Favorite Finds of 2008

Hello, everyone. First off, I'd like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As is customary in these parts, it's time for the annual record roundup you know and love as "Favorite Finds of 2008!" This year was kind of hit or miss record-wise for me. But the gems are still out there and I found my share of 'em. So, here's the best of what I picked up this year. Enjoy.

Jimmy McGriff: Discothque U.S.A. (Sue)
Jimmy McGriff: Lonely Ave. Pts 1 and 2 (Sue)
Jimmy McGriff: The Bird/Plain Brown Bag (Capitol)
Freddy Cannon: 20th Century Fox (Warner Brothers)
Billy Mashburn: Don't It Sound Good Pts 1 and 2 (Atlantic)
The Outsiders: Gotta Leave Us Alone (Capitol)
Billy Ware: Monkey Vs. The Baboon (Theoda)
B.B. King: Get Myself Somebody (Bluesway)
Soul Shouting Tommy: I'm The Man (Anla)
Mark Valentino: The Push and Kick (Swan)
Dave "Baby" Cortez: Popping Popcorn (Okeh)
Jerry Cook: Funky Wagon (Troyx)
Allen Page: She's The One That's Got It (Moon)
Johnny Oits: Jaws (Hawk Sound)
Solomon Burke: (No, No, No) Can't Stop Loving You (Atlantic)
"Little" Bobby Gilbert: Hot Road (BigBell)
Little Willie John: Spasms (King)
Bob Arlin and His Band: East L.A. (Olympia)
Billy Guy: Whip It On Me Baby (Double L)
R.D. Stokes: Partying Groove/Me Too (II Bros.)
Wilson Pickett: I Can't Stop (Double L)
Clint Miller: Bertha Lou (ABC-Paramount)
Billy Bland: Chicken In Basket (Old Town)
Wendy Rene: Bar B-Q (Stax)
Bill Coday: Get Your Lie Straight (Galaxy)
Little Walter: Me and Piney Brown (Checker)
Wilson Pickett: Fire and Water (Atlantic)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It) (Okeh)
Lowell Fulsom: Coming Home (Checker)
Lowell Fulsom: The Thing (Kent)
The Pretty Things: Midnight To Six Man (Fontana)
Samson and the Groove Masters: Mercy Twist (Whitted)
Irma Thomas: Don't Mess With My Man (Ron)
Chris Montez: Go Head On (A&M)
The Orchids: Good Gully! (Wall)
June Jackson: Let's Try Dancin' (Bell)
The Endeavors: I Know You Don't Want Me (Stop)
The Royal Checkmates: Get Out Of My Life Woman (Faro)
Lowell Fulsom: Why Don't We Do It In The Road (Jewel)
Obie Plenty: Beef Stew (Verve)
Shep and the Limeliters: The Monkey (Hull)
Ricky Nelson: Believe What You Say (Imperial)
Big John Greer: Record Hop (King)
Katie Webster & Cookie with His Cup Cakes: You Gonna Need Me (Goldband)
Moonglows: Chickie Um Bah (Chess)
Brenda and the Tabulations: Scuse Uz Y'all (Top and Bottom)
Bill Coday: I Got A Thing/Let Me Be Your Handy Man (Galaxy)
The In Crowd: Do The Surfer Jerk (Musicor)
Woody Guenther & Cheaters: Gang Bangin' Time (Shout)
The Olympics: (I Wanna) Dance with the Teacher (Demon)
T-Bone Walker: Hey Hey Baby (Modern)
B.B. King: Mashing the Popeye
The Olympics: Shimmy Like Kate (Arvee)
B.B. King: Beautician Blues (Kent)
Dennis Coffey and the Lyman Woodard Trio: It's Your Thing (Maverick)
Rudy Robinson and The Hungry Four: Close Your Mouth Pts 1 and 2 (Lau-Reen)
Bobby Hendricks: Itchy Twitchy Feeling (Sue)
Freddy King: Girl Fromn Kookamunga (King)
The Flirtations: Nothing but a Heartache (Deram)
Lloyd Price: The Chicken and the Bop (KRC)
Big Al Downing: Georgia Slop (Columbia)
Bo Diddley: Diddley Daddy/She's Fine, She's Mine (Checker)
Bobby Byrd: We Are In Love (Smash)
