Blowing the Fuse, a new 16-CD box set, features hundreds of classic rhythm and blues hits from the 1940s through 1960. Tony Cox talks with Dave "Daddy Cool" Booth, who helped compile the collection, and Robert Frye, also known as Captain Fly, host of "The Old School House Party" radio show on WPFW in Washington, D.C.
FARAI CHIDEYA, host: I'm Farai Chideya, and this is NEWS & NOTES.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: A new CD collection called “Blowing the Fuse” could blow your mind.</s>Unidentified Woman: (Singing) Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Hey, yeah…</s>Unidentified Woman: It's a 16-disc set of classic rhythm and blues songs from the ‘40s through 1960. Each CD is packed with more than two-dozen R&B hits. The discs also come with booklets that cover the music's history, with short bios and some great artists photos.</s>Unidentified Woman: Dave Daddy Cool Booth helped compile “Blowing the Fuse.” He's a former R&B DJ who now runs Showtime Music Archives, a resource for classic soul material located near Toronto, Canada. Booth combed through stacks of old R&B charts and thousands of records in his basement to put the collection together. He teamed up with the German label Bear Family Records who released the box set.</s>Unidentified Woman: Dave Booth spoke earlier with NPR's Tony Cox.</s>TONY COX: All right, Dave, let's get started. Let me ask you, question number one, Dave. How long did it take you to put this compilation together?</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): Oh, at least a couple of years. The hardest part was taking out songs. Not the ones that went on, but the ones we had to leave off. And I tried not to put more than one release per artist per year, and there were a couple of times when I had to break that rule, one with Fats Domino and the other one was Little Richard because he had two monster hits in one year.</s>TONY COX: What would you say, Dave, is the connection between each and every song that you selected to be a part of this terrific anthology?</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): That's a toughie. How did I choose the tunes? Well, sales was a big influence but not always because some songs were critical for what they led to. Louis Jordan led to Bill Haley and The Comets. Big Boy Crudup, he led to Elvis. Then there was, you know, the power of Little Richard. There was the whole New Orleans sound. I wanted it to be not only a pleasure to listen to but also an educational tool, you know.</s>TONY COX: It absolutely is that. I put one of these volumes in my CD player and I just couldn't believe what I was listening to. It took me way back to another time and, as a matter of fact, one song in particular caught my attention. I could remember a party that I went to when I heard this song by Ike and Tina Turner.</s>Ms. TINA TURNER (Musician): (Singing) Oh, there's something on my mind. Won't somebody please, please tell me what's wrong? You're just a fool, you know you're in love. You've got to face it to live in this world. You take the good along with the bad. Sometimes you're happy and sometimes you're sad. One more time. You know you love him, you can't understand why he treats you like he do when he's such a good man.</s>TONY COX: Man, that was a big ol' hit. I was a little kid now, I'll grant you that. But songs like that really take you back, don't they?</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): You know, it was those magic labels. It was a time when we bought records 45 by 45. And you did take them to parties but, you know, you hear - I used to listen to WLAC out of Nashville, Tennessee. I used to sit in my car because I could get better reception on my car radio than I could in the house. And I'd sit there with a note pad and write down all the - there would be Howlin' Wolf singing “Smoke Stack Lightin”, Slim Harpo, “Raining In My Heart.” I'd write - and then we would send off to Randy's Record Shop in Gallatin, Tennessee, and they would send a package of records up to us.</s>TONY COX: You know, some of these songs that you have on here are by artists who, you know, maybe they were one-hit wonders, let's say, or perhaps they don't have the name that has survived. Here's one, for example. This was big back in the day, but I don't know how many people really remember Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs.</s>Mr. MAURICE WILLIAMS (Musician): (Singing) Oh, won't you stay just a little bit longer. Please, let me hear you say that you will. Say you will.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): That's one of the shortest singles. I think it is the shortest 45 ever.</s>TONY COX: Really, it's a minute and 35 seconds long.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): Yeah, yeah, a magic record, though.