ELVIS’ FIRST BASSIST…Bill Black’s Combo: White Silver Sands

One of the  pioneers of what was first called “rockabilly” which turned into “rock and roll”, bassist Bill Black made his name early on as the bassist for a young kid named Elvis Presley, slapping the bass on tunes “That’s All Right (Mama)” and “I Love You Because” before going out on his own. This two disc, 64 song set  shows what Black could do without The King, with a tight little team of Joe Lewis Hall/p, Reggie  Young/g, Martin Willis/sax and Jerry Arnold/dr rotating with Ace Cannon/sax, Chips Momang and Tommy Cogbill/g. building up a hip collection of tunes that covered the pop and R&B charts between 1959-62.

Black had a couple hits like “Smokie” and “ While Silver Sands”, along with early rock like “Josephine”, a take of “Don’t Be Cruel” and even “Johnny B. Goode” . There’s some vintage VFW-styled material like “Hearts of Stone”, “Old Buttermilk Sky” and “Honky Train” with the band in a highly rhythmic mood. The solos are fairly concise, with the emphasis on laying down grooves for dancing. There’s also a collection of gospel tunes, such as “ Down By The Riverside” and “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.” The band swung hard, with all that’s missing is some cameo vocals by the likes of Johnny, Carl, Jerry Lee or Elvis himself. Great Balls of Fire!

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