"Gabbin' Blues" And Other Big Hits - Big Maybelle (1LP Vinyl)

"Gabbin' Blues" And Other Big Hits by Big Maybelle.

Big Maybelle roars off the wax with "Gabbin' Blues," the title cut that opens a set drawn entirely from her original OKeh sides recorded between October 1952 and September 1954. This is the "Encore Series" pressing on Epic, a version of the Mono LP EE 22011 that has been electronically rechanneled for stereo. Across sixteen tracks, Maybelle's voice carries the full weight of postwar rhythm and blues, from the swagger of "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" to the ache of "Don't Leave Poor Me."

What makes this collection such a rewarding listen is the shifting cast of players behind her. The sessions were split between two arrangers and conductors, Leroy Kirkland and Danny Mendelsohn, and the band lineups change from track to track, giving each side its own texture. Kirkland's hand shapes the bulk of the first side and the closing stretch of the second, including "Ain't To Be Played With" and "I'm Gettin' 'Long Alright," while Mendelsohn steers "I've Got A Feeling" and a cluster of side B numbers like "You'll Never Know" and "No More Trouble Out Of Me."

The horn work runs deep throughout. Sam Taylor's tenor saxophone threads across the record, joined at various points by Paul Ricci on alto and the baritone weight of Dave McRae and Leslie Johnakins. Brass punctuation comes from Joe Wilder and Taft Jordan on trumpet and the trombones of Al Cobbs and Eli Robinson. On the trio of "Jinny Mule," "Maybelle's Blues," and the earlier "Way Back Home," you can hear a more intimate combo take shape, with the great Brownie McGhee stepping in on guitar.

Elsewhere the guitar chair belongs to Mickey Baker, whose sharp, blues-drenched playing anchors nearly all of side B, and to James Cannady on the opening sequence. The rhythm section rotates through some formidable names: bassists Grachan Moncur, Al Hall, Lloyd Trotman, and Norman Keenan, and drummers including Jimmy Crawford and Panama Francis. Piano duties pass between Fletcher Smith, Lee Anderson, and Ernie Hayes, each lending a different color to the keys.

The package itself arrives in a gatefold cover with liner notes by Lawrence Cohn, produced by Frank Driggs, with engineering credited to Marty Greenblatt. Some track durations differ between the labels and the cover, a small quirk of a set assembled from scattered early fifties dates.

This particular copy is a 1980s reissue of the original 1968 release. The media carries 1980s era Columbia labels while retaining the Epic catalog numbers, a nice detail for collectors tracking the pressing history of Maybelle's OKeh material.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Gabbin' Blues
A2. Just Want Your Love
A3. My Country Man
A4. Rain Down Rain
A5. Way Back Home
A6. Jinny Mule
A7. Maybelle's Blues
A8. I've Got A Feeling
B1. My Big Mistake
B2. You'll Never Know
B3. No More Trouble Out Of Me
B4. I'm Gettin' 'Long Alright
B5. Ain't No Use
B6. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
B7. Don't Leave Poor Me
B8. Ain't To Be Played With

Credits:
Paul Ricci - Alto Saxophone (A8, B1 to B5)
Danny Mendelsohn - Arranged By, Conductor (A8, B2 to B5)
Leroy Kirkland - Arranged By, Conductor (A1 to A7, B1, B6 to B8)
Dave McRae - Baritone Saxophone (A1 to A8, B1 to B5)
Leslie Johnakins - Baritone Saxophone (B6 to B8)
Al Hall - Bass (A6, A7)
Grachan Moncur - Bass (A1 to A5)
Lloyd Trotman (2) - Bass (A8, B1 to B5)
Norman Keenan - Bass (B6 to B8)
Charlie Smith (2) - Drums (A1 to A3)
Jimmy Crawford - Drums (A8, B1 to B5)
Marty Wilson (2) - Drums (A4 to A7)
Panama Francis - Drums (B6 to B8)
Marty Greenblatt - Engineer
Brownie McGhee - Guitar (A6, A7)
James Cannady - Guitar (A1 to A5)
Mickey Baker - Guitar (A8, B1 to B8)
Lawrence Cohn - Liner Notes
Ernie Hayes - Piano (B6 to B8)
Fletcher Smith - Piano (A1 to A5)
Lee Anderson (4) - Piano (A6, A7)
Frank Driggs - Producer
Maurice James Simon - Tenor Saxophone (B6 to B8)
Sam Taylor (2) - Tenor Saxophone
Al Cobbs - Trombone (A1 to A5)
Eli Robinson - Trombone (A6, A7)
Joe Wilder - Trumpet (A8, B1 to B3)
Taft Jordan - Trumpet (B4, B5)

Notes:
EPIC 'Encore Series', electronically rechanneled for Stereo;
Version of Mono LP EE 22011;
Original OKeh recordings from the period October 1952 - September 1954;
Missing durations due to different listing on lp and cover.
Gatefold cover

A 1980s reissue of the original 1968 release. The media has 1980s era Columbia labels, but uses Epic catalog numbers.

Artist: Big Maybelle

Format: 1LP

Genre: Blues

Label: Epic

Catalog Number: EE 22012

Release Year: 2022

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)