DUST MY RHYTHM AND BLUES-THE FLAIR RECORDS R&B STORY 1953-1955.

dereksmusicblog ♦ December 22, 2013 ♦ Leave a comment

DUST MY RHYTHM AND BLUES-THE FLAIR RECORDS R&B STORY 1953-1955.

Despite only being around for just three years, Flair Records released some of the best R&B and blues of that period. Formed in 1953, Flair Records became the second subsidiary of Modern Records. RPM was Modern Records’ first subsidiary, Flair Records the second. It was the idea of Jules Bihari, who with his brothers, co-founded Modern Records. Jules was also the head of A&R at Modern Records. He realised that music was changing and Modern Records’ roster was expanding. Modern Records was releasing different types of music. That Jules reckoned, wasn’t right. Surely different labels should release different types of music? An example of this would be Flair Records. For its first ten releases, it only released hillbilly and country and western music. After these ten singles, Flair Records roster changed.

For its next seventy releases, Flair Records established a reputation as one of the best R&B and blues label. Despite the quality of its music, none of the singles Flair Records released became a hit. They were however, successful in California, which was home to Flair Records. Then in 1955, Flair Records closed its doors. Since then, the eighty singles Flair Records released have become hugely collectable. Now sixty years after Flair Records released its first single, their releases are changing hands for ever increasing sums of money. So for fans of none of Flair Records, Ace Records’ recent release Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955, will come as a welcome release.

Featuring fifty tracks spread over two discs, Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955, almost half of the tracks have never been released before. Sitting alongside the singles, are alternate takes. For Flair Records completists, this makes Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 essential listening. Especially when there’s contributions from Elmore James, Johnny Ace, Big Duke, The Flairs, Bobby Relk, Matt Cockrell and Blink Allen. This makes Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 a musical treasure trove, which I’ll pick my highlights of.

DISC ONE.

Little Johnny Jones’ Dirty By The Dozen (Sweet Little Woman) opens Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 with Dirty By The Dozen (Sweet Little Woman). Released in 1953, Little Johnny Jones was a blues’ pianist who backed legends like Muddy Waters. Here, Little Johnny Jones steps out of the shadow and takes centre-stage. What follows is on this delicious slice of blues, that’s best described as timeless. Sadly, it’s the only contribution from Little Johnny Jones.

There’s a quartet of Elmore James singles on disc one. Early In The Morning is the first and was released in 1953. It epitomises everything that’s good about blues music. Driven along by the guitar, horns and piano introduce Elmore’s worldweary vocal. It sounds as if it’s been honed on cigarettes and whiskey. The second single is Can’t Stop Lovin’ which was released in 1953. Its much more understated arrangement showcases Elmore’s guitar playing and that unmistakable vocal. Just like Strange Kinda Feeling, which was released in 1954, blues and R&B unite. It’s another song that swings. Elmore keeps the best until last. Sho’ Nuff I Do is a well known track. Released in 1954, it’s a tale of betrayal. Disbelief fills Elmore’s vocal on this classic track and is a tantalising taste of Elmore James, a true giant of blues music. 

Duke Henderson career began back in the forties. Since then, he’d recorded for a number of labels, including Apollo, United Artists and Globe. By 1953, when Duke released Hello Baby as a single, he was known as Big Duke. He was also an experienced musician. A fusion of blues, jazz and R&B, Hello Baby is one of four tracks on disc one. The other single is Night Howler, released in 1954, which features a heartbroken, needy vocal. His other contributions are alternate takes of Beggin’ and Pleadin’ and Baby Beat It, which is Big Duke’s best known single. Sadly, the talented Big Duke was lost to music, when he found religion in 1957. After that, he became a successful gospel DJ and then a minister.

James Reed has two tracks on disc one. You Better Hold Me is an alternate take and My Mama Told Me  was released as a single in 1954. Slow and bluesy, James languid vocal and chiming guitar make a potent combination. A tale of a mistreating woman, James is captivated. So are you. Bluesy horns and a seemingly never ending guitar solo have you spellbound. It’s a true hidden gem. 

Saunders King and His Orchestra’s My Close Friend has a real late night sound. You can imagine this being played late at night, in a Los Angeles nightclub. The track has a really evocative, cinematic sound. Blues and jazz combine on this previously unreleased alternate track. With a vocal oozing heartache, it’s the perfect track for the newly heartbroken. 

Although I’ve only mentioned eleven of the twenty-five tracks on Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955, I could’ve just as easily mentioned any number of other tracks. This includes contributions from The Flairs, Johnny Ace, Matt Cockrell and The Royal Hawk and His Orchestra. Quite simply, Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 is a quality compilation. The unreleased tracks feature more than a few hidden gems. For anyone interested in Flair Records, this makes disc one of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 essential listening. Will this be the case with disc two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955?

DISC TWO.

On Disc Two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955, we meet old friends like Elmore James, The Flairs, Shirley Gunter and Ike Turner and His Orchestra. Then there’s contributions from Anna Marie, Blinky Allen, Bobby Relf and Richard Berry. Disc Two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 is a veritable treasure trove of twenty-five tracks, which I’ll pick the highlights of.

Blinky Allen’s Chop House opens disc two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955. This isn’t the original version of this saxophone driven instrumental. No. It’s an alternate take. Quite simply it’s an irresistible scorcher, and is one of the highlights of the compilation.

Richard Berry has five tracks on disc two. Three of them are singles. This includes The Big Break, released in 1954. Dramatic and theatrical, it’s a genre-melting track. Elements of R&B combine with pop. The same can be said of the 1955 single Oh! Oh! Get Out Of The Car. It’s a poppy slice of R&B. Then there’s three unreleased alternate tracks. Together has Elmore James’ style guitars, while Daddy Daddy is a fusion of R&B, doo wop and R&B. Next Time  has a tougher, harder edge. With a bluesy arrangement, Richard’s vocal is sassy and feisty, as we hear another side to his music.

Blues pianist Mercy Dee Walton was already an established artist when he signed to Flair Records in the summer 1955. During what was the final few months of Flair Records’ “lifetime” Mercy Dee released a trio of singles. They showcases Mercy Dee’s piano playing. The first of these is Stubborn Woman. Slow, bluesy and featuring a despairing vocal, it’s the first of three hidden gems. Oh, Oh, Please is a needy, jazz-tinged uptempo track. Lasting ninety seconds, it’s another tale of love gone wrong, delivered in Mercy Dee’s unique way. Have You Ever is the final contribution from Mercy Dee. Again, it’s a slow, moody and broody track, Mercy Dee lays bare his soul. Sadly, seven years after Mercy Dee released these three tracks, Mercy died in 1962, aged just forty-seven. That day, blues music lost a hugely talented pianist and singer.

The Carroll County Boys only contribution on disc two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 is Dizzy. This isn’t the original version. Instead it’s an alternate track. Featuring a guitar masterclass from Pee Wee Crayton, the addition of braying horns is just the finishing touch to what’s the musical equivalent of pieces of eight.

My final choices from disc two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 come from Shirley Gunter. She also featured on disc one. On disc two she contributes two tracks. Both are alternate versions. The first is Oop Shoop. Ipsy Opsie Ooh is the best of the two. Best described as a fusion of doo wop and R&B, it’s a beautiful, heartfelt and soulful track. Once again, this track proves that Flair Records’ back-catalogue is a veritable treasure trove.

Again, I’ve only mentioned twelve tracks from disc two of Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955. I could just as easily have mentioned three tracks from Elmore James, two tracks from Bobby Rey or tracks from The Chimes, Johnny Fuller and Ike Turner and His Orchestra. Once again, compiler Tony Rounce has chosen well. He’s uncovered some hidden musical gems. This includes some of the ten alternate takes that feature on disc two. They ensure that Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 is an essential purchase for Flair Records’ completists. After all, where else will you find most of these alternate tracks? The good news is that Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955, which was released byAce Records, will cost you a fraction of the price of some of the Flair Records’ releases.

Featuring fifty tracks spread over two discs, Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955 documents the three years when Flair Records were in business. During that three year period, Flair Records released some of the best blues and R&B music of that era. Despite its undoubtable quality, the singles released by Flair Records weren’t a commercial success nationwide. Instead, they were only successful within California, which was home to Flair Records. So it’s no surprise that after three years where its music wasn’t commercially successful, Flair Records closed its doors. However, Flair Records’ left behind a rich musical legacy.

That legacy is Flair Records’ back-catalogue. It includes eighty singles, plus a whole host of alternate takes. A tantalising taste of Flair Records’ back-catalogue features on Dust My Rhythm and Blues-The Flair Records R&B Story 1953-1955, which is a veritable treasure trove that features fifty tracks. Standout Tracks: Little Johnny Jones Dirty By The Dozen (Sweet Little Woman), Elmore James Early In The Morning, Blinky Allen Chop House and The Carroll County Boys Dizzy.

DUST MY RHYTHM AND BLUES-THE FLAIR RECORDS R&B STORY 1953-1955.