Chuck Willis – King Of The Stroll

(Though well known to his fans as the ‘Sheik Of The Blues’, thanks to his gigantic private collection of colourful turbans he used on stage, by the end of 1957 the Atlanta-born Chuck Willis found himself crowned with yet another title, “The King of the Stroll”. When the new dance step, The Stroll, began sweeping the US, his ‘Betty And Dupree’ 45 had just been released, making it immediately clear that the groovy, slow tempo type of music to which the Stroll was danced went perfectly with the type of music Chuck Willis was releasing for Okeh Records, such as his irresistible update of ‘C.C. Rider’, a classic folk blues performed by Ma Rainey in Atlanta before Willis was even born, along with a plethora of R&B top sellers. These Okeh singles were later collected by Atlantic on this 1958 LP, The King Of The Stroll. Tracks – Side A: 1. Betty And Dupree 2. That Train ‘s Gone 3. Love Me Cherry 4. Juanita 5. It’s Too Late 6. C.C. Rider Side B: 1. My Life 2. Whatcha Gonna Do When Your Baby Leaves You 3. Kansas City Woman 4. Theres Got To Be A Way 5. Ease The Pain 6. Thunder And Lightning 7. My Crying Eyes)