Lucky Millinder, like Tiny Bradshaw, was a contemporary of Cab Calloway in the swinging 1930s (managed, or should we say "owned" at one point by Al Capone) who turned to R&B in the 1940s/50s. His band was famous for being the breeding ground for singers like Wynonie Harris, Bull Moose Jackson, Rosetta Tharpe, Ruth Brown, and Big John Greer, and musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Panama Francis, Sam "The Man" Taylor, etc. In the late 1950s/early 1960s, after disbanding, he became the toast of NYC cafe society as a mystic/fortune teller/spiritualist. This compilation includes his best recordings following his long tenure with US Decca Records in the 1940s, including "D Natural Blues" (the inspiration for the huge hit "The Hucklebuck"), Little Girl, Don't Cry", "I'll Never Be Free" (pop hit cover by Kay Starr & Tennessee Ernie), and "I'm Waiting Just For You" (pop hit for Pat Boone in 1957). Lucky's biggest hit had been the chart-topper "Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well?" in 1945 with a memorable vocal by the legendary Wynonie Harris, and they were to be reunited, resulting in two great rockin' sessions and one MONSTER hit, "Oh Babe" in December 1950. Today, many of these songs are rock 'n' roll club and radio hits and popular with the new swing dance craze. Available for the first time on CD and sounding better than ever on Rev-Ola Bandstand, beautiful pictures and magnificent sleeve notes by Dave Penny make this the definitive collection!
|
