VA - West Florida Rhythm & Blues (2023)

TAMPA and ST. PETERSBURG in FLORIDA were the focal point from the late 1940s through to the early 1960s for what is nowadays a neglected and obscure centre of black R&B music, much of it focussed around the saxophonist and bandleader Charles Brantley.

Brantley, along with his front man vocalist Clarence Jolly, was recorded in the early 1950s by New York record label owner Bob Shad and Jasmine is proud to release these sides as part of a twenty-five track compilation of jumping R&B and smootchy ballads from the Sunshine State.

Also included are cuts by such acts as Gene Franklin and his Rockin' Spacemen and harmonica virtuoso Eugene 'Texas' Ray, along with the flamboyant Guitar Shorty, although these artists had to migrate to New York City, or in the case of Shorty, Chicago, to make their recording debuts.

Jam-packed full of rare recordings, this collection will delight both R&B collectors and enthusiasts and will shed a welcome light on a hitherto undocumented area of post-war American Rhythm and Blues music.