The Roots of Reggae / Southern Melting Pot w/ Undercover

With the Kingston soundsystems of the 50s playing US r&b, soul and blues it was only natural the vibe would rub off on the local musicians - they where even toasting over it in the early 50s. Early ska producers where heavily influenced by the sounds of Fats Domino, Shirley and Lee and The Drifters etc. Come the mid 60s, sweet soul hits from The Impressions, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding had a huge impact on how rocksteady oozes soul. To me tunes are only a rum nip away from being ska and rocksteady themselves, take Ernie Freeman's 'Live it Up', which could easily be a Tommy McCook skank, or The Sapphires 'Who do you Love' which could be mistaken for some of Coxsone's early Studio One soul. As I was digging into some old delta blues, I stumbled upon King Oliver's 'Riverside Blues' from 1923 and was amazed to find it was a version of one of reggae's founding tunes - Theophilus Beckfords 'Easy Snapping' from 1956 - click! Likewise Sister Rosetta Thorpes 1939 gospel version of the now popular 'This Train' is just stunning. Anyway, enjoy, there are some stonking tunes in here! Part 1 / Part 2

Buddy Bolden Band - Funky Butt (190X)
King Oliver - Riverside Blues (1923)
Louis Armstrong - Saint Louis Blues (1929)
Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go (1935)
Sidney Bechet - Summertime (1938)
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train (1939)
Louis Jordan - Caldonia Boogie (1945)
Calvin Boze - Waiting & Drinking (1949)
Jewel King - 3 X 7 = 21 (1950)
Tab Smith - My Mothers Eyes (1951)
The Clovers - In the Middle of the Night (1951)
Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog (1952)
Shirley & Lee - I'm Gone (1952)
Fats Domino - Mardi Gras in New Orleans (1953)
Fats Domino - Going To The River (1953)
The Drifters - Money Honey (1953)
Amos Milburn - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer (1953)
Ray Charles - I Got a Woman (1954)
Big Joe Turner - Shake, Rattle & Roll (1954)
Willis Jackson - Later for 'Gator aka Coxsone's Hop (1956)
Shirley & Lee - Let the Good Times Roll (1956)
Chuck Higgins - Gambling Woman (1956)
Thurston Harris - Little Bitty Pretty One (1957)
Etta James - The Pick-Up (1957)
The Squires - Dreamy Eyes (1957)
Ray Johnson - If You Don't Want Me Baby (1957)
Sonny Knight - But Officer (195X)
The Playmates - Let's Be Lovers (1958)
The Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream (1958)
Ernie Freeman - Live It Up (195X)
Fats Domino - Be My Guest (1959)
Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen (1959)
Dave Brubeck - Take Five (1959)
Louisiana Red - Done Woke Up (1960)
Sam Cooke - Cupid (1961)
The Pips - Every Beat Of My Heart (1961)
The Impressions - Gypsy Woman (1961)
Booker T. & The M.G.s - Green Onions (1962)
The Impressions - I'm The One Who Loves You (1963)
The Impressions - Minstrel And Queen (1963)
The Sapphires - Who Do You Love (1964)
Gene Chandler - Nothing Can Stop Me (1964)
Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine (1964)
The Impressions - People Get Ready (1965)
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1965)
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Shop Around (1965)
Smokey Robinson - Ooo Baby Baby (1965)
The Temptations - Ain't Too Proud To Beg (1966)