Edward White - The Great Gates 1949-1957 (2023)

Jasmine's ongoing reissue programme of premium 1950s Rhythm & Blues continues this month with what we believe to be the first ever digital compilation - and the first compilation of ANY kind since the mid-1980s - of the excellent recordings of Edward Gates White a.k.a. The Great Gates (and occasionally, The Man In The Moon).

Gates was typical of the many West Coast-based artists who recorded consistently throughout most of the 50s, without ever really getting the recognition his superb records should have earned him. His one R&B Top 10 hit 'Late After Hours' was a calling card that saw him label hopping across a host of small L.A. independent labels, always making great music and always hoping that another hit might eventually come. That one didn't, was no reflection on the quality of his recordings, which - as you will hear in this Jasmine collection - are uniformly excellent.

Backing Gates on these tracks are some of Los Angeles' most eminent session musicians of the period, including Marvin Phillips (later of Marvin and Johnny) on saxophone, Chuck Norris on guitar and Richard Lewis - the subject of his own Jasmine CD anthology - on piano.

Gates lived a long and full life, long enough to benefit from and appreciate the first wave of collector interest in his music almost 40 years ago. Sadly he passed in 1992, but his music sounds as great now as it did when he first recorded it more than 70 years ago.

Watch out for more first class CDs in this ongoing series from Jasmine!