SPV Blue continue their documentation of Nashville-based independent labels with another collection compiled by Fred James. This time it draws its material from Bullet’s blues catalogue during the period 1946- 52. Founded by Nashville radio booking agent Jim Bulliet (later an investor in Sam Phillips’ nascent Sun label), in 1945 Bullet began life with the original goal of recording a wide range of musical styles including pop, country, gospel and R&B blues. The pop roster was later wound down, however, as the label opted to concentrate its resources on country and blues.
Overall, the mood on the first half is dominated by the sound of boogie woogie and barrelhouse piano on tracks from St Louis Jimmy, Roosevelt Sykes, Walter Davis and Smoky Hogg, while the arrangements are noticeably fuller on the selections from Rudy Greene, Little Eddie and JD Horton. What’s particularly interesting about this 25-track collection is the inclusion of rare early sides from Joe Williams and, in the case of BB King, his first ever recordings, Miss Martha King and When Your Baby Packs Up & Goes, the latter recorded in Memphis with Tuff Green’s band in 1949, when King was still working as a DJ at WDIA radio.
