Juke Box Boogie

High quality sides by one of the iconic singers and musicians of Memphis blues and boogie, Doctor Ross, recorded when he was part of the small group scene, renowned for his prowess as a harmonica player and vocalist! Contains all the Chess and Sun singles and the unissued songs recorded by Sam Phillips (Sun Records) in the early 1950s, including the famed 'Chicago Breakdown'! Also contains all the DIR, Fortune and Hi-Q singles made in Michigan, including the equally renowned 'Cat Squirrel'! The booklet contains rare photographs, and liner notes by Martin Hawkins! Isaiah Ross was born in Mississippi, made his reputation as a bluesman in Memphis, then moved to Michigan emerging occasionally to perform as a one-man band. Doctor Ross was not the first to use the theme of the musical medic come to help you feel better, but Doctor Ross was one of the very best at creating highly rhythmic back country dance music and at recycling folk blues couplets mainly drawn from the recordings of Sonny Boy Williamson to which he added some of his own wry humour and wit. From the beginning with Sam Phillips in Memphis, his style on Chess and Sun had a freshness that sounded current and he made a surprisingly wide range of blues recordings on the Detroit labels DIR, Fortune, and Hi-Q. Sam Phillips (Sun Records) once said: 'Doctor Ross had a very special sound. He had a great command of his music and a real instinct for what was going on around him. 'Chicago Breakdown' is one of the better records I think I ever heard in my life.'