The most comprehensive single-disc collection available of Smiley’s rocking 1950s output for Imperialures the brilliant Studio Band at Cosimo Matassa’s New Orleans studio: saxists Lee Allen and Herbert Hardesty, drummer Earl Palmer, pianists Edward Frank and Huey Smith, and trumpeter/producer Dave Bartholomew among themains both scorching versions of Shame, Shame, Shame, many equally fabulous rockers, like Bumpity Bump and Smiley’s classic originals I Hear You Knocking and One Night, covered by Gale Storm and Elvis Presley respectivelyting a booming vocal delivery, Smiley was one of the seminal performers on the 1950s New Orleans R&B scene charts didn’t reflect just how spectacular Smiley Lewis’ 1950s output for Imperial Records was. Under the savvy aegis of producer/songwriter Dave Bartholomew and featuring the Crescent City’s top studio sidemen, Smiley made some of the most blistering rockers of his era. Yet only a handful of them were national hits; his classic original I Hear You Knocking was victimized by a puerile Gale Storm cover that killed his pop crossover potential, and Elvis Presley latched onto One Night, cleaned it up, and sold a lot more copies than Smiley ever did. Why She’s Got Me Hook, Line And Sinker, Bumpity Bump, Rootin’ And Tootin’, and Shame, Shame, Shame weren’t hits during rock ‘n’ roll’s primordial age we’ll never know.–Bear Family’s jam-packed single-disc collection of Smiley’s greatest rockers showcases his huge, wall-shaking voice (reminiscent of Big Joe Turner’s on the bluesier early stuff) on a non-stop barrage of rockers ranging from 1950 to 1958. Bartholomew was Smiley’s best source for material, writing most of his most memorable releases, though Lewis penned a few of his own early on. Even Little Richard would be envious of some of these houserockers, with tenor saxman Lee Allen wailing and drummer Earl Palmer stoking the romping rhythm like a locomotive. This is the most comprehensive single-disc Smiley Lewis collection on the market!
