R&B: Best Sellers

The coupling of funky Crescent City guitarist Earl King with the East Coast-based Roomful of Blues wasn't exactly made in heaven (the band excels at jump blues; at second-line beats, they're [more]

A mix of soul and blues from her last sessions is sung with despair. ~ Richard Pack, All Music Guide

In keeping with his jazz/pop crossover ambitions, Ray Charles decided to record a concept album of sorts with a dozen songs devoted to various parts of the U.S. -- "Alabamy [more]

It's not much of a secret that Led Zeppelin (and the whole heavy metal genre that arose in the group's wake) had their roots deep in the blues, and there are several sets [more]

This late-period Rosco Gordon set was recorded live at the 100 Club in London in 1982, just after the ska revival -- that coincided with punk and post-punk -- had died down. No [more]

A 24-track collection of various tracks that Paul McCartney either covered or was influenced by, this set works just as well as a sequence without the McCartney connection. When you can hear the Coasters'

A 25-track collection of various tracks that Gram Parsons either covered or was influenced by, this set works just as well as a sequence without the Parsons connection. [more]

Its title aside (which suggests that Hoagy Carmichael was a some distant forerunner of Jackson Browne or Dar Williams, a case that would be [more]

At four discs and nearly 100 tracks, this is the second installment of Rhythm and Blues Records' ambitious history of R&B, covering the years 1942 to 1952 [more]

Sensational Memphis R&B by this Sun alumnus, these are the '50s recordings of this rhythmic piano-led combo. (Import) ~ Hank Davis, All Music Guide

Memphis Slim bridged the gap between rural juke joint barrelhouse piano and the emerging uptown blues styles of the late '40s. This fine collection of 78s, [more]

A collection of 22 mostly blues tracks that either influenced or were covered by Nick Cave, this set works just fine as an anthology even without the Cave connection. And it [more]

This is a really silly album, and calling it Tribute to the Music of the Blues Brothers is just this side of ridiculous. However fun they might be [more]

In deciding where to start listening to Jimmy Reed, the man and his record label made it easy -- at the beginning. His debut LP release, I'm Jimmy Reed, was about as strong a first [more]

B.B. King is not only a timeless singer and guitarist, he's also a natural-born entertainer, and on Live at the Regal the listener is treated to an exhibition of all three of his [more]