This first volume of
King
's
Battle of the Blues
series features two of the label's biggest acts:
Roy Brown
and
Wynonie Harris
. Having already made their names in the late '40s as premier
blues
shouters on the
R&B
jump blues
circuit, both singers migrated to the Cincinnati independent and reached even loftier chart heights.
Brown
takes up the first side with seven sides of his animated and
gospel
-fired vocals, including the classic
"Boogie at Midnight."
For his part,
Harris
indulges his rougher-hewn vocal cords for an update of his big smash, the
-penned
"Good Rockin' Tonight,"
and one of his all-time
highlights,
"Bloodshot Eyes."
For some whiskey-soaked
nostalgia, this fine collection is hard to beat. ~ Stephen Cook