West Side Records presents a duple tribute to vocalists
Walter Brown and
Charles "Crown Prince" Waterford, two of the postwar King label's star bluesmen.
Brown, who rose to prominence with the
Jay McShann orchestra, is heard on the first 16 tracks, recorded in New York on December 19 and 20, 1945, and in Cincinnati on July 11, 1946. The eight remaining selections were recorded by rocking R&B shouter
Crown Prince Waterford in Los Angeles on June 3, 1949 (see tracks 17 through 20, featuring 20-year-old tenor saxophonist
Harold Land) and in Cincinnati on March 15, 1950. There's nothing profound or complex going on here. These records were intended as simple background amusements to be enjoyed by regular working people while relaxing, drinking, and dancing; the subject matter is all drawn directly from real-life relationships. If this little taste drives you wild and you must have more, go directly to the Classics
Blues & Rhythm Series, wherein the complete works of both
Walter Brown and
Crown Prince Waterford have been carefully reissued in chronological sequence.