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Ernie Freeman was an R&B pianist, organist, bandleader, composer and arranger, born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1922, and who started playing swing music during the ‘30s before leading the first all-black US Navy Band in WWII. In the late ‘40s he started playing R&B with Ernie Fields and Earl Bostic, and in the early ‘50s formed his own band, making his first records in 1955, and was in the vanguard of the vogue for grooving organ and sax-based instrumentals in the rock ‘n’ roll era. This 60-track 2-CD collection comprises most of his A and B sides on the Middle-Tone, Cash, Imperial and Libert labels from this era, plus selected titles from his Imperial and Libertyalbums “Jivin’ Around”, “Dreaming With Ernie Freeman”, “The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs”, “Ywistin’ Time” and “Soulful Sounds Of CountryClassics”. It features his R&B No. 1 “Raunchy” and No. 5 “Jivin’ Around”, plus his other pop and R&B hits “Dumplin’s”, “Indian Love Call”, “Rockin’ Red Wing”, “Theme From Dark At The Top Of The Stairs” and “The Twist”. He was at the heart of a particular strand of instrumental pop during a key era of the market’s evolution, and this is a substantial and entertaining showcase for his distinctive style of R&B.
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