{"title":"Acrobat","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"its-only-make-believe-the-early-years-1957-62","title":"It's Only Make Believe: The Early Years 1957-62","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTalented multi-genre artist and all round 'good guy', Conway Twitty had an extraordinary career. He mastered rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, pop and country music, and was a gifted songwriter and performer. Few artists, after enjoying global smash hits in one genre, would change tack to pursue their art in another; but this is exactly what Twitty did. A rarity in the music industry, he never drank, never smoked, and treated everyone with humility and respect, and was described by critics as \"the best friend a song ever had\". With over 16 million records sold by the mid-eighties, Twitty racked up 41 number one hit singles in both the pop and country charts; that's more than Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and George Jones achieved. This carefully curated 18 track LP homes in on his early career as he embraced his rockabilly roots. Aside from his iconic No.1, the brooding and dramatic It's Only Make Believe, he enjoyed thirteen other chart entries during this period, including the US No.6 Lonely Blue Boy and the UK No.5 Mona Lisa, before forging a niche as a leading force in the country market. This collection manages to showcase not only his fine voice, but his versatility in performing material, from out-and-out rock 'n' roll to ballads and country-flavoured tunes with equal panache.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51440450535755,"sku":"R2395-4282","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4378064-3270341.jpg?v=1741885584"},{"product_id":"out-on-her-own-the-singles-albums-collection-1950-62","title":"Out On Her Own - The Singles \u0026 Albums Collection 1950-62","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Anita Carter was one of the legendary Carter Family country and folk music dynasty, one of the three daughters, along with Helen and June, of Maybelle Carter, one of the original celebrated Carter Family group of the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in 1933, she sang with her mother and sisters from an early age, and was always destined for a career in music with the family having unique connections within the industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe did her first sessions in 1949 with Maybelle, Helen and June in 1949 as part of the New Carter Family, and a year later recorded her first solo session for RCA as a solo artist, with future Elvis Presley producer Steve Sholes in charge of the session.\u003cbr\u003eThis 58-track 2-CD collection comprises the A and B sides of her singles on the RCA-Victor, Columbia, Cadence, Jamie \u0026amp; Mercury labels from these years, including duet releases with Hank Snow, plus the tracks from the RCA album “Together Again With Hank Snow” and most of the tracks from the Mercury album “Sings Folk Songs Old And New”.\u003cbr\u003eIt includes her Top 5 hits with Hank Snow “Down The Trail of Achin’ Hearts” and “Bluebird Island”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also features her original version of “Love’s Ring Of Fire”, which became a hit for Johnny Cash. She was a stylish and distinctive country and folk singer, steeped in the idiom, and this is a thorough overview of her first decade as a solo performer.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"2CD","offer_id":55904882196811,"sku":"R8836-5570","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0824046358327.jpg?v=1763117322"},{"product_id":"the-many-moods-of-buddy-cole-seven-classic-albums-1958-60","title":"The Many Moods Of Buddy Cole - Seven Classic Albums 1958-60","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Buddy Cole, born in Illinois in 1916, was a jazz and easy listening pianist, organist, composer, arranger and orchestra leader, who was famous for accompanying artists like Bing Crosby, Johnnie Ray and Rosemary Clooney but who established a reputation with his trademark style of concept albums during the 1950s combining jazz styling with smooth arrangements of Great American Songbook standards. This 77-track 3- CD collection comprises the titles from his albums “Have Organ, Will Swing”, “Hot And Cole”, “Sleepy Time Gal”, “Powerhouse”, “Most Recorded Songs Of All Time” and “Swing Fever”, and most of the titles from his album “Buddy Cole Plays Cole Porter”. It features him in various musical settings, playing solo piano and Hammond organ, recording with small groups and with full orchestras, so offers a range of contexts in which to appreciate his different approaches to the repertoire. He was an influential figure, helping to popularise the Hammond organ in mainstream pop music, and this collection is a substantial and enjoyable showcase for his music.