Grant,Cecil Collection 1944-51 CD

Cecil Gant was a boogie-woogie pianist and R&B vocalist who toured during the 1930s but came to prominence in 1944 when he scored a No. 1 R&B hit with "I Wonder" while still in the US Army and was performing and recording as "Private Cecil Gant - The G.I. Singsation" while appearing at Government Bond rallies. He went on to score several more Top 10 R&B hits during the late '40s until his premature death in 1951 from pneumonia at the age of 37. This excellent-value 52-track 2-CD collection selects from his prolific recording output during those hectic seven years for the Bronze, Gilt Edge, Four Star, Downbeat, Bullet and Decca labels, his work encompassing pure boogie-woogie through to jump blues and sentimental blues-inspired ballads, often in the semi-spoken style reminiscent of Fats Waller established by "I Wonder". He was a highly individual and distinctive performer, and he occupies a unique niche in the annals of post-war R&B and blues - this anthology will certainly interest those looking to build an eclectic collection of recordings across the genre.

1. I Wonder 2. Cecil Boogie 3. Wake Up Cecil Wake Up 4. Boogie Blues 5. I'll Remember You 6. Cecil's Mop Mop 7. Grass Is Getting Greener 8. I'm Tired 9. Cecil Knows Better Now 10. Blues in la 11. When I Wanted You 12. Little Baby You're Running Wild 13. Rhumba Boogie Woogie 14. I Gotta Gal 15. What's on Your Worried Mind 16. Hogan's Alley 17. That's the Stuff You Gotta Watch 18. Jam Jam Blues 19. Lightning Blues 20. Midnight on Central Avenue 21. It's All Over Darlin' 22. Soft and Mellow 23. Hit That Jive Jack 24. Jump Jack Jump 25. Special Delivery 26. Killer Diller Boogie 27. Deal Yourself Another Hand 28. Nashville Jumps 29. Loose As a Goose 30. Train Time Blues 31. Sloppy Joe's 32. Boogie Woogie Baby 33. If It's True 34. Anna Mae 35. Boozie Boogie 36. Another Day Another Dollar 37. I'm a Good Man But a Poor Man 38. Cecil's Jam Session 39. I Ain't Gonna Cry No More 40. Screwy Boogie 41. What's the Matter 42. Bullet Boogie 43. We're Gonna Rock (As Gunter Lee Carr) 44. Hello Santa Claus 45. It Ain't Gonna Be Like That 46. Shotgun Boogie 47. Rock Little Baby 48. Cindy Lou 49. Don't You Worry 50. Owl Stew 51. Playing Myself the Blues 52. Time Will Tell