</s>TONY COX: Well, you've done a wonderful thing and we want to thank you…</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): Thank you.</s>TONY COX: …for bringing all these music back. It's a great compilation.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): Well, look forward to the next 10. There are going to be knocked out. You're going to hear Wilson Pickett, Aretha. You're going to hear a lot of the Chicago soul sounds. You're going to be thrilled with the next, and I've been working on those for the past few months. And it's all coming together.</s>TONY COX: All right. We're done with the interview. I'm going to ask you this question as a former - since you're a DJ and you're going to do some new stuff.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): Yeah.</s>TONY COX: So who were The Contours? This is a quiz. I'm giving you a DJ quiz. Do you know who they are?</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): Are you talking about individual members?</s>TONY COX: No.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): No, because I don't go that…</s>TONY COX: Touché.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): I don't go that fine, but I mean The Contours were a Motown group. They were actually I think on Gordy. And, you know, “Do You Love Me?” was their big hit but there was “First I Look At The Purse” and “Shake, Sherrie, Shake,” and whatever else you need.</s>TONY COX: I'm convinced.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): A great - not as good as Junior Walker and the All Stars.</s>The CONTOURS (Musicians): (Singing) Watch me now. Hey, work, work it now baby.</s>TONY COX: Dave, this is wonderful, man. You're in my hall of fame.</s>Mr. DAVE BOOTH (Showtime Music Archives): No, problem. Bye.</s>The CONTOURS (Musicians): (Singing) Do you love me? Do you love me?</s>TONY COX: That was former disc jockey Dave Daddy Cool Booth. He compiled songs for the “Blowing The Fuse” box set but we wanted to take a longer trip through some of the hits in this collection. So we reached out to Robert Frye, also known as Captain Fly, host of the weekly “Old School House Party” radio show on WPFW in Washington, D.C. Frye had one word to describe “Blowing The Fuse” when he first saw the massive song list.</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Unbelievable. The best of the best. I was - somebody had real good taste and then they got to the root of it because some of these artists, you know, like Clyde MacFadden(ph) and the other folks, they were considered one-hit artists. But those of us that kind of loved the music know that Clyde, Billy Wood and The Dominos and all of those types, it's almost like it all comes together.</s>TONY COX: What would you say is the appeal of this music today?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): The music is appealing today because of the times. All of this music, somewhere from the ‘40s and up, you had to ask someone to dance. You put - you extended your hand. You took the lady back to the seat.</s>TONY COX: Well, you know, let's go back through some these because I have a couple I want to mention to you and get your take on it. But before I do that, you're a disc jockey and, you know, you know the era. What songs, what couple of songs stood out for you as you look through this incredible compilation?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Oh, man, Jackie Wilson, Clyde MacFadden, Louis Jordan, “Caldonia,” the first rapper.</s>Mr. LOUIS JORDAN (Artist): (Singing) What she said? She said son keep away from that woman, she ain't no good. Don't bother her. But momma didn't know what Caldonia was putting down. So I'm going down to Caldonia's house and ask her just one more time. Caldonia, Caldonia, what makes your big head so hard?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Ray Bryant doing “The Madison” and that was way back. Honky-tonk, all those dances, were actual dances where everybody could join in even if you didn't have a partner.</s>TONY COX: Well, let's listen to a little bit of what did you say? “The Madison,” right?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): “The Madison.”</s>Mr. RAY BRYANT (Musician): (Singing) You're lookin' good, a big strong line. When I say hit it, I want you to go two up and two back with a big strong turn and back to the Madison. Get on top.</s>TONY COX: Well, let's talk about an artist who actually was a big part of this earlier period, and her music has come back and you hear it on television and in movies and in commercials all time. Do you know who I'm talking about?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Etta James.</s>TONY COX: Etta James, of course.</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Oh my gracious, “At Last.” Any smooth jazz station, they play it five times a day, I feel alive.</s>TONY COX: But there's an Etta James tune on here that is one that people probably are not as familiar with. Here it is.</s>Ms. ETTA JAMES (Musician): (Singing) Oh-hoo, oh-hoo, Henry, you ain't moving me. You better feel that boogie beat and get the lead out of your feet. Roll with me, Henry. Roll with me, Henry.</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): I'm going to call you a pitcher. I'm going to call you a pitcher. You're throwing me curve balls. This young lady is 14 years old. Her mother said you girls can't go audition for Johnny Otis, the Johnny Otis. What happens, they go in to Modern record label and the rest is history So, you know, it was covered over time, as music would be, but she's unbelievable even now, today.</s>TONY COX: Absolutely. You know, there's another group of many groups who were mentioned in this compilation. Now, The Temptations obviously, Four Tops, these kinds of groups had big names, the Platters even before them. But this particular group, they were really big and then they kind of disappeared. But their songs, when you hear them, they take you right back. I'm talking about The Drifters and “Save The Last Dance For Me.”</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): My gracious.</s>The DRIFTERS (Musicians): (Singing) But don't forget who's taking you home and in who's arms you're gonna be. So, darling save the last dance for me.</s>TONY COX: Who are the artists would you say, Captain Fly, who have had - this may be a really difficult question - but who have had in your estimation the biggest impact on R&B music?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Biggest impact for me would probably be in that range - Marvin's in there. Jackie Wilson's in there because, you know, the operatic voice and those things - they're single artists. But I think as far as - The Temptations. So, you know, the groups passed the test of time as far as the audience appreciation, but the main thing is - especially with the (unintelligible) I think they're probably the group for me.</s>TONY COX: Before I let you go, there is, you know, there were also some songs that came out back during the day that were - and they were like novelty songs. The lyrics were just kind of fun. They didn't really mean anything necessarily but they kind of had that catchy beat. You can find your head bouncing to the music. One of the people who's on the compilation who did that, I'd like to get you to respond after we play a little bit of her tune, is LaVern Baker. Now the name of this tune is “Tweedlee Dee.”</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): What?</s>Ms. LAVERN BAKER (Musician): (Singing) Tweedlee tweedlee tweedlee dee. I'm as happy as can be. Jiminy Cricket, jiminy jack. You make my heart go clickety-clack. Tweedlee tweedlee tweedlee dee.</s>TONY COX: Now, there's no way people will be talking about, you know, Jiminy Cricket in songs these days, but it was a hit back then.</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Good, clean fun. Funny kind of thing about, you know, around the house and you're listening. And I was born in 19 (unintelligible), so some of those songs, you know, a little before my time. But being actually at home in a house full of music, listening to LaVern Baker, we listened to the song and singing along. Turned on Ed Sullivan and somebody else was singing it.</s>TONY COX: Oh, yeah that right</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): That was my first experience with a cover.</s>TONY COX: Here's my final thing for you, Captain Fly. This music has survived in some cases 40, 50 years or more, how much longer do you think this kind of sound can survive?</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): Well, let me say this in closing. The biggest nation is your imagination. And you being in radio, you know there's some songs or some music or whatever that would invoke some magical times. And I do reunions and all, and there's some eras that the music cannot be played for dance enjoyment. So how do you like that for timeless music?</s>TONY COX: Absolutely. Captain Fly, thank you so much.</s>Mr. ROBERT FRYE (Host, “Old School House Party” radio show): My honor.</s>Unidentified Man: (Singing) I said hey, hey, hey, yeah…</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: That was NPR's Tony Cox speaking with Robert Frye, also known as Captain Fly, host of the weekly the “Old School House Party” radio show on WPFW in Washington, D.C. They discussed “Blowing The Fuse,” a 16 CD box set of classic R&B hits now out on Bear Family Records.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: That's our show for today, and thanks for sharing your time with us. To listen to the show, visit npr.org. NEWS AND NOTES was created by NPR News and the African-American Public Radio Consortium.