Various Artists  Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volumes 1-8
Label: Fremeaux & Associes, France
Released: 1996
Format: Mp3@320


Frémeaux is the French label’s take on the immediate forerunners of American rock, music in the Southern tradition introduced through various media to be  discovered by Northerners and christened  rock’n’roll . Each two CD set contains a range  of boogie, with some swing, honky-tonk, blues, and country verging on rockabilly. Icons abound, including Little Richard, Bill Haley, Howlin’ Wolf, Big Mama Thornton, Fats Domino, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Peggy Lee, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Dr Feelgood, Flatt & Scruggs. But it’s the obscure artists that make these CDs so engaging. Louie Innis, Wynonie Harris, Bumble Bee Slim, Skeets McDonald, Speedy West, and many other an excellent but forgotten musicians offer an intriguing glimpse of the breadth of Southern rock origins prior to the middle of the 20th century

Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 1: 1927-1938



Legend would have it that Rock’n’roll was born in Memphis in 1954 when a young truck-driver by the name of Elvis Presley opted to sing “Black blues” his way. A legend that drastically over-simplifies reality, however, for the roots of rock’n’roll are already to be found in the early recordings of blues, jazz and country music of the mid-1920s

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Memphis Jug Band - Sun Brimmer's Blues
02. Allen Brothers - Ain't That Skippin' And Flyin'?
03. Blind Lemon Jefferson - Matchbox
04. Grayson & Whitter - Train 45
05. Honolulu Serenaders - Honolulu Stomp
06. Mississippi John Hurt - Frankie (And Johnnie)
07. Lonnie Johnson - Playing With The Strings
08. Jelly Roll Morton - Georgia Swing
09. Henry Thomas - Old Country Stomp
10. Eddie Lang & Lonnie Johnson - A Handful Of Riffs
11. Barbecue Bob - Twistin' Your Stuff
12. Grayson & Whitter - Tom Dooley
13. Sleepy John Estes - Milk Cow Blues
14. Jimmie Noone - You Rascal You
15. Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie - Let's Go To Town
16. Fort Worth Doughboys - Nancy Jane
17. New Orleans Feetwarmers - I've Found A New Baby
18. Milton Brown - Talking About You

Disc 2:
01. Kokomo Arnold -The Twelves
02. Cleo Brown - Boogie Woogie
03. Boswell Sisters - Rock And Roll
04. Bumble Bee Slim - I'm Needing Someone
05. Milton Brown - Mama Don't Allow It
06. Milton Brown - Keep A Knockin'
07. Louis Armstrong - Swing That Music
08. Hartman's Heartbreakers - It Feels So Good
09. Harlem Hamfats - She's Gone Again
10. Tampa Kid - Baby Please Don't Go
11. Jimmie Davis - Honky Tonk Blues
12. Bob Wills - White Heat
13. Harlem Hamfats - What's My Baby Doin'?
14. Gene Autry - The Rhythm Of The Range
15. Django Reinhardt - Stompin' At Decca
16. Adolph Hofner - Better Quit It Now
17. Larry Adler - I Got Rhythm
18. Sol Hoopii - Fascinating Rhythm

Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 2: 1938-1946

If, as one tends to believe, the Rock n’ Roll era was born in the fifties, its build-up covered a long period. In this second volume of the Roots of Rock n’ Roll, we discover the period from 1938 to 1946. The Southern music was changing with its popularity extending over the traditional boundaries due to the boogie-woogie fever, the upheaval of American society provoked by the war and transformations in the record industry. In this time of movement, the whole of America began to boogie in a way that was very similar to what was to be known as Rock n’ Roll.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Shelton Brothers - Aura Lee (Love Me Tender)
02. Casey Bill Weldon - You Gotta Do Your Duty
03. Big Joe Turner & Pete Johnson - Roll 'Em Pete
04. Claude Casey & Pine State Playboys - Pine State Honky Tonk
05. Albert Ammons - Shot For Joy
06. Shelton Brothers - On The Owl Hoot Trail
07. Big Joe Turner & Pete Johnson - Baby Look At You
08. Radio Cow Boys - Mississippi Muddle
09. Adolph Hofner - Joe Turner Blues
10. Moon Mullican - Pipeliner's Blues
11. Gene Autry - Blueberry Hill
12. Big Bill Bronzy - Rocking Chair Blues
13. Washboard Sam - Come On Back
14. Ernest Tubb - You Nearly Lose Your Mind
15. Jazz Gillum - Tell Me Mama
16. Wynonie Harris - Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well
17. Louis Jordan - Cal'donia Boogie
18. Bob Wills - Roly Poly

