Baby Face / Jimmy Lewis - Ridin With Jimmy 1947-1955 (Uk) [CD]

The Madman Of The Guitar, Jimmy "Baby Face" Lewis burst upon post-war rhythm and blues with his featured spots in the big bands of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Floyd Campbell and Tab Smith, where his modern electric guitar playing and confident singing galvanised the ailing swing scene. Mainly associated with the fledgling Atlantic label, Lewis recorded a series of largely-forgotten classic jump-blues and r&b cuts between 1947 and 1955 while side-lining as a drug dealer to the stars which contributed to his demise as a recording artist in 1963 and his untimely death in 1969 before his 40th birthday. This collection of his complete 1940s and 1950s releases celebrates the greater of those two roles.