Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie (EP SEG7513)

by

		1954
		Guy Mitchell, born Albert Cernick, 22^nd February 1927 in Detroit, Michigan.
		Guy Mitchell's upbeat country style suited the mood of the time and became extremely popular with British record buyers. In retrospect, Guy Mitchell bridged the gap between the old style crooner and 'rock and roll'. Guy's popularity in the UK began in 1950 carried along on the optimism following the austerity of the war years. By 1960 the country's record buying habits had changed and he never returned to the UK chart. However the early hits were given a renaissance during the 1990s after Guy's appearance in the UK TV series 'Your Cheatin' Heart'.
EMI (who were still putting "Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd." on their record sleeves at that time) started manufacturing vinyl 45rpm records at the end of 1952- but sales of these were mostly EPs until 1956. The 78 did not lose its position of dominance until 1958, but by 1960 EMI had ceased making 78s in the UK. It soon became normal for EPs to be packaged in 'picture sleeves' but that is not the case on this early example. The 'company' sleeve shown here (this is the back of it) actually contains a panel which extolls the virtues of the new format. Some early 45-rpm sleeves had notes printed on them that claimed the 45 to be 'non-breakable', but this assertion appears to have been soon dropped- presumably because it was literally stretching things too far.

		1954
		Earl Bostic born April 25^th, 1913 in Oklahoma
		Earl Bostic brought together his first group in Harlem during 1938. He later worked with some of the pioneers of jazz like Lionel Hampton and Cab Calloway. Although remaining true to Rhythm and Blues, Bostic built up a following among jazz afficianados and even made instrumental versions of 'middle of the road' ballads. He is best remembered for reinterpreting the work of other blues musicians; turning them into a form that he could play on the saxophone. He generated an energy and drive in his music that is known to have inspired subsequent soloists and their followers.
Earl's biggest hit was 'Flamingo' in 1951- not released in the UK until 1956 when it appeared on the Vogue label. It was shortly after this, during 1952, that the famous modern jazz saxophonist John Coltrane played in Bostic's R&B line-up. In later years Earl Bostic produced the wonderful 'Harlem Nocturne' and even a version of the theme from the Peter Sellers 'Pink Panther' movie.

	1954	Bunny Hop, The Creep, Charleston, Hokey Pokey

	Rock and Roll had not yet been heard of in the UK- it wouldn't arrive on these shores until 1956. However, it is a mistake to believe that young people did not have an interest in music. Dance Halls were extremely popular places with young adults during the early 1950s and there were plenty of new dance crazes to keep them interested. This record features three of the most popular American dance bands of the era.
On the back of the sleeve shown here is a claim that Capitol was a division of the Decca Record Company. This might be a surprise to many who became familiar with Capitol in later years. In fact, Capitol had begun as an 'independent' American label in 1942 but its UK marketing operation at the beginning of the 1950s was handled by Decca. However, EMI bought Capitol during 1955 to bolster its interest in the US because of the threatened demise of its licensing arrangement with RCA Victor. Sadly for Decca, the Capitol deal was a good one for EMI because it had the likes of Nat 'King' Cole and Frank Sinatra on its roster of recording artists.