VEE-JAY: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION - VARIOUS ARTISTS
Chicago’s Vee-Jay never had the cachet of Chess, the cultural influence of Motown or the longevity of Atlantic, but from its start in 1953 to its financial ruin in 1966, it was one of America’s most artistically varied black-owned labels. This four-CD set tells the musical story. In the ’50s, Vee-Jay was a powerhouse of blues, R&B, doo-wop and gospel. It released immortal doo-wop tracks like the El Dorados’ “At My Front Door” and the Spaniels’ “Goodnite Sweetheart Goodnite.” By the early ’60s, Vee-Jay was knocking out pop hits by black acts (Betty Everett’s “Shoop Shoop Song”) and white acts (the Four Seasons’ “Sherry”). Vee-Jay’s owners lacked financial savvy and lost not only the Four Seasons but the Beatles (whose tracks that the label released, such as “Please Please Me,” are missing here). But musically, especially when it came to roots music, the label rarely faltered.
