Cool Blues-Jumps & Shuffles [Import]

Saunders King | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 27, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Ace Records UK
• ASIN: B00006L82X
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,517 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. S K Blues (Part 1) AKA New S K Blues (Pt 1) (Rhythm 3)

2. Swingin (Rhythm 206)

3. Write Me A Letter Blues (Prev Unissued Take 1 Of Rhythm 206)

4. Lazy Woman Blues AKA Lazy Women (Rhythm 204)

5. Id Climb The Highest Mountain (Rhythm 204)

6. S K Jumps (Pt 1) (Rhythm 203)

7. Stay Gone Blues (Rhythm 207 And 301)

8. 2 O Clock AM Hop (Rhythm 303)

9. Empty Bedroom Blues (Modern 20 659)

10. Imagination (Modern 20 659)

11. S K Jumps (Pt 2) AKA Summertime Boogie (Rhythm 203 RPM 341)

12. Somethings Worrying Me (Rhythm 303)

13. Read The Good Book

14. Danny Boy

15. Going Mad

16. My Close Friend

17. Quit Hangin Around Me

18. Long Long Time

19. Summertime

20. Get Yourself Another Fool

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Saunders King was a pioneering West Coast electric guitarist who had one of the earliest R&B hits with 'S.K. Blues' in 1942, thus pointing the way for early blues guitarists T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton & Lowell Fulson. This compilation features his important recordings for Rhythm (of San Francisco), Modern, RPM & Flair in the 1940s & early 1950s. 25 tracks. Ace Records. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You Ace Of London, August 12, 2007

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Blues-Jumps & Shuffles (Audio CD)

There are precious few CDs available for this blues singer/guitarist from Staple, Louisiana [born March 13, 1909]. But thankfully one of them is from Ace of London and, with their involvement, you KNOW you are getting quality sound reproduction, informative liner notes and, not least, all four sides of his only two hit single.

After listening to the electric guitar licks of the legendary Charlie Christian, King took up the instrument and formed his own band in 1942 in San Francisco. After securing a contract with Rhythm Records he recorded the self-penned Saunders Blues, later a # 3 R&B hit in 1945 as S.K. Blues [Saunders King Blues] for Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's All Stars.

Hit singles, however, eluded him until 1949 when, for the Modern label, he had a # 9 R&B in March with Empty Bedroom Blues b/w Imagination, billed to Saunders King & His Orchestra. In one of those quirks of the recording industry back then, at the same time as Empty Bedroom Blues was making its chart debut, so was Stay Gone Blues, which had probably been recorded for the Rhythm label a few years before and which they decided to release only in 1949. The A-side made it to # 14 in March b/w S.K. Jumps. Two hits over a long career, both in the same month of the same year, and for two different labels.

But, listening to this fine band you just know that the lack of hit singles had to be related to the fact his releases were not handled by a major distributor - such as that enjoyed by Louis Jordan [Decca].

Saunders King passed away on August 31, 2000 at age 91. Honour him by picking up this compilation of some of the best orchestrated jump music you will hear anywhere.