If they ever need another name for classic New Orleans rhythm and blues, they might consider calling it Smiley Lewis music. Overton Lemons, a.k.a. Smiley Lewis, belongs on the same pedestal with Fess, Fats, Slim and Bartholomew, but unfortunately, his career was dogged by buzzard luck. His best songs were often covered and sanitized by white artists, and he died before the Jazz Fest generation could discover his music. Plus, the fact he sang about getting his head bad, hard work, womanizing, going to jail for hitting his wife and cheating on his wife kept his singles out of the mainstream and the charts.

Nevertheless, as this spectacular, 36-track collection confirms, this is the holy grail as far as the genre is concerned. Under the direction of Dave Bartholomew, all the studio gods are here—Earl Palmer, Lee Allen, Tuts Washington, Edward Frank, Frank Fields, Herb Hardesty, Ernest McLean. Lewis had a voice that could shatter a shot glass from 20 paces, but he also sang from the heart as songs such as “Blue Monday,” (covered by Fats) “Lilly Mae,” “The Bells Are Ringing” and “One Night” (covered by Elvis) confirm. Smiley does rock here, especially on “Go on Fool,” “Bumpity Bump,” “Real Gone Lover” and “Shame, Shame, Shame,” where Earl Palmer sets an especially torrid tempo and Lee Allen takes a sax solo for the ages.

While there’s honestly not a bad track here, it’s curious that the storming “Tee Nah Nah,” and the ultimate rhythm and booze classic “Lost Weekend” were omitted in place of “Little Liza Jane,” and a second version of “Shame.” The liner notes correct the year of Lewis’ birth—1918—but there are a couple photos in the booklet with mistaken captions. Nevertheless, this is a most worthy collection of truly classic R&B from an often-overlooked hero. I’ll be stunned if a better reissue comes out in 2010.