Big Jay McNeely - The Singles Collection 1949-62 (2023)

Big Jay McNeely was an R&B saxophonist, whose music ran the gamut of R&B styles, from jazz-tinged pieces and pure blues to out-and-out rock ‘n’ roll, and was famous as one of the leaders in the “honkin’” saxophone style alongside the likes of Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor, King Curtis and Lee Allen, developing a wild stage act as he as he explored every sound the sax could make played in every bizarre position. He recorded for a variety of labels after making his debut with Johnny Otis, and this great-value 53-track 2-CD collection comprises A & B sides of his singles with his band The Blue Jays on the Savoy, Exclusive, Aladdin, Imperial, Veejay and Swingin’ labels, during this era. It features his R&B No. 1 with “Deacon’s Hop” in 1949 that immediately brought him to public attention, along with his other R&B hits “Wild Wig” and, from later years “There Is Something On Your Mind”. On some of his releases he featured vocalists like Clifford Blivens, Ted Shirley, Jesse Belvin, Mercy Dee Walton and Sonny Warner as well as organist Leon Haywood. He was one of the most distinctive and unusual R&B artists of the ‘50s and this collection is an entertaining trawl across his primary recording career.