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"3CD","offer_id":56507386593611,"sku":"R5909-4655","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0824046918125.jpg?v=1770917656"},{"product_id":"the-wayfaring-stranger-selected-classics-1941-62","title":"The Wayfaring Stranger - Selected Classics 1941-62","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Burl Ives was a unique and remarkable entertainer, a folk and pop singer and guitarist, composer, radio performer and stage and film actor, who helped popularise traditional folk music across all generations but also had pop hits in his later career. Born in Illinois in 1909, he gave up training to be a teacher to become an itinerant troubadour-style entertainer, working on radio where he could and once jailed for vagrancy in Utah. After Army service in WWII, and appearing in Irving Berlin’s “This Is The Army”, he became a radio regular, and started recording, revving many US and British folk songs. His early recordings of songs like “Blue Tail Fly”, “Big Rock Candy Mountain” and “I Know An Old Lady” became children’s radio favourites for decades. This 87-track 3-CD collection comprises selected A \u0026amp; B sides from releases on the Columbia \u0026amp; Decca labels from these years, plus selected titles from the Decca albums “A Collection of Ballads \u0026amp; Folk Songs”, “Ballads \u0026amp; Folk Songs Vol 2”, “Folk Songs - Dramatic And Humorous”, “Women (Folk Songs About The Fair Sex)”, “Wild Side Of Life”, “Men: Songs For And About Men”, “Down To The Sea In Ships”, “Songs Of Ireland”, “Capt. Burl Ives Ark”, “Old Time Varieties”, “Australian Folk Songs” and “Cheers”. It includes his hits “Riders In The Sky, “Marianne”, “A Little Bitty Tear”, “Funny Way Of Laughing”, “Call Me Mr. In-Between” and “Mary Ann Regrets”. He was a one of a kind performer, and this selection from his prolific recorded canon is a celebration of his distinctive contribution to popular culture.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"3CD","offer_id":56507395866955,"sku":"R4030-6542","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0824046918224.jpg?v=1770917815"},{"product_id":"the-peacock-vee-jay-and-checker-singles-albums-collection-1956-62","title":"The Peacock. Vee Jay And Checker Singles \u0026 Albums Collection 1956-62","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"The Original Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi were one of the premier gospel groups of what was a golden age for gospel in the immediate post-war decades, as the music developed its more commercial stylings and positioning from its traditional roots. Acrobat already has on catalogue a 2-CD set devoted to the group’s earlier career (“The Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi 1943-54” Acrobat ADDCD3003), and this collection picks up the story from that point with only a couple of titles duplicated on the two collections. This 48-track 2-CD collection comprises just about all the A\u0026amp;B sides of their singles on the Peacock and Vee Jay labels from these years, plus the tracks from their Peacock album “Precious Memories”, not otherwise featured on singles, and their Checker album “I’ll Go”. It features performances in what was known as the “hard gospel” style of the day, with the line- up including renowned lead singer and songwriter Archie Brownlee, fellow songwriter Lloyd Woodard, and after Brownlee’s tragic death from pneumonia in 1960 at the age of 34, another distinctive lead voice of Roscoe Robinson. They were a hugely popular and influential group, and this collection captures them at the height of their powers.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"2CD","offer_id":56507430601035,"sku":"R9530-4817","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0824046358921.jpg?v=1770918487"},{"product_id":"king-of-the-mambo-the-singles-collection-1949-62","title":"King Of The Mambo - The Singles Collection 1949-62","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Perez Prado was Cuban pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader who was one of the most prominent personalities who popularised the mambo Latin dance during the early 1950s, his profile and success brining him the accolade of “The King Of The Mambo”. Born in 1916, he was a popular bandleader in Havana during the late 1940s before moving to Mexico in 1949 to start his recording career, and moving to the USA in the early ‘50s. He caused a sensation by topping the charts with “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” in 1955 on both sides of the Atlantic, and following with another No. 1 “Patricia” in 1958. This 83-track 3-CD collection comprises early sides from his Mexican releases and most of the A and B sides of his singles in the USA for RCA during this era. It includes his two No. 1 singles with “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” and “Patricia”, plus other US hits with The album is a feast of infectious and evocative Latin music, featuring many of Prado’s compositions as well as mambo treatments of popular standards.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"3CD","offer_id":56507438334283,"sku":"R6423-9499","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0824046918026.jpg?v=1770918707"},{"product_id":"im-mad-the-early-years-collection-1953-62","title":"I'm Mad - The Early Years Collection 1953-62","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Willie Mabon, born in Memphis, Tenn., in 1925, was a blues singer, pianist and songwriter, who was very much of the Chicago school of blues performers, and enjoyed a career peak with two US R\u0026amp;B No. 1s in 1953, although he never reached the long-term heights of some of his more renowned contemporaries. He eventually moved to Europe in the 1970s to become part of the thriving blues scene in France and the UK. This 42-track 2- CD collection comprises most of his releases during this era on the Apollo, Aristocrat, Parrot, Chess, Mad, Formal \u0026amp; Solar labels, plus other Chess recordings which were not released at the time. It features his two No. R\u0026amp;B hits, “I Don’t Know” and “I’m Mad” and his 1955 R\u0026amp;B Top 10 hit “Poison Ivy”, along with other notable recordings including Willie Dixon’s “Seventh Son”. As a city blues artist, his songwriting often had a wry, tongue-in-cheek approach to social commentary, and his music had an urbane and stylishly streetwise feel, which comes across through this trawl across the primary era of his career.