Groovin' the Blues: When Groove Was More Than Just a Habit

Liner Note Author: Bill Dahl.
Recording information: Radio Recorders, California (01/28/1954); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (01/28/1954); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (01/28/1954); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (01/28/1954); Radio Recorders, California (02/03/1954); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (02/03/1954); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (02/03/1954); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (02/03/1954); Radio Recorders, California (02/21/1956); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (02/21/1956); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (02/21/1956); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (02/21/1956); Radio Recorders, California (03/11/1955); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (03/11/1955); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (03/11/1955); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (03/11/1955); Radio Recorders, California (03/16/1955); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (03/16/1955); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (03/16/1955); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (03/16/1955); Radio Recorders, California (03/18/1954); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (03/18/1954); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (03/18/1954); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (03/18/1954); Radio Recorders, California (04/02/1955); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (04/02/1955); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (04/02/1955); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (04/02/1955); Radio Recorders, California (05/06/1954); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (05/06/1954); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (05/06/1954); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (05/06/1954); Radio Recorders, California (05/1956-06/1596); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (05/1956-06/1596); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (05/1956-06/1596); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (05/1956-06/1596); Radio Recorders, California (06/07/1954); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (06/07/1954); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (06/07/1954); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (06/07/1954); Radio Recorders, California (06/24/1954); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (06/24/1954); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (06/24/1954); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (06/24/1954); Radio Recorders, California (08/14/1956); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (08/14/1956); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (08/14/1956); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (08/14/1956); Radio Recorders, California (09/17/1956); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (09/17/1956); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (09/17/1956); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (09/17/1956); Radio Recorders, California (10/12/1955); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (10/12/1955); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (10/12/1955); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (10/12/1955); Radio Recorders, California (10/29/1953); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (10/29/1953); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (10/29/1953); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (10/29/1953); Radio Recorders, California (11/07/1955); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (11/07/1955); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (11/07/1955); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (11/07/1955); Radio Recorders, California (11/16/1955); RCA victor Studio 1, NYC (11/16/1955); RCA Victor Studio 2, NYC (11/16/1955); RCA victor Studio 3, NYC (11/16/1955).
Arrangers: Bob Rolontz; Danny Kessler.
RCA decided to leap into the flourishing blues and R&B marketplace in 1954 via the new imprint Groove. This subsidiary didn't last long. By February 1957, RCA folded the label, whose lone hit -- Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange" -- wasn't enough to keep it afloat. A lot of the Groove sides stayed in the vault, which is what makes Bear Family's two 2016 reissues -- this blues collection, Groovin' the Blues, and its hopping companion Rockin' the Groove -- so welcome. Of the two compilations, Groovin' the Blues leans toward outright blues acts -- Sonny Terry and Champion Jack Dupree are two of the label's stars -- but Groove hardly existed in rural environs. They were a thoroughly modern record, which means this blues would swing and rock -- they'd groove, sometimes with the assistance of horns or jacked-up electric guitars, but always sounding like a rocking record machine at a juke joint. A fair chunk of these tracks didn't see release at the time, and hardly any of these can be called familiar. Their obscurity proves a benefit, though: everything here sounds vital, fresh, and alive, lightning in a bottle from a time that big, bold blues could possibly cross over onto the Billboard charts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine