Rhythm and Blues Revue

This 1955 R&B Revue consists of performances by some of the greats of the golden era of Rhythm and Blues including Cab Calloway, Martha Davis, Ruth Brown, Lionel Hampton, Faye Adams, Herb Jeffries, and Joe Turner. The Hampton numbers reveal how close he came to abandoning jazz entirely in favor of music in the proto rock vein. Calloway is doing another version of his hit "Minnie the Moocher", this one actually superior to his later rendering in the Blues Brothers. Joe Turner adds a performance which once again demonstrates that he is one of the all time great blues shouters. The Delta Rhythm Boys sing "Dry Bones", an early showing of the gospel roots to R&B. Amos Milburn's "Bad Bad Whiskey" is a tad painful to watch, given Milburn's subsequent descent into alcoholism. All in all, the film offers a rare insight into the dawn of the burgeoning rock era.