Louis Jordan was one of the biggest stars of the late 1940s, ruling the R&B charts with his sharp, observational lyrics and crying alto sax solos, all backed by his high-energy jump blues band, the Tympany Five. This 1975 compilation gathers basically every track for which he’s best known, including “Caldonia,” “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens,” “Five Guys Named Moe,” “Let The Good Times Roll,” “What’s The Use Of Getting Sober (When You’re Gonna Get Drunk Again),” and more, including the calypso novelty “Run Joe” and the narrative epic “Saturday Night Fish Fry.” Jordan’s songs offered affectionate and humorous commentary on urban Black life, and his band blended jazz and blues in a way that was a strong influence on early rock ’n’ rollers, Chuck Berry in particular.

– Phil Freeman