Disc 2:
01. Bill Monroe - Rocky Road Blues
02. Clyde Moody - Two Timin' Blues
03. T-Bone Walker - T-Bone Boogie
04. Champion Jack Dupree - Let's Have A Ball
05. Arthur Smith - Guitar Boogie
06. Roy Milton - Milton's Boogie
07. Delmore Brothers - Hillbilly Boogie
08. Armstrong Twins - Mandolin Boogie
09. Hank Penny - Steel Guitar Stomp
10. Louis Jordan - Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
11. Delmore Brothers - Boogie Woogie Baby
12. Merle Travis - Cincinnati Lou
13. Spade Cooley - Oklahoma Stomp
14. Tex Williams - I Got Texas In My Soul
15. Spade Cooley - Three Way Boogie
16. Arthur Crudup - That's All Right
17. Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece
18. Peggy Lee - Everything's Moving Too Fast


Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 3: 1947

USA 1947: the start of the cold war, launching of the Marshall Plan, Roswell UFO incident, creation of the CIA… Elvis Presley was 12, Carl Perkins 15. America was rocking and rolling to juke boxes and radios. With these Rock ‘n’ Roll albums you can tap your foot in time with American history.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Wynonie Harris - Good Rocking Tonight
02. Hank Williams - Move It On Over
03. Paul Howard - Rootie Tootie
04. Julia Lee - Mama Don't Allow
05. Julia Lee - Snatch And Grab It
06. Al Dexter - New Broom Boogie
07. Louis Jordan - Barnyard Boogie
08. Sticks McGhee - Drinkin' Wine Spoo-Dee-O-Dee
09. Red Foley - Freight Train Boogie
10. Pee Wee King - Ten Gallon Boogie
11. Paul Gayten - Your Hands Ain't Clean
12. Joe Lutcher - Rockin' Boogie
13. Milo Twins - Downtown Boogie
14. Jazz Gillum - You Got To Run Me Down
15. Lightnin' Hopkins - Let Me Play With Your Poodle
16. Smokey Hogg - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
17. Luke Wills - The Texas Special
18. Roy Brown - Roy Brown Boogie

Disc 2:
01. Merle Travis - Merle's Boogie Woogie
02. Tex Williams - Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
03. Amos Milburn - Chicken Shack Boogie
04. Sons of The Pioneers - Cigareetes, Whusky And Wild Wimmen
05. Johnny Tyler - Oakie Boogie
06. Nellie Lutcher - He's A Real Gone Guy
07. John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson - Polly Put Your Kettle On
08. Big Three Trio - After While
09. Wayne Raney - Lost John Boogie
10. Delmore Brothers - Barnyard Boogie
11. Roy Milton - Big Fat Mama
12. Peggy Lee - Why Don't You Do Right?
13. Jimmy Liggins - The Washboard Special
14. T-Texas Tyler - My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
15. Chet Atkins - Canned Heat
16. Jimmy Wakely - Oklahoma Blues (Just An Oakie With The Oakie Blues)
17. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train
18. Jack Rivers - Razor Strap Boogie


Various Artists - Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 4: 1948

Throughout 1948 the Cold war did not appear to dampen the ardour of American dancers, whether white or black. They were bopping and swinging their partners around, throwing them above their heads, between their legs – perhaps not yet really rocking, but one little roll would be enough to transform what was already a frenzy into a tornado. With this boxed set featuring both familiar and more obscure 1948 titles, you can tap your foot in time with American history

Tracklist:

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Wynonie Harris - I Want My Fanny Brown
02. Harry Choates - Louisiana Boogie
03. Roy Milton - Hop, Skip And Jump
04. Pee Wee King - Bull Fiddle Boogie
05. Johnny Tyler - Two Can Play Your Game
06. Muddy Waters - Muddy Jumps One
07. K. C. Douglas - Mercury Boogie
08. Hawkshaw Hawkins - Dog House Boogie
09. Paul Williams - The Twister
10. Willie 'Long Time' Smith - Dirty Deal Boogie
11. T-Texas Tyler - Guitar Boogie Woogie
12. Jimmy McCracklin - I Can't Understand
13. Spade Cooley - Big Chief Boogie
14. Curley Williams - Georgia Boogie
15. Jimmy Liggins - Mississippi Boogie
16. T.J. Fowler - Red Hot Blues
17. Pee Wee Crayton - Bounce Pee Wee
18. Hal Singer - Beef Stew

Disc 2:
01. John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chillen
02. Hank Williams - The Blues Come Around
03. Memphis Slim - Midnight Jump
04. King Porter - Chittin' Ball
05. Delmore Brothers - Peach Street Boogie
06. Big Jay McNeely - California Hop D-Sav.
07. Albinia Jones - Hole In The Wall Tonight
08. Lightnin' Hopkins - Lightnin' Boogie
09. Curley Rash - Humble Road Boogie
10. Art Gunn - Boogie Woogie Blues
11. Eddie Burns - Papa's Boogie
12. Paul Howard - Cotton Pickers' Special
13. Jimmy Wakely - Mine All Mine?
14. Buchanan Brothers - High Tempered Mama
15. Blue Lu Barker - Here's A Little Girl
16. Lonnie Lyons - Down In The Groovy
17. Tommy Sargent - Steel Guitar Boogie
18. Tex Williams - Drop Dead!


