Five long years after Eric Records unveiled the last numbered volume of our flagship series – detours through Music City and Soulsville notwithstanding – we proudly present Hard To Find 45s on CD Volume 9: 1957-1959. This jam-packed platter is a veritable potpourri of pop, reflecting the wide-open world of Top 40 radio before the days of niche marketing and narrow-casting. Within the span of these 23 tracks, you’ll hear rollicking New Orleans rhythm ’n’ blues (Huey “Piano” Smith), irrepressible rockabilly (Carl Mann), and spirited workouts on the Wurlitzer (Dave Cortez’s “Happy Organ”), steel guitar (Santo & Johnny’s “Tear Drop”), and a whole “String of Trumpets” (from, who else, the Trumpeteers).

Of course, what makes the Hard To Find 45s series so great are the long lost treasures – rescued, restored, and resplendent! Ten of these tracks have never been available on CD – songs like “White Bucks and Saddle Shoes” by Bobby Pedrick, Jr. Who, you ask? Well, young Mr. Pedrick wasn’t even a teenager yet when he made his chart debut in 1958 with this rockin’ ode to fashionable footwear. Over 20 years later, he hit #1 with “Sad Eyes” under his more familiar moniker, Robert John.

You’ll also hear Narvel Felts rockin’ the house with “Honey Love,” long before he charted over 40 Country hits during the ’70s, and the Shepherd Sisters’ early girl group classic “Alone (Why Must I Be Alone).” Perhaps most exciting, however, is the one track on Hard To Find 45s on CD Volume 9: 1957-1959 that never made the Top 100: “Everybody Out’ta The Pool” by the Lifeguards – a crazy, clattering instrumental romp featuring several members of Bill Haley’s Comets. And, of course, there’s Jody Reynolds’ somnambulant paean to death, “Endless Sleep.” Unforgettable!

Hard To Find 45s on CD Volume 9 serves up 53 minutes of pop platters, all lovingly remastered for the highest quality sound. Of special note is Tommy Facenda’s “High School USA,” a song released in dozens of versions, each tailored to a different region of the country. This is the “national” version, making its stereo debut here. This terrific collection includes a 12-page booklet with detailed biographies of all the artists by Greg Adams. And, don’t miss Hard To Find 45s on CD Volume 10: 1960-1965. Hard to find? Not anymore!

15 Top 30 hits! 10 tracks never before on CD!
– all tracks mono except where noted –
DIGITALLY REMASTERED FOR HIGHEST QUALITY SOUND