Cat. No. 2776: VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ EAST COAST BLUES. COLLECTABLES COL-CD-5324. (IMPORT.)

BALLEN RECORD COMPANY (ORIGINALLY CALLED GOTHAM RECORDS) SITUATED IN PHILADELPHIA WAS FORMED IN 1948 WHEN PART OWNER OF GOTHAM RECORDS, IVIN BALLEN, ACQUIRED THE INTEREST OF HIS PARTNER IN GOTHAM RECORDS, SAM GOODE. THE LABEL CONTINUED TO OPERATE UNTIL 1956. OVER THE YEARS OF ITS OPERATION THE LABEL MANUFACTURED AND RELEASED RECORDINGS ON THE GOTHAM, 20TH CENTURY, APEX AND DC IMPRINTS. THE COMPANY SPECIALIZED IN BLUES AND RHYTHM & BLUES AND MUCH OF THE MUSIC HAD ITS TRADITIONS IN THE MUSIC OF THE CAROLINAS. THE SOUND IS QUITE RAW BUT IN MANY CASES THE ARTISTS WENT ON TO MAKE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN BLUES MUSIC. ARTISTS SUCH AS SONNY TERRY AND TARHEEL SLIM WERE TWO ARTISTS THAT MADE SOME OF THEIR EARLIEST WORK ON THE LABELS. SOME VERY RARE BLUES FOR AFICIONADOS OF BLUES MUSIC ****

TRACK LISTING: Ralph Willis – So Many Days / That Gal’s No Good / Doug Quattlebaum – Foolin’ Me / Don’t Be Funny Baby / Ralph Willis – Goin’ To Chattanooga / New Goin’ Down Slow / Dan Pickett – Number Writer / Laughing Blues / Tarheel Slim – Somebody Changed The Lock / You’re A Little Too Slow / Dan Pickett – Driving That Thing / I Can Shake It / Ralph Willis – Steel Mill Blues / I Will Never Love Again / Sonny Terry – No Love Blues / Doug Quattlebaum – Lizzy Lou.

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