The 1952 R&B Hits Collection

This fills in one of the gaps on our 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 1952. This great value 90-track 4-CD anthology includes, with the exception of certain records which are unavailable for inclusion due to copyright restrictions, just about every record which peaked during the year in the published Top 10 “Best Selling Retail Rhythm & Blues Records” and “Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues” charts. It was a fascinating time in R&B, with different strands of the genre creating the musical landscape from which rock ‘n’ roll was already emerging – Lloyd Price’s “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and Fats Domino’s “Goin’ Home” are among the hits featured. There’s the electric Chicago guitar blues of B.B. King and Muddy Waters, doowop groups like The Orioles and The Clovers, sophisticated vocalists like Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald and Percy Mayfield, old-school jump blues from Roy Milton, jazz stars like Johnny Hodges and Illinois Jacquet, pop crossovers like Johnny Ray, and more. As with all these collections, it provides a window onto a dynamic and exciting musical environment, and includes a number of unfamiliar names and recordings of which even enthusiasts of the genre may not be too aware, and which will be welcome additions to their collections. It contains a 12,000+ word booklet featuring background notes on every record as well as full discographical and chart information.