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

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 You Talk Too Much 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.

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).

Ruffino recorded his artists with the very best musicians. Many of the tracks on Ain't It The Truth! 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.

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.