Various Artists - Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 5: 1949

In the United States the decade closed with the sound of music which was often joyful and frantic. But despite the Blacks’ Rhythm & Blues Top 40 as well as the Country and Western Top 40, the music which echoed out of the jukeboxes was often tinted with Rock’n’Roll.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Johnny Lee Wills - Rag Mop
02. Wynonie Harris - All She Wants To Do Is Rock
03. Fats Domino - The Fat Man
04. Fats Domino - Hey La Bas Boogie
05. Sons Of The Pioneers - Riders In The Sky
06. Goree Carter - Rock Awhile
07. B.B. King - Take A Swing With Me
08. Jerry Irby - Too Many Women
09. Joe Lutcher - Rock Cola
10. Don McCord - Can't Live Without You
11. Roy Brown - Butcher Pete
12. Jesse Thomas - Let's Have Some Fun
13. Stick McGhee - Venus
14. Champion Jack Dupree - Rub A Little Boogie
15. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Smokey Mountains Boogie
16. Louis Innis - Jug Band Boogie
17. Pee Wee Hughes - Country Boy Blues
18. Dave Bartholomew - Ain't Gonna Do It

Disc 2:
01. Ralph Willis - I'm Gonna Rock
02. Floyd Dixon - Rockin' At Home
03. Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup - Shout Sister Shout
04. Ramblin' Tommy Scott - Gonna Paint The Town Red
05. Lester Williams - I'm So Glad I Could Jump And Shout
06. Ole Rasmussen - We're Gonna Go Fishin'
07. Johnny Otis - Little Red Hen
08. Moon Mullican - Ain't Get No Grindin'
09. Louis Jordan - Saturday Night Fish Fry
10. Roy Milton - Waking Up Baby
11. Little Jimmy Dickens - A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
12. Dan Pickett - Baby Don't You Want To Go
13. Tommy Duncan - Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy
14. Wayne Raney - Pan American Boogie
15. Lalo Guerrero - Marijuana Boogie
16. Tommy Mooney - Bingo Boogie
17. Smilin' Smokey Lynn - Run Mister Rabbit
18. Big Joe Turner - When The Rooster Crows


Various Artists - Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 6: 1950

This volume focuses on 1950 – a year of verve, invention, rhythm and humour – the ingredients for pure Rock’n’Roll. Competition is strong between the newcomers from Rhythm & Blues – Fats Domino, La Vern Baker, Ruth Brown – and those from a Country Music background – Tennessee Ernie Ford, Charline Arthur and Lefty Frizzel.


Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. La Vern Baker - I Want To Rock
02. Ruth Brown - Teardrops From My Eyes
03. Charline Arthur - I've Got The Boogie Woogie Blues
04. Fats Domino - Hey! Fat Man!
05. Billy Wright - Everybody Goes When The Wagon Comes
06. Billy Briggs - Chew Tobacco Rag I & II
07. The Robins - You're Fine But Not My Kind
08. Hubert Robinson - Old Woman Boogie
09. Johnny Hicks - Hamburger Hop
10. Archibald - Shake Shake Baby
11. Tiny Bradshaw - Walk That Mess
12. Ramblin' Jimmy Dolan - Hot Rod Race
13. Goree Carter - Come on, let's boogie
14. Annie Laurie - I Ain't Gonna Let You In
15. Red Foley with Cecil Grant - Hobo Boogie
16. Hank Snow - The Golden Rocket
17. Lester Williams - Hey Jack!
18. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Shotgun Boogie

Disc 2:
01. Billy Jack Wills - Rock-A-Bye Baby Blues
02. Roy Hogsed - Shuffleboard Shuffle
03. Joe Hill Louis - Boogie In The Park
04. Wesley Holly - Shuffling Shoes
05. Johnny Lee Wills - The Band's A-Rockin'
06. Calvin Boze - Safronia B.
07. Wynonie Harris - Rock Mr Blues
08. Lefty Frizzell - Shine, Shave, Shower
09. Leon Bass - Country Hix's
10. Cousin Joe - Chicken-A-La-Blues
11. Joe Liggins - The Honeydripper
12. Glynn Duncan - We Got Good Business
13. Johnny Bond - Mean Mama Boogie
14. Little Willie Littlefield - Rockin' Chair Mama
15. Jerry Irby - Hillbilly Boogie
16. Floyd Dixon & Mari Jones - Real Lovin' Mama
17. Pee Wee Crayton - Rockin' The Blues
18. Benny Leaders - I'll Be Jumped Up And Down


Various Artists - Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 7: 1951

This volume covers 1951, a year flowing with lively, rhythmic and humorous master-pieces - all the ingredients for pure Rock’n’Roll. Fats Domino, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Wynonie Harris are still around. But they have to make room for the newcomers who are to add spice to Rock’n’Roll - Little Richard, Bill Haley, and Big Mama Thornton.


