Tex Williams’ “Smoke Smoke Smoke” (that cigarette) was a hit in 1947 and a juke box standard in bars thereafter. This Capitol lp from the sixties is a collection of Williams’ songs. Fyi, Tex was from Illinois. But what a cool photo. I imagine him with three beers in the other hand.

(23 votes, average: 4.52 out of 5)

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Disco party freaks chose Bambu. Here’s a great collection of “smokin joints” on the Paul Winley Records label. I have a George Benson record called “Cheeba Cheeba” on Winley. I see a connection.

(10 votes, average: 2.20 out of 5)

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In the liner notes producer Sonny Lester pays tribute for the concept here to Levy’s rye bread.   “Just like the cover of this album says, Chinese kids like watermelon, Irish like bagels, black people like Jewish rye bread and today everybody loves the blues”

Album Art: Daniel Cooper-Bey   Photograph: Berry Berenson

(17 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)

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Josh White.   Elektra Records. Cover design: Willam S. Harvey Cover photo: Leonard Heicklen

(31 votes, average: 4.03 out of 5)

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What a great performance shot of the recently departed Desmond Dekker. This is an early ska record (1967) on Beverley’s Records out of Kingston, Jamaica. This was produced by Leslie Kong and includes Dekker’s first hit “007” (but surprisingly not the song “Action” – one of my favorites).

(18 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Kent was a great low budget label that put out some great blues and r&b records. This one was produced by Johnny Otis and features his son Shuggie (who wrote “Strawberry Letter 23” and “Inspiration Information”). This is also a nice Bar-b-que cover. Check out that slab of ribs! Mmmmm.

(7 votes, average: 4.86 out of 5)

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Etta James “At Last!”   Argo Lp 4003 (1961)   Designed by Don Bronstein.   What an album.   What a song.     What a performer.   What a cover.   For every Hall of Fame.     I have all of Etta James’ records.   I first heard an early R&B song “Roll with me Henry” and starting hitting the used record stores looking for more.   She was the Queen of Soul before Aretha stole the title.   There’s even an Etta James record with that title also on Argo.   I’ve seen her perform a few times.   Once at the Newport Jazz Festival where I met her.   Her version of “At Last” has become a wedding staple and was used in some car commercial a few years ago.   This cover is a stunning portrait of her at her peak in the mid-sixties.

(15 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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This is on the rare Combo Records label. The instrumental “Pachucko Hop” was a hit for Chuck Higgens. The cover design and photography are by Frank Donovan. This was a controversial cover that showed more skin than was allowed in the late fifties. Good thing he had a neck tie in the studio at least. This record in good shape goes for a few hundred dollars.

(29 votes, average: 4.10 out of 5)

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This is a great record on the pink UK Island label. I just love the cool picture of Joyce with both guns drawn. There’s a killer version of “007,” the Leslie Kong song that Desmond Dekker made a hit the year before, on here. This came out in 1967.

(19 votes, average: 3.58 out of 5)

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Natural Four had a hit with “Can This Be Real,”one of my favorite soul songs of 1974 .   Their Soul Train suits and silver stack shoes make this cover a seventies soul classic.

(11 votes, average: 3.91 out of 5)

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