The Fireballs - "Torquay"

Here is another great guitar instrumental from The Fireballs.
"Torquay" was released in August of 1959 and hit #39 on the Billboards charts. The song was written by their lead guitarist, George Tomsco.

Brian Auger & The Trinity - "Listen Here"

Sometimes dad would browse the cutout bins of records and come home with some gems. At some point in the 70's he bought this album from the acclaimed British Prog/Jazz keyboardist, Brian Auger. This album, from 1970 featured an incredible version of the Eddie Harris composition, "Listen Here." This song became dad's "work song" that he would play when working in the yard or garage on the weekends. The highlight for me was the awesome drums solo that was recorded in one raw take with four drummers, each on their own kit. Dig it!

"Hang 'Em High" - Booker T. And The MG's

I will always think of my father when I hear a tune by Booker T. & The MG's. Dad would play the "Hip-Hug-Her" album often while we worked  around the house or had a backyard BBQ. The original Stax 45 of Green Onions is in one of his crates of 45s as well.
Hang 'Em High was their soul rendition of the theme from the 1968 Clint Eastwood western movie of the same name. I think dad picked up the single of it around the time we moved to Anaheim in the early 70s.
The driving high hat pattern and reverb-soaked guitar really make this one go.
If you dig soul music, then tune in tonight from 6-9 p.m. Pacific for my special Mixlr show featuring  soul sounds of the 60s & 70s.

Dion - "Ruby Baby"

"Ruby Baby" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by The Drifters.

Even though this is one of the 45s in dad's collection that I played a lot as a kid, I had not posted it before today. It was one that always seemed a little out of place to my dad's tastes. Perhaps too poppy?

In any case it's a great tune!

Dad's Sounds on Mixlr

This mixlr.com show was played on the day my dad would have celebrated his 75th birthday.  Enjoy!

http://mixlr.com/synthetrix-1/showreel/dads-sounds

Tonight's playlist was...

Johnny's House Party - Jimmy Beasley

Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston

Juke - Little Walter

Night Train - Jimmy Forrest

Chee-Bongo Blues - Dimples Harris

Spark Plug  - Gus Jenkins

Joe The Grinder The Hawks

I'll Die Happy - Louis Jordan

Stripped Gears - Jay Franks

Flyin' Home - Big Joe Turner

Riot In Cell Block No. 9 - The Robins

The Big Break - Richard Berry

Quaker City - Bill Doggett

The Tritones - Blues In The Closet

Dry Bones - Bill Black

Skid Row - Tommy Dean

Walkin' With Mr. Lee - Lee Allen

Junco Partner - Richard Hayes

Space Flight Part 1 - Sam Lazar Trio

Side Track - Googie Rene

Rockhouse (Parts I & II) - Ray Charles

Hole In The Wall - The Packers

Jivin' Around - Al Casey

Gonzo - James Booker

MG Blues - Jimmy McGriff

Out Ridin' - Steve Rowland

Get Back - Jimmy McCracklin

Shakedown - The Wailers

Freeway - The Fugitives

Bulldog - The Fireballs

Walk Don't Run '64 - The Ventures

This Here - Cannonball Adderley

Love For Sale - Lloyd Glenn

Sunday In New York - Mel Tormé

Exodus (Jazz) - Eddie Harris

A Taste of Honey - Eddie Cano

Goin' Out Of My Head - Wes Montgomery

It Was A Very Good Year - Frank Sinatra

York's Sauna - The Don Scaletta Trio

Stop - Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper

Hip Hug-Her - Booker T. & The MG's

Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane

Light My Fire - The Doors

White Room - Cream

Listen Here - Brian Auger & The Trinity

Oye Como Va - Santana

Spill the Wine - War

Pearly Queen (Live) - Dave Mason

On Broadway - George Benson

Squonk - Genesis

Night Moves - Bob Seger

Jessica - Allman Brothers Band

The Chase - Giorgio Moroder

Forever Autumn - Jeff Wayne (feat. Justin Hayward)

Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits

MemoryRain.

Joe Houston and His Orchestra - Hum Bug

This one from the great Joe Houston is from around 1955. A song called "There Is No Greater Love" was on the flip side.

Roy Hamilton - I Believe

Here is another one by Roy Hamilton. Check out the clippings from Billboard Magazine, Feb 12, 1955.

Go! Go! Go! - The Treniers

Another good old good one from 1951. Featuring twin brothers Cliff and Claude Trenier, the Treniers helped link swing music to rock & roll with their brand of hot jump blues in the late '40s and early '50s. To the latter-day listener, their early-'50s singles sound closer to swing than rock; indeed, Cliff and Claude had once sung with the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. The group did anticipate some crucial elements of rock & roll, though, with their solid, thumping beats, their squealing saxophone solos, and their song titles, such as "Rocking on Sunday Night," "Rockin' Is Our Business," and "It Rocks! It Rolls! It Swings!." The Treniers' brand of swing-cum-R&B was undoubtedly an influence on Bill Haley, who saw them when both acts were playing summer shows in Wildwood, NJ. They had work recorded for OKeh in the early '50s; by the middle of the decade, their sound was more R&B-oriented. Like many early R&B pioneers, they were unable to find success in the rock & roll era, though they appeared in a few of the first rock & roll films.

Farewell Etta & Johnny

(CNN) -- Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.

(NYT) -- Johnny Otis, the musician, bandleader, songwriter, impresario, disc jockey and talent scout who was often called “the godfather of rhythm and blues,” died on Tuesday at his home in Altadena, Calif. He was 90.

"Louis Jordan" "I'll Die Happy"

"I'll Die Happy" was the flip side to Louis Jordan's 1954, Aladdin Records release of "Ooo-Wee."
This song had some pretty crazy lyrics for the time. My favorite line from the song is "I'm a goofball user and a chick abuser, but I'll die happy." and you will too after hearing this gem.

Roy Hamilton - If I loved You

Here is another one from Roy Hamilton. During his career, Roy spawned over 50 singles, eight of which crossed over to the pop charts. His bevy of hits included the aforementioned “Walk”, released in 1954, which went to number one on the R&B chart and was a pop hit, “Unchained Melody”, another number one R&B hit as well as a top ten pop hit the following year, and the up-tempo hits “Don’t Let Go” in 1958 and “You Can Have Her”, in 1961, both top ten hits. He also berthed a great deal of minor hits, such as his version of “Ebb Tide”, “Hurt”, “If I Loved You”, “Forgive This Fool”, and “Without a Song”. He rigorously toured and performed all over the world, his rich voice and prolific repertoire fitting in at the supper-clubs and cocktail lounges just as easily as on the Chitlin’ Circuit. His bona fide status as a Rock and Roll, star, however, got him a featured spot in the 1958 Columbia Pictures movie “Let’s Rock”. "If I Loved You," was released on the Epic label in 1954. 

Faye Adams - Hurts Me To My Heart

"It Hurts Me to My Heart" is a 1954, Herald Records single by Faye Adams. The song, written by Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton, was the final of Adams's three number ones on the R&B Best Sellers chart in the United States.