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| CYRIL DAVIES AND HIS RHYTHMN AND BLUES ALL STARS-Country Line Special/Chicago Calling U.S. Dot 45-16515 1963 |
Curiously enough before the tide of Beatlemania swept through America Dot records issued the debut U.K. 45 by the Granddaddy of British r&b Cyril Davies here in July 1963. It was originally issued in the U.K. as Pye International 7N 25194 in April.
Cyril Davies (along with his guitarist Alexis Korner) is credited as being the granddaddy of British r&b. His Rhythm And Blues All Stars line up read like a who's who of British r&b luminaries and included vocalists Long John Baldry and Art Wood. Unfortunately his career was short lived and he died unexpectedly in January 7, 1964 after a performance at his beloved Eel Pie Island club in Twickenham of pleurisy (not leukemia as is often stated).
"Country Line Special" is a rollicking instrumental led by Davie's harp blowing with a frantic r&b backing with some nifty and intricate electric piano noodling (care of a young Nicky Hopkins). It lays the groundwork for so many other r&b instrumentals to come from the U.K. (The Wheel's "Road Block", The
The Soul Agents "Gospel Train" etc).
"Chicago Calling" is a slightly different track. Davies belts out the vocals as well as supplying harp blowing with some upbeat stride piano playing by Hopkins and some blistering guitar licks Bernie Watson (aka Bernie Watkins).
Both tracks were collected on a posthumous 7" EP "The Sound Of Cyril Davies" (see above), sadly neither are available on streaming bar some low quality live BBC recordings.
Hear "Country Line Special":
Hear "Chicago Calling":
Cyril Davies and The Rhythm & Blues Allstars Live On British TV:
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