Eugene Floyd Phillips landed on the West Coast with the Mills Brothers and stayed on to make his own career as a singer and bandleader with the Bihari brothers and their fledgling Modern Records. Phillips was an in-demand session musician regularly on call from the mid-1940s to top L.A. record producers such as Maxwell Davis, Lloyd Glenn and Jake Porter; this set showcases the best of Phillips session work on both standard electric guitar and the more unusual lap-steel. His picking enhanced early recordings by the likes of Wynonie Harris, Amos Milburn and Johnny Otis along with more obscure names such as Duke Henderson, Henry Hayes and Louise Beatty, all featured here - not to mention Percy Mayfield's R&B chart hit, "Strange Things Happening" - with a smattering of Phillips' own rare instrumental numbers.
1. BABY, LOOK AT YOU - Wynonie "Blues" Harris With Jack Mcvea & His All Stars 2. STRAIGHTEN HIM OUT - Wynonie "Blues" Harris With Jack Mcvea & His All Stars 3. I GOTTA LYIN' WOMAN - Wynonie "Blues" Harris With Oscar Pettiford & His All Stars 4. TIME TO CHANGE YOUR TOWN - Wynonie "Blues" Harris With Oscar Pettiford & His All Stars 5. THEN I'VE GOT TO GO - Jack Mcvea & His All Stars 6. LOVE WILL GET YOU DOWN - Jack Mcvea & His All Stars 7. GENE JUMPS THE BLUES - Gene Phillips & His Rhythm Kings 8. BLUES IN THE BACKGROUND - Duke Henderson With Shifty Henry & His All Stars 9. WOMAN BLUES (Part One) - Duke Henderson With Shifty Henry & His All Stars 10. GET YOUR KICKS - Duke Henderson With Jack Mcvea & His All Stars 11. HAYES BOOGIE - Henry Hayes' Four Kings
12. JUMPIN' WITH LLOYD - Lloyd Glenn All Stars 13. TRAIN TIME BLUES - Amos Milburn 14. TRAIN WHISTLE BLUES - Amos Milburn 15. RAMPART STREET JUMP - Lloyd Glenn & His Joymakers 16. GENE'S GUITAR BLUES - Gene Phillips & His Rhythm Kings 17. HEY! LITTLE BROWNIE - King Porter & His Orchestra 18. SHOULD HAVE RATIONED MYSELF - King Porter & His Orchestra 19. DAYS WORK - King Porter & His Orchestra 20. CHITLIN' BALL - King Porter & His Orchestra 21. MIDNIGHT BOOGIE - Lloyd Glenn & His Orchestra 22. BIG BUG BOOGIE - Gene Phillips 23. BOOGIOLOGY - Lloyd Glenn & His Joymakers 24. MY LUCK IS BOUND TO CHANGE - Amos Milburn & His Aladdin Chickenshackers 25. HANGOVER BLUES - Johnny Otis Orchestra 26. LEVEE BLUES - Lloyd Glenn & Trio 27. STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING - Percy Mayfield 28. GETTIN' LUCKY - Louise Beatty With Jack Mcvea & His Orchestra