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"2CD","offer_id":56507448754507,"sku":"R1360-5367","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0824046359027.jpg?v=1770918817"},{"product_id":"howlin-blues-selected-a-b-sides-1951-1962","title":"Howlin' Blues Selected A \u0026 B Sides 1951-1962","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHowlin' Wolf was one of the most charismatic and exciting performers in the history of blues music. Standing six feet three inches he was a mountain of a man whose menacing vocal and low down 'n' dirty delivery greatly influenced a whole generation of rockers who followed. Born Chester Burnett, Wolf was one of the most important and influential figures in Chicago Blues through the 1950s. Rougher-edged than Muddy Waters, the intensity of Wolf's performance prompted Sun Records impresario, Sam Phillips, to observe: \"When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said: 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies'.\" Pressed on 140g black vinyl, this 16-track LP features the bluesman's best-loved songs from the first decade or more of his recording career, comprising songs from his 1951 debut recording for Phillips in Memphis, through to 1962 by which time commercial blues had become focused on the middle-class, white student market as much as its traditional black roots. A fitting tribute to one of the true greats of the blues.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56613158551883,"sku":"R9578-9267","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ACRSLP1603.jpg?v=1771904192"},{"product_id":"the-dynamic-wanda-jackson-rockabilly-queen","title":"The Dynamic Wanda Jackson: Rockabilly Queen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWanda Jackson started her career in country music before embracing rock 'n' roll. While remaining true to her roots, the transition proved so successful she was affectionately crowned \"The Queen of Rockabilly\". Possessing a voice that demanded to be heard in a world dominated by male rockers, she blazed a trail for all that followed. Pressed on 140g black vinyl, this 17-track LP comprises some of her best singles from 1954-62. The first track is from her time with Decca, but the other tracks are from her time with Capitol from 1956-62. Features rollicking numbers such Mean Mean Man, Fujiyama Mama, Honey Bop, Riot In Cell Block #9, Let's Have A Party and heartbreakers like Right Or Wrong, I'd Be Ashamed and A Little Bitty Tear. An entertaining showcase for a highly distinctive talent, dubbed \"the sweet lady with the nasty voice.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56613173461323,"sku":"R8947-6329","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ACRSLP1609.jpg?v=1771904631"},{"product_id":"a-spoonful-of-peaches","title":"A Spoonful Of Peaches","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEtta James' approach to both singing and life was one akin to riot and rebellion that included violence, drug addiction, armed robbery and highly impulsive behaviour. She sang with unrivalled emotion and a pain that can leave the stoniest listener in emotional turmoil. The ferocity of her voice reflected her traumatic life... a neglected child, a teen drug addict, a woman constantly entering into bad relationships and an artist raging against an industry and a society that had routinely discriminated against her. Over a career spanning more than half a century Etta 'Peaches' James has become a true blues icon. Widely acknowledged as one of the most important and influential female blues and R\u0026amp;B singers of the post-war era, she has been cited by critics, peers, younger artists whom she influenced, industry insiders and consumer aficionados, as one of most versatile and expressive blues singers. Effortlessly bridging the divides between pure blues, rhythm and blues, rock n' roll, sophisticated pop and jazz with an intensity and passion rarely matched. From Bonnie Raitt to Beyonce, Tina Turner to Adele, Etta James stands alone in her far reaching influence. This LP shines a light on her early career, showcasing some of her greatest and earthiest recordings. From her first single as a delinquent teenager The Wallflower, through to the distinctly Motown influenced Next Door To The Blues we hear just why Etta James is the true embodiment of blues\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Acrobat","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56613185257803,"sku":"R1595-5247","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ACRSLP1627.jpg?v=1771904920"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/acrobat.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}