An early proponent of the South Louisiana B-flat ballad, the tracks found on Bobby Mitchell’s Try Rock and Roll have been around the block several times on several formats.

Consisting of 1950s and early 1960s Imperial recordings supported by the usual J&M/Cosimo studio suspects, the Algiers native’s 78s and 45s pretty much didn’t catch on outside of the immediate Gulf Coast. However, it was 40 years ago, nearly to the day, that the initial vinyl reissue of Mitchell’s Imperial catalog appeared on the Swedish Mr. R&B Records label. The release would soon lead to an avalanche of reissues of classic New Orleans R&B material and a legion of baby boomers that became fans of the genre. Indeed, Mitchell even appeared on the initial cover of New Orleans’ first music magazine Wavelength.

Unlike Mitchell’s predictable balladry, songs here like “Rack ’em Back,” “Sister Lucy,” and “4X11=44” were boisterous mid-’50s shouters, not unlike Smiley Lewis’ or Joe Turner’s best recordings. With the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, producer Dave Bartholomew decided he might be best served by providing his young vocalist more contemporary material. Hence Mitchell was paired with Bartholomew’s finger-popper “Try Rock and Roll,” which didn’t even break out of Orleans Parish but earned him a spot on American Bandstand. One of several follow-ups, “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Some Day” was another perfect fit but turned into just another of Mitchell’s local best sellers. To Mitchell’s chagrin, his label mate Fats Domino would cover the song, though, and turn it into another of his own hits. Other standouts here include “64 Hours,” “Your Gonna Be Sorry” and “You Better Go Home,” which are great examples of mid-tempo New Orleans R&B. If you missed out on this material the first or second time, or you’re not familiar with Mitchell, this reissue is highly recommended. New Orleans R&B legend Bobby Mitchell was the real thing.