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EALZ 3001LP
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Gatefold sleeve. En avant la Zizique!, in collaboration with Éditions du Trainailleur, presents a true immersion in old Chicago with the real father of rock 'n' roll! In 1954, a young truck driver cut a bunch of singles in Sam Phillips's famous studio in Memphis, Tennessee; "That's All Right Mama" was one of the songs recorded, and it ended up on the first 7" released by a certain Elvis Presley. Within few months, the latter's name was on everyone's lips as the record entered every jukebox in the country as well as radio stations, the rock 'n' roll wave inundating the culture of millions of Caucasian youngsters. Eight years earlier in Chicago, a blues singer from Mississippi, a straight guitar player with an exquisitely expressive voice, cut a personal creation titled "That's All Right," this after having made a first draft in 1945 under the title "Dirt Road Blues." Backed by a solid rhythm section, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup had indeed, by doing so, signed the original of what later became a great rock 'n' roll standard. All the ingredients are already there -- the breaks, the riffs, the line-up, the chords, and the tempo -- confirming Crudup as the original composer of this tune. This devastating hit was so lucrative for Presley that he recorded two more of Big Boy's masterpieces -- "My Baby Left Me" and "So Glad You're Mine." There's no question of Presley's charismatic interpretation, or of his highly praised musical references. However, it is common knowledge that neither the king nor the producers nor the managers had made public the name of Arthur Crudup. With this release, the connoisseurs will once again recognize the magic of these post-war blues sessions -- and everyone else will definitely get hooked. That's All Right: An Introduction to the Father of Rock'n'Roll contains ten tracks from a forgotten hero without whom the rock 'n' roll revolution would surely have taken a different path.
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EALZ 1004LP
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For the fourth volume of its Southern Sounds Series, a collection focused on forgotten legends of soul, funk, and R&B, En Avant la Zizique! presents An Introduction to Larry Birdsong. Larry Birdsong (born Lawrence E. Birdsong) possessed one of the most beautiful voices to come out of Nashville, Tennessee's R&B golden age, and was widely predicted to become a national sensation. History unfortunately proved otherwise; despite his ease and versatility with the styles of blues, jazz, gospel, rock 'n' roll, R&B, and soul, Birdsong never made it as expected, though he dedicated himself to his craft and delivered some quality recordings. Birdsong, one of 11 children, was born in June 1934 in the town of Pulaski, deep in old, rural Tennessee. Music was everywhere at his family's household, and before his 21st year, Birdsong was one of the top acts at the Sugar Hill Club in Nashville. Ted Jarett, one of the biggest figures in Nashville's recording industry, noticed Birdsong and signed him to Excello as an underage musician in the early '50s, and before long Birdsong had also signed with Vee-Jay Records, Home of the Blues in Memphis (where he was produced by Willie Mitchell), and Ace Records in New Orleans. Though commercial success continued to elude him, Birdsong honed his rock 'n' roll and R&B craft through the 1960s, before turning to soul and funk in the late '60s and early '70s. His '70s backing band included such well-known names as Johnny Jones and Buford Majors, as compiled in this volume. Birdsong kept singing until his death in 1990, leaving behind a largely underappreciated legacy now preserved by En Avant la Zizique!
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EALZ 2001LP
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Contrary to what most people think, Otis Redding was not a complete beginner when he set foot in the famous Stax studio in August 1962. For the very first time, EALZ! Records is deeply proud to offer every recording made by the Big O before he cut "These Arms of Mine." And to complete this great package, the label has added two (rare) tracks from an instrumental single recorded during the same period by the band he belonged to, The Pinetoppers, and their brilliant guitarist Johnny Jenkins. Fully remastered for the occasion from original sources, Early Works 1960-1962 is a great testimony to the birth of a 20th century soul music legend: Otis Redding aka the Big O.
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EALZ 1003LP
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Sammie Moore aka Ironing Board Sam was born and raised in Rockhill, South Carolina and was unfairly unknown besides a handful of singles in the late '60s/early '70s. In the early '60s, Sam left for Memphis, Tennessee, where he is said to have lost his Hammond B3 organ in a fire and he had to make himself another one with a keyboard and an ironing board to back it up, hence the nickname. This twisted blues funk has never been re-released and includes previously-unreleased material. Hand-numbered edition of 1000 copies.
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EALZ 1002LP
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En Avant La Zizique is paying tribute to the south's forgotten R&B and soul heroes with a compilation of music circa 1968-1970 from "roaring" Nashville tenor Levert Allison. He is Gene Allison's brother, an unforgettable figure of Nashville R&B well-known for the legendary "You Can Make It If You Try." His music, forgotten by many, is rare and still sought-after by record collectors. But you can console yourselves with some more masterpieces from this "roaring tenor" as lead singer of the Dynamic Dixie Travelers. Limited, hand-numbered edition of 500 copies.
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