Jimmie Rodgers - The Complete US & UK Singles As & Bs 1957-62 [2CD] (2015)

Jimmie Rodgers, not to be confused with the pioneering hillbilly country artist of the early '30s, was a hugely successful artist in the pop charts during the late '50s and early '60s, his work transcending the barriers between pop, country, folk and R&B to give him a succession of major hits on both sides of the Atlantic. He was one of the many successful artists to emerge from the influential Arthur Godfrey Talent Show on radio, and was one of the first artists signed to Maurice Levy's Roulette label in 1957. Working with ace producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, he scored a No. 1 with his debut single Honeycomb and followed it up with Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, Oh-Oh, I'm Falling In Love Again and Secretly, benefitting from a supply of fine songs by the top team of Al Hoffman and Dick Manning. This collection comprises the A and B side of all his releases through to 1962, when he enjoyed his last Top 30 success with a UK No. 5 with English Country Garden. It's an enjoyable journey through the most important years of the career of an artist who successfully sat alongside the high-profile exponents of rock 'n' roll appealing to the middle ground of pop in the years before the British invasion.