Instrumentals have always played a special role in the rock ’n’ roll era. By creating a sonic landscape unencumbered by the weight of lyrics and voices (save for, perhaps, the occasional utterance of a catchy title), they provide listeners unique markers with which to chronicle the romance, revelry and adventure in their young lives, freeing minds to stir up images and memories in ways other kinds of songs cannot.

Johnny Cash, born J. R. Cash, (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was a Grammy Award-winning American country singer-songwriter. Cash is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century.

"Dancing Under Vintage Lights" is a swing-genre compilation album highlighting the legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday, officially released on May 30, 2026. The 10-track collection features remastered historical recordings from her iconic catalog, making it accessible to modern audiences looking for a nostalgic, vintage ambiance.

Chuck Berry's second album is ever so slightly more sophisticated than its predecessor. Although One Dozen Berrys is hooked around a pair of hit singles, "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Rock & Roll Music," most of what's here doesn't really sound too much like either of those songs – rather, the other ten tracks each constitute a close-up look at some individual component of the types of music that goes into brewing up the Chuck Berry sound. Thus, the slow instrumental "Blue Feeling" is a look at the blues sound that Berry initially proposed to bring to Chess Records; "How You've Changed" presents him in a slow ballad, singing in a manner closer to Nat "King" Cole than to any rock & roller of the era; and "Lajaunda" shows off his love of Latin music.

Singer Abbey Lincoln's second recording, and her first for Riverside, finds her accompanied by quite an all-star roster: tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Max Roach. Even this early, she was already a major jazz singer with a style of her own. Lincoln was careful from this point on to only interpret lyrics that she believed in. Her repertoire has a few superior standards (including several songs such as "I Must Have That Man!" and "Don't Explain" that are closely associated with Billie Holiday) plus Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Strong Man" and Phil Moore's "Tender as a Rose"; she takes the latter unaccompanied. "Don't Explain" is slightly unusual in that Paul Chambers is absent and Wynton Kelly makes an extremely rare appearance on bass. All three of Abbey Lincoln's Riverside albums are well worth the listen.

In 1991, Blue Note celebrated what would have been Cole Porter's 100th birthday (he died in 1964) by assembling this compilation of jazz versions of Porter standards. The label certainly had an abundance of recordings to choose from; Porter's melodies, after all, have long excited jazz musicians; in fact, so many Blue Note artists have embraced his songs that Blue Porter: Blue Note Plays Cole Porter could have easily been a box set instead of a single CD. In the 21st century, it is easy to yawn and feel bored when a bop-oriented Young Lion embraces Porter standards; how many times are jazz fans expected to hear the same old songs played the same old way? But back in the '50s and '60s, hard bop and the Porter songbook was still a fresh, exciting combination - one that hadn't yet been run into the ground. Blue Porter (which spans 1956-1965) takes listeners back to that time, and it does so with exciting results…

Vintage Summer Harmony is a remastered compilation album featuring the classic songs of rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly. Released as a special hi-res package, this collection highlights Holly's signature blend of early rock, rockabilly, and close vocal harmonies. It brings a fresh, modern sound quality to tracking his short but legendary career.

Singer/Guitarist Brownie McGhee and his life-long musical partner, blind harp-man, Sonny Terry are best known as champions of the "Piedmont"-style blues pioneered by artists such as Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell and Blind Boy Fuller. In the 1960s, they became icons of the folk-blues revival. The recording presented here however showcase a different chapter of the story. This is a collection of raw and rocking jump blues cut between 1947 and 1955 for juke boxes in black beer joints and dancehalls by the New Jersey-based Savoy Record company. Essential blues recordings from two of the genres' most revered artists.

UK two CD collection. Neil Sedaka is one of the most revered performers and songwriters in the world of Popular music, penning such classics as 'Stupid Cupid', 'Oh Carol', and 'Breaking Up Is Hard to Do'. Although many other artists have had hits with his songs his own career as a performer is equally impressive as the music on this release will attest to Primo.

Frank Sinatra’s 1956 album Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! is getting reissued as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet series. The release is out March 27th, which is also the album’s 70th anniversary. Produced for release by Joe Harley, the new Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI), and comes packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket featuring session photos by William Claxton and Ken Veeder.

Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was at the peak of his popularity after his featured role as one of the "Four Brothers" in Woody Herman's band of the late 1940s. His breathy, post-Lester Young ballad style would go on to become one of the most recognizable sounds of 1950s jazz. The Best of the Roost Years shows Getz in the starring role with great sidemen, including the exceptionally sympathetic guitarist Jimmy Raney, pianists Horace Silver, Al Haig, and Duke Jordan, and various rhythm section components including bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Roy Haynes. "Autumn Leaves" sums up the Getz appeal.

Édith Giovanna Gassion, known as Édith Piaf, was a French singer and lyricist. She is regarded as France's greatest popular singer and one of the most celebrated performers in the world. She is best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres.

Five long years after Eric Records unveiled the last numbered volume of our flagship series – detours through Music City and Soulsville notwithstanding – we proudly present Hard To Find 45s on CD Volume 9: 1957-1959. This jam-packed platter is a veritable potpourri of pop, reflecting the wide-open world of Top 40 radio before the days of niche marketing and narrow-casting. Within the span of these 23 tracks, you’ll hear rollicking New Orleans rhythm ’n’ blues (Huey “Piano” Smith), irrepressible rockabilly (Carl Mann), and spirited workouts on the Wurlitzer (Dave Cortez’s “Happy Organ”), steel guitar (Santo & Johnny’s “Tear Drop”), and a whole “String of Trumpets” (from, who else, the Trumpeteers).

The fourth volume in Eric Records' series of Hard to Find 45's on CD focuses on the late '50s and includes 20 of the rarer songs to hit the Top 40 during those years. Though several of these songs are already available elsewhere on CD (Kay Starr's "Rock and Roll Waltz" and Marty Robbins' "White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation" foremost among them), there are plenty of long-lost songs to discover, like "Start Movin' (In My Direction)" by Sal Mineo, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London, "Three Stars" by Tommy Dee, "Guess Who" by Jesse Belvin, "It Was I" by Skip & Flip, and many others.