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- Verified Buyer
Launched by Randy Wood in 1950, Dot Records would go on to become one of the best of the independent labels throughout the rest of that decade and the 1960s with numerous hit singles on the Billboard Pop, R&B and Country charts and, when they came into being in 1961, the Adult Contemporary (or Easy Listening) charts. Their biggest names were, of course, The Hilltoppers, Pat Boone, Gale Storm, The Fontane Sisters, Jim Lowe and Billy Vaughn & His Orchestra who, as the "house band" also backed most of the others on their hits and albums (he was also part of the vocal group The Hilltoppers at the start of their career.In addition to individual CD compilations covering the music of those mentioned above, there are fine releases for many of their other artists, including two covering one of their earliest, The Griffin Brothers Orchestra. Here, Ace of London compiles 30 sides involving selections by their lesser-known recording artists, many of them falling within that briefly-blooming genre known as Rockabilly which, encompassing elements of Blues/R&B and Country, would morph into what Alan Freed would dub Rock `N' Roll. As with their earlier (1996) multiple-artist release, Dot Records Cover To Cover ... Hit Upon Hit, the sound reproduction is first rate and it comes with extensive liner notes/discography.Yes, as another reviewer points out, most in the volume are non-charting sides by artists whose names would mean nothing to the average consumer. But, being for the most part Country/Rockabilly performers, that is the very appeal of this release which will certainly attract the attention of devotees of that genre. Indeed just these 3 of the 18 made it onto national listings: The Fool by Sanford Clark and featuring the guitar of Al Casey, a # 5 R&B/# 7 Pop Top 100 in Sept-Oct 1956 as Dot 15481; Transfusion - # 8 Top 100 novelty in June-July 1956 by "Nervous Norvus" who was actually truck driver/DJ Jimmy Drake) as Dot 15470; and Henrietta by Jimmy Dee & The Offbeats, a # 47 Top 100 in Jan-Feb 1958 as Dot 15644 after being leased from late 1957's T-N-T 148.There are names from among the rest (see the complete list in the Comments below) which might be familiar to other than devoted collectors, these being: Leroy Van Dyke who burst onto the scene in early 1957 with his # 9 Country/# 19 Pop Top 100 Auctioneer as Dot 15503. He would go on to post numerous hits into 1977 for other labels including the smash 1961 # 1 Country/# 5 Pop Hot 100 Walk On By for Mercury; Mac Wiseman - who would have 9 charted sides from 1955 to 1979 including the seminal Jimmy Brown The Newsboy for Dot in 1959; Robin Luke, the One-Hit Wonder for his Sept-Oct 1958 # 5 Top 100/# 6 R&B Susie Darlin' as Dot 15781; Snooky Lanson, a feature on Your Hit Parade who had 2 charted sides for Dot, including It's Almost Tomorrow, a # 20 in Nov-Dec 1956 as Dot 15424 b/w Stop (Let Me Off The Bus), a hard-to-get B-side that completist collectors will be happy to see included here; Ray Sharpe, another One-Hit Wonder whose Aug 1959 # 46 Hot 100 Linda Lu came with Jamie Records; Mickey Gilley, cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis who would rack up 46 Country hits from 1968 to 1989 for multiple labels; and Jimmie Newman, a Country star who would have 7 of his 33 charters come with Dot and sometimes be billed as Jimmie C. Newman.