Disc 1:
01. Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88
02. Gene O'Quinn - Texas Boogie
03. Little Richard - Taxi Blues
04. Morris Lane - Bobby's Boogie
05. Arkie Shibley - Shore Leave
06. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Kissing Bug Boogie
07. Lou Sargent - Ridin' The Boogie
08. Howlin' Wolf - Houserockin' Boogie
09. Peggy Lee - Yeah Yeah Yeah
10. Hank Stanford - She's A Hum Dum Digger
11. Bumble Bee Slim - Ida Red
12. Wynonie Harris - Bloodshot Eyes
13. Slim Willet - Drill Bit Honky Tonk
14. Big Mama Thornton - Mischievous Boogie
15. Bob Center - Too Wet To Plow
16. Roy Brown - Good Rockin' Man
17. Big Jay McNeely - Insect Ball
18. Louie Innis - I Grabbed For The Engine
19. Billy Love - Juiced
20. Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant - Railroadin'

Disc 2:
01. Bill Haley - Rocket 88
02. Fats Domino - Don't Lie To Me
03. Jess Willard - Java Junction
04. Curley Williams - Move In A Little Closer
05. Five Keys - Hucklebuck With Jimmy
06. Skeets McDonald - Scoot, Git And Be Gone
07. Mick Woodward - Hot Rod Race Navy Style
08. Dave Stogner - Hard Top Race
09. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - She Walks Right In
10. James 'Widemouth' Brown - Boogie Woogie Nighthawk
11. Jimmie Dolan - Juke Box Boogie
12. Roy Hogsed - Snake Dance Boogie
13. Goree Carter - I'm Your Boogie Man
14. Lucky Leroy - Now Get Goin'
15. Leon Kelley - Guitar Breakdown
16. Dr Feelgood - Hey Good Lookin'
17. Flatts & Scruggs - Don't Get Above Your Raisin'
18. Bob Newman - Hangover Boogie
19. Herman Manzy - I'm Your Rockin' Man
20. Fats Domino - Rockin' Chair

Various Artists - Roots Of Rock N' Roll, Volume 8: 1952

Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Big Mama Thornton and Lloyd Price were soon to be considered as the pioneers of the genre and were already paving the way for Rock’n’Roll as the music of the decade, assisted by others, less celebrated but equally talented.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. Bill Haley - Rock The Joint
02. Archibald - Great Big Eyes
03. Wally Mercer - Rock Around The Clock
04. Hank Penny - Hadacillin Boogie
05. Carter Sisters - Juke Box Blues
06. Lloyd Price - Lawdy Miss Clawdy
07. Ruth Brown - Daddy Daddy
08. Merrill Moore - Saddie Boogie
09. Tommy Sosbee - All Nite Boogie
10. Zuzu Bollin - Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night?
11. Peppermint Harris - I Cry For My Baby
12. Red Fowley - Hoot Owl Boogie
13. Maddox Brothers & Rose - No Help Wanted
14. Little Willie Littlefield - Kansas City
15. Bob Newman - Sand Boogie
16. Moon Mullican - Tokyo Boogie
17. John Lee Hoker - Walkin' The Boogie
18. Arthur Smith - Indian Boogie
19. Amos Milburn - Greyhound
20. Fats Domino - Mardi Gras To New Orleans

Disc 2:
01. Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog
02. Ella Mae Morse - Okie Boogie
03. Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West - Pickin' The Chicken
04. Bobby Bland - Good Lovin'
05. Little Richard - Ain't Nothing Happening
06. Cowboy Copas - Feelin' Low
07. Tennessee Ernie Ford - Blackberry Boogie
08. Jimmy Witherspoon - Two Little Girls
09. Percy Mayfield - Louisiana
10. Douglas Lewis - Ice Worm Boogie
11. Ray Price - Move On In And Stay
12. Marvin Phillips & His Men From Mars - Wine Wine Woogie
13. Bull Moose Jackson - Big Ten Inch
14. Slim Willet - Rig Movin' Man
15. Charlie Adams - T.T. Boogie
16. Guitar Slim - Certainly All
17. Chuck Higgins - Pachuko Hop
18. Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan - Hot Rod Mama
19. Tucker Coles - House Rockers Jamboree
20. Joe Liggins - Dripper's Boogie