Johnny Boni And Combo. "Ruby Baby" c/w "Sweet Baby," Blackcrest BC-45-108 (rel. ?/1957)

 

I have nothing on this record. Nothing. It was an obscure regional release that failed to get a scintilla of mainstream interest; its exact release date isn't known; nothing was said about it in the music press of the day. Its makers pressed up a lot of copies in anticipation of a hit that wasn't. Mint "dead stock" copies are easy to find, though only in the general region of West Virginia. I got an unplayed copy of this one for 12 bucks on eBay, and I realized after my purchased I coulda bought one for half that price.

So: not a rare record, but an obscure one. It's been on a few anthologies, including a five-CD boxed set on Virginia and W. Virginia rock and country obscurities. Its singer and songwriter, Johnny Boni, made a second single for Blackcrest around the same time. This suggests the singles must have sold decently in their immediate area, so I assume that's where Boni was located. 

Many times, a record is this obscure because it's crappy. Not the case here. It's solid sorta-Southern rockabilly, it works up a nice rugged racket. Let's give 'er a lissen!

"Ruby Baby" is not the classic song by The Drifters and Dion (a Leiber-Stoller composition). It's a solid, moody rocker with plenty swagger. Boni sings with a nice burr to his voice; his guitarist has great attack, with lots of swoops and twangs on his instrument; there's a strip-tease saxophone and drums for good measure. Barrelhouse piano and barely-audible standup bass complete this rockin' combo. 

The song's just a handy 12-bar blues with the classic repeat lines. Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps could've recorded this very arrangement; this could also be a Sun Records release. If it were, it'd be exalted and go for at least 3 times what a copy of this platter costs. It's just good standard-issue rock 'n' roll, and there's never enough of that precious substance. Dig, daddy-o!

On the flip, "Sweet Baby" begins with a near-silent instrumental intro. The sound engineer had the levels low, as if suspicious that this lot would wreck their equipment. When I first played this, I thought the B-side was silent 'til the full band kicked in.

This side harks back to the jump-blues style of a Louis Jordan. The group does well with this retro sound; I have the feeling these lads could play anything and make it palatable. Bonus for near-atonal coda!

And that's all we got!

Tomorrow: a major hit in the UK in January 1963, as The Beatles' second single spelled the end of an era, ex-Shadows members Jet Harris and Tony Meehan had a British hit with a moody instrumental by Jerry Lordan, coupled with a wacky vocal mover. Released in the States, it went nowhere, but got a cover version by The Ventures. The hit that never was!