Blues and R&B pianist, singer, and songwriter recorded for a dizzying assortment of labels during his career, including sides for the , , and imprints, and undoubtedly many others, but what is remarkable is how consistent his output was, both as a singer and as a songwriter in spite of his nomadic label hopping. This four-disc, 98-track box set from collects a healthy sampling of 's early sides, all recorded between 1945 and 1955. ~ Steve Leggett