R&B reccomendations
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What are some good comps out there that chronicle the 1950s pre-elvis r&b sound? Early black rockn'roll, pounding blues for the dance floor, etc... The Stompin' series looks promising. Anybody reccomend any others ?
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I recommend that Stompin' series all the way, although most of it was DURING Elvis, not PRE-Elvis. But if it's fifties and early sixties era R&B you want, the Stompin' set is a good place to go.
As far as the hits, I'd try the first few volumes of Atlantic Rhythm & Blues, but you may want to stick with the vinyl. There were too many tracks to fit on the CD, so they left some songs off.
What else? There's a two-volume series on Specialty (CD only) called Creole Kings Of New Orleans, with Lloyd Price, Guitar Slim, Professor Longhair and others.
And here's one you might overlook, but it's worth getting - Chicago Ain't Nothin' But A Blues Band on Delmark. To look at the cover and the title, you'd think it was just another generic blues comp, but actually it's a collection of fifties and early sixties recordings originally on the Atomic-H label, and quite a few of these recordings fall under the "black rock 'n' roll" category (like Johnny Rogers' steaming "I Am A Lucky Lucky Man," or Clear Waters'"Hillbilly Blues"). Other tracks are merely small blues combos moving into rhythm & blues territory. Get the CD version, since several of the better tracks weren't on the vinyl.