Big Maybelle Smith was one of the coterie of powerful female blues and R&B singers who lit up the scene during the post-war decades, the highlight coming in her appearance in the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival movie documentary Jazz On A Summer's Day. Coming from a gospel-singing background in Tennessee, she recorded for the King, Okeh and Savoy labels, scoring Top 10 R&B hits with songs like Gabbin' Man, Way Back Home and My Country Man, as well as recording the original version of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, later covered by Jerry Lee Lewis. This great-value 53-track 2-CD set comprises all her A and B sides for those label from her solo debut for King in 1947 through to 1959, along with the tracks from her two albums for Savoy which were not otherwise released on singles. It's a thorough trawl through her core career, and is a worthy tribute to a highly distinctive and influential entertainer. It comes with substantial booklet notes including full recording session and personnel details.

Disc: 1

1. Bad Dreams Blues

2. Sad And Disappointed Jill

3. Indian Giver

4. Too Tight Mama

5. Little Miss Muffet

6. Don'T Try To Fool Me

7. Gabbin' Blues

8. Rain Down Rain

9. Way Back Home

10. Just Want Your Love

11. Send For Me

12. Jinny Mule

13. Maybelle'S Blues

14. My Country Man

15. I'Ve Got A Feelin'

16. You'Ll Never Know

17. My Big Mistake

18. I'M Gettin' 'Long Alright

19. Ain'T No Use

20. Don'T Leave Poor Me

21. One Monkey Don'T Stop No Show

22. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

23. Such A Cutie

24. The Other Night

25. New Kind Of Mambo

26. Candy

Disc 2:

1. That's a Pretty Good Love

2. Tell Me Who

3. Mean to Me

4. I Don't Want to Cry

5. All of Me

6. Rock House

7. Jim

8. Ring Dang Dilly

9. So Long

10. Blues Early, Early Pts. 1 & 2

11. Silent Night

12. White Christmas

13. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home

14. Say It Isn't So

15. A Good Man Is Hard to Find

16. Pitiful

17. Some of These Days

18. I Understand

19. I Got It Bad

20. Until the Real Thing Comes Along

21. I Ain't Got Nobody

22. Goin' Home Baby

23. There I've Said It Again

24. Ramblin, Blues

25. Stay as Sweet as You Are

26. If I Could Be with You

27. I Could Make You Care