”Within two years, between 1957 and ’59, Ebb Records released over 60 singles, ranging from blues, rockabilly, doo wop and teen pop. Lee Rupe set up the label with the money she received from her divorce settlement with Art Rupe, the owner of Specialty Records. Though the label was short-lived. Lee recorded many artists and scored a national hit along with several regional breakouts. Vol. 2 is a continuation of our programme to release the best of the label’s output. This compilation focuses on the blues and R&B repertoire in the Ebb vault, with unreleased sides seeing the light of day for the first time here. Lee started by buying masters from the defunct Cash Records. Her national hit Buzz, Buzz, Buzz by the Hollywood Flames had been among those masters. On this disc, the same group offers their next successful track, a cover of Big Jay McNeely’s There Is Something On Your Mind as well as three other singles. The Zion Travellers Beautiful Day, and its flip Believe In Me are also contained here. This was Lee’s only foray into gospel. The group was recording for several labels at the time, and most of their repertoire appears on the Dootone label (available on CDCHD 637). Tony Harris, Ebb’s second-biggest artist, provides his soulful When I Get You Back among others. Professor Longhair, who recorded the classic Mardi Gras In New Orleans, was renowned for his unorthodox style of playing and raspy vocals, his legendary status thrives in New Orleans to this day. Misery and Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand appear on this disc, from his short stint at Ebb. These are alternate takes of the original recordings. From the track listing you’ll see that Ebb was a halfway house for many 50s artists. Other offerings on this 25-tracker come from the 5 Orleans, who later became the Roulettes and recorded for Scepter and Champ. The Jaguars appear here, but they also recorded for Art Laboe’s Original Sound label at the same time. And Jessie Jones puts in an appearance on the last track, having also recorded for Specialty, among other labels. Ebb finally closed its doors for the same reason as many other independents of the time; its poor distribution set-up hindered regional hits from becoming national hits, and its scatter-shot range of styles provided little focus for the company. But the label left behind a series of unreleased sides, 6 of which have been included here.”