Ray Charles was one of the most iconic and influential artists in the annals of pop as a singer, songwriter and pianist, and while he is considered one of the godfathers and great innovators of soul... more

Joan Baez is one of the most revered and important names in contemporary folk music, a pioneer of the protest movement in the 1960 alongside Bob Dylan and others, and an artist whose peerless voice... more

Frankie Lymon was just 14 years old when he burst onto the scene as leader of an R&B doowop group in the wake of the first flush of rock 'n' roll in the charts during the mid-50s, and the... more

Perhaps more than any other artist, Ruth Brown helped lead the way in bridging the gap between R&B and pop as far as female artists were concerned, paving the way for the likes of Mary Wells and... more

Trumpeter Miles Davis was without doubt one of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the post-war era, not only as a pioneer of the bebop movement but through being at the forefront of... more

Ritchie Valens was one of leading lights in what became known as the Chicano style of rock - music from the Mexican-American community of the USA, often sung in Spanish and heavily influenced by R&B,... more

Led by the legendary singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson, The Miracles were one of the first groups to sign to Berry Gordy's newly-established Tamla label in 1959, and went to become one of... more

The Staple Singers are one of the most celebrated and respected groups to have graced the gospel landscape in the post-war era, their music transcending the boundaries of the genres so that they... more

Nina Simone was one of the most distinctive, individual and complex musical personalities of the second half of the 20th century, her music starting out from the base of the classical music she... more

Roy Orbison was one of the most talented and distinctive singers and songwriters of the rock 'n' roll era and beyond, with a unique and original approach to writing songs and a remarkable and... more

He belted it out like an opera singer, he helped give birth to soul, he lit up the stage like no performer before or since…he was the incredible Jackie Wilson, and these are all his Brunswick A- and... more

Bill Haley's place in rock 'n' roll history hardly needs underlining, but suffice to say that his landmark No. 1 hit with "Rock Around The Clock" in 1955 was one of the most significant records in... more

The Flamingos were one of the many doowop vocal groups of the 1950s whose group name was borrowed from that of a bird - The Robins, The Penguins, The Orioles and The Ravens were among the others.... more

Etta James is widely regarded as one of the finest female blues, R&B and soul singers of the modern era, second only in some eyes to Aretha Franklin - Atlantic's Jerry Wexler called her "the greatest... more

For several decades Aretha Franklin has enjoyed the accolade of being called "The Queen Of Soul", a position that was cemented by her landmark 1967 pop and R&B No. 1 "Respect". However, her career as... more

The sub-genre of guitar instrumental hits is a fascinating musical strand of rock 'n' roll, with Duane Eddy representing it's primary high-profile chart vanguard, but it was with groups like The... more

The rockin', up-tempo R&B numbers, the smooth, seductive ballads…every A- and B-side by Harvey Fuqua and his Moonglows, one of the most influential doo-wop groups of 'em all. Their biggest smash,... more

"Be-Bop-A-Lula," of course, is the immortal rockabilly classic that made Gene Vincent an icon of early rock 'n' roll—but he had a whole heap of other killer cuts, too, and here are well over two and... more

The Coasters were one of the vocal groups of the '50s and early '60s who bridged the gap between the doowop and R&B eras of the early '50s through to the rock 'n' roll explosion and beyond, with a... more

The Hook recorded foot-stomping, gritty-guitar, deep-voiced boogie-blues classics for all those labels in and around the '50s. With its price, its 101 tracks and its plethora of essential classics,... more

Sam Cooke is widely recognised as the pioneer of soul music, creating the crossover between R&B and pop during the late '50s and hugely influential as both a performer and songwriter. He had a smooth... more

What a deal: three and a half hours of absolutely prime Bo Diddley comprising all the A- and B-sides from his 1955–62 singles—that means you get the hits that made him a star plus the deeper cuts... more

It was hailed as one of the greatest comebacks the jazz world had ever seen, but like every step taken by Miles Davis on his ground-breaking musical journey, the trumpeters sensational "relaunch" at... more

Packed with heavenly harmonies, this great-value 71-track set collects every side the Drifters cut in their 1953–62 prime: every one with Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King plus 1961–62 sides with Rudy... more

Little Richard was one of the unique personalities who were at the core of the explosion of rock 'n' roll in the middle and later years of the 1950s, his highly individual piano style combining with... more