ROOTS OF THE EASTSIDE SOUND - THE RHYTHM & BLUES INFLUENCE - DOO WOP & VOCAL GROUPS

So far we have looked at several major players in the R&B music scene in early 1950's Los Angeles. Johnny Otis, Big Jay McNeely, Joe Houston, Chuck Higgins, Johnny "Guitar" Watson & Richard Berry all helped shape that music scene and all became huge favorites of Chicano audiences where ever they played - churches, dance halls, school auditoriums and clubs.
  I can't stress enough how important and valuable this book is into understanding the influence of R&B artists around the Los Angeles area on Chicano audiences, listeners and record collectors, especially in the early days. There was a wonderful mutual influential blending of the African-American beat and the Latin beat which would become the "Eastside Sound".
  Steve Propes has been a record collector since 1960 and this book lists every major artist and every pertinent record release during that 20 year period and includes biographical information. The book is especially helpful for doo wop collectors such as myself.
  There are more artists in this book than I could posssibly list on this site & they probably deserve a blog of their own. Artists such as Jesse Belvin, The Penguins, The Jaguars, Shirley Gunter & The Queens, Don & Dewey, The Turks and The Hollywood Saxons are only a few of what you will find.

We will visit many of these artists and their recordings when we get into the "EASTSIDE OLDIES" posts to this site.