Ain't It the Truth! the Ric & Ron Story 2 / Various

Ain't It the Truth! the Ric & Ron Story 2 / Various

• Shrink-wrapped

The second part of our two-volume overview of premier New Orleans R&B imprints Ric and Ron picks up from where our well-received volume 1 <b>You Talk Too Much</b> left off and carries the label's story from 1960 through to its closure in 1963 after the untimely death of its founder, Joe Ruffino.<p>Ric and Ron had a small roster of artists but almost everyone who recorded for the label went on to be significant in New Orleans R&B. Many of the best-known names are featured here, including Johnny Adams, Eddie Bo and Tommy Ridgley, as well as cult favourites James 'Skip' Easterling and Warren Lee (Taylor).<p>Ruffino recorded his artists with the very best musicians. Many of the tracks on <b>Ain't It The Truth!</b> feature the musicianship of the A.F.O. Combo under the direction of Harold Battiste, while others feature Dr John when he was still known as Mac Rebennack.<p>Some of the cornerstone songs of New Orleans R&B are included, almost all of them drawn from fresh transfers of the original Ric and Ron master tapes. As with our previous volume we close our selection with a handful of early demo recordings of Ric/Ron classics that have never been on CD before. Watch out for more Ric and Ron repertoire from Ace in early 2015.