There was way too much great early soul, R & B and blues being produced in New York City to squeeze onto one double CD, so here we are again with another selection of the best. Several artists on this new compilation are very well known: Ray Charles, Little Willie John and Ike & Tine Turner for example, but many others less so. It speaks volumes about the wealth of talent in the Big Apple around the turn of the 60s that gifted singers such as Ruby Roberson, Bobby Long and Betty O’Brien never quite made the grade.

There is considerable variation in styles here too, from rough, untutored voices like King Coleman and Vernon Harrell to consummate stylists such as Chuck Jackson, Gladys Knight and of course Aretha Franklin. But alley blues and sophisticated uptown ballads alike played their part in the development of soul music. And therefore all the tracks on these CDs well deserve their inclusion in our History Of Soul series. Enjoy!

1. Dolores Johnson What Kind Of Man Are You  2. Big Maybelle I Still Care  3. Clyde McPhatter Thirty Days  4. Lloyd Sims I Want To Know  5. Sugar Pie De Santo Can't Let You Go  6. Kip Anderson I Feel Good  7. Baby Washington Let Love Go By  8. Doris Payne You Better Mind  9. Little Frankie Edwards Trouble  10. Marie Knight To Be Loved By You  11. Ray Charles Who You Gonna Love  12. Billy Guy Here I Am  13. Ruby Roberson Love Is A Question  14. Erma Franklin Don't Wait Too Long  15. Gloria Lynne You Don't Have To Be A Tower Of Strength  16. Johnny Darrow Love Is A Nightmare  17. Ann Cole Don't Stop The Wedding  18. Aretha Franklin Operation Heartbreak  19. Jimmy Ricks Daddy Rollin' Stone  20. Sarah Vaughan Smooth Operator  21. Jimmy Barnes No Regrets 22. Little Willie John Leave My Kitten Alone 23. Don Covay See About Me 24. Wynonie Harris Tell A Whale Of A Tale 25. The Isley Brothers Just One More Time 26. Jackie Wilson You Don't Know What It Means 27. Ike & Tina Turner Gonna Find Me a Substitute 28. Betty O' Brien Why Me 

1. Eloise Carter I Need You  2. Gerri Granger Ain't That Funny 3. Little Willie John My Nerves 4. Dee Dee Warwick You're No Good 5. Ray Charles I Wonder 6. Barbara George Send For Me 7. Mary B Something For You Baby 8. LaVern Baker/Jimmy Ricks You're The Boss 9. Curtis Knight Voodoo Woman 10. Barbara McNair He's A King 11. The Matadors You'd Be Crying Too 12. Pearl Woods Right Now 13. Titus Tee Turner Sticks And Stones 14. Bobby Long Did You Ever Dream Lucky 15. The Isley Brothers Your Old Lady 16. Gladys Knight & The Pips Operator 17 Joe Tex My Biggest Mistake 18. Ruby Roberson Rheumatism 19. Jackie Wilson A Woman, A Lover, A Friend 20. Ted Taylor She's A Winner 21. Kip Anderson Till Your Love Is Mine 22. Chuck Jackson I Wake Up Crying 23. Birdie Green Tremblin' 24. Mary Ann Fisher Give 25. King Coleman Down in the Basement 26. Vernon Harrel Slick Chick 27. Ike & Tina Turner Poor Fool 28. Timi Yuro What's the Matter Baby