A HOT vinyl only compilation, limited to 500 copies on clear wax. A chance meeting in New Orleans in 2004! The man behind Spoonful met Mr. Herb H. Franklin, who happened to be the cabbie who took him to the city from the airport. The German record collector and Mr. Franklin, who was in his mid-70s then, hit it off pretty well and met frequently during the next week. While checking record stores and eating Cajun food Mr. Franklin told his life story. Born in 1930 in Wiggins, Mississippi, he moved down to the coast town of Biloxi with his parents at the age of 10. He later trained to be an auto mechanic, but as he hated getting grease under his fingernails, he opted to do what he did best - hang out in bars. So in 1950 he took a bartending job at The Smithwick's - a watering hole in Biloxi, just off Beach Boulevard. When his boss retired in 1955, Herb H. Franklin became the new owner of the bar. A month of renovation followed and the place reopened in Fall 1955 as Sin City, an unofficial name, as the sign outside the bar just said "Liquor." Herb said it was a long, rectangular room with a bar on the left, chairs and tables to the right, and a stage for live music at the end. The pool tables were relocated to a side room to make "plenty of space for sinning," according to Herb. There were rockin' bands on the weekends, sweaty dancers every night, and a jukebox that was wired to the house sound system so it could be heard over the general ruckus of the bar. And that jukebox did its work until the mid-1960s, when Herb closed the place. Amazingly, however, every 45 that ever graced the Sin City jukebox remained in Herb's possession. Whenever the jukebox operator came to bring in the new tunes, Herb gave him some small change to keep the replaced ones. As a result, 15 years of serious record collecting took place, without Herb even giving it a second thought. After Katrina hit, Herb relocated to Wiggins with all his records, which luckily had survived the floodwaters in a storage unit. At his new place in Wiggins, Herb built himself a nice music room in the basement. Mr. Spoonful immediately thought of the idea to digitize his vinyl wealth, but it took years to work out the details. But now the wait is over. So, without further ado, here it is - the first volume of Herb H. Franklin's prized collection - the records that rocked the Sin City bar of Biloxi in the 50s and early 60s! Enjoy! And drink a toast to Herb if you like what you hear.
SIDE A:
1. BIG MAYBELLE - I'VE GOT A FEELING
2. JIMMY LEE ROBINSON - TWIST IT BABY
3. GROVER MITCHELL - THAT'S A GOOD IDEA
4. GATEMOUTH BROWN - SUMMERTIME
5. LITTLE IRVIN - WHO'S LOVING YOU
6. HANK BALLARD & THE MIDNGHTERS - GET READY
7. BILLY WILLIAMS - THE PIED PIPER
8. THE KELLY FOUR - GUYBO.
SIDE B:
1. YOUNG JESSIE - BROWN EYES (COME ON HOME)
2. HERB ZANE - THE PERSIANS TWIST
3. MIKE LAWING - IN L.A.
4. GINO PARKS - FOR THIS I THANK YOU
5. RUBY LEE - I'M GONNA PUT A WATCH ON YOU
6. GARY U.S. BONDS - MINNIE THE MOOCHER
7. NELLIE RUTHERFORD - LAUGHING AT ME
8. THE MASONICS - CALL IT A DAY
