Percy Mayfield - The Singles Collection 1947-62 (2019)

Percy Mayfield was one of the most admired and influential R&B singers and songwriters of the post-war era, with a smooth and polished vocal style, who would undoubtedly have enjoyed an even more illustrious career had it not been interrupted during the early 1950s by injuries sustained in a car accident from which he took a long while to recover. He is perhaps best-known for writing Ray Charles’ hit “Hit The Road Jack”, leading to Charles signing him to his Tangerine label towards the end of the period covered by this anthology. This great-value 54-track 2-CD set comprises just about all his A & B sides during the first era of his career, when he had all his Top 10 R&B hits, and recorded for a variety of labels - Gru-V-Tone, Supreme/Swing Time, Specialty, Chess, Cash, Imperial, 7 Arts and Tangerine. It features his R&B No. 1 “Please Send Me Someone to Love” and his other Top 10 hits “Strange Things Happening”, “Lost Love”, “What A Fool I Was”, “Prayin’ For Your Return”, “Cry Baby” and “The Big Question”. His style of delivery and his songwriting provided a template for many artists who followed in the soul era and this collection underlines his talents as both performer and writer.