Release Info: Compilation Studio Recording.
Styles: Early R&B, Jump Blues, Rock & Roll, Regional Blues, West Coast Blues, Urban Blues.
Recording Info: Track 1 - New Orleans 1947; Track 2 - New Orleans 1948; Track 3 - New Orleans, Oct. 1947; Track 4 - New Orleans 1948; Track 5 - Cincinnati, Nov. 2, 1949; Track 6 - Cincinnati, June 15, 1950; Track 7 - New Orleans, Dec. 19, 1952; Track 8 - Cincinnati, June 15 1950; Track 9 - New Orleans 1948; Track 10 - Cincinnati, Sept. 27, 1951; Track 11 - early 1953; Track 12 - Cincinnati, June 22, 1950; Track 13 - New Orleans, Sept. 2, 1954; Track 14 - Cincinnati, Apr. 2, 1954; Track 15 - unknown.
Covering Brown's most fertile period of 1947-1954, Good Rocking Tonight is the second of three Route 66 volumes covering rare sides by the jump blues star. Same as the first collection, Laughing But Crying, this disc nicely fills in gaps left by high-profile titles from Rhino and King. The focus is on a mix of rough-and-ready R&B and after-hours blues, with alternate takes of hits like "Good Rocking Tonight" and "Mighty, Mighty Man" giving collectors something to relish. Most impressive, though, are breakneck-tempo cuts like "Whose Hat Is That" and the infamous "Butcher Pete, Pt. 2" (the blues lyrical taste for sexual double entendre reaching over-the-top levels on the latter). Besides matching the speed of bebop, the frantic energy of these and many other sides Brown cut during the late '40s and early '50s shores up the singer's place as a rock & roll pioneer. On the other hand, Brown also influenced the gospel-based world of soul with pathos-ridden and urbane blues like "Brown Angel." And putting further pay to the singer's impressive flexibility -- not to mention his admitted admiration for crooner Bing Crosby -- he delivers a velvety cool vocal performance on "Teenage Jamboree." In light of all the musical wealth herein, then, it's definitely a shame this and the other Brown titles on Route 66 are only to be found in the used bins; interested listeners are advised to first run out and get Rhino's retrospective, the namesake collection Good Rocking Tonight, before putting in time scouring the local record emporium.
by Stephen Cook
Notes: All songs by Roy Brown except where noted. The back cover includes extensive liner notes, and biographical and autobiographical information attributed to - John Broven, "Roy Brown", Blues Unlimited 123–124; Jonas Bernholm, unpublished interview; Staffan Solding, Swedish Radio Broadcast, 1978.
Personnel: Placide Adams - drums (13); Chuck Badie - bass (10); Earl Barnes - tenor sax (1,3); Edgar Blanchard - guitar (6,8?,12); Frank Campbell - baritone sax (7); Walter Daniels - piano (3); Wallace Davenport - trumpet (3); Salvador Doucette - piano (13); Jimmy Davis - guitar (7,13,14); Johnny Fontenette - tenor sax (5,6,7,8?,10,12,13); Percy Gabriel - bass (3); Albert "June" Gardner - drums (14); James C. Harris - piano (14); Wilbur Herden - trumpet (6,8?,12); Ike Isaacs - bass (6,8?,12); George Jenkins - drums (12); Leonard Jefferson - bass (14); Bill Jones - guitar (3); Melvin Lastie - trumpet (13); Ray Miller - drums (7); Tony Moret - trumpet (1); Alexander Nelson - baritone sax (10); Charlie Nelson - piano (10); Bob Ogden - drums (1); Jerome O'Neill - alto sax (1); Frank Parker - drums (5); Sammy Parker - tenor sax (7,13,14); LeRoy Rankins - baritone sax (5,6,8?,12); Teddy Riley - trumpet (5,7,10,14); Edward Santineo - piano (5,6,8?,12); Louis Sargent - guitar (5); Calvin Sheilds - drums (6,8?); Tommy Shelvin - bass (5,7,13); Wilbert Smith - bass (10); Clement Tervalon - trombone (1,3); Victor Thomas - tenor sax (7,14); Jimmy Williams - piano (7); Unknown - bass (1,2,4,9,11), drums (2,3,4,9,11), guitar (1,11), piano (1,2,4,9,11), tenor sax (2,4,9,11), trombone (2,4,9), trumpet (2,4,9).
Credits: H. Bernard - composer, compiler (track 5); Roy Brown - composer, primary artist, vocals; Lasse Ermalm - design (sleeve); Gunnar Loof - mastering; Mr R&B - compiler; Per Notini - compiler; Bengt Weine - compiler.
Tracks: 1) Good Rocking Tonight; 2) Long About Midnight; 3) Whose Hat Is That; 4) Fore Day In The Morning; 5) Butcher Pete, Pt 2; 6) Dreaming Blues; 7) Old Age Boogie, Pt 1 & 2; 8) Good Man Blues; 9) Miss Fanny Brown Returns; 10) Brown Angel; 11) Grandpa Stole My Baby; 12) Teenage Jamboree; 13) Black Diamond; 14) This Is My Last Goodbye; 15) Mighty, Mighty Man.
Personnel: Placide Adams - drums (13); Chuck Badie - bass (10); Earl Barnes - tenor sax (1,3); Edgar Blanchard - guitar (6,8?,12); Frank Campbell - baritone sax (7); Walter Daniels - piano (3); Wallace Davenport - trumpet (3); Salvador Doucette - piano (13); Jimmy Davis - guitar (7,13,14); Johnny Fontenette - tenor sax (5,6,7,8?,10,12,13); Percy Gabriel - bass (3); Albert "June" Gardner - drums (14); James C. Harris - piano (14); Wilbur Herden - trumpet (6,8?,12); Ike Isaacs - bass (6,8?,12); George Jenkins - drums (12); Leonard Jefferson - bass (14); Bill Jones - guitar (3); Melvin Lastie - trumpet (13); Ray Miller - drums (7); Tony Moret - trumpet (1); Alexander Nelson - baritone sax (10); Charlie Nelson - piano (10); Bob Ogden - drums (1); Jerome O'Neill - alto sax (1); Frank Parker - drums (5); Sammy Parker - tenor sax (7,13,14); LeRoy Rankins - baritone sax (5,6,8?,12); Teddy Riley - trumpet (5,7,10,14); Edward Santineo - piano (5,6,8?,12); Louis Sargent - guitar (5); Calvin Sheilds - drums (6,8?); Tommy Shelvin - bass (5,7,13); Wilbert Smith - bass (10); Clement Tervalon - trombone (1,3); Victor Thomas - tenor sax (7,14); Jimmy Williams - piano (7); Unknown - bass (1,2,4,9,11), drums (2,3,4,9,11), guitar (1,11), piano (1,2,4,9,11), tenor sax (2,4,9,11), trombone (2,4,9), trumpet (2,4,9).
Credits: H. Bernard - composer, compiler (track 5); Roy Brown - composer, primary artist, vocals; Lasse Ermalm - design (sleeve); Gunnar Loof - mastering; Mr R&B - compiler; Per Notini - compiler; Bengt Weine - compiler.
Tracks: 1) Good Rocking Tonight; 2) Long About Midnight; 3) Whose Hat Is That; 4) Fore Day In The Morning; 5) Butcher Pete, Pt 2; 6) Dreaming Blues; 7) Old Age Boogie, Pt 1 & 2; 8) Good Man Blues; 9) Miss Fanny Brown Returns; 10) Brown Angel; 11) Grandpa Stole My Baby; 12) Teenage Jamboree; 13) Black Diamond; 14) This Is My Last Goodbye; 15) Mighty, Mighty Man.