Little Junior Parker

Herman ‘Little Junior’ Parker’s seminal Feelin’ Good has been one of the most widely-covered tunes of the last sixty years. It has been recorded by such blues and R&B figures as Ike Turner, James Cotton and Magic Sam, and remains a show-closer in every pub-rock boogie band's repertoire to this day. Despite Parker’s velvet-smooth vocal delivery, he was a product of the gritty postwar Memphis blues circuit. His wonderfully understated harmonica style was personally mentored by none other than regional icon Sonny Boy Williamson. This quintessential release collects 30 classic tracks from his most inspired years, gathering a variety of the sensational sides he recorded for different labels, such as Duke, Modern, and Sun Records, between 1952 and 1962. These seminal recordings feature a virtual who’s who of fabulous musicians, such as Bobby Bland, Johnny Ace and Ike Turner, guitar masters Matt Murphy and Pat Hare,pianist James Booker, drummer Sonny Freeman, and saxophonist Arnett Cobb. Among the highlights included here are the joyous “Annie Get Your Yo-Yo”, the protorockabilly “Love My Baby”, the driving “I Wanna Ramble”, and the superb “Mystery Train”. This edition gives ample proof why Little Junior Parker deserves a spot in the rock & roll and R&B pantheon.

“Junior Parker produced some of the most soulful blues of the ’50s and ’60s.” - Andrew Male (Mojo magazine)

“Parker was exceptionally versatile.” - Bill Dahl

PERSONNEL:

LITTLE JUNIOR PARKER, vocals and harmonica, plus:

Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Pat Hare (electric guitar)
Otis Jackson (bass)
Johnny Ace, Ike Turner, James Booker (piano)
Sonny Freeman (drums)
Arnett Cobb, James Wheeler (saxophone)
Joe Scott (trumpet), among others.

Recorded between 1952-1962.

TRACKS:

01. MARY JO 2:30
02. BAREFOOT ROCK 2:43
03. ANNIE GET YOUR YO-YO 2:26
04. SEVEN DAYS 2:25
05. HOW LONG CAN THIS GO ON? 2:16
06. PEACHES 2:32
07. FOXY DEVIL 2:24
08. MY DOLLY BEE 2:36
09. FEELIN’ GOOD 2:59
10. I’LL FORGET ABOUT YOU 2:18
11. I’M HOLDING ON 2:34
12. BLUE LETTER 2:12
13. THE NEXT TIME 2:32
14. THAT’S JUST ALRIGHT 2:35
15. WHAT DID I DO 2:10
16. PRETTY BABY 3:02
17. SOMETIMES 2:28
18. STAND BY ME 2:36
19. FUSSIN’ AND FIGHTIN’ BLUES 3:01
20. WONDERING 2:28
21. DRIVING WHEEL 2:39
22. LOVE MY BABY 2:30
23. I WANNA RAMBLE 2:52
24. SWEET HOME CHICAGO 2:35
25. BAD WOMEN, BAD WHISKEY 3:01
26. MYSTERY TRAIN 2:24
27. YONDER’S WALL 2:18
28. SITTIN’ AT THE BAR 2:36
29. THAT’S MY BABY 2:30
30. THERE BETTER BE NO FEET (IN THEM SHOES) 2:30

TOTAL TIME: 76:39