This continues the strand of R&B and country collections associated with Acrobat's highly popular "America's Greatest Hits" series, this one focusing on the top R&B records in the US Billboard charts during 1951. This great value 97-track 4-CD anthology includes, with a few exceptions, every record which peaked in the Billboard R&B Best Sellers and Most Played in Juke Boxes Top 10 during that year - the R&B charts were restricted to ten places during that era. The exceptions which are not included are those hits which were on the King and Federal labels, comprising nine titles, which we are unfortunately restricted from using, as a result of which, for the sake of accuracy, this anthology is "The 1951 R&B Hits Collection" rather than the more definitive "The Greatest R&B Hits of 1951". It naturally features a host of well-known names like Amos Milburn, Johnny Otis, Muddy Waters, Nat King Cole, John Lee Hooker, Dinah Washington, Roy Milton, Howlin' Wolf, and Percy Mayfield, but also includes many unfamiliar names and records of which even enthusiasts of the genre may not be too aware, and which will be welcome additions to their collections. It provides a fascinating snapshot of a genre that was emerging from the R&B orchestra and jump blues era of the late '40s and was seeing the development of the sounds that were already laying the groundwork for the rock 'n' roll explosion a few years later
Track Listing
Disc 1:
- Amos Milburn and his Aladdin Chickenshackers - Bad, Bad Whiskey
- Lucky Millinder (feat. Annisteen Allen and Big John Greer) - I'll Never Be Free
- Dinah Washington - Harbor Lights
- Johnny Otis Orchestra With Mel Walker - Rockin' Blues
- Joe Liggins And His "Honeydrippers" - Little Joe's Boogie
- Roy Milton And His Solid Senders - Oh Babe
- Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five - Lemonade
- Percy Mayfield - Strange Things Happening
- Lowell Fulson - Lonesome Christmas (Parts 1 and 2)
- Muddy Waters & His Guitar - Louisiana Blues
- Memphis Slim and His House Rockers - Mother Earth
- Floyd Dixon (with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers) - Telephone Blues
- Margie Day (with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra) - Little Red Rooster
- Piano Red - Rockin' With Red
- Piano Red - Red's Boogie
- Joe Liggins And His "Honeydrippers" - Frankie Lee
- Charles Brown - Black Night
- Percy Mayfield - Lost Love
- Dinah Washington - My Heart Cries For You
- Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five - Tear Drops From My Eyes
- Johnny Otis - Mambo Boogie
- Gene Ammons & His Sextet - Jug
- Nat "King" Cole - Jet
- Ray Charles - Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand
Disc 2:
- Joe Morris and His Orchestra (Featuring Laurie Tate) - Don't Take Your Love Away From Me
- Ruth Brown - I'll Wait For You
- Amos Milburn and his Aladdin Chickenshackers - Let's Rock A While
- Jimmy Grissom - Once There Lived A Fool
- Johnny Otis Orchestra (vocal: Mel Walker) - Gee Baby
- Muddy Waters & His Guitar - Long Distance Call
- Four Buddies - I Will Wait
- Amos Milburn and his Aladdin Chickenshackers - Tears, Tears, Tears
- Stick McGhee and His Buddies - Tennessee Waltz Blues
- Lloyd Glenn - Chica Boo
- James Waynes - Tend To Your Business
- Billy Eckstine - I Apologize
- Nat "King" Cole - Too Young
- Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five - Weak Minded Blues
- Al Hibbler - What Will I Tell My Heart'
- Jackie Brenston - Rocket "88"
- Les Paul & Mary Ford - How High The Moon
- Dinah Washington - I Won't Cry Anymore
- Piano Red - The Wrong YoYo
- Roy Milton And His Solid Senders - It's Later Than You Think
- Clovers - Don't You Know I Love You
- Grant Jones with Brown's Blues Blowers - I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water (And Sleep In A Hollow Log)
- Lowell Fulson - I'm A Night Owl (Part 1)
- Percy Mayfield - What A Fool I Was
- Joe Turner - Chains of Love
Disc 3:
- Johnny Hodges And His Orchestra - Castle Rock
- Muddy Waters & His Guitar - Honey Bee
- Billy Wright - Stacked Deck
- Ruth Brown - I Know
- Larks - Eyesight To The Blind
- Piano Red - Just Right Bounce
- Griffin Brothers Orchestra (featuring Tommy Brown) - Tra-La-La
- Charles Brown and his band - I'll Always Be In Love With You
- Jimmie Nelson and His Peter Rabbit Trio - "T" 99 Blues
- Roy Hawkins - The Thrill Is Gone
- Roy Milton And His Solid Senders - I Have News For You
- Five Keys - The Glory of Love
- Roy Brown and His Orchestra - Big Town
- Little Willie Littlefield (and Little Lora Wiggins) - I've Been Lost
- Johnny Otis - All Nite Long
- Treniers - Go! Go! Go!
- Roy Milton And His Solid Senders - T-Town Twist
- Griffin Brothers Orchestra - Hoppin'
- Camille Howard & Her Trio - Money Blues (If You Ain't Got No Money ....)
- Roscoe Gordon - Saddled The Cow ( And Milked The Horse)
- Piano Red - Layin' The Boogie
- Ella Fitzgerald - Smooth Sailing
- Peppermint Harris - I Got Loaded
- Clovers - Fool, Fool, Fool
- Cardinals - Shouldn't I Know'
Disc 4:
- Larks - Little Side Car
- Billy Wright - Heh, Little Girl
- John Lee Hooker - I'm In The Mood
- John Godfrey Trio - Hey Little Girl
- Charles Brown - Seven Long Days
- Tampa Red - Pretty Baby Blues
- Percy Mayfield - Prayin' For Your Return
- Big Boy Crudup - I'm Gonna Dig Myself A Hole
- Dinah Washington - Cold, Cold Heart
- Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' At Midnight
- Tab Smith (His Famous Alto and Orchestra) - Because of You
- Tommy Edwards - All Over Again
- Muddy Waters & His Guitar - My Fault
- Muddy Waters & His Guitar - Still A Fool
- Roy Milton - Best Wishes
- Roy Brown - Bar Room Blues
- Griffin Brothers - Weeping And Crying
- Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years
- Joe Turner - Chill Is On
- Johnny Ray - Cry
- Fats Domino - Rockin' Chair
- Griffin Brothers (with Margie Day) - Pretty Baby
- B.B. King - Three O'Clock Blues
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