Roosevelt Sykes (1906-1983), Frank-John Hadley wrote in The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD, “had as much to do with the birth and maturation of the modern blues piano style as anyone.” Born in Elmar, Arkansas, Sykes recorded prolifically, beginning in 1929, usually in St. Louis or Chicago. For this 1960 Bluesville session, however, he found himself in New Jersey, wedding his distinctive down-home approach to a crack r&b combo featuring tenor saxophonist King Curtis and organist Robert Banks.

with King Curtis, Robert Banks, Leonard Gaskin, Belton Evans