Thurston Harris: Do What You Did (Aladdin)
Chuck Howard: Crazy, Crazy Baby (Port)
Phil Flowers and the Flower Shop: Like A Rolling Stone (A&M)
Henry Moore: Rock Junction (King)
The Boys in the Band: (How Bout A Little Hand For) The Boys in the Band/Sumpin' Heavy (Spring)
The Electric Prunes: The Great Banana Hoax (Reprise)
Soupy Sales: My Baby's Got A Crush On Frankenstein (Reprise)
Butterfield Blues Band: Come On In (Elektra)
Inez and Charlie Foxx: Undecided/I Ain't Going For That (Dynamo)
Jack Nitzche: Rumble (Reprise)
Lendy and the Thundertones: Hot Ice/Jungle Fever (Dot)
Lenny and the Thundertones: Street Beat (Dot)
Buster Benton: Good to the Last Drop (Jewel)
Roy Lee Johnson and the Villagers: The Dryer (Stax)
The Turnarounds: Soul Walk (Tangerine)
The Far Out Underground Acid Rock Feet of Harry Zonk: For What It's Worth (Crazy Horse)
Little Brenda Lee: Bigelow-6200 (Decca)
Ace Cannon: Drunk (Hi)
Ace Cannon: Soul For Sale (Hi)
Eddie Bo: Check Your Bucket Pts. 1 and 2 (Bo-Sound)
John Kasandra: (What's Under) The Natural Do (Respect)
Prentice Moreland: Chubby Ain't Chubby No More (Challenge)
Gordon Young: Fills Her Skirt (Felsted)
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters: The Continental Walk (King)
King Floyd: Baby Let Me Kiss You (Chimneyville)
The Troyes: Rainbow Chaser (Phalanx)
Jerry Allison and the Crickets: Now Hear This (Liberty)
Joe Tex: If Sugar Was As Sweet As You (Dial)
Joe Tex: You're Right, Ray Charles (Dial)
Brenda Lee: Let's Jump The Broomstick (DeccaL0
Dale Wright with The Wright Guys: That's Show Biz (Fraternity)
Aaron McNeil: Draculena (Captiol)
Buzzie: Stone Soul Booster (Gordy)
Ohio Express: Hot Dog (Super K)
Elton Anderson: Cool Down Baby (Mercury)
Bobby Marchan: Chickie Wah Wah (Gale)
Leon Childs and the Hy-Ton: Jet Stream (Vin)
Otis and Carly: Knock On Wood (Stax)
Jim Doval and the Gauchos: Bony Maronie (Diplomacy)
Jerry Williams: What's The Matter With You Baby (Calla)
The Sandpebbles: Love Power (Calla)
The Sandpebbles: Forget It (Calla)
Ernest Tubb: Thirty Days (Decca)
Etta James: What I Say (Argo)
The Stereos: I Feel Soul A' Coming (Cadet)
Aaron Neville: Space Man (Par Lo)
The BBC: Upside Down (Mega)
Juggy: Soul At Sunrise/Just A Minute (Sue)
Al Browne's Band: Soul Pts. 1 and 2 (Providence)
Rodge Martin: Lovin' Machine (Bragg)
Koko Taylor: Don't Mess with the Messer (Checker)
The Frenchmen: Limbo Las Vegas (T.N.T.)
Lavell Hardy: Don't Lose Your Groove (Rojac)
Kim Tolliver: (Your Trying To) Cop My Stuff (Rojac)
Jackie Lee: The Shotgun and the Duck (Mirwood)
Joe Simon: The Whoo Pee )(Vee Jay)
Taj Mahal: Everybody's Got To Change Sometime (Columbia)
Round Robin: Gonna Tear The House Down Pts. 1 and 2 (Shot)
King Curtis and the Kingpins: Cook-Out (Atco)
Hot Toddys: Shakin' and Stompin' (Corsican)
The Beeds: Run To Her/You Don't Have To (Team)
Jimmy McGriff: Chip! Chip! (Jell)
Ruth Brown: Papa Daddy/I Don't Know (Atlantic)
Ruth Brown: Taking Care of Business (Atlantic)
Ruth Brown: This Little Girl's Gone Rockin' (Atlantic)
The Fame Gang: Grits And Gravy (Fame)
Dee Dee Sharp: Do The Bird (Cameo)
The Bobettes: Come-A Come-A/Speedy (Atlantic)

Well, it looks like there's going to have to be a Part 2, so bear with me a few minutes. I